Ron's Catch: Catch More Fish with Electronics
Things change so fast this day in age when it comes to technology, and it is no different when it comes to the sport of fishing. Every year innovation changes the way we do our research of lakes and has made the job of locating fish much easier year after year. In the last 15 years or so, we have seen technology in fish finders and chart plotters advance so fast it takes almost all the guesswork out of finding fish and structure. Not too long ago most anglers relied on 2D sonar to drive a boat around an area or grid pattern to learn the contours or structure in a lake to locate habitat, rock piles, weeds, change of depth, etc. Once these locations were stumbled upon, they would have to be stored in the good old memory bank, and these hot spots or locations were closely guarded only shared with good friends. Fast forward to today, and companies like Lowrance have not only delivered technology enhancements the way we view 2-dimensional sonar, but we now can see 3D imaging below, and out to the left and right of the vessel from 0 to 120 + feet. This was a huge advancement as it changed the imaging from interpreted to a clear HD picture where it is very apparent what you are looking at below.
In addition to the incredible imaging, we instantly have water temperature and depth which is a crucial factor when finding bait and fish activity. This makes it much easier and faster when breaking down a body of water as you motor down the lake. The detail of a Lowrance HDS Live becomes your eyes under the water helping you clearly see what you are fishing. This takes most of the guesswork out of the equation when not long ago we had to cast around to figure out what was under the water.
Lowrance HDS Lives paint such a clear picture that you can see brush piles, rocks, wood, weeds and emerging grass or any other structure that may hold fish. The best thing about today’s chart plotters is that with a quick push of a button and built in GPS you can now save the exact coordinates of whatever you found or would like to save for future fishing trips. We no longer need to toss a marker buoy in the water and cast to that area, only to pull it up and try to find that spot again next time you’re on the water.
In addition to a great chart plotter or graph, I highly recommend a Platinum Hot Maps Chip made by Navionics http://navionics.com. A topographic map commonly used today shows us grid lines and contours that help us better understand elevation levels of the terrain on land. A Navionics Mapping card shows us the hydrographic cartography under the water which quickly allows us to see underwater contours depth changes, drops offs, points, humps, river channels and much more. The benefit to having this mapping chip which inserts into your Lowrance unit will also help you break down a lake or body of water much faster and helps keep you safe from running your boat over shallow hazard areas. You can almost scout out where you want to search for fish even before you leave the ramp saving you valuable time on the water.
I could not imagine heading to the lake today without my Lowrance Units. Electronics are a huge part of fishing success today for any angler no matter if you are a weekend warrior or competing at the highest level in the sport of fishing. Find the product that is best for you and make sure you spend time learning and understanding your chart plotter the best you can. Lowrance offers free live tutorials and information on their website to help you learn your chosen product. Adding a Lowrance Chart Plotter to your vessel will certainly help you find and locate fish faster and then it is all about putting your fishing skills to the test to get them in the boat.
Lowrance has many different chart plotters to choose from today for anything from a Kayak to a Bass boat. Visit them today at http://Lowrance.com to learn more.
Shoppers Supply Stores Arizona is proud to carry a nice selection of tackle and live bait, so don’t forget to stop by our stores before you head out on the water.