Does Anybody Fish The Old Fashioned Way? W Out Gadgets/Electronics

[mono_mono]

For starters, I have nothing against all of the improvements that have come to this sport! There is something truly amazing (And Insulting ) to watching a bluegill with a brain the size of a bread crumb resist an offering For me, it's a white 5 gallon bucket with a few jigging rods, couple of wooden tip ups, some small baitholder hooks, a few bobbers and a depth finder. I use cheap 4x mono and a hand auger. I cut a few holes and catch plenty of fish. Panfish, and some nice ones!

I have yet to explore plastics, flashers, fish cameras and expensive fluorocarbon. Call me a stubborn old fool! I do have a power auger that I purchased at a yard sale in Long Lake NY for $17 that starts on three pulls, but that only comes out when the ice gets beyond 8"

To me, ice fishing is one of the simple things in life that I will never complicate with expensive investments. But to each is own and I am sure (Given the chance) I could fall for some of it! For now I will spud my way out there and enjoy it just as much as I did 30 years ago!

[eriksat1]

No! Just because our forefathers had rocks for tools doesn't mean I have to.

[Knoodles]

More power to you for sticking old school.  If you have fished with a flasher and are now able to resist buying one for yourself your will power is INCREDIBLE.  I was the first of my group of 5 to own one many years ago.  It spread like a horrible disease.  By the next ice season my 4 buddies each bought there own.  I honestly don't have any fun fishing without one anymore. 

[Soozookie]

You will improve your knowledge of the structure in lakes and ponds, which will catch you more fish. Two reasons I like mine you know what's going on down there, don't waste time and enjoy catching more fish.

[hardwater diehard]

You can fish old school ...but you can catch with electronics .

[mono_mono]

More power to you for sticking old school.  If you have fished with a flasher and are now able to resist buying one for yourself your will power is INCREDIBLE.  I was the first of my group of 5 to own one many years ago.  It spread like a horrible disease.  By the next ice season my 4 buddies each bought there own.  I honestly don't have any fun fishing without one anymore. 

You will improve your knowledge of the structure in lakes and ponds, which will catch you more fish. Two reasons I like mine you know what's going on down there, don't waste time and enjoy catching more fish.

You can fish old school ...but you can catch with electronics .

Thanks for this reply. But do you really consider it a waste of time of you do not catch anything? Do you deer hunt? Is it a waste of time unless you gut a deer every time out? I find that a very sad mentality...

[VanderLaan]

Yes - most of the guys that I out-fish.   

My M68C is likely the best ice fishing purchase I have ever made.  I would be able to catch fish without it, but not near as many.  Yesterday, I was on the ice with my neighbor (he fishes old school) and I bet I caught at least three times the fish that he did - and he was less than ten feet from me.  Several times I marked suspended fish, reeled up to them and pulled them in.  Never would have even known they were there without the sonar.   

[VanderLaan]

Thanks for this reply. But do you really consider it a waste of time of you do not catch anything? Do you deer hunt? Is it a waste of time unless you gut a deer every time out? I find that a very sad mentality...

Now you are just trolling.    

Do you go deer hunting without your bow or gun?  Of course I want to kill a deer or catch fish - that is the reason I am out there.  I still enjoy the comradery and the outdoors, if I am not fortunate enough to get anything.   

[Soozookie]

I don't get out much or for that long when I go. So with my electronics I can drill 20 holes check for few and be on fish in a matter of minutes. Where when I first started with no knowledge I'd give each hole five minutes then move yes I would find them and yes I would catch them. But no doubt I can do it faster and catch more with electronics. I do enjoy the outdoors catching fish or not. Just enjoy it more catching fish.
No I don't deerhunt.....

[rusty go0se]

For starters, I have nothing against all of the improvements that have come to this sport! There is something truly amazing (And Insulting ) to watching a bluegill with a brain the size of a bread crumb resist an offering For me, it's a white 5 gallon bucket with a few jigging rods, couple of wooden tip ups, some small baitholder hooks, a few bobbers and a depth finder. I use cheap 4x mono and a hand auger. I cut a few holes and catch plenty of fish. Panfish, and some nice ones!

I have yet to explore plastics, flashers, fish cameras and expensive fluorocarbon. Call me a stubborn old fool! I do have a power auger that I purchased at a yard sale in Long Lake NY for $17 that starts on three pulls, but that only comes out when the ice gets beyond 8"

To me, ice fishing is one of the simple things in life that I will never complicate with expensive investments. But to each is own and I am sure (Given the chance) I could fall for some of it! For now I will spud my way out there and enjoy it just as much as I did 30 years ago!

Ive ice fished my entire life without fancy things like flashers. Granted I'm still fairly young at 27. I just bought my first flasher last week and I can tell you that it takes a lot of the uncertainty out of where my jig is at and where the fish are. My catch rate has doubled even tripled already, which is nice, but honestly being out on the ice with my kids and my friends watching the sun rise and set and just simply enjoying the outdoors is what its all about for me. Always has been always will be.

[mono_mono]

Trolling? Ummmmm, OK, whatever that means.

Thanks for the replies guys, I knew this would get some debate!

[Cbass123]

I've never ice fished with any electronics or a power auger.  Just a hand auger, some tip-ups, and a jigging rod.  I'm not opposed to using electronics, but I still have a great time without them. It's only my third year on the ice, and I just haven't pulled the trigger yet and bought the expensive toys (The new wife and baby on the way helped make that decision).  I'm sure I will start to purchase more gear once I have more cash to spend, I'm just trying to resist going down that slippery slope as long as I can.

[VanderLaan]

Trolling? Ummmmm, OK, whatever that means.

Thanks for the replies guys, I knew this would get some debate!

Guess I should have known that a Luddite would not have got the reference.  Let me help you out.

From Wikipedia - In internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion, often for their own amusement.

By the way, a Luddite is someone opposed to increased industrialization or new technology.   

[mono_mono]

Super!

[Mr.Seaguar]

If you get what you want from ice fishing without spending a lot of money,  great. You are fortunate to be content with simplicity.

[gearheart]

I remember fishing blind before flashers came along. We set out the tip ups got into the shack and brought out the rum.  Some fish were caught and a lot of rum was consumed.  The Lowrance came out with the fish loKator. I believe it was the first flasher on the market. i could not afford one so I built a kit from Heathkit. It was basically the same as Lowrance. Never looked back.  Now I know if I'm fishing or washing bait. Currently using a Vexilar FL-8 SLT. It refuses to die and does all that I need it to.
 I thought I had arrived with that and then I got an underwater camera.  The flasher told me if a fish was there but Holy Cow the camera told me how many bites I was missing. Those fish can inhale a bait and spit it out in a blink leaving you none the wiser that it ever happened.  I will turn around and go back if I find that I forgot the flasher at home.

[3300]

i fish with a 84 year old man. he didn't have money because of the great depression, so he made what ever he fishes with, other than line, but he used to use thread. he digs up his worms and refuses to spend any money on fishing.

it's so bad, many times i don't want to fish with him. he is a hassle to try to fish with, but i do it some times. he wears hand me down clothes that don't fit and are ripped and frayed way beyond what normal people would be seen in. he used to wear what looked like kids moon boots with about a foot of duct tap dragging behind him that must have been trying to keep the snow out. he complains his feet get cold and when they do get cold he goes home early because of it. he looks like a hobo and acts like one, but has money and refuses to spend it. his home made rods are cracked and duct taped.

extremely stubborn person. the most stubborn person i ever heard of! he takes all of my fish too because they are free to him.

so i do know old fashioned fishing and prefer not to be like that at all. i am thankful for my life style big time! that's what i learn when i fish with him.

to each his/her own.

[bobberbill]

Nice thing about fishing is there's no right way or wrong way. Each one of us has our own choice to make on how we want to enjoy the sport. The high tech we have today will someday be outdated and called the 'old' way. Fish will always have the option to bite or not no matter what we use or how we do it..

[Chris338378]

I fished old school for fourteen years then I decided in invest in a sonar which has taught me a lot about the structure of the lakes I fish and how the fish are reacting to my presentations.  Sure I caught fish without the sonar but as other's have said it has increased my catch rate multiple times.  Don't get me wrong I enjoy everything about being out in nature but sitting there with little action eventually gets boring.  Beyond that spuddin or hand crankin  a bunch of holes is a royal pain, I've done that long enough to last me a few lifetimes.  I use a power auger and my Showdown to make my life easier and increase my odds when I have the opportunity to get out.  I'm not saying I have to catch my limit every time I go out or even a certain number of fish in a certain time what I mean is I like catching fish, who doesn't, and the more I catch the more fun it is.  Sure I keep some of the fish I catch for dinner but I also throw a lot back.  Just because I fish with a flasher doesn't make me wrong just as you're not wrong for not using a flasher. 

You also mentioned deer hunting which happens to be one of my passions in life and I go every chance I have.  When it comes to my gear I buy the best that I can because I want to be comfortable and have as many odds in my favor.  I don't have to get a deer every time I go out but it's a lot more fun seeing deer and being warm, dry, and knowing you can make the shot if you decide to take it.  Sure I can kill a deer with a Winchester model 94 .30-30 with iron sites but I rather hunt with my Weatherby with the Leupold scope.  In the end it comes down to what you like as to what's right and wrong for you and that doesn't have to be the same for everyone.

[mono_mono]

Great reply Chris! Where in NEPA are you? Ever fish Quaker Lake?

[Kobey]

The nastier the weather is, the simpler I fish.  If it's a nice sunny day, I move around and use my camera to look for interesting structure and try to find the fish.  But if it's cold and windy, I set my stuff up and huddle in my shanty.  I think there really isn't a difference between using electronics in the winter and scouting the area with a boat in the summer.  The better you know the area, the easier it is to find the best spots.  I start with maps and try to narrow it down with electronics.  Going out on an unfamiliar lake can be pretty discouraging when you sit there all day with no fish because you set up in a dead zone.

[fishing is life]

I'm right with you!! Have always fished without all the fancy gadgets and electronics. All I need is some line, a hook, an auger and bait and I'll catch fish all day long. Sure the gadgets and electronics probably help but spending all the money to buy them all would ruin the fun for me. I catch plenty of fish without electronics!

[Chris338378]

Great reply Chris! Where in NEPA are you? Ever fish Quaker Lake?

Thank you, I'm North of the Scranton area.  I never fished Quaker Lake and actually I don't know where it is.

[GCD]

I fish old school sometimes, but mainly in places I know well and on days when I don't care if I catch anything or not. Sometimes it's great to just drill some holes in the ice and put out some tip-ups and stand around and shoot the bull with the other guys, or in open water grab a folding chair and a couple of rods and sit on the bank. I usually catch something when I fish these ways and sometimes I do very well.

But I like the serious fishing too, concentrating on the sonar and messing with the GPS... and yes, I usually catch many more fish this way........ but sometimes all the electronics and gadgets in the world won't make them bite and you just have to enjoy being there... or pack up your crap and go home.

[bouncin_toads]

I fish old school, no electronics my Dad has a gas auger. I use a cheap HT chisel, a lead depth finder, no snowmobile or shack. I am thinking of building a small folding shack. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy getting out there(when I do its great) don't get out much. My 2 year old son is type 1 diabetic and my wife is disabled. When I do go fishing I savor it however seldom.

[Beets]

I fished old school til about 2011.My fish finder has made it more enjoyable. Only caught a few fish about every other time I went.
It has doubled if not tripled my catch ratio for sure,I saw guys catching all around me and knew I had to break down and get one.
I was tired of getting skunked,cold and wasting my time especially now when ice season is only a few weeks instead of a couple months.
I like to eat hard water fish more than warm,to me they taste better.
To each his own,rock on old school 

[BigSling]

I stopped walking to school when I could afford a car. I stopped fishing blind when I could afford a flasher.

To each their own but I wouldn't avoid using technology if I had the means to do so and simply wanted to maintain an image of being 'old school'.

[Dean Nelson]

Thanks for this reply. But do you really consider it a waste of time of you do not catch anything? Do you deer hunt? Is it a waste of time unless you gut a deer every time out? I find that a very sad mentality...

How often do you hunt deer wearing a blindfold? I bet if you were only able to see the deer for a second before you shot it it would take much of the fun out of it. Deer hunting and fishing are much the same in that being able to watch the thing your after raises the enjoyment level allot. I'm also guessing you tend to fish the same spots over and over again instead of running and gunning on new water for new spots.

   Can tell most of you guys are pretty far south with all the hand auger talk. Saw a guy in Feb once with one. He drilled one hole and never moved again even though he later saw fish after fish getting caught like crazy just fifty yards away. The guys that are out there to get on the fish surely won't mind it if a few of the other fishermen are purposely handicapping themselves so have fun with the old ways. Mind you using modern jigging rods is cheating you need to go back to wooden dowel with a spike on one end and a couple small tabs to wrap the line around. As for me I can't wait to get my hands on a hummingbird 360 and mount it on my 4 wheeler so I can watch those fish like I'm sitting in an air traffic control tower!

[DANMAN]

The order of evolution generally is:

1. 5 gallon pail / hand auger
2. shelter to keep warm
3. fish finder to see fish
4, Fish camera
5. power auger gas or electric drill  if you are up north with thick ice

[fishermantim]

So we all started out ice fishing with ALL the best gear, ALL the most expensive gadgets, and ALL the knowledge to catch the most fish, right?

Be serious, We only bought the gadgets because we wanted it to be easier to catch fish...PERIOD!

I have 3 augers, one which is a power auger, and it hasn't been used in a couple of years. (by choice)
Sure I have a Showdown, but if I go fishing with kids I will let them use it so that they can "see" the fish before they strike, further instilling the fun of fishing in them.

I did just that this weekend, and resorted to the "old school" method of how I learned to jig.

I out fished the kids by a lot just by fishing by "feel".

Keep in mind that there WILL BE a day when the gadgets will fail, and you will either have to go home or go old school, and if you don't know how to do the latter, you WILL do the former!