Aids in Structure Fishing

[GreenPig]

Installed 360 Imaging, learned how to use and gave away my buoys. Set a 100' circle around my waypoints so I don't get on top of the fish. It's very nice. For years I used triangulation as A - Jay mentioned but it's like comparing Potted Meat to a T - Bone. Get far enough off shore or at night and you'll need a great deal of luck to hit you spot.

[Trox]

This is how I do it...

 

1. Mark waypoint on side scan/down scan 

2. keep idling about 50 yards or so past the waypoint before turning around, this allows me enough room once turned around to get a good accurate heading line straight to my waypoint

3. Have 75-100ft casting rings around my waypoints, once I break that casting ring with my heading sensor dead on the waypoint, kill the motor

4. Hop up onto the bow and make a dead straight cast

 

Doing this, I'll hit what I marked on the first cast 95% of the time. It takes a bit of practice, but once you get it down it's pretty straight forward.

 

Outside of that first cast, I spot lock and use 360/livescope if I'm trying to accurately pick something a part... After seeing the type of electronics that Bryan New has on his boat, I'm sure he's doing the same thing. 

[detroit1]

I keep one marker handy not  for marking a spot, but to mark where my buddy lost the rod i let him borrow. 

[Trox]

5 minutes ago, detroit1 said:

I keep one marker handy not  for marking a spot, but to mark where my buddy lost the rod i let him borrow. 

That's brilliant

[WRB]

Having used sonar when it was called a flasher before the 1st paper graphs I know a few things about reading them.

The early GPS way points were not all that accurate, maybe with 6’, now within 1’. Trying to find isolated structure on structure even when I have photos when the lake was lowered using sonar only can be very time consuming. I know exactly where that stump or boulder is on the flat bottom off shore and know what it looks like but it can take time to fine it. With accurate GPS way point it takes no time to find it.

I have marker buoys that haven’t been used in years. I used to tape glow sticks to them for night fishing off shore, very helpful in the wind.

Tom

 

[Catt]

52 yrs staring at the bottom of Toledo Bend mostly at night I guarentee ya I can put ya on that stump as fast as GPS. 

 

Now when finding new locations i do have GPS capable graphs...I ain't that stupid!

[12poundbass]

9 hours ago, gimruis said:

Marker buoys are basically a magnet for other boats.  I hate them.  With today's modern electronics and GPS, there is no reason to use one.

 

The last time I used one about 10 years ago, I had marked a very productive spot for walleyes.  Within an hour, there were 8 other boats fishing around it.  The 9th guy came right up to the buoy, picked it up, and drove away.

 

I'm not old enough to remember the days when I was fishing without color 2-D sonar or GPS maps.  We always had them on the boat growing up and I've always had them on my own boat.

 

Drop a bouy in dead water and sit there for a bit. Then go hit the hit spot and watch the bent rod guys fish the dead water bouy and laugh! 
 

Good entertainment! 

[LrgmouthShad]

1 minute ago, Catt said:

52 yrs staring at the bottom of Toledo Bend mostly at night

I can only imagine...

[Bankbeater]

We used to take a map of the land area surrounding the water where we were fishing.  Once you would find structure, take out the map and look around the area to find landmarks and then mark them on the map. 

It's gotten a lot easier with Google Earth.

[Jaderose]

16 hours ago, gimruis said:

Some of this may vary based on the size of the body of water we're talking about here.  You could fish your whole life on a portion of a Great Lake and still not know all the structure.

I know and my post wasn't meant to be taken very seriously.  My lake is not big and I can fish the whole thing in a day.  It is NOT the norm...just my norm

[scaleface]

Most of my fishing , the past ten years , has been from a flat bottom jon boat .I mounted an old single color   Eagle Fish Mark on a gutted out trolling motor and clamp it to the gunwales. . Its a good unit . Shows perfect fish arches but of course  no GPS . Even though I know the lake really well  , maybe better than anybody , I rely on marker bouys to mark   spots . I'll fish around the buoy and when a fish is caught I know exactly where it came from . Sometimes I'll toss the second buoy . When I'm fishing from my bigger boat , my unit has gps and waypoints but the buoys still get utilized.  I have had on multiple occasions ,  other anglers  fish right on my buoys . LOL , the nerve of some people . I would never do something like that .

[Catt]

Aids in Structure Fishing

 

When marking a GPS location one must keep in mind depending on current weather conditions & lake level (if applicable) the bass may not be at that exact GPS location.

 

I'm still catching fish on structure that found 50 years ago. Notice I said "structure", not GPS location. 

 

We have to spend time graphing the entire piece of structure & memorize the entire thing. Dang Catt that's gonna take a lot of time! Yeah you right but when they move I gotta pretty good idea which way the went.

 

All this technology is great & I love it but I don't need. Some gonna tell you if you don't have it you will not be able to complete. I don't plan on entering the Elite series this year. 

[Mobasser]

On 2/18/2022 at 11:03 AM, A-Jay said:

 

Here's a little fishing history for you.

As hard as it might be to believe,

folks caught bass BEFORE the advent of any type of 'electronics' or mapping.

I know ? Crazy right . . . .

 My version of that included something called 'triangulation'.

Once a 'good spot' was located, which often took quite a bit more time to find than it does now,

three 'land marks' were noted (usually on the bank), something that if & when I 'lined them all up' 

I could get 'pretty close' to where I wanted/needed to cast.

Was quite a bit harder at night, but as long as there were some type of lights,

Tall trees, lake homes or something, I could usually zero it in. 

So finding the spot on the spot - is not even remotely new.

This can totally still be done today.

Learn this and using today's mapping feels a lot like cheating - big time.

A-Jay

 

 

A-Jay, thank you for posting this. Triangulation can still be effective. It seems like ancient history now, but IMO is still valid, both from the bank or in a boat. I'm sure there are many members here who don't own any electronics. They would benefit from learning this method.

[king fisher]

I rely mostly on my GPS. but do use buoy's too.  I am lucky, the lakes I fish I can through a buoy out in the morning, come back and fish it in the afternoon, and know that the spot will not get fished while I am gone.  I have even forgot to pick up a buoy, and come back two weeks later, buoy and fish still there, and good chance nobody even noticed it, let alone fished there.

[scaleface]

54 minutes ago, king fisher said:

I am lucky, the lakes I fish I can through a buoy out in the morning, come back and fish it in the afternoon, and know that the spot will not get fished while I am gone.  I have even forgot to pick up a buoy, and come back two weeks later, buoy and fish still there, and good chance nobody even noticed it, let alone fished there.

I wish I could do that .  I forgot a buoy once , went back for it and it was gone .

[cyclops2]

Run over by prop.  

Or picked up after they fished & saved GPS. 

[TnRiver46]

TVA can’t even keep a buoy in place near my house, water is way too strong. I found a red buoy way up on dry land the other day . Those things are about the size of a Jon boat, somebody at least tied it off to a tree 

 

[Catt]

@TnRiver46 That happens often on Toledo Bend