New Fish Finder
 

My fish finder went kaput last weekend and so I have been looking for a replacement. Yesterday I came across a Humminbird 727 with GPS on clearance for 180 and picked it up. I'm really excited to finally have a finder with GPS and dual beam sonar and can't wait to try it out. Does anybody have any experience with the 700 series?

not me..{ -; ...I'm a semi-pro angler with a jon boat.{ -;

By the way, I learned a tough lesson yesterday..don't flip or pitch with a spinning rod..WITH A JIG especially on a windy day..went 0-5 } -:

Reasons..too much slack..line wrapping around reel..and with the wind..I was never really set up..NEVER AGAIN..rubber worm ..maybe but not a jig.Rubber worm fishing gives you more time..Jig fishing is quick.

Giving it a rest this evening..instead..will be shooting some arrows..Matt and I will hit it hard tomorrow..even though the wind is supposed to be contrary.9-15 MPH
Actually if one can deal with it..the wind is excellent for fishing cat tails..the fish will be there although the angler will have a hard time setting up.

Wind produces nice fish here. They stack up around cover or structure and ig you can find where they are stacked, it can be a good afternoon.

I RARELYflip or pitch with a spinning reel, just feels too sloppy for me but that may be because I prefer bait casters. The only time I flip with one, which like i said isnt often, is when I am flipping light lures to cover over deep water and I need a straight down drop in deep water. Even pulling line out with my bait caster doesnt seem to give me a straight enough drop to the bottom so spinning setup is the only way for me in that situation.

Do you have any spots where fish may be spawning in deeper water? I'm not familiar enough with your area, but wind triggers great crankbait and spinnerbait bites up here. If I could find bedded fish outside the cattails in 3-8 FOW, could be something worth looking into, I know you have been focusing on the thick vegetation lately though.

You are correct Buck..read my mind..I will have a spinnerbait along..and they will spawn on sandbars..Also..sometimes big Bertha is not on the beds..she is hungry just off the structured shoreline..

This is where I go when the cat tails are not working..but right now..they are in there so that's where I'll be focused..BUT there will be a spinning rod on board as well{ -; locked and loaded.

Agreed BH14, wind is great conditions for a spinnerbait and crankbait. Another option that you really dont see many people do, but it works pretty well, is fishing a floating tail worm like a Big Bite Baits Squirel Tail on 12-14 lb mono in water less than 6 feet with a light wire octupus hook. With heavy wind and a floating line, you can cast your worm out and let the waves/wind do all the action with the worm rarely touching bottom. The worm will will float float/bounce around all on its own with help from the weather. Its slow, but it will catch fish if they are there.

the 727 isnt a bad unit. fairly basic, i dont think it has mapping card slots. but if you want something to mark a few way points, and tell you whats below the boat, its as good as any.