Are technical advancements in bait boats a step too far?

We are seeing every increasing technical advances in bait boats and the instruments they can carry, such as GPS, echo sounders and even cameras. Are we going too far by utilising such technology, after all, if you can physically detect the presence of a fish by sonar and have eye-to-eye contact using an on-board camera, it’s hardly cricket is it? Further more, anglers are using boats with the technology at even very close distances, which bodes the question: is this an angling skill or a skill using remote controlled boats?

Rob Hughes

“Why does it matter what you use or how you use it? If you don’t like it, don’t use it. If you do – crack on. In the days of split cane, carbon was seen as cheating. In the days of churners, bite alarms were seen as cheating. Bait boats are wrong, cameras are wrong, boilies… now don’t get me started on those “cheat tools”… it’s par boiled spuds all the way for the purists! 

“I’m not sure about you, but I fish for myself. If you want to de-value someone’s captures because of the way they caught them, I’d suggest you take yourself onto the naughty step and have a word with yourself about your priorities in life. Why, in any dimension (unless they are targeting the same fish that you are targeting, in which case it is reasonable to beat them into a pulp with a blunt instrument), does what someone else catches or how they caught it affect you? 

“If I need to use a rowing boat, I will. If I need (or want) to use a bait boat, I will (although I think they are a pain because they always breakdown or go wrong). If I want to underhand lob a par boiled spud into the lily fringed margins of a Capability Brown estate lake and watch my Fairy Liquid bottle top bobbin rise and fall with liners, I will, and the value that I attach to my capture however it is caught will be mine.

“I know what counts to me. I know when I’ve “swerved” one out and I know when one was a worthy and worthwhile capture. And that’s what matters. The only reason “cricket” matters is if you are judging yourself and your captures against others, and that’s a silly thing to do.”

Keith Williams

“Will technology ruin fishing? Well, that depends on how many individuals out there continue to demand quick success at all costs. My personal view is that watercraft, knowing the habitat and studying weather conditions still has to be the key for an angler to be a consistent big fish catcher. Yes, I will use a bait boat with an echo sounder to find my spots but I still always use a marker rod and float to find those little gems, and I always use two rods to find my spots.

“With GPS, I use it mainly in the winter due to the darkness and for pre-baiting, but to be honest, using the Range Sticks and recording in a notebook will give you the same result and is much quicker.

“If you choose to use a camera, then remember you are totally reliant on clarity of water and, the deeper the water the less likely you are to get a clear image. This is particularly evident in the winter months when the light is weaker and doesn’t penetrate so far down.

“Going back to the use of a bait boat, I do use them to bait up on a regular basis but will still cast to the area once I have marked up as it is quicker to cast, especially if you are fishing at range. I do not attempt to place my bait further out than I can cast as this puts the fish at risk. Not only can the fish get snagged easily, you can also interfere with others’ lines which I feel is so selfish.

“Of course it remains entirely up to the individual which technology he/she uses, but in my mind they still need to learn about watercraft, understand the conditions and feed correctly if they wish to become a good angler and acquire the expertise to adapt to each unique fishing session.”