I was looking over some lake maps planning for my spring trip and I thought about using a marker buoy to mark a reef or sunken island. Anyone ever bring these with them to mark structure? Thanks in advance for any info! ;)

I find marker buoys helpful on big water. Usually in canoe country you can get a decent fix on a spot with the depth finder and by looking around at shoreline features a bit. If you are base camping and planning on really focusing on a particular piece of structure it might come in handy.

Remember, there will be a substantial weight with the buoy. If you are concerned about drifting off the reef after finding it I think a drift sock or an anchor would be better. Both will peg you fairly well to the spot.

I also tend to think the buoy might be better employed in the summer than spring. Fish tend to school a bit more tightly on mid lake reefs during summer and a marker could be helpful to mark "the spot on the spot". In spring they should be spread out a bit more and shallower thus negating the importance of pinpoint presentations (moving water excepted as they will congregate beneath it). Anyway, those are my thoughts......I hope they are helpful.

Whip out your GPS and put in a waypoint!  Once you've got it marked, you can easily find it again ... give it a proximity alarm and you won't even have to look when you cross over the spot again, just listen.

dd

For us primitive types who resist GPS:

Balloons, string, rocks.  You don't even need to portage the rocks.  ;)

An optional plastic bag to hold the rock and tie the string to is even easier than tying straight to a rock.

And, if you can't find the fish by the buoys, look near the gulls... ;D  ;)

That was way too easy...

Old Salt wrote on Mar 1^st, 2011 at 5:19am:

And, if you can't find the fish by the buoys, look near the gulls... ;D  ;) That was way too easy...

The rocks also come in handly for chucking at canoe partners who make bad puns.  ;D

Its just in my part of the world, using a GPS to mark a fishing spot is very common.  (My paddling partner does it all of the time.)  Spending time searching for bottom structure or submerged brush piles where you might want to return is an investment of your time.  The good news is, you find it once ... mark the spot with a GPS waypoint ... you can get back to the same spot next week (or even next year).  The two lakes nearest my home are about 29,000 acres.  This means that you have lots of places to search and some length of water to cover.

Of course, you could just re-invest the effort that went into finding the spot the first time ... but why?

dd

A GPS waypoint is a great way to store a record of a fishing spot and return to it time and again. But for actually fishing a specific reef or hole it cannot compare to a marker buoy. The buoy provides a much more tangible visual reference to where the fish actually are. It's just a little easier to relate to when you are casting or trolling. It requires no conceptualization - transferring an image from a tiny screen to a spot on the water. The buoy is there, visible and can be seen by both people in a canoe or even two canoes working a spot.

If there are other fishermen on the lake, I've been known to position my marker buoys in such a way, so that I know where the spot is, but if others try to fish off my buoys, they will miss the spot...

Entertaining to see them fishing and getting nothing because they are fishing the 'spot' without knowing what the bottom looks like. Another reason for a fish finder...

Old Salt wrote on Mar 3^rd, 2011 at 2:47pm:

If there are other fishermen on the lake, I've been known to position my marker buoys in such a way, so that I know where the spot is, but if others try to fish off my buoys, they will miss the spot...

This may be connected to the thread about not taking other peoples stuff you find in the woods. I have always wondered if it is an unwritten rule to never take or move someones buoy. But then there is that person who didn't get that memo and steals my one and only buoy!!
I was also thinking about just bringing some bag and rope as a buoy, but if I were paddling along and saw a plastic bag in the water I would pick it up. When I got to the rock at the end of the rope I would figure it out. Would you put it back?

Android
I know the temptation, especially after you spend a long time finding a spot and marking it, is to leave the buoy so you can come back and fish it that evening or even the next day.

But, (you knew that was coming didn't you ;) ) the thought of someone else paddling along and having to see a buoy I left...........well, it seems a bit out of place. I wouldn't blame anyone for snagging such an article as I might consider doing it myself. The hidden stuff I am more sympathetic to.

I don't think anyone should leave anything behind.  It's a matter of respect imo.  All my stuff is in my control.  Either with me, or on my site, or the next load on the portage.

Respect for the land.  I don't leave anything for the wind & wave to turn into litter.

Respect for others.  In a wilderness area people are usually looking to enjoy what appears to be clear & clean vistas.  "Appears" because there are lots of places where 100yds from the shore is a clear-cut that can't be seen from the lake.