Much of my success over the course of my career has come from my willingness to spend a lot of time graphing and getting the most out of my electronics. However, just as it’s easy to get into a rut with certain techniques or lures, I’ve realized that my use of technology wasn’t allowing me to make the most of the tools I had on my Ranger Boat.
A lot of my best finishes are the result of being a fast-paced fisherman. I like to pull up on a spot, try to catch what’s there and then run and gun until I find the right quality fish biting. I was able to target subtleties that others might have missed with my sonar, mapping and side-imaging, but I didn’t fully embrace forward-facing sonar – and as a result I got my butt kicked more often than I would have liked. I’d be ready to move on when the fish didn’t bite, but when you realize the power of forward-facing sonar, you learn about the presence and location of fish you might have missed before.
The Elites have been off since the Sabine River tournament ended, but I’m taking the “break” as a chance to really dial in my electronics and embrace what they have to offer. Right after Sabine, the Humminbird and Minn Kota techs — and some of the Johnson Outdoors pros — came over to my house, and we worked on gear and filmed for a few days.
It was a good opportunity to use new products like the Ultrex Quest and really dial them in. That trolling motor is so incredibly smooth, which makes it a better platform when panning around. By taking the time to learn about what makes it so good when I was out of tournament mode, I could make sure everything was right. I also added a 13-inch Humminbird Apex to my boat just for Mega Live. If you’re going to do it, you have to do it right.
So what have I done beyond that to get ready for the final stretch of the season?
I’ve spent a lot of time crappie fishing. Well, there’s been some bass fishing too, and I’ve learned an incredible amount about how both gamefish and their prey move around during the day. They might move in and out of brush, or on and off wood. It’s patternable relative to the weather in ways that I’d never considered. That will make me a better angler.
This time of year a lot of big fish in East Texas feed on big bluegills offshore. Now I’ll know when that’s something to pursue and when to turn my attention elsewhere. It should help me at our upcoming event on Lake St. Clair as well. Those smallmouth don’t have much to relate to, and they’re known for relocating overnight.
This will take the guesswork out of the equation. I’ll have both real-time and pattern knowledge. Nothing in fishing is guaranteed, but all of this makes it easier to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
I don’t want to leave Humminbird MEGA 360 out of the equation either. That’s one huge advantage that Humminbird has over the competition. I couldn’t imagine fishing without it ever again. I thought I had it dialed in, but the techs helped me make it even more precise.
At this level, we need every advantage we can get, and every second of the tournament day is precious. By making the most of the electronics available to me I feel like I’ve added not only more eyes, but also more time.
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