Tactical Fishing

[LWINCHESTER2]

With Panoptix, tactical fishing has taken on a whole new perspective. We've all done tactical fishing with 2d initially. You see the arches and you know you are over fish. Then side imaging helped some but it was difficult. I thought it had pinpoint accuracy in terms of direction but with two problems. First all you knew was the direction. No clue as to depth. And more recently we learn that just because you see fish on both sides that does NOT mean they are under you. One side often picks up the returns from the other side. Then down imaging. Real improvement with the thin slice front to back but the wide view left to right made it a crap shoot thinking you had some precision as to where the fish were. Now we have Panoptix LiveVu Forward and Down. It makes a huge difference. Before Panoptix, on 2d, often I would think I had my lure right in front of ones face. Now with the PS30, quite often I see that fish is 20 ft away and has not clue my lure is there.

I didn't coin the phrase tactical fishing. It came from a Garmin guy. Now that I am fishing deep (100-130 ft) I have SideVu displayed just under the PS30 view. This is one heck of a screen for cruising an area to take inventory. Rarely do I stop just because I see fish. I want to know how many fish are in this area. Also, fishing this deep, I'm having problems with interference noise running two Panoptix at the same time. It's weird but the PS30 is rarely bothered but the PS21 gets real bad. I put the PS31 back on just for today's fishing but it too is also just too messy with the PS30 running. Today I just unplugged it and went back to my Redneck Panoptix. That's a GT8 mounted on the trolling motor and tilted forward . I've tuned the angle so that I can see about 40-50 feet to the front or whichever way the TM is pointed. It works because I already found them with the PS30 and know I'm close.

Another tool for tactical fishing (jigging) is a tight 2d cone. Currently I use the Vexilar for this but I need something that is tighter and stronger to reach deeper. I know Airmar makes one but it just too expensive and bulky for my purpose. The non-chirp Garmin, Hbird, and Lowrance 10 degree cones are still too wide. However deep I'm jigging I want one cone that is about 15-20 feet wide at that depth. That's hard to find at 130 ft deep.

[Schins]

I literally get mesmerized watching the Panoptix screen.

Last time out I had to consciously pull myself away from the screen to enjoy actually fishing the old fashioned way

If you're a fisherman with a strong nerdy side then Panoptix is nirvana

[puhlw]

That new garmin ice duecer gt10hn-if is 8 degrees. That is about the narrowest I have ever seen. Even my vexilar only goes down to 9 degrees. (I think)GT10HN-IF

[fishin couillon]

Great write up Loenard.....

I'm still in limbo on a unit.....but probably will wait till after christmas to see what everyone has new.....

[ifishinxs]

Oh! I've been Tactical bassin here recently with the fall weather coming it's been crazy good. I even had a 100 fish day. My Garmins just make me Smile every time turn them on.

[LWINCHESTER2]

I've been trying to do this for years, but with poor tools. My first attempt was using mulltiple Hbird units with the transducers pointed differently. The interference was a disaster, but it was all I had and I used it. The first significant progress was the Hbird Matrix 47. It had six elements; three pointed to the left and three to the right. It worked quite well if you were sitting still or moving very slowly. The pinging rotated through the elements so the ping speed was really slow. It pinged so slow that at idle speed of the big motor you could go across a school of fish deep and not see them. But sitting still or only using the trolling motor it would be productive. There was a special code that could be entered and get 11 columns on screen that was quite accurate in determining how far away from the boat the fish were.

Then I got a Hbird Compact SI transducer, put it on the trolling motor and wired it to the LSS1. It worked better on the LSS1 than on HBird. Rotating the trolling motor required some real finesse. It wasn't impossible but it was difficult. But it would work - sometimes. With the SI I only know how far away the fish were, not how deep they were. So I got in a lot of practice casting specific distances. Then close the bail and since the distance was right it would fall through them, regardless of their actual depth. Ended up doing a lot of bass fishing when what I wanted was walleye. It was because of this experience that I stayed away from the Lowrance Spotlight Scan. I felt like I already knew about pointing the DI or SI element to find fish. The Hbird 360 looked promising but I never tried it. I was already spending quite a bit of time casting to and fishing for where the fish had been, not where they are. For example, today the walleye were at 120-130 ft most of the morning. I see them under me on 2d. Drop a 1 ounce Mann-o-lure down. It's the fasting falling lure I have. By the time I get to 120 ft, the fish that were there are not there. My lure is, but the fish are not. With Panoptix, often I can get an idea of their direction of movement and take that into account with the drop, pitch or cast. If I repeatedly see fish move by me, say 20 ft to the right, sure, I'll pitch over there, but I'll also move the boat 20 ft over. Quite often they will have a preferred distance from the bank to cruise around. That is easy to see on Panoptix.

Once I know I'm in the right area, sometimes I will deadstick a lure at their preferred depth and use another rod to pitch or cast with. It doesn't work always, but usually adds another fish or two per trip.

[Schins]

Fishing live 4" suckers suspended on a float 30ft to the side it was interesting to see fish swim right up to it but never bite.

My water has carp so I assumed it's what they were

[LWINCHESTER2]

Now some of you may disagree with this, but that's okay. We do that from time to time. For me, tactical fishing means targetting fish is the purpose and focus. Different from structure fishing. Yes I go all the way back to Buck Perry and yes I read his book. Subscribed to Fishing Facts for as long as it was on the market. But there is a huge difference between focusing on finding a certain kind of structure and fishing there in hopes of catching fish and focusing directly on seeing fish and fishing for the fish you see.

About 10-15 years ago I mentioned to a very experienced walleye fisherman that I saw a school of walleye out in the middle of the lake suspended at 60 ft in 150 FOW. I asked him what he does in a situation like that. He said to go to the nearest structure and fish the bottom at 60 ft. To me that would be like seeing some deer in an open field, turning away from them and shooting into the woods and then going to see if you hit anything. The point. Look for fish. Fish for the fish you see, wherever they are.

Now this is where my odd man out use of SideVu came into play. In deep water I set the range of the SideVu to be must more than the depth of water I am in. Still that can be real wide. This week that has meant setting the range to either 150 or 200. And I have the best tool on the market for that. The GT51 set on either 455 or 260 is the best you can use for seeing fish at those distances. Yes, better than Panoptix. The PS30 will give you the distance and depth but the GT51 will tell you whether it's bait fish or big fish. When I see them on the GT51 and don't see them on the PS30 I know they are shallow bass. The PS30 has dead spots to the left and right near the surface. The GT51 does not. I set the contrast and brightness very high. Usually 90-95. The structure is bleached out. For me that is irrelevant. I'm not looking for or at structure, just for fish.

[ifishinxs]

"But there is a huge difference between focusing on finding a certain kind of structure and fishing there in hopes of catching fish and focusing directly on seeing fish and fishing for the fish you see."

Our lakes are deep and heavily pressured most of the year. The bass cruise deep flats looking for bluegill and crawfish. The bass don't associate with shoreline structure for the most part. I use 2D and Panoptics to locate areas of active fish and fire away..

[MonteSS]

Good info but I would assume very few of us fish at the depth and the style you do.

[mobassing]

LWINCHESTER2 you have taken fishing for yourself to a new level.You have figured out how to not only fish but to also catch fish on a more regular basis. When you are targeting Walleye to be somewhat consistent catching them is most often a hard job to accomplish. The depths that you catch them are just amazing to me as I really didn`t think that they would be that deep let alone find and catch them at those extreme depths. I must say that I read all of your posts but I don`t claim to understand all that you say most often I can reread and start to get somewhat of a picture of what you are saying. I will be getting a Panoptix in the spring and will be full of questions at that time I am sure. Thank you for what you do on this forum as you and others talk about your times on the water we lurkers in the background are learning. Thanks to all.

[LWINCHESTER2]

Bringing them up from 125 ft is tough on them. Panoptix has done more to improve finding and catching fish than anything else.

[Schins]

Why do they go so deep? Temp?

[LWINCHESTER2]

It's hard to say. Temp plays a role. Shad go deep too. The harder question is why the shad go deep. Here is a chart of the average temperature by month at 100 ft for 3 years. These are my measurements. This is from the mid section of the lake. The upper end gets colder. The lower end doesn't get this cold. Sometime in October the water will be about 67 degrees from top to bottom. The walleye and bait will still be deep through the end of January. Deep meaning 100 ft or deeper. Of course, as always, there will be exceptions on some days.

[SHOTGUN RUSS]

Bringing them up from 125 ft is tough on them. Panoptix has done more to improve finding and catching fish than anything else.

Our Local Biologist had a very informative write up on barrotrauma and damaging effects to the fish. The detrimental effects start at 30' and at 50' the fish will perish without a release aid. The biologist even commented that fish that can adjust their swim bladders still have detrimental effects but to a lesser extent in the same depth range.

[Schins]

Not knowing a lot about walleyes, I saw a nice school at about 120ft on a lake in Canada a couple months ago and completely wrote them off asbeing walleye; instead assumed they were Lakers.

[LWINCHESTER2]

Our Local Biologist had a very informative write up on barrotrauma and damaging effects to the fish. The detrimental effects start at 30' and at 50' the fish will perish without a release aid. The biologist even commented that fish that can adjust their swim bladders still have detrimental effects but to a lesser extent in the same depth range.

Yes, I've studied this and discussed it with our biologist. I do not believe that the release aids work in my situation. I do not catch and release because my assumption is when I catch a walleye at 50 ft or deeper is that it will die. So when I get a limit I quit or try some experiment. I do not keep catching them. I stop at 8 (our limit). I see walleye move quickly up and down in the water column with no apparent ill effects, sometimes as much as 50-60 ft. My experience though is that walleye when on a hook, regardless of how slowly it is played does not make those adjustments as it comes up. From 100 ft, often all their insides, air bladder, stomach, liver, intestines explode out their mouth. Bass that I catch might benefit from using a release aid. Their insides seem to stay intact.

[mobassing]

When you catch them at these depths do they seem to be of all sizes?

[LWINCHESTER2]

When you catch them at these depths do they seem to be of all sizes?

Yes. Depth and size of fish this time of year appears to be unrelated.

[puhlw]

I find it interesting that you fish walleyes that deep. Almost every lake around me (midwest) gets a thermocline the keeps the fish from going real deep in the summer. The lake I fish most has decent walleyes in it, but gets a terrible thermocline about 12-15 ft down in the summer. Can't catch a walleye to save my life when this happens. Should be easier, as there is much less water with fish in it.

Does your lake have a lot of flow/current or something that prevents thermocline?