Catching fish is fun. The anticipation of, and the feeling of excitement you get, when you grab your favourite fishing rod. Pack a few bits of tackle and head out the door in search of a feed of fish. Or, the satisfaction of releasing your catch to fight another day. Is arguably one of the best feelings in the world.
As we all know, it is highly addictive. But what about exploring new ground? Fishing a patch of water that you have never set eyes on before. For myself, and I would wager quite a few other anglers out there. The excitement of finding a hidden waterway. A piece of new structure or travelling to a new destination to wet a line. Is something that could just about rival the birth of your first child.
Why Explore ?
I have spent quite a bit of time exploring new ground. For me it is simple, I enjoy the hunt. Starting by scanning through pages upon pages of fishing magazine articles, online blog sites and social media posts. Google earth, hard copy charts and talking to people who are on the same journey.
Then, spending hours, sometime days in my boat or on foot. Covering every inch of new ground until I am confident I have found as many of its secrets as I can. And, then finally dedicating hours upon hours fishing. Trying everything I know, casting every lure I have, to finally break the code.
Keep At It
Sometimes it is rather easy, but other times. Although you know that fish are there, and the conditions are perfect. You just cannot land those fish and it takes something new or unique in that location to finally have those fish in you landing net.
My piece of advice here, is to keep things simple, fall back on what you know first. Sometimes, the key to breaking the code is very simple, so simple, you kick yourself for overlooking it. If keeping it simple does not work, do something unheard of. Something crazy, something you have never tried, like tying on that lure you have always looked at and thought ‘no way’, regardless, persistence is the ultimate key.
Use Your Tech
Technology has without doubt made the entire process of exploring new ground far easier in recent years. Social media and google earth are two effective tools that are freely available to everyone, and which can be used to narrow your search when looking for that next honey hole. And, while on the water or hiking along the shore, the recent advances in sounder technology have made it more possible than ever before to cover more water, in more detail and quicker.
Side imaging takes a little to get used to, but, it is now possible to simply head up the centre of a stretch of water and not only see what is immediately below you but also what is lying 30, 40 even 50 metres and beyond either side of your vessel. And, in very high definition.
My Humminbird side imaging unit has saved me a huge amount of time. Instead of having to go up and back several times using the normal down looking sounder I can cover the entire waterway and use the cursor on my device to mark holes, structure and fish, it is scarily effective.
Portable Options
You can also now equip yourself with a cast-able sonar device such as the Deeper Pro Plus. I use this tennis ball sized sonar to cast ahead of myself when exploring new creeks. That way I can see structure, holes and fish before I reach them. Add it all together and the technological arsenal available to anglers now days is arguably like cheating, but it sure does save a lot of time.
My advice here, is to spend the time on the water, or casting from shore to get comfortable with the technology. Read the manuals, watch a few YouTube videos, ask questions on forums and run it over areas where you know there is structure.
Key Lessons
One of the key lessons I have learnt while using my Humminbird unit is to adjust the settings as you move, sure the default settings are great, but the unit is so much more effective once you learn what settings such as ‘gain’, ‘colour line’ and ‘ping’ can do for you. Every brand seems to display things slightly differently and that is why simply spending time using your technological advantage, getting comfortable with how it displays things and how to navigate the menus is so important.
So, if you are up for another fishing challenge, why not pick a new area to explore over the next few months? Don’t just half commit, truly dedicate some time to getting out there and finding that new honey hole. Sure, you may come home empty handed once or twice, but for those who persist the rewards will be worth it.