Map Chips, Underwater Cameras, and Attractive Lures
by Adam Johnson
At
one time only the elite anglers had sonars. Now they are standard equipment
in every boat. A tremendous amount of those sonars have built-in GPS units.
In the newer models you can install a map chip that will display the bottom
contours of the body of water you’re fishing. Most of these contour
maps on the GPS are extremely accurate and can position the boat within
a few feet of the spot. This technology is outstanding in that it allows
you to put yourself right on a particular location, but the problem is,
most anglers fish spots instead of fish.
Let me explain. Anglers have been programmed to fish spots. They read that fish can be found on the tip of a point or an inside turn or the edge of a sunken island. They use their sonars, and now their GPS to find those spots and sometimes they catch fish, in many cases they don’t. These anglers believe their lack of luck is due to the fish not reacting to a bait when in fact much of the time it’s because the fish just aren’t there.
A particular species of fish is where it’s at because of a specific profile that puts that fish in that location. Conditions like weather and water temperature are factors in this profile. Whether that species is spawning, transitioning or in a stable period is part of the profile and even forage base fits into this puzzle. The bottom line is that your first priority is to profile the species you seek to find catchable fish. You can read more about profiling by checking out my web site at adamjohnsonoutdoors.com.
Once you know where the fish should be based on your profile then the map chip in the GPS is indispensable. That map and sonar can put you onto spots that are going to be high-percentage areas and then it’s just a matter of getting them to bite.
Another piece of equipment that will eventually become a necessity in the boat will be the underwater viewing system. Lower the camera and watch the screen to tell you if the spot you thought was a rock pile covered with forage and suspended gamefish is actually that, or an old sunken boat surrounded by grass and a few carp.
It likely won’t be that extreme, but one thing that underwater camera does do is tell you if you have fish present, whether that be forage or gamefish. You get to see exactly what the bottom contours look like and what cover is available. You can learn why a particular location is productive and even why it’s not. There is no learning curve for using an underwater viewing system, just drop that camera and watch the screen, but you will learn a lot when incorporating this unique device for open-water fishing.
Once you know there are fish on the spot then it’s a matter of triggering a strike reaction which is either a feeding bite or a curiosity grab. Remember, fish don’t have hands so if they are curious about something, even if they’re not hungry, they may poke it with their nose or even bite it to see what it is.
To generate a feeding bite is easy. Just let the fish see something that looks good to eat. What’s interesting is that while smell and taste are factors in a fish holding onto a bait longer, it is still the sight of the lure or bait that creates the initial strike. If a fish is not hungry it may just hit and spit a lure a few times before ignoring it or getting stuck by the hook. Feeding fish will inhale a bait or lure and try to swallow it. A curious fish will just grab the bait.
There are a lot of attractive lures out there to generate bites from both feeding and curious fish. Red hooks are becoming extremely popular and have become the latest trigger for a bite. Have you ever compared crankbait patterns on some of your old lures and the new ones out there? It’s amazing how attractive these new stickbaits and shad-baits are. I’m very impressed with the plastic and biodegradable worms, grubs and craw imitators. Not only do these lures look like the real thing, they trigger bites through their taste and smell. Attraction in a bait these days is easy to obtain so why not add another advantage to your program? You deserve it.
Even with all these attractive lures, map chips and underwater cameras an angler still has to use his mind to set up that profile and pinpoint the fish. It’s reminds me of a statement I heard a few years ago in a humerous conversation. They said, “I like my new telephone, my computer works just fine, my calculator is perfect, but Lord, I miss my mind!” Keep your head in the game and you will catch fish.
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