Fishing Naked for Panfish!

[taxi1]

Now that I have your attention this post is not about fishing with your clothes off. What this post is about is fishing like the old days without sonar and cameras, and other high tech gear. Heck many of you are probably too young to even know what that was like.

Anyway, sometimes I wonder if some of us would catch more panfish and enjoy things better if we just found bottom with a clamp on sinker, set our bait 6 to 12 inches off the bottom, and just kept moving from hole to hole. No fiddling with the flasher and no dinking around with a camera. I have actually seen anglers waste a lot of time adjusting their sonars and camera when they could have already been fishing the second and third hole.

Don't get me wrong. I love technology and gadgets just as much as the next guy, but I occasionaly like to leave everything at home and go hole hopping. I give each hole a little time and keep moving if I don't get any bites.

Thoughts? Ever wonder about this?

[Rebelss]

Nope. I'll go out without the camera or flasher half the time. It's all about relaxation and no fiddling with anything, other than the heater, for me. Maybe it's more of an old school /guy thing. 

[taxi1]

Nope. I'll go out without the camera or flasher half the time. It's all about relaxation and no fiddling with anything, other than the heater, for me. Maybe it's more of an old school /guy thing. 

Amen!

[Gills-only]

Still fish "naked"!!

[lefty2053]

That is all I did until a couple years ago when I got me a Showdown. Now that I have it I love it. I still use a dead stick on another rod.

[Raquettedacker]

I remember the old days and would never go without my flasher now....

[taxi1]

Still fish "naked"!!

I knew there were a few of us out there!

[filetandrelease]

I fish flats sometimes old school no flasher , hair , feather jigs and hand line , rod with no reel , it's fun

[river rat78]

After fishing with a flasher for the first time last year I would have to say it's an invaluable tool when it comes to panfish. First few years that I targeted them without a flasher you would need to work the water column which could take about 5-10mins per hole. With a flasher I will know if its time to move in less than 5 minutes. Plus if the bite is hot then goes cold a flasher will let you know if the school has moved or not. It can also help you find the school faster. I haven't been fishing long enough but I would say that if you are fishing in maybe 6' or more then a flasher is great. 6' or less you can leave the electronics at home.

[Mr.Harry]

I don't own either a flasher or a camera. Hasn't stopped me from catching lots of lakers and Bows. I DO however rely pretty heavily on GPS and Navionics bathymetry maps. As long as I know where/what I'm drilling holes over, the depth, bottom features, structure etc. I'm all set. Fish the holes and keep bouncing around until I get results.

[Kyle_J]

Its hard to go back to not using electronics my catch rate greatly increased since i started using them.The only time i don't use electronics is when i am sight fishing.

[alaskaruss1]

Just got a flasher but will continue to fish " naked" a lot of the time. Sorry if anyone is caused to go blind due to this.

[ship of fools]

I remember the old days and would never go without my flasher now....

X2

If the goal is to catch fish there is no comparison. If the goal is to relax set out tipups. 

[Gills-only]

I like those "cold" holes, fish come out of them almost all the time!!

[Raquettedacker]

Just got a flasher but will continue to fish " naked" a lot of the time. Sorry if anyone is caused to go blind due to this.

    What did you get and whats a flasher go for up there??   

[alaskaruss1]

    What did you get and whats a flasher go for up there??

   I got a Marcum LX3tc and it cost 4 bills. I have 5 lakes wihin just over a mile from my house and hope this helps me spot the fish. Just want to optimize my time off and on the ice.

[Raquettedacker]

It should only increase your hook up...
I will be waiting to see all of your new fish pictures....

[OldCaveman]

  I've always fished naked.

[rdhammah]

I go with a flasher. before that, I used a fishfinder for depth and bottom type. my brother uses no electronics. he waits for me, otherwise he uses a clip-on depth finder.

[rink 610]

Been ice fishing naked about 20 years now, just bought a Marcum VX1 Pro, so I guess I'll see if it makes a difference. This site convinced me it's the way to go.

[gearheart]

If i want to sit around and drink beer... Hell no Even then I'd bring at least the flasher. I want to know if I'm fishing or just washing bait.  I can sit at home and drink beer.

[Osage]

I'm fairly new to electronics on the ice,and rarely use them on soft water.I am beginning to realize I may be handicapping myself by not knowing the lay of the bottom in the lakes I fish.I do fish points and such,but other than using a finder and covering every inch of a lake,what other way could I use to find good fish cover and such ?

[Icer for life]

fishing without sonar = good
fishing with sonar = better
fishing naked = best

never a bad day fishing any way you look at it!

[Rizzman]

started over 30 years ago making ice rods from old broken trout rods. used a sinker with a alligator clip to find bottom and a small bobber.  Funny thing is I still got to old rods but enjoy the new stuff way more. I would be lost with out my graph.

[sgtski]

I dont leave da house without my lx 5.....makes icetime super productive......im an oldskool guy but gotta have that flasher when im huntin fish thru ice

[Kevin23]

Now that I have your attention this post is not about fishing with your clothes off. What this post is about is fishing like the old days without sonar and cameras and other high tech gear. Heck many of you probably are too young to even know what that was like.

Anyway sometimes I wonder if some of us would catch more panfish and enjoy things better if we just found bottom wirh a clamp on sinker, set our bait up 6 to 12 inches off the bottom, and just kept moving from hole to hole. No fiddling with the flasher, no dinking around with a camera. I have actually seen anglers waste a lot of time adjusting their sonars and camera when they could have already been fishing the second and third hole.

Don't get me wrong. I love technology and gadgets just as much as the next gut but I occasionaly like to leave everything at hope and go hole hopping. I give each hole a little time and keep moving if I don't get any bites.

Thoughts? Ever wonder about this?

No.

I tried without my flasher once, and will never go back. I got bites but they were all dinks pecking at it. The next day I fished the exact same place (same holes) with my flasher and caught a bunch of nice gills and crappies, by playing cat-n-mouse and keeping it away from the little ones on the screen. I even dropped my bobber rig down with my flasher to see what would happen and the exact same thing happened as before, little fish came in on the screen and then surrounded the bait so the bigger fish couldn't get to it. Peck, peck, peck, peck.

Also explains why I outfish the old timers 10:1, because that is exactly how they fish.. set their bobber a foot off the bottom and hop holes all day. They get a nice crappie every 5 or 6 holes while I catch 5 or 6 out of each hole right behind them.... because I can work the fish and they can't.

[Gills-only]

When I cant catch fish I'll see about a flasher again, had a fl8 and sold it, too much stuff to drag out!!  If I doubled my catch I'd be done in 20 Minutes!!!  Don't have a problem catching fish, some like them some don't, probably more that do!!

[Kevin23]

When I cant catch fish I'll see about a flasher again, had a fl8 and sold it, too much stuff to drag out!!  If I doubled my catch I'd be done in 20 Minutes!!!  Don't have a problem catching fish, some like them some don't, probably more that do!!

You can release fish you know. You don't have to be "done in 20 minutes". 

I think a lot of it depends on where you fish. I have a buddy that only fished private farm ponds, places where you could drop down a piece of string on a hook and catch your limit of giant bluegills. I took him out to a public spot and asked him if he wanted to borrow my spare flasher "nah, I don't need any of that electronic stuff, I catch plenty of fish". Well, he sat there jigging his little bobber and jig all day long and caught 3 fish. Finally I asked him if he wanted some of these fish I was throwing back, he said yes so I hopped around with my flasher and caught him his other 22 keeper crappies in about 20 minutes. He took his mess of fish and went home, then never fished a public spot again.

Not saying your spot is like that.. just saying don't discredit a flasher and expect to catch fish in highly pressured waters.

[Gills-only]

Fish all public lakes with or without the crowd, if you get to Michigan we'll hook up and u can show me how to do it!!  I release way more than I take.

[sloughdog]

Will be getting my first ice flasher/sonar to use this year...been fishing naked all along....even without a shelter.  Either way, as long as I am out fishing its a good day.
I have learned alot going naked and have learned even more using electronics when they were available to me.