Your opinions on technology's effect on fishing

[avedawg314]

Hi fellow fishing enthusiasts,

I am a fisherwoman and science teacher. I am currently working on a research project for my Oregon Fish class which I am teaching for the first time.

I would love some input/opinions of other fishing enthusiasts regarding this questions:

1) What are the positive and negative effects of technology on the fishing industry?

2) How has technology personally helped or harmed you in your fishing practice? Explain.

Thank you for your input!!

~Meredith

 

[Raincatcher]

Welcome to the forum. I deleted your other thread, no real need to double post. We have some very well informed members who are equally enthusiastically enrolled in various fish related classes. I'm sure you will hear from them when they get home from fishing...

 

[avedawg314]

Thank you Raincatcher! Looking forward to reading the replies.

 

[Razz]

negative= computer, cell phone and all related items. To easy to get flows etc.

GPS great safety item.

4 cycle outboard motors
That's all I can think of after 65 yrs.'

 

[Raincatcher]

I would think fish/depth finders have had both a positive and a negative effect on fishing. At least for the fish. They make it easier to find the fish, thus depleting the fish faster than just 30 years ago.
The age of technology has given us tide tables and water levels at a glance, making it safer to be on the water, if you use them. Weather prediction, while it is still mostly guesswork, is more accurate and helpful. GPS tracking of fish is making for a better understanding of fish migration and that makes it easier to calculate when and where they will show up. Technology also keeps better track of the damage being done to the environment and the effects it has on the fish.
I know there are dozens more, but I will leave those up to the folks who know more than I do.
Good luck with your study. I hope to see you back with pictures and reports of your own fishing exploits.

 

[eugene1]

Technology is great, but lots of people over rely on it.

Pluses would include aluminum or fiberglass boats, those wooden, birchbark, and reed ones don't sound very durable. I like gps maps while running in fog so I don't run into land, radar would be even better so I could see other boats, but it won't fit on my boat. River gauges and tide stations make it easier for me to go when the fish will be around. Same goes for internet fishing forums, facebook, cell phones, text messages, or even regular land line phones. Sonar lets us see how deep the water is and if there are fish down under. Like Razz said, internal combustion engines (or electric trolling motors) to get to places where you can't row yourself or cast to.

Negatives are the same as the positives when viewed from a different perspective. Say you were a resident who lived on a river 10,000 years ago, want to know how the fishing is but no facebook, OFF, iFish, river guages, etc.? Just ask your neighbor or go look yourself at the water.

Good luck with your class. Seems like technology is with us for good now however it's utilized.

Best,

 

[Tinker]

I agree with eugene1 about the positive safety benefits of technologies: safer and more durable vessels, small radar units (they were room-sized not long ago), and GPS mapping devices replacing LORAN. You can add in that modern PFD's are far supperior to cork in use and more comforatble to wear, so we actually wear them, now.

I am neutral on social media technology. I think the value of knowing where to fish are out-weighed by the negative impact of too many people getting in each other's way. Beyond that, once you get to the spot of spots, you still have to know how to fish, and digital media offes no benefit over analog (practice, practice, practice).

I'm a fundamentalist. I just want a rod and reel that won't fail me, waders that don't leak, and a tackle box smaller than carry-on luggage.

I think the myriad products that make it easier for folks to catch fish are a bad idea. I date back to before the earliest fish flashers that showed you nothing more than the depth of the water, and now I see that the latest generation will so clearly outline a fish that you can guess it's size with fairly good accuracy. Moreover, they'll beep and whistle and carry-on so you know to put down your beer and start to fish.

There are less technical advances that are good to have: graphite is fine, braided and fluorcarbon lines are fine. Advances in hook technology are good. I think replacing lead with steel and tungsten is a great idea and wish they'd make them in more varieties and in more weights.

I resolutely believe that the fundamental joy of recreational/non-commercial fishing is learning about the fish. What do they eat? When do they eat? What types of water do they prefer? What locations in the water? How do I get my lure/bait/fly (whatever) in just the right location? And then multiply that by the changing conditions for every hour of the day and for every day of the year, and all the possible combinations of weather and water conditions...

I like to catch BIG fish. But I am nearly as happy catching little fish (and in my case: REALLY little fish) because, to me, it means I've coerced a fish to take what I'm offering. I've done something right and I've understood the day's variables.

But, in my opinion, technologies that allow one to get around the knowing and the guessing and the puzzle-solving detract from the sport. You'll still get the cattle-prod jolt from hooking into a fish, but you'll miss the true satisfaction of fishing. There's a line from the movie "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" that goes "...somehwere under the water is a fish much cleverer than me..." and I think that's how it should be. Bringing an Aegis destroyer to catch a fish doesn't represent what's fun about fishing.

 

[DrTheopolis]

I just want waders that don't leak

Might as well wish for world peace and an end to all disease and famine while you're at it.

 

[eugene1]

Follow up post. We went and drifted the American river today for the first time for Fall nooks. Didn't really know how to do it or where to go yesterday. So we looked at google maps for holes to hit, used the internet to find boat launches, and viewed internet fishing forums for intel. On google maps, we saw some drift boats in a deep hole, and yesterday we spent some time and gas $ driving around. Well, we saw some drifters in the same hole.

We put in and made our way down river this morning. No luck for us, but there were fish rolling in the place we saw boats on google maps. Maybe it's too easy, but it makes it doable for a new guy to get out and have a little chance of catching something. Most of the fish are not in the area yet, but still a fun day out with a good friend. We learned a lot about the river through a combination of technology and putting in a little effort.

Best,

 

[Modest_Man]

Hi fellow fishing enthusiasts,

I am a fisherwoman and science teacher. I am currently working on a research project for my Oregon Fish class which I am teaching for the first time.

I would love some input/opinions of other fishing enthusiasts regarding this questions:

1) What are the positive and negative effects of technology on the fishing industry?

2) How has technology personally helped or harmed you in your fishing practice? Explain.

Thank you for your input!!

~Meredith

Are you talking about the commercial fishing industry, recreational fishing industry, or both?

What is "technology"? A stick and a bone hook is more technology advanced than bare hands.

I feel like I need a more specific question to answer in a meaningful way.

 

[fishtales]

1) What are the positive and negative effects of technology on the fishing industry?~Meredith

Jet boats are great (wave runners also) because they can go where short shaft motors can not. They also destroy fish spawning grounds.

 

[Tinker]

Might as well wish for world peace and an end to all disease and famine while you're at it.

But I'd settle for warm beers that don't spray all over me when I open the can...