Electronics Role in Modern Bass Fishing
By no means are electronics new to the bass fishing world, electronics have been a staple to the bass fisherman for many years, with some of the earliest electronics being flashers, used simply for finding the depth of the water, however modern electronics are a far cry from the prehistoric flashers of yesteryear. Today’s electronics offer touch screen units, crazy fast processors, detailed color images, GPS and a host of other key features for finding fish and fishing spots.
GPS
This is arguably one of the most important features of modern electronics, the ability to narrow down a location on an expansive body water is critical to the angler. GPS for the fisherman is not only knowing where the boat is at any given time, but also knowing what structure is underneath the water. With fishing pressure on the rise, many fisherman have moved off the heavily pressure banks and now fish the deeper water structure, points, and ridges found in many lakes. With GPS and a highly detailed map the modern fisherman has thousands of different offshore options to discover.
Mapping
Maps are one of the most important tools of any fisherman, used for navigation and locating fish, maps have gone from highly detailed paper copies to fully interactive extremely detailed and contoured charts which are used on today’s modern units. As seen in the picture a highly contoured ” hump” is seen on the chart, using GPS and the chart plotter any fisherman can stay close to the hump and fish effectively at all different angles and depth ranges.
New Technology
Until 2007 very few major changes had come about in the technology used by fisherman, but with the introduction of Side Scan sonar, the game has changed. Fisherman now can see up to 160 feet on either side of the boat, noting contour changes, isolated brush piles, stumps and other structure that was previously undiscovered. With the improvements of side scan sonar as well as GPS and mapping the offshore fisherman has unlimited capabilities in finding and catching lightly pressured offshore fish. 
Perhaps one of the most astounding innovations of sonar is the ability to see clearly what is directly beneath the boat. Both of the above images shot on Lake Lanier are crystal clear images of structure found deep in the water column.
Modern technology has unlocked the depths to the offshore fisherman, allowing him to see things he has never seen before, and in turn catching more fish. With the improvements in electronics the fishing world will never be the same.
Find and purchase Lowrance electronics at: