How To Find Fishing Spots

It's a nice video. For those of us on the west coast where the water is not so clear and/or where the fishing locations are deeper some of the ideas relating to aerial images are often not applicable but I still liked it. One thing I have found is that some structures are obvious on all maps because the rise across one or more of the standard contour lines on NOAA maps. These contour lines are typically at 30', 60' and 120'. Nice rock piles or reefs that rise up but don't cross a contour line will not be so apparent. E.g. a hum that rises from 119' to 62' deep might not show up at all on a map where as a similar hump that rises from 119' to 55' will. Thus humps that cross contours are more heavily fished than those that don't as the others are often "invisible" on people's maps and plotter. When you find the other kind of humps on your own sounder, they are often better places to fish.
 
Roger, Matt:

Keeping in mind what Roger mentioned about "unchartered humps" that don't show up on common maps, are there sources of more detailed bottom contours and topographic maps that one could go to to research these less known areas more efficiently than just waiting to find them with depth sounders when transiting to other places?

E.G., does the Navy, the Oceanographic Survey, or other sources have more detailed charts?

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
As most of you know, I don't fish, so what I'm doing here is really sticking my neck out, and it is meant to be helpful, so if you already know all this, sorry.

Last summer when I was anchoring frequently, I learned something about my Garmin GPSMAP 640. It has two chart systems, one called "Navigation" and one for "Fishing". the Fishing side has a much more detailed bottom picture, and contour lines that are much closer together, and if I remember right, adjustable down to 10 or 20 feet, I think. I used that for anchoring and anchor watch all the time.

I guess, if I was looking, I could see the humps that didn't show on the nav side of the system.

But then, you are probably already using the "Fishing" side, so I'll butt out now.:oops:

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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Joe: as shown I have the 540, and did get the blue-charts maps. Mine also has the fish/nav feature. Now more to Harvey's point: I think it varies widely as to the accuracy of charting. In my area, there are still warnings (at least up to a few years ago) "not charted since 1866" or some such verbiage and I suspect that goes for not just my area (we are extremely shallow). On the Pacific W Coast (San Diego, San Francisco, Portland) I would suspect due to the intense sub activity from WWII onwards, the bottom contours would have been charted much more accurately than here. Bottom line: I'm kind of in the dark myself, maybe someone else can help us on whether they've radio-or sound - sat-mapped everything in recent years.
 
As soon as I saw that Flagold posted the topic I had to read it....I am not a good fisherman, in fact I don't bother to buy a license anymore as I was never catching anything....waste of time and money for me...discouraged

He has such a creative mind that I just HAD to look.... kinda like one of those bad accidents that you just have to look... weird.

I have built the jet engine, the hobo stove and spent hours looking for gold as he shows in his video's...... this guy should be banned on our website...he gets me in all sorts of trouble...

Joel
SEA3PO
 
capt. meares":2xuh56qr said:
Always shocking to me how many c brats dont fish. Having a c dory and not fishing is like growing up in aspen and not skiing.
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Hey Capt Meares, You can fish from an open air tin-can boat. Can't sleep in a warm, dry cabin, fix morning coffee, and have a warm bath in that "tin-can" or cruise in a t-shirt on a 45 degree afternoon. :mrgreen:

I love the looks :shock: :roll: at the gas station $ when I get asked how the fishing was and I say "Oh, I don't fish, just ride and take pictures." :wink: I always get back :?: :disgust and I just give them the :smiled cool look and finish filling the tank.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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haha...I wear my t shirt and sip coffee in 40 degree weather for the hour and a half ride all the way out to the Halibut grounds. Not much more in life I would rather do. I agree, Tin can boats have their place, but not so good for staying warm and taking pictures.
 
Enjoy reading Fladgold variety of videos. Last trip out I would see a lot of fish ,maybe a hump and drop off. Then trying to fgure out drifting, anchor rode and where exactly sonar is reading? Not that easy to get back on spot,usually after a few times just anchored in area,but not exactly where I wanted to.
 
Larry Patrick":388ea9fw said:
Enjoy reading Fladgold variety of videos. Last trip out I would see a lot of fish ,maybe a hump and drop off. Then trying to fgure out drifting, anchor rode and where exactly sonar is reading? Not that easy to get back on spot,usually after a few times just anchored in area,but not exactly where I wanted to.
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larry, don't know if thei will help, but I figured it out for anchoring. I pick the general area, then criss-cross it, watching the bottom on the sounder and depth, then when I find where I want, I hit the MOB button (Man Over Board) marker on the plotter, then use that to come around an up current or wind to, then as I drift back to that spot I'm letting the anchor down, hopefully to the correct depth as I cross that MOB waypoint, then run rode out as I drift back until I have my scope length choice out, then set the hook there.

Hope that helps.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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hardee":2j8zzp7v said:
Larry Patrick":2j8zzp7v said:
Enjoy reading Fladgold variety of videos. Last trip out I would see a lot of fish ,maybe a hump and drop off. Then trying to fgure out drifting, anchor rode and where exactly sonar is reading? Not that easy to get back on spot,usually after a few times just anchored in area,but not exactly where I wanted to.
Click to expand...

Larry, don't know if this will help, but I figured it out for anchoring. I pick the general area, then criss-cross it, watching the bottom on the sounder and depth, then when I find where I want, I hit the MOB button (Man Over Board) marker on the plotter, then use that to come around and up current or wind to, then as I drift back to that spot I'm letting the anchor down, hopefully to the correct depth as I cross that MOB waypoint, then run rode out as I drift back until I have my scope length choice out, then set the hook there.

Hope that helps.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Everyone has great ideas for sure - except for maybe the, "just draw an x on the water" - it was funny. I know it is shameful, but I just follow the charters and take note where they are hanging out.....and then come back later and "borrow" their spot. After a while, you kind of figure out they don't really have any or many secret spots either because there is often someone (or 10 someones) there fishing it later. But I do have a few "secret" spots that are very productive for me and I found all of them completely by accident. One of my best is in a bay in the gulf of alaska in deep water where a pinnacle rises 40 feet from the surface. At least up here, when you find a spot like that, there is usually lots of fishing hanging around that structure. You'll catch salmon, rockfish, lings, and even halibut. But honestly though, I don't think about this too much really because if you can't consistently catch loads of fish out of Seward in the summer you are a complete idiot.
 
I am also a "shameful" fisherman as I often follow the charters when I fish the ocean out of Westport, WA.
When a spot is consistent for fish, I mark a waypoint on the GPS. It is also dependent on tide cycle at times, too, so keeping a fishing journal is pretty important as well.
Sometimes it is following your instincts and/or intuition and you get lucky and find a spot, those are often the most fun and rewarding. Local knowledge of a new area is really valuable, too.
 
Salmon Fisher":1cb5va6i said:
One of my fishing buddies always tells me to mark the area of good fishing.
He says the best way is to just draw an "X" on the water :lol:
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Reminds me of the old joke:

These two guys rent a boat and go fishing on a lake. They are amazed at the number of fish that they caught that day, so one says to the other, "We'll have to come back here tomorrow!" The other asks, "But how will we remember where this spot is?" The first guy then takes a can of spray paint, paints an X on the bottom of the boat, and says, "We'll just look for this X tomorrow." The other guy says, "You idiot! How do you know we'll get the same boat?"
 
Boy if this isn't the $40,000 question!
One of the best sources is to find a local online Fishing Forum specifically for your area, most likely no one's going to tell you exactly where to catch the fish but you should get some good ideas on where to look and what to look for, what gear to use, depth to fish, techniques and so on.
 
here's a handy tip....I used to mark waypoints on the chart plotter, don't use a felt pen, use something that is easy to clean off of the screen.

If you're going to follow a charter boat, be respectful & keep your distance.........I get self guided boats following me & the buggers will pull up next to me and start trolling ..arg, gogans, leave me some room to zig and zag
 
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