Winner Noel Schoessow asked…The biggest question I have on my mind is how to better read my graph? Is there anywhere to get info on how to use my electronics better to find larger bass?
Justin Rowe answered…Hey Noel! Great question about graphs. Graphs play a huge role in not only finding larger fish, but larger numbers of fish too. In my opinion, the first step to learning to read your graphs better is to learn to trust your graphs. Fishermen often feel uncomfortable roaming the depths if they don’t trust what they are seeing on their graphs. The best way, I feel, to get more comfortable with your electronics is to spend more “seat time” in your boat idling around and only stopping to fish when your sonar gives you a reason to stop. That can be the hardest part of the learning process. A lot of us would rather fish then stare at a sonar screen. To use your sonars to find fish, you use the same principles that you would use when you’re finding fish around shallow water cover. Find the bait and find the cover, and you will most likely find the Bass. Same applies for locating Bass on your graphs. Find the baitfish or submerged structure and the Bass will be near.
Another thing to keep in mind, the larger Bass tend to occupy the “cream of the crop” spots. Typically these spots are not real big. It could be a small cluster of boulders or rocks that are larger than any other structure on that particular spot. More than likely, that will be where your bigger bite comes from. Learning to read your graphs better will reduce your time spent finding key areas like that. This would be an example of only stopping to fish once you find a key spot like that.
Brandon Palaniuk answered…Noel, I haven’t found a setting yet on my Humminbirds that directly takes me to larger fish (if you do, let me know), but they will help you find fish. The best way to learn and understand electronics is by time on the water. Take all the rods out of the boat and drive around for a day and play with settings….you can always revert back to factory settings. Now, if you locate a group of fish, or when you are looking for the bigger fish, pay attention to the width of the fish on your graph and not how long it is. Wider it is top to bottom the bigger the fish! Hope this helps- Brandon Palaniuk