Year after year, exciting new products emerge that allow anglers to find and catch fish faster than ever before… good news for anglers of all walks, as flagship technologies trickle down into reasonably-priced offerings.

But perhaps no single technology has made a bigger impact than the introduction of GPS to fishfinders in the 1990s, a game-changer we take for granted in 2017, as we locate and keep track of fishing locations with the literal press of a button.

…but it wasn’t that long ago that we were triangulating boat position in relation to shoreline features … a radio or TV tower, a tall group of trees, an old red barn. Now finding the spot-on-the-spot happens in a nanosecond, as today’s fishfinders communicate with satellites, providing pinpoint positioning.

Used in conjunction with high-definition lake mapping, GPS technology allows us to accurately waypoint key contours — add in Side Imaging technologies for an even greater level of fish-finding power. 

And then there’s 360 Imaging, which looks around the entire boat, even at a standstill, showing the real-time movements of fish. Don’t forget about underwater cameras, pioneered by the folks at Aqua-Vu, that allow you to see everything swimming below the surface on high definition color displays.

Combine all this with “smart” trolling motors like the award-winning Minn Kota Ultrex and Spot-Lock electronic anchoring, iPilot Link to follow depth contours, vegetation, and bottom hardness transitions, and it’s like we’re fishing in the future… TODAY.

Getting to fish is easier, too. New boat designs and fuel-efficient outboards provide both fishability and reliability.

And on the presentation side of the equation, life-like baits, high-performance superlines, faster-geared reels, and technique-specific rods have also upped the odds. Companies like family-run St. Croix Rod offer powerful, sensitive sticks for virtually every species and presentation you can imagine.

What does the future have in store? More exciting fish-finding (and catching) equipment and tackle, that’s for certain. Just when we thought we’ve seen it all, something ground-breaking emerges. It can be mind-bogging at times.

It’s an exciting time in history to be an angler.