Fish location, location, location.
It could be argued that finding the fish is the most significant piece of the puzzle.
Yes, it’s pretty hard to catch ‘em if they’re not there.
Good thing we’re living in the year 2017, and have some pretty amazing tools at our disposal to find fish faster than ever before.
Over the past couple decades, we’ve seen lots of technologies come to market that have changed the face of fishing: GPS high-definition lake mapping, down- and side-looking technologies and underwater cameras to name just a few.
The good news here is that fishing electronics have become affordable, with flagship technologies trickling down faster as companies race to introduce new products each year.
Yes, high-end fishing electronics are no longer just limited to the pros of the sport.
But there’s more to it than purchasing and installing fishfinders on your boat.

 Successful anglers know how to harness the technology for specific situations – like the seasonal indicators that give us a general idea of where fish should be located.
Today’s maps give anglers the ability to essentially “pre-fish” before they even get to the landing, calling up lake areas in a specific depth range, as well as get a bird’s eye look at bays, neckdowns, flats, and areas where moving water enters a larger lake – all high-probability spots in spring for a variety of fish species.
But there’s another tool at our disposal for great spring fishing and it doesn’t cost an arm or leg — in fact, it could just save your peepers. You got it… nothing beats a good pair of polarized sunglasses in the spring for locating cover and fish in the shallows.

Summer

Come summer, it’s a good idea to spend some time watching your 2D sonar, as well down- and side-looking technologies to find the right fish-attracting stuff. Breaks, weedlines, underwater points, creek channels, rocks, sunken islands and humps. This is when fishing electronics really become your eyes underwater.

Fall

As summer progresses into fall and weeds begin to break down, fish continue to move – sometimes deeper, sometimes shallower. An underwater camera can be vital to finding the best, green weeds and GPS mapping can quickly help you dial in productive locations.
For example, narrow map contour lines signify steep breaks, which provide easy movement of fish from deep to shallow and vice versa.
Fall is also a good time to utilize side-looking technology to find rock piles and weeds in deeper water, bottom transitions, and forage-holding wood. It’s nothing to idle around, drop a few waypoints, and set up a milk run.
Yes, when it comes to successful angling, location is still as important as ever, but lucky for us, we have more tools than ever to maximize our time on the water.
And just when you think you’ve seen it all, new technologies emerge that continue to educate us all, providing a more detailed glimpse of what’s really going on below the water.