New water

[BamaYakFishing]

How do you prepare before you go out and fish new water?


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[Mark]

Google Earth is a good start.

Search for fishing reports of the area on Snaggedline and other on-line forums.

Speak to people who have been there.

[mchottie]

Local Bait & Tackle shop typically has an 'old soul' who can tell you where the "old spots" used to be, which may hold fish again nowadays.

[BamaYakFishing]

Google Earth is a good start.

Search for fishing reports of the area on Snaggedline and other on-line forums.

Speak to people who have been there.

I do a lot of internet research, between Navionics and Google Earth.


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[BamaYakFishing]

Local Bait & Tackle shop typically has an 'old soul' who can tell you where the "old spots" used to be, which may hold fish again nowadays.

Seems like the local tackle shops are closing down. The last good one within 20 miles of me closed this year after the owner died.


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[mchottie]

I do a lot of internet research, between Navionics and Google Earth.


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Navionics WebApp is also immensly helpful, I forgot about that one

[belairfishing]

Navionics WebApp is also immensly helpful, I forgot about that one

I have never paid for an app, but I am considering paying for Navionics. Marine Ways is another good one.

[BamaYakFishing]

Navionics WebApp is also immensly helpful, I forgot about that one

It is helpful. I use the mobile app too. In my forgetfulness, I left my Navionics chip in my computer after updating my maps. Went fishing about 2 hours from the house and realized what I had done. I ended up using the app to put me in the areas I wanted to fish.


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[BamaYakFishing]

I have never paid for an app, but I am considering paying for Navionics. Marine Ways is another good one.

The Navionics app is worth it. I’m getting a Raymarine Dragonfly Pro 7 so I can sync the app with my depth finder.


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[Oldbayrunner]

To me bathymetric mapping is a great tool to use as a start. Community edits can be a tremendous help if there is a lot of activity for a new body of water one is interested in going to. With mapping one can pull up and study the information on a computer, set routes, trails & waypoints to areas of interest then download to a card for ones chartplotter/FF prior to heading to the spot.

[Mark]

Once you're on site, certain visual cues hold true from location to location in freshwater and saltwater. Current, structure, shoreline topography and wildlife activity each predict likely locations to hookup. There's a consistency to fishing that successful anglers rely on no matter where they wet a line.

[ronaultmtd]

I always consult NOAA charts and Google Earth...and print out a color map from Google Earth of the site I plan to fish...and once on the water, my side imaging sonar helps paint the complete picture...I fish moving water...gotta be in some phase of the tide..and my favorite structure is points and bridges...big grass beds are good for redfish and speckled trout in Southern Maryland...grass shorelines and boat docks are white perch haunts...keep your eyes open for breaking fish and the diving gulls...often movement of bait pods show up as ripples on the water...be observant...when your favorite lure isn’t working, be aggressive, change baits, colors, size...as conditions change you need to change...retirieve speed, cadence-slow down, speed up...

[Erupert66]

I have the social fishing app Fishbrain. Not everyone GPS tags their catches but many do.


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[BamaYakFishing]

Once you're on site, certain visual cues hold true from location to location in freshwater and saltwater. Current, structure, shoreline topography and wildlife activity each predict likely locations to hookup. There's a consistency to fishing that successful anglers rely on no matter where they wet a line.

Very true, fish are fish no matter where you are.


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[BamaYakFishing]

I have the social fishing app Fishbrain. Not everyone GPS tags their catches but many do.


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I’ve seen the app, and I’ve wondered how truthful people are with it.


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