Excellent video. I was going to ask about the depth shading you set, but you answered it in the video. I will put it to use when I use Navionics again. Your and Don Dixon have Excellent content for people who want to learn and improve their fishing skills.
looks great, thanks for the advice. your much better at speaking now compared to your prepared presentations from earlier, a stream of consciousness type of diologe is much better for your presentations. thanks so much for the advice. I am glad that Canadian lakes are getting a rest from to much cross boarder traffic. hope you make it here eventually.
Do you have to pay for Navionics to view it on the computer like that? I have a Garmin Echomap for my kayak and it has active captain so I can view it on my phone but I’d like to print out a map as well like you’re doing.
I’m new to all of this. Looks like I have a lot of videos to watch. I have a question though. If I’m targeting Large and smallmouth bass, do they really live in deeper water past 35ft? Will they live in 50-60ft or more? I’ve heard fish don’t go below a thermocline if there is one?
Most of the time they will not go below the thermocline. If deep water is available in the area, the bass sanctuary will be at least 20ft. Depending on weather and water conditions, it may be as deep as 30ft+.
Great video as always Jim do you consider the navionics accurate ? I have the lakemaster chip and have mapped out new lakes before I went and anchored down on what I perceived as the best area of the lake and have caught some monster fish doing so . How accurate are the navionics maps ? Have you ever mapped out some great spots on paper and went out anchor down or troll the area and caught fish as you expected ?
For the most part, Navionics is accurate. Some lakes they do a better job then others, but overall pretty good. When i first started using their HD maps I was very surprised when I saw my existing waypoints overlayed on the map for the first time. They matched the map perfect! If you would have put waypoints on the Navionics map guessing where the contact points were, they were exactly where I had my waypoints! I was pleasantly surprised. Not all of Navionics maps are that accurate, but many are.
Jim please answer this question it is so important to me as a newer spoonplugger. I've watched so many spoon pluggers catching fish trolling but I don't ever recall anyone catching a big northern which are supposed to school and get into an anchoring position and start casting spoonplugs I thought every time you catch an adult fish you're supposed to get in an anchoring position most of the time and go to the cast why am I not seeing this happen ? I have fished with many spoon pluggers and no one ever does it they just keep trolling they will go back and maybe get one or two more fish at the most bucks says you should go to the cast and catch your limit so why is this not happening why is no one ever anchoring down and casting a spoon plug into the school of fish and catching their limit right then and there ?
Great question! If your talking about pike there are 2 reasons why casting is not preferred. You can not get the correct depth and speed on a cast most of the time. Most big pike lakes tend to be clearer and the fish are deep. Example, on Lake Mendota (where I have caught tons of big Pike), usually 24 to 32ft deep breaklines, and the speed is fast 93.5 to 5 mph). Almost impossible to get that kind of control on the cast. Other reason, they tend to move up and down the breakline. they don't typically "stay put" or stop like bas and other species. I did get into a casting position a couple of times for Pike (Lake Muskegon many years ago), water color was good and the fish where at more of a reachable depth (12ft).
@@StructureFishing Thanks, one follow-up.. Do you prioritize cover at all when locating fish this way? Rocks, sunken logs anything like that? I omit weeds because of the depths you were speaking about, that's too deep for vegetation I would think. Really I'm just wondering whether you have found that structure 'by itself' is enough to concentrate fish. It sounds like that's what you're saying and that'd be a totally different way of thinking for me.
Excellent video. I was going to ask about the depth shading you set, but you answered it in the video. I will put it to use when I use Navionics again. Your and Don Dixon have Excellent content for people who want to learn and improve their fishing skills.
Thank you for all you do. This was excellent info on maps that I did not know. I hope you and Casey catch a bunch.
looks great, thanks for the advice. your much better at speaking now compared to your prepared presentations from earlier, a stream of consciousness type of diologe is much better for your presentations. thanks so much for the advice. I am glad that Canadian lakes are getting a rest from to much cross boarder traffic. hope you make it here eventually.
Do you have to pay for Navionics to view it on the computer like that? I have a Garmin Echomap for my kayak and it has active captain so I can view it on my phone but I’d like to print out a map as well like you’re doing.
I’m new to all of this. Looks like I have a lot of videos to watch. I have a question though. If I’m targeting Large and smallmouth bass, do they really live in deeper water past 35ft? Will they live in 50-60ft or more? I’ve heard fish don’t go below a thermocline if there is one?
Most of the time they will not go below the thermocline. If deep water is available in the area, the bass sanctuary will be at least 20ft. Depending on weather and water conditions, it may be as deep as 30ft+.
Great video as always Jim do you consider the navionics accurate ? I have the lakemaster chip and have mapped out new lakes before I went and anchored down on what I perceived as the best area of the lake and have caught some monster fish doing so . How accurate are the navionics maps ? Have you ever mapped out some great spots on paper and went out anchor down or troll the area and caught fish as you expected ?
For the most part, Navionics is accurate. Some lakes they do a better job then others, but overall pretty good. When i first started using their HD maps I was very surprised when I saw my existing waypoints overlayed on the map for the first time. They matched the map perfect! If you would have put waypoints on the Navionics map guessing where the contact points were, they were exactly where I had my waypoints! I was pleasantly surprised. Not all of Navionics maps are that accurate, but many are.
Where are you from Jim. You travel to great locations.
Chicago suburbs. But hopefully not for that much longer!
Jim please answer this question it is so important to me as a newer spoonplugger. I've watched so many spoon pluggers catching fish trolling but I don't ever recall anyone catching a big northern which are supposed to school and get into an anchoring position and start casting spoonplugs I thought every time you catch an adult fish you're supposed to get in an anchoring position most of the time and go to the cast why am I not seeing this happen ? I have fished with many spoon pluggers and no one ever does it they just keep trolling they will go back and maybe get one or two more fish at the most bucks says you should go to the cast and catch your limit so why is this not happening why is no one ever anchoring down and casting a spoon plug into the school of fish and catching their limit right then and there ?
Great question! If your talking about pike there are 2 reasons why casting is not preferred. You can not get the correct depth and speed on a cast most of the time. Most big pike lakes tend to be clearer and the fish are deep. Example, on Lake Mendota (where I have caught tons of big Pike), usually 24 to 32ft deep breaklines, and the speed is fast 93.5 to 5 mph). Almost impossible to get that kind of control on the cast. Other reason, they tend to move up and down the breakline. they don't typically "stay put" or stop like bas and other species. I did get into a casting position a couple of times for Pike (Lake Muskegon many years ago), water color was good and the fish where at more of a reachable depth (12ft).
What species (singular or plural) are you targeting with this analysis?
Pretty much all species (pike,walleye,Muskie and smb). They all relate to structure the same. Some minor differences.
@@StructureFishing Thanks, one follow-up.. Do you prioritize cover at all when locating fish this way? Rocks, sunken logs anything like that? I omit weeds because of the depths you were speaking about, that's too deep for vegetation I would think. Really I'm just wondering whether you have found that structure 'by itself' is enough to concentrate fish. It sounds like that's what you're saying and that'd be a totally different way of thinking for me.