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| Circle your most productive spots. Add dates /times. |
We live in an age of exceptional electronic gadgets. These amazing machines with computerized functions enable us to accomplish more in less time. But electronics cannot, and do not, replace the human mind and its ability to focus on details that might otherwise be ignored by computerized technology, and while I thoroughly enjoy using my expensive depth finders, I also acknowledge some of their disadvantages. To truly make use of depth finders a lot of work must be done before ever launching my boat.
Maps. Many different kinds of maps. Old maps. New maps. All the maps you can find.
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| Notice the writing at the top: dates, times, and number of fish caught on certain baits. |
Depth finders with Navionics chips and other lake-based technology cannot replace the act of analyzing different maps. For each lake that I fish I have at least four different maps - some are old and some are new. And never dismiss an old map. I've found some awesome fishing spots on older maps that, for whatever reason, didn't make the transition into newer maps.
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| All-Terrain Tackle Jigs in the picture, used on Lake Fork to catch largemouth bass. |
Study your maps days and days before you start fishing. Eliminate significant portions of the lake to make effective use of your time. Nothing is worse than finding yourself at a loss on where to go next. Mark your map and during pre-fishing activities, use the map to mark spots on your GPS depth finder, and mark those spots in the order you wish to fish on tournament day.
Nothing can replace YOUR ability to analyze maps before important dates. If you neglect this part of fishing, your potential will be largely limited to second-guessing and sheer luck. 90% of fishing happens long before ever seeing the water.
In the coming months, I will discuss how to read these maps and also discuss the different types of maps. Get your fish on this fall, folks.
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