GPS coordinates for the 'hot spots'?

[Rusty]

Yeah, I used to do it all the time. Just skip the Store/Check in area, go to the boat right after everyone boards and give the crew a good pitch about how'll you will help make their day easier by scrubbing decks etc. Better show up wearing brown boots, and ratty, fish-blood stained, old clothing. Make sure to throw a good tip / jackpot to crew AND capt so you get the invite back.

[walrus]

If your fishing, you're trying to find where the fish are now. A gps fix with tell you where someone caught a fish... then. The fish move around and may not be there when you are.

A chart has structures and terrain that attract fish, they do not move. But, the fish may not be there when you are.

Learning what fish do in different water conditions, and spending time on the water observing them is far more useful than a gps fix, if you want to catch fish.

Don't believe this? Then don't ever read the "Darkhorse" post, because to think he's just lucky.

The enviro wacko's are always looking to close area's where fish are caught, while they leave area's open where where no fish are caught. The say you're unreasonable because we are only protecting on 20% of the coastline. Why would we give them hand in taking away our ability to fish.

Just, get on the water you'll find your spot and catch fish. The pacific ocean is a big place and fish move.

[THE DARKHORSE]

Originally Posted by walrus

If your fishing, you're trying to find where the fish are now. A gps fix with tell you where someone caught a fish... then. The fish move around and may not be there when you are.

A chart has structures and terrain that attract fish, they do not move. But, the fish may not be there when you are.

Learning what fish do in different water conditions, and spending time on the water observing them is far more useful than a gps fix, if you want to catch fish.

Don't believe this? Then don't ever read the "Darkhorse" post, because to think he's just lucky.

The enviro wacko's are always looking to close area's where fish are caught, while they leave area's open where where no fish are caught. The say you're unreasonable because we are only protecting on 20% of the coastline. Why would we give them hand in taking away our ability to fish.

Just, get on the water you'll find your spot and catch fish. The pacific ocean is a big place and fish move.

Quite frankly, a lot of the charts I see are ridiculous and silly. They tend to provide a false sense of confidence in a lot of fisherman from what I see---who think they're fishing a quote,"hot-spot". And as posted above, it's only a hot-spot, or potential hot-spot, if you really know what you're doing. Or, you happen to show up on the 1% of the time, WFO day, where the fish are chewing the paint off the boat!

In my opinion, these charts are most useful when fishing offshore banks, for obvious reasons I would think. Inshore fishing, though---not so much. I think you can get the same basic information from Google Earth that, you would find on most of those laminated charts (canyons, kelp/rock-reefs, sand patches etc). Once in these areas, it's up to you to use a variety of tools (quality sonar unit, bino's, polarized glasses, etc.).

Above anything else, if you are indeed in an area that's potentially holding fish---properly reading, the ever-changing conditions is paramount. It's just as important as using a hook when trying to catch a fish! Would you go fishing without a hook tied on?

This weekend for example: Saturday was epic, weather wise anyway (sunny, no wind, a nice current with clean water)---the right-kind was caught (don't tell anyone ). Sunday was another story with, a building short-interval swell as I launched mid-day, sloppy swell that built up to 7'-9' in a couple of hours, with heavy wind and an ominous dark, cloudy sky threatening to rain with occasional thunder, not to mention messy overturned water---the right-kind was caught (don't tell anyone ). Using a GPS, charts or luck---had absolutely nothing to do with it!

In short, It's all in reading the conditions properly. Even better, knowing how the current conditions, today, will effect your location choice tomorrow. And making the right adjustments is paramount, of course. I use my GPS about 2% of the time, or once every other trip for a split-second, if that!

[Hypoxic1]

Darkhorse has a secret pen out there, an x marked on the bottom of his boat. When hes out there a magnetic release on the pen gate activates. "the right kind come out to play" and they obediently return as he leaves the grounds.
Dont try this at home folks!