By
Dewayne French
Have you ever fished when you just couldn’t get a bite on anything? Well I have found myself in that boat many times. As I learn how to fish, I’m also learning how to not let that happen to me. While learning different techniques, different seasonal patterns I’m also learning what the “New Frontier” in fishing is.
As we get older we see new things being invented and old things being made better. One of those new ideas is forward facing sonar. We all know what a “fish finder” is and have even seen side imagining come about in the last decade. But, forward facing sonar is one of the new upcoming engineered frontiers in fishing.
The basic concept is the same as the old technology of looking under your boat with the transducer mounted on the transom of your boat. The unfortunate part is that you are actually only seeing your history, what you passed over and what was behind the boat. With the advent of side imaging, we could see what was out to the side of the boat, but it was still limited in that you had to be moving and it still was a history type of technology “what you passed”. With the new technology of forward facing transducers mounted on the trolling motor or a separate shaft up on the front of the boat, we can now see what is in front of us as we fish.
The “New Frontier” is here and I’m just learning it. I hope to have fewer days of no fish catches and more days with smiles and fish fries. It is not a “Magic lure that makes fish bite” but it is a tool that we have to learn to use. Will it help you catch more fish, yes bigger fish, possibly? But it won’t make them bite, that is up to you to figure out. I have learned more about how fish react to a lure and it has helped me refine what I’m doing to get the fish to bite. I can follow my lure and adjust when the fish don’t bite or even run the other way. Yes I have seen my lure after I cast it out and followed it coming back to the boat and seen fish run from it. In that case I change to a totally different technique. If they come to my lure and don’t bite I usually will just change a different color or retrieve seed.
Using technology to help you catch fish and learn more about the fishing game can be expensive. You don’t want to buy every new thing out there, first it needs to be proven and you will drive yourself crazy with all the new gadgets and gizmos every year. I still learn every time I go out on the water fishing. Life has given us all twist in our lives. How we untangle the twist leads us to what we are known for when we depart this life. Enjoy fishing, family, and faith and your life will speak volumes.
Remember we all “Live Downstream” so please pick up your trash and any other trash you see out floating around! Never discard old fishing line in the river or lake! Wear your life jacket, and tell your family your expected return times, and a general location of where you plan to fish.
Check out my social media pages and follow my fishing adventures around the Ozark waters we call home.
Facebook: Dewayne French Fishing
Twitter: @French_fishin
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Youtube: Dewayne French or French fishing
“Anytime I can sneak in a moment to fish and ride horses, I’m
A happy camper”
George Foreman