I'm fishing all the well known spots on ray bob and Lewisville but
just can't seem to catch many fish. Fishing bottom, top, in between... Tried Slow& fast retrieve with little George's, slabs, spoons, swim baits. NADA!!! I don't have a fish finder, that's the only thing I can think... What else could I be doing wrong? Do I need to switch to shad? Never tried that before. My kids are beginning to think I'm a total fishing failure. Especially when I see everyone else out there hauling em in.

So my question is... How much do you depend on your electronics to find em? Thanks for any suggestions.

Spend a hundred bucks o a cheap sonar. Shoot I'll look around I may have one I can give ya. Very tough without a graph on the boat.

Look for bait if nothing else and yes switching to live bait will help no doubt.

Welcome aboard gtr, like spags said, get the best one you can afford

Would not even bother to go. Started using a flasher in the mid sixties and have not been to the lake without one since.
Johnny

what Brian said...anything is better than nothing. Heck, just knowing the depth gives SO much info. Just finding one ledge may make the difference between being the skunk or getting it.

If you are on Lewisville you don't need one--just run in full speed in your ski boat on a group of people fishing quietly--scream out "are you guys catching" if they say yes break out the Zebco if not fire up the big motor(oh wait you dont have a trolling motor on your ski boat) and blaze off to the next group fishing.

Did it for years when I was a kid in 10 foot flat bottom .Didn't even know about em .

Buy binoculars instead. That way you can watch other boats from a distance and see if they are catching before you check a spot. Seems to work

Get a couple of DD22's and you are all set.

How do you know how many feet (or inches) of water you're running in when traveling the lake, especially when water levels flucuate up and down?

Safety should be a primary concern, shouldn't it? Finding fish with it is secondary.

like others have said if my graph ain't going neither am I!lol like m/card don't leave home without it !!!!!!!!buy the best one you can afford and be patient on learning how to read it !!

Yep, Matt's right use binoculars, but if you don't have a pair, just wait by the boat ramp and follow a guide all over the lake all day.

While, I've never tried it, often times I seem to be forever in a game of follow the leader and apparently, I'm the leader...

Thanks for the replies. I live close to Lewisville and would like for it to be my go to lake for family fishing. I have a lot to learn though. I'm looking at getting a sonar/gps in the $600-750 range. Guess I'm gonna have to spend some time out there to figure out how to catch fish using electronics.

Gtr 35, I have a small color hummingbird that has never failed me! Cost about 350$, has gps and everything. Now after fishing my lake after many years, I could probably go and catch a few without a finder, but I would not suggest it.

I have to say, once I find fish, my lure becomes my finder for me. I will do a fan
Cast method, and once I catch one, there's sure to be more!!!

Good fishin
Mike

If that's your budget, a gen2 hds5 would be perfect for ya.