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Dec 30th, 2023
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 What do i need more ?
#11675316
06/18/16 10:20 PM
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 14
Benny55
OP
Green Horn
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OP
Green Horn
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 14 |
Been reading this forum for years and fishing for sand bass about the same time .I have been able to put my sons on fish every now in then but how trouble get one limit whit all of us . I have a 18ft charger boat with a 70 lb trolling motor and a 898 hb in the console . First boat by way , been wanting to get a helix 7 di / gps for the bow or do i need a better trolling motor with spot lock ?
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11675407
06/18/16 11:14 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,611
Bassthumb: Phill's Guide Svc
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,611 |
its just takes experience. use your topo map and learn to identify fish on your screen. having spot lock helps also.
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11675862
06/19/16 10:40 AM
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 558
beltonbill
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 558 |
Fish like ledges and edges. They live in the deepest water in the lake and move to ridges, humps, and drop-offs to feed. Use your computer to help you find them. Download the free Navionics WebApp to your computer. Enter the App and view the lake you want to fish. It brings up an underwater topographical map of the lake. When you see underwater features that have lines close together, that marks a drop off or edge. Look for shallow spots surrounded by deep water on at least three sides. That is a ridge. If it is surrounded by deep water on all four sides, it is a hump. Spending time searching for likely spots will improve your catch. Use your depth finder map function to guide you to the spots you have chosen. Look at the sonar function to spot fish and work the area to try to catch them. Fish close to the bottom are the best candidates for actively feeding fish. If you don't find fish, move to the next spot. It takes a while to get the hang of it, but you will improve. Fishing is as easy as 123.
1. Fish where the fish are.
2. Fish when the fish are biting.
3. Fish with the bait or lure that is like what fish are used to eating.
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11675863
06/19/16 10:47 AM
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 14
Benny55
OP
Green Horn
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OP
Green Horn
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 14 |
Right experience is what i don't have . I have went on guide trips ,bought topo maps , copy Dennis Christian map and have navionics chip. Every time i think i found fish and set a mark out and troll around it . don't have fish finder in the bow to help me out . I might go head and get the helix 7 di/gps ( father day present ) so i can stay around humps , drop off and points .
Thanks for your reply
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
Last edited by dallas55; 06/19/16 10:53 AM.
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11675970
06/19/16 01:11 PM
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Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 2,106
Ledeez
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 2,106 |
Spot lock is defiantly a game changer!
Teamgetsome$$$
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11676033
06/19/16 01:57 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,168
SeaPro-Todd
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,168 |
What lake do you fish? Yes a good graph and knowing how to interpret it help. Spotlock makes it much easier to stay on fish especially fishing with kids and windy days. Make friends at your lake and share and help each others. Enjoy the time spent on the water hunting and learning. Helix 7 got great reviews. David at Shut up and fish can set you up with that.
A buddy of mine, Paul Rogers, lives in Ovilla. He's a good angler. I would ask to take him fishing a few times. He's a good teacher. PM me if you need his contact.
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11676094
06/19/16 02:48 PM
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 86
CB Aggie
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 86 |
spot lock. HB 898 is good enough. Being on the exact right spot is the big game changer. At least it has been for me. I have had a minnkota and a motor guide for the anchor function, and I will tell you hands down right now it is motorguide who has the better unit. I wouldnt worry about getting the link. I have it and rarely use it for the link function. Trust your graphing unit. Spot lock can be the difference between 100 fish days and 20 fish days. That was me before spotlock trying to hold the boat while everybody else fished.
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11676098
06/19/16 02:52 PM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,047
fmclee
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,047 |
I would give up my sonar long before I gave up spot lock ........
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11676213
06/19/16 04:26 PM
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 64
DanX
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 64 |
What lake are you fishing mostly? I agree with SeaPro-Todd about learning a lake. Fish have patterns that you just have to learn. Just taking some time to figure out those patterns makes a huge difference. Beltonnill also provided a wealth of knowledge in his reply. Mani thing is if you are checking a spot and you don't see fish then move on. When you do find fish in a spot make note of the time of day that you found fish there.
Between a sonar and spotlock I would choose spotlock hands down. You can easily troll your boat from where your sonar is using the remote without having a fishfinder where your trolling motor is at.
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11676301
06/19/16 05:36 PM
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,199
PiePuncher
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,199 |
Make sure to throw out a marker when you find the fish. It will take some of the guessing out of the equation.
As someone else stated, fish ledges, edges, and humps. The fish will usually stack along one or the other.
If the fish are not on top of the humps, lots of times, I will find them on the edges of the humps. Every day of fishing is different.
Good luck and keep working at it. You will get them
OK Prowler
OK Drifter
Perception Pescador
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11676595
06/19/16 09:00 PM
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 14
Benny55
OP
Green Horn
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OP
Green Horn
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 14 |
I had bought my boat in 2011 but didn't take it for like 2 years cause i didn't even know how to start it ...(lol) but it came with a motor guide Vari Max 55 lb trolling motoring that would hold the boat an a 525 hb black & white .First lake i fished was Richland Chamber and got lucky couple of times there .Then i started reading the forum and seen Ray Hubbard was closer an was doing good at the time . I booked a couple trips with Paul Roger ( nice guy ) and that was when side image came out or i found out about it . He told me i needed at least an 800 series . So I got the 898 SI combo & navionics and been trying to learn it till today .
Then i started reading all this post from Dennis Christian plus he puts a map up to help every body out ...Thanks btw . So i start fishing Cedar Creek super nice lake . One day i was out there and seen him looking for fish an he was moving from one spot to another .Yes i did try to follow him but he was moving fast so i gave up and went to a hump near by . After 45 mins later with no fish caught he shows up next to me and start catching fish . I was fishing with a slab at the time but always have a pole with a mepps tide on . Pick up the mepps and seen what he was doing and started catching fish . Before he left he came by and checked my set up and I made sure that was him, also a nice guy. Didn't limit out but i was sitting on fish the whole time and couldn't see them on the graph .
Well 2016 i got my first foot control minnkota edge 70lb trolling and at Joe Pool started doing good. Hard to believe i booked a trip with JP Guide at 3pm in the day and within an hour we have a 4 man limit . So i have been fishing Joe Pool cause its close to the house . I'am still trying to learn how to read my sonar and where to place my boat . So i don't have a certain lake that i would call home yet because all the rain and flooding has me going to different ones.
The new trolling motor has made it easier but i don't have a fish finder in the bow . I was even thinking of holding off a little longer an moving my 898 to the bow an upsize my console one.
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11676672
06/19/16 10:10 PM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,047
fmclee
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,047 |
I had bought my boat in 2011 but didn't take it for like 2 years cause i didn't even know how to start it ...(lol) but it came with a motor guide Vari Max 55 lb trolling motoring that would hold the boat an a 525 hb black & white .First lake i fished was Richland Chamber and got lucky couple of times there .Then i started reading the forum and seen Ray Hubbard was closer an was doing good at the time . I booked a couple trips with Paul Roger ( nice guy ) and that was when side image came out or i found out about it . He told me i needed at least an 800 series . So I got the 898 SI combo & navionics and been trying to learn it till today .
Then i started reading all this post from Dennis Christian plus he puts a map up to help every body out ...Thanks btw . So i start fishing Cedar Creek super nice lake . One day i was out there and seen him looking for fish an he was moving from one spot to another .Yes i did try to follow him but he was moving fast so i gave up and went to a hump near by . After 45 mins later with no fish caught he shows up next to me and start catching fish . I was fishing with a slab at the time but always have a pole with a mepps tide on . Pick up the mepps and seen what he was doing and started catching fish . Before he left he came by and checked my set up and I made sure that was him, also a nice guy. Didn't limit out but i was sitting on fish the whole time and couldn't see them on the graph .
Well 2016 i got my first foot control minnkota edge 70lb trolling and at Joe Pool started doing good. Hard to believe i booked a trip with JP Guide at 3pm in the day and within an hour we have a 4 man limit . So i have been fishing Joe Pool cause its close to the house . I'am still trying to learn how to read my sonar and where to place my boat . So i don't have a certain lake that i would call home yet because all the rain and flooding has me going to different ones.
The new trolling motor has made it easier but i don't have a fish finder in the bow . I was even thinking of holding off a little longer an moving my 898 to the bow an upsize my console one. Get you one of these mounts ... I can turn it around any direction and see it from anywhere I am in the boat 
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Re: What do i need more ?
[Re: Benny55]
#11679113
06/21/16 01:05 AM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,681
Capt Craig
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,681 |
I think you are armed with a great sonar unit. The trolling motor is good, spot lock is pretty awesome to have though. It take time to learn to read the sonar and get good at understanding everything you see. Learning to tune the unit is important. It can take take to develop your interpretation skills. Sometimes no matter how good the fish look on the sonar, they still won't bite. It will help you to use a marker buoy when you find a spot to fish. Toss it in and work around the spot. When the bite stops, pull it up and find the next group.
PM sent.
Capt. Craig Copeland
Licensed by the US Coast Guard
2019 Nautic Star 215 XTS Shallow Bay Boat
Humminbird HELIX 12 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G3N
Nautic Star Boats Pro Staff (nauticstarboats.com)
Redneck Fish'n Jigs Pro Staff (redneckfishn.com)
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