Hey ya'll,

 

I've been thinking about different ways to help visually aid myself while attempting to fish structure. I watched Paul Elias one time mark his catches and the side of an underwater point using buoys to act as targets to cast to. For instance, he could mark the end of a point with a buoy, and then place himself on the edge of the point, and then cast to the buoy. This would help ensure that he was working his bait right along the point's ledge. As I start thinking about other ways to do this, was curious to get ya'lls thoughts on how you attempt to work structure through deliberately accurate casts. I watched Bryan New in a recent tournament work a patch of grass offshore. He mentioned how you had to cast very accurately to this grass patch in order to get bit. I think a problem I've had fishing structure before is not paying enough attention to angles, boat positioning, and trying to thoroughly work a piece of structure. 

 

Anyways, what works for you?

Paying Attention.

A-Jay

11 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Paying Attention.

A-Jay

I'll give that a shot ?.

 

Apart from trying to use waypoints, mapping on electronics, I brainstormed one, not sure how I like it. This is alternative to using a buoy and only works for one point. Take a heavy weight on a rod and drop it vertically down on a spot you want to mark. Leave bail open. Back off to where you want to cast from, and then lift up on the rod and reel in slack to see the direction of your spot. Reel in your line to avoid tangling. Make a mental note of direction, and then cast to it. 

What electronics do you have?  My most important thing for fishing structure my mapping unit.

I recent years I've been cheating by using technology.  I look down at the fish finder that shows me a map oriented  in the same direction that the boat is pointing.  360 imaging shows me the structure around the boat.  Technology will allow us to do in 5 minutes what would take an hour or more in 1990.  In the old days I used some different methods for locating and fishing structure.  I dropped A LOT of buoys.   The approach you use to mark what your fishing depends on your ability to visualize what below the water and the technology you have.  When I had GPS but no digital maps,  I would go to a waypoint and throw three buoys in different directions to give myself a triangle to relate my position to.  I would then drive around looking at the structure on sonar to give myself an understanding of the structure's shape and position in relation to the three buoys.  That worked well for points and humps.  For long ledges,  I just dropped a lot of buoys to mark it.  Boat position and precise casting is critical once you know where the sweet spot is on the structure and how the fish are positioned.

36 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I'll give that a shot ?.

 

Apart from trying to use waypoints, mapping on electronics, I brainstormed one, not sure how I like it. This is alternative to using a buoy and only works for one point. Take a heavy weight on a rod and drop it vertically down on a spot you want to mark. Leave bail open. Back off to where you want to cast from, and then lift up on the rod and reel in slack to see the direction of your spot. Reel in your line to avoid tangling. Make a mental note of direction, and then cast to it. 

 

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

 

 

37 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

What electronics do you have

Garmin 5" unit. Has sonar, clearview, and a blank map for waypoints and stuff. The trouble is I'm not sure if I can refine the waypoints down enough for me to see a spot close enough that it's within casting distance. I never tried it last season. Time to explore!

19 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

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've done this before. It works for general location, but I can't see myself getting precise using this method. But thank you!

15 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Garmin 5" unit. Has sonar, clearview, and a blank map for waypoints and stuff. The trouble is I'm not sure if I can refine the waypoints down enough for me to see a spot close enough that it's within casting distance. I never tried it last season. Time to explore!

?. I've done this before. It works for general location, but I can't see myself getting precise using this method. But thank you!

Perhaps try this, it may help you establish how much repeatable confidence to have with your unit.

 

Find some hard cover in water shallow enough to where you can see it from your rig.

A log or rock on the bottom is good.

Drop a way point RIGHT on it.

Motor off.

Come back to the way point and see how close your unit says you are to the actual spot.

Then, use some triangulation action for the same spot and see how that works.

You might be surprised.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

 

I have been a die hard buoy user for 40 years . I'll drop a buoy on what I think is a good spot but not directly on the fish . The buoy is to just keep me oriented . When covering water on   deep flats ,   with a crank or carolina rig , I always have a buoy at the ready and throw it out whenever I catch a fish . 

3 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I have been a die hard buoy user for 40 years . I'll drop a buoy on what I think is a good spot but not directly on the fish . The buoy is to just keep me oriented . When covering water on   deep flats ,   with a crank or carolina rig , I always have a buoy at the ready and throw it out whenever I catch a fish . 

Me too - will admit that they do tend to attract a little unwanted company though. 

I've actually had a few deep water (Drop Shot) bass run right into my buoy line.

What a mess . . . 

 

23 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I have been a die hard buoy user for 40 years . I'll drop a buoy on what I think is a good spot but not directly on the fish . The buoy is to just keep me oriented . When covering water on   deep flats ,   with a crank or carolina rig , I always have a buoy at the ready and throw it out whenever I catch a fish . 

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.

 

2 minutes 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.

 

I'll still use them . 

Lol..do you guys fish new lakes every time you go out?  I think I could navigate my home lake with my eyes closed and it's full of stumps.  My first couple of outings every year are to learn what's new but for the most part I know every inch of that lake and have probably 20 points triangulated.  I have no electronics on my boat

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

 

 

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".

 

 

 

 

 

d**n! That is cold blooded! 

21 minutes ago, RB 77 said:

 

 

d**n! That is cold blooded! 

 

Honestly the thing that peeves me more about it is that everyone can visually see where the fish are.  Which is why I stopped using them.

 

I may have read at some point too that as soon as you toss it in the water, its technically not your property anymore either so anyone can just pick it up.  It may vary state to state.

56 minutes ago, Jaderose said:

do you guys fish new lakes every time you go out? 

 

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.

If your unit has the capability of having a mapping card, it would be worth your time to get one.

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

"Honestly the thing that peeves me more about it is that everyone can visually see where the fish are.  Which is why I stopped using them".

 

 

 

 

That was probably why he took it in the first place! Everyone was on the spot! Haha

Topo maps are now digital GPS on your sonar screen. 

Marker bouts are way points on your sonar screen.

Todays forward and 360 scanning sonar combined with LiveScope technology give you real time structure, aquatic plants with the bass displayed.

The few hidden gems are now discovered by knowledgeable bass anglers using state of the electronics.

Old School still works it can take years to become a good structure bass angler. Hard work and lots of time on the water.

Try looking at prior threads on this site that will help you how to read structure and aquatic plants, read your maps and how to dead recon above terrain for visual landmarks to align your on the water location. Also how to use marker buoys and read 2D sonar.

Tom 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

I'll still use them . 

Me too.  I won't use them if other boats are around, but I find them more accurate easier to stay on than GPS.  

Marker buoys don’t allow you to return to that spot, way points do.

Tom

9 minutes ago, WRB said:

Marker buoys don’t allow you to return to that spot, way points do.

Tom

No rules against using both .

Just now, scaleface said:

No rules against using both .

Just what I was thinking ?

13 minutes ago, WRB said:

Marker buoys don’t allow you to return to that spot,

 

Then you're not very good at reading structure!

 

Been using just a depth finder for 50 years to find the same structure over & over.

 

4 hours ago, 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

 

 

I have a good map but I always seem to do better using triangulation. 
 

@LrgmouthShad    I look at underwater contour maps so often that I can see them when I’m sleeping ! Fishing structure is the easy part. Finding which structure is hot at the time is a little trickier. 
 

for maintaining ledge contact, keep a heavy spoon handy. Drop it down to gauge depth and make sure you are in the sweet spots/drop offs. Also they eat it sometimes when you are checking the ledge. I was doing just that while anchored up with no electronics in my small boat last winter and got a nice 21”+ smallmouth 

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

I look at underwater contour maps so often that I can see them when I’m sleeping !

 

In my thread on Toledo Bend I've had guys show me a screen shot of their depth finder & I tell where they are at.