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I have been using a color FF/GPS on my kayak for the past three years. I use both functions regularly to give me information about where I am at a particular time, how fast I am moving, how deep it is, and where I have been. Today I used an older kayak that I have not used too often this summer. Even though it had a transducer and power cord on it, allowing me to move my FF/GPS unit from my primary kayak, I decided not to bother. 45 minutes into the trip, I was kicking myself for leaving it behind.
On my way to a primary target area, I trolled through an area with no birds or anything else that suggested feeding fish. Two of my four rods went down resulting in a 12" and 16" bluefish. By the time I got them unhooked, I had drifted away from where I had hooked them. With the GPS, I could have looked at my track and paddled around to intersect the precise same area. Without the electronics, I had to try to do this by guessing -- and I must have guessed wrong, since I had no more bites over the next 20 mins.
I have trolled three times over the past few weeks out of Goodhands Creek ramp. My plan on those days was to stay in water of 2 ft to 4 ft depth. I watched my FF closely and if I strayed from those depths, I turned to recover the desired depth. I also watched my track on the GPS screen. I knew which areas had provided bites. I could focus on those areas and pass through them many times. By using both features of my electronics (often in split screen mode) I definitely improved my odds of catching fish. And the results of those three trips proved that my plan was successful (over 20 stripers on each outing).
If you are looking for specific underwater features (lumps, holes, dropoffs, debris piles or wrecks) you can get close by eyeballing, but you can get right there if you have the correct electronics and take the time to learn how to use them. For those who are looking to get electronics for your kayaks, I encourage you to spend a bit more and get a unit that offers both sonar and GPS. Your fishing will be easier and better informed if you have good information and pay attention to what the machine tells you.
On my way to a primary target area, I trolled through an area with no birds or anything else that suggested feeding fish. Two of my four rods went down resulting in a 12" and 16" bluefish. By the time I got them unhooked, I had drifted away from where I had hooked them. With the GPS, I could have looked at my track and paddled around to intersect the precise same area. Without the electronics, I had to try to do this by guessing -- and I must have guessed wrong, since I had no more bites over the next 20 mins.
I have trolled three times over the past few weeks out of Goodhands Creek ramp. My plan on those days was to stay in water of 2 ft to 4 ft depth. I watched my FF closely and if I strayed from those depths, I turned to recover the desired depth. I also watched my track on the GPS screen. I knew which areas had provided bites. I could focus on those areas and pass through them many times. By using both features of my electronics (often in split screen mode) I definitely improved my odds of catching fish. And the results of those three trips proved that my plan was successful (over 20 stripers on each outing).
If you are looking for specific underwater features (lumps, holes, dropoffs, debris piles or wrecks) you can get close by eyeballing, but you can get right there if you have the correct electronics and take the time to learn how to use them. For those who are looking to get electronics for your kayaks, I encourage you to spend a bit more and get a unit that offers both sonar and GPS. Your fishing will be easier and better informed if you have good information and pay attention to what the machine tells you.
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