There are a lot of guys out there that study maps, however is it really helping you. I believe sometimes that its actually hurting the way you fish and this is why.
Todd, you are 1000% correct I see that constantly guys idling around rather than trying to catch a fish to see what the fish are holding on. Catch some fish and then look at the map.
Man you talk about a light coming on in my brain. Now I understand in more detail how to break down an area I'm fishing in. Thanks! This video is worth money to me.
This is a great video Todd, you definitely hit on the most overlooked part about effective map use. Can’t tell you how many times I did prefishing map study only to get on the water and find the fish are not on those key areas that stick out.
That was some of the best advice I’ve heard about maps! I hate idling around and not fishing I’m not built that way. I definitely like your approach Todd. Thank you
I love your method of fishing, finding fish and THEN looking at the map and finding other similar locations. That concept was one of the main take aways for me from your Alabama Waters Series. While at The East TN Fishing Expo in Knoxville today (Friday, January 26), I ran into Luke Dunkin and chatted a bit. I mentioned I watch his podcast and your YourTube channel religiously. He said he owes you a phone call but has been busy. He was laughing the entire time. 😀
Todd this is been the best tutorial video i've seen of yours. From what I took out the video the best points are not seen with the eye, but using your map and find the not so obvious spots. Keep up the great work brother!!!!
Man after all the time I've spent starring at Livescope I'm almost convinced that every spot you see on a map obvious or not is going to have a concentration of fish somewhere around it... they might be a half mile away on absolutely nothing but they're definitely in the area. I just pick a spot on a map for the time of year then start fishing and covering water looking around with Livescope for activity in the area. If I don't see or catch anything for a little while in the area I picked I move on. I do the same thing when it comes to studying a map after the fact. I like looking at the big picture on my mapping seeing all the weigh points. It definitely makes things make more sense on why the fish are where they are or where they might be going and even helps me pick out spots in other parts of the lake I can go hit. Spot on info and great video as always keepem coming man!!
I’ve watched your channel for years. I start out fishing and pay attention to where I’m catching and where I’m not. Then try to find more places like where I’m catching.
Great video. Im old school but still look at my old paper maps and have 8 or 10 areas i plan to fish and look at my lakemaster map and 2d when on the water. Really good information you are passing along everyone needs to learn to read a map it would help them where their not just idling around on the lake.
Good video, truth. So glad you didn’t say humps or points on humps or drains turning around humps, or roads and bridges connecting humps. Points, drains, flats, drop-offs and roads on maps are already over fished. Just teasing. LOL. Suggestion: TB is up 2’ so far in January, so how about a “how that will affect the bass” video especially considering the 2 big pro tournaments coming real soon, and also what if the SRA lets it all back out vs holding it through the early spawn.
Todd, you might be the only fishing RU-vidr that is giving out legit info. Bait videos and technique videos are great and they get a lot of views but are ultimately worthless. You have to understand fish behavior to use the correct bait and technique, most people don’t get this!
Great video and thank you. I like fishing first as I don’t have the time to just graph. Interesting video also watched is the Johnny Schultz (fish the moment) new video on map study and other data that he uses to pick the best area of the lake and the area in the part of the lake. He uses water clarity and wind direction as well as tournament info.
Good stuff! I need to get a lot better fishing what I can't see. Trying to relate some of the Rayburn areas you mentioned over to a closer lake, would you say the same might apply to Ray Roberts as well? That lake continues to whip me!
That’s some great juice Todd thanks! I fish some places like that where I always catch a big one but now I know I need to fish more of it, I just marked where I caught a big one. I’ve done it for years, thx buddy that’s some real valuable information, good luck this year 👍🥸🙏
Since getting live scope, I have caught more and bigger fish floating/trolling motoring around out in the middle nowhere, in areas that I would have previously never even pulled up to, than I have fishing the typical points, humps, drains, etc. I have found that the fish relate more to a spacific depth range and bottom composition, i.e., hard bottom, clay, mud, than they relate to things like points, humps, etc. I rarely fish the obvious stuff that can be identified on a map anymore.
Ben Milliken got 6th on Lake Eufala (AL) partially do to a sneaky spot like that, obvious channel swing to the tip of a point but he found brush on the back part of it pretty cool imo, shows how pressure breaks those fish up and sends them to unconventional places
My dad died in 2012 but he fished his hole life and always said if someone can find the fish on points drains or bank get the pattern it was over and someone needs to have a way to put in the pattern and it showed you every stop on the lake or river that is like that one the bass would go extinct. I can’t help but think about what he’s looking down thinking now about it
This was great. I'd even be down for more of videos like this. I like to fish around too and then look at the map. I just can't idle too much; I feel non-productive and get antsy.
Kinda like anything else, it takes time and effort to locate and figure out where to go and when. Experience is the most effective tool in learning, livescope certainly helps especially in learning the patterns but without experience it just adds confusion. Great video though, I would even say awesome. Thanks
Eyyy it dropped finally! Been looking forward to this since you mentioned the video was coming a bit ago haha. More content like this please, it helps far more than most other content out there!
If you have not heard of Buck Perry or paid for his Home study guides I recommend. Also Bradley Hallman did a video saying the study guides were excellent. Remember he trolled to eliminate water don’t let it bother you. Water meaning depth and structure. He did catch a lot of suspended fish. Most his catching was from anchored position making a certain cast. Gps, maps,HD sonar, Livescope allows us now to make the exact cast easier and control depth. Amazing thing about Buck is he figured this out in the 1940s and 1950s.
I haven't heard that name in years I remember a video he made saying the longest closet break to deep water I don't think I got his saying exactly right but anyway your right
@@joesummers9864 Like Mr. Castledine Buck went fishing first and let the fish eliminate things and not preconceived notions/dock talk etc. A lot of times Buck started dirt shallow trolling. As soon as he put the boat in the water. Per your comment, I believe he called those sharper breaks or what could be called sweet spot and the sharper break on structure that had the deepest water he called the contact point. Don Dickson Fishing on RU-vid and maybe Facebook has a whole series of videos that covers a lot of Buck’s study guides
Before LS or even good electronics it was all about high percentage areas. Impossible to efficiently work in huge areas just blind casting around with no direction. Electronics have helped us pinpoint those areas, and explore areas that fish have been, but were basically impossible to target efficiently.
You got anooint but with electrinics you know id there are fish in the places you idle.. no doubt i think it can be effective, you mark ten times as much structure. I just have a hard time not fishing it
My question is. What about all the other factors On these structures. Bottoms content. What’s bottom content consist of. And transformations. Of bottom content. Iff it holds food. That sort of things.
I crappie fish mostly i can look at a map and just about tell where crappie will be depending on time of year not bragging just been doing it along time and im NOT always right but most of the time i am..and i still love the old paper maps to
How do I look at the map and see that is a rock pile that is something the DNR put in fish structure, type stuff, but it's marked but some are hidden is there a way?
@@toddcastledinefishing5924 I’m sorry for being a pain. But I always thought that a pro or good fisherman could read a lake map and find certain spots or points that set up right with the right wind or current and find fish or patterns. And on another note I thought guys that idle for long periods of time can get more information then a guy fishing down the bank. Just confused because it’s totally different than anything I have heard or read. I’m kind of second-guessing my thinking on maps and sides scanning now. Thank you for replying means alot.
Can you get more info by doing it yes. 8 hours of studying something or idiling something is a lot of time for very little info. I’ll touch in this some more
