Isn't that kind of expected when you wrap you boat in stickers that say fishing guide. I don't do it but if someone was new to a lake I can see why they would.

Would you sit outside a marina and wait for a guide to launch and then follow him? Would you wait in front of a guides dock and wait for him to leave with customers and then follow him?

I have seen both things happen several times.

I have an Eagle 480 fishfinder u can have. send a pm for address.

GTR35. If you have an iphone or andriod, you can download the navionics app. Before I had the capability of GPS this was he best 10 bucks I have ever spent. even with a cheap fish finder you can confirm that you are on a specific hump, ledge, etc.

Take Gborg up on his offer the Eagle 480 is not a bad unit. I have one on the bow of my boat at the moment and it work fine. Also had GPS if I am not mistaken.

Adding a chap fish finder and gps capability will do great things for your live well.

Very generous of you gborg! Thank you very much. PM sent. I downloaded navionics this morning and I can see how that would be a huge help! Looking forward to catching some fish other than chasing the boat shows and birds! Thanks again!

Bam!!! TFF pays off again. That's awesome

I've had a 480 on the console for 10 years. Keep waiting for it to break so I can justify a side imiging, but it put me on hybrids yesterday.

I didn't say that I would--I enjoy finding the fish myself but I have also been on fish and had guides pull up and start fishing on top of me but that is more accpetable I guess---note: not saying anyone in particular has done it but I have had it happen to me numerous times.

Like Johnny I was fishing for whites at EM in the 1960s - specifically 1967. We didn't have depth finders then and we still caught fish. We did it by getting out at dawn and going to where fish typically feed on the surface. Most mornings we'd catch a good number that way before the surface action stopped. Then, we would go to a few structures where fish tended to hang out on the bottom - likely sandy bottoms. Finding spots on points was easy and we'd anchor and fish them bouncing spoons off the bottom. Finding humps out in middle of the lake was harder. We triangulated to landmarks on the shoreline and when we thought we were at the spot, we'd use the anchor to sound the depths til we found the hump. The negative about this is that you have to stop and fish each spot to know if there is fish down there.

The advent of depth finders was a paradigm shift is structure fishing. It speeded it up tremendously by letting you know without sounding if you were over the structure. AND, you didn't have to fish the spot if you saw no fish down there - you quickly move on to check the next structure. You can cover many more structures this way greatly increasing your odds of finding fish during the time you have out on a particular fishing trip.

With the high definition sonars we've had for the last 15 years, it's been a rare exception that I do not find and catch fish. Like Johnny, I wouln't even leave the dock if my depth finder was not working. And I don't even wet a hook til I've located fish using my sonar. If you can afford to buy a boat to fish, installing a depth finder on it is an absolute MUST. Good luck!

once you have a fish finder, to speed up your fish finding learning curve, go for a trip with a fishing guide. They normally are very nice to teach you how to locate fish and how to interpret the graphics. I have learned a lot from a Ray Hubbard guide that I used in the past 2 months. If you want to know more about him PM me. Otherwise you can find one yourself in your home lake.

That is what I plan to do, twksss. With busy schedules, it's tough for me to spend tons of hours on the lake. I would like to find a lewisville guide that can show me how to use my electronics to find fish.

I can find schooling fish via birds, and the boat show isn't my thing. I would like to learn to find fish the rest of the year in deep water when they are not actively surface feeding.

If anyone knows a good Lewisville guide who would be willing to help me with this, please let me know. Thanks

This time of year - Look for Birds (without a GPS map and depth finders) they (the birds) will show you the key spots that will pay off when they are not showing on top � for later.

As to the question of � �How much do You Depend on Depth Finders to Find Fish� - Every day and all Day � I�m just like the Birds (we do it for a living) � See Fish and Catch them � I�ve got about $10,000 in electronics on my boat.

Today was just that - look for the birds (they will show you so much).

And the electronics will show you exactly where they are � plus the brush piles � fall offs/ledges and the fish (Bass, Crappie, White Bass, Hybrids and even the Cats).

All Caught today on www.roosterstackle.com � their Slabs and Rum Runners(sassy shads), Jigs � all quality baits � just go with the best you will never be disappointed with the best!

Go get em,

This is why TFF is the best fishing site out there.