Judging distance on the water...

[JoseAz]

I'm expanding on a discussion from Just Joined regarding finding good fishing spots ....
Does anyone have any tricks to judge distance on the water without a GPS?

We fish on the reefs in Las Conchas and feel like we are way the hell out at high tide. When the tide goes out, its just a short walk out to the reef where we were

I found a good looking reef quite far out when I went to visit the guys diving for geoducks. Now a year later, there's a lot of water out there! It hasn't been calm enough to go out that far in my little boat but I hope to relocate is some day

We have heard of a good reef "about a mile out" south of Tessoro. Even when it is pretty flat, hard to see 25 to 30 ft down. Impossible with even the slightest chop

I have a portable fish finder but it only swings a small radius....

thanks in advance

 

[Stuart]

Years ago, I fished with panga guys that would go out miles and never have a GPS, but put you on the reef every time. Part of it is by time, the other part by direction, and third, by mental view of the mountains on shore. I always found it amazing, but years of doing that makes you pretty accurate.

I'll stick to GPS because my senses just aren't that keen -- especially when you're WAY out there -- one piece of blue water looks just like the next.

 

[Kenny]

With a little practice you can hit the reefs triangulating off two good landmarks, that's how my Dad and Uncle Teddy did it back in the 50's putting out at Cholla Bay. As a kid I can remember them not always agreeing on what point's they were lined up with when the found that great rock pile last time out, if you get my drift.

 

[Mexico Joe]

With a little practice you can hit the reefs triangulating off two good landmarks, that's how my Dad and Uncle Teddy did it back in the 50's putting out at Cholla Bay. As a kid I can remember them not always agreeing on what point's they were lined up with when the found that great rock pile last time out, if you get my drift.

Kenny... Lucky Chucky used to take photographs and always used Triangulation in the old days. I remember him taking us out when we were like 14 and the sonar wasnt working but we werent going out far at all and he took us to an inshore reef and I remember us using black mountain and the point of Rocky Point to triangulate the reef to entertain a few young tikes. That might have been the moment a Phoenix bass fisherman caught the salt water bug but it wouldnt be till years later that I realized it...

 

[YumaJames]

Can't beat a GPS. An inexpensive hand held, or even get a free app on your smartphone. I'm wrong at least 50% of the time, the GPS is always right. Puts you on the exact mark every time.