Navigating At Night With GPS

[rch317]

While not nearly as pimped out as say the Lowrance HDS-10, my droid-x + gps and the navionics apps has saved my rear a few times.

[moondog58]

Cheat lake level drops 12 to 15 feet every winter. In spring most of the grounded snags wash out. But not all.

Was heading down the lake the other day and saw this sticking up. Right near one of my favorite night fishing spot.

This sang is in 12 feet of water and stuck tight to the bottom. No telling how big it really is. It would impel your boat at high speed in a heart beat.

Next time you depend on GPS for night time navigating just keep these pictures in mind.

[Longjohn119]

That's EXACTLY what a GPS is good for, I'd mark that puppy and I'd know exactly where it was. That's why I make Safe Trails on my main fishing spots.

Actually I'd probably try to scan the entire area for a 3D map and then fish it when the water went back up. Usually when you find something like that it means something 'captured' it, either a hole or a hump on the bottom which is likely why it's a good spot to fish.

280 wing dam.jpg280 wing dam 2.jpg

That's a wingdam just below the I-280 bridge, here's what it looked like in the 1930's before they flooded Pool 16
280 wingdam 1930s.jpg

[Longjohn119]

I really should mention that I didn't make that particular map, (It's one of about 15 wingdams I planned on mapping out this summer) that one was given to me by Bruce "Doc" Sampson AKA Dr Sonar for helping him out with some resources and information on Pools 11 and 12 where he'll be taking part in a AIM Pro Walleye Tournament later this month. This is an especially interesting series of 4 tournaments where there is no weigh in, all fish are caught, immediately photographed next to an authorized measuring device and then immediately released. That means there is no limit on number of fish you can catch (But you only count your best 21 fish over the 3 days) and the 20"-26" 'Slot Limit' is taken out of play. I'd like to see more tournaments for all species done like this in the future. I'm not against eating good fish, I'm against wasting good fish, especially for profit.

Anyone using Lowrance equipment really should check out Doc's website. If you go away without learning something new about sonar or GPS mapping you ain't tryin' .... There is a wealth of free information there and a lot of it is just as applicable to catfishing as it is to walleye fishing.

[Russell PTA]

i have to navigate through some channels on the lake i fish. when its totally black outside i use the gps pretty heavily, but always back it up with a spotlight. it never failed. then one night i went out with some friends. i used the gps to go through a channel while a buddy was running the spotlight. he wasn't moving the light around, so it gave me a kind of tunnel vision. all of the sudden bang! drug the propeller on some rocks breaking 2 blades.

i was tracking my gps line perfectly on my humminbird 383c. but i missed the deep part of the channel to the south. ever since, i have noticed that my boat icon has been about 20 yards north of where i am actually driving. when my tracks are cleared its pretty obvious. the tracks appear south of the boat icon. but when going through the narrow channel i lose my tracks in all of the previous ones. i dont know if it had done this before, but it is definitely an issue now.

from now on, i will be extra cautious and rely on sight more than gps.

[GaryF]

ever since, i have noticed that my boat icon has been about 20 yards north of where i am actually driving.

My 797 started doing that, and going in via the menus and clearing out all tracks fixed it. Normally I don't clear them, and just let the unit clean the tracks up over time, but for some reason it it got out of whack just this one time, and clearing the tracks reset it.... you might give it a try.

[afishpatrol]

And WHO really needs GPS for a river???
You got 2 choices...Is the ramp "upstream" or "downstream"?

But depending on the night...that may be a lot of info to remember...Huh,Paul...:?:?;)

come take a trip down the ohio river with me some morning when the fog is so thick you cant find the bow of your boat...lol
this was after the sun came up and you could see a little.

nothing like hearing the barges getting off loaded, but not being able to see any of it!

[wolfman]

I heard about a near collision in the fog a few years back when some idiot was following a GPS track at 50+ mph.

bass fisherman comes to mind LMAO

[slabhunter]

For LESS MONEY than the new big screen electronics everybody is going bankrupt over, there is FLIR available to the Masses: Thermal Night Vision for Recreational Mariners

Played with one of these gizmos recently and when I finally get to retire like I want to, will be buying one for myself as I enjoy the solitude of Night Fishing and here in the South, blooming FOG can drop like a white curtail of blindness in a minute. I have had one near death experience because of blindness due to fog and simply stay wherever until it lifts.

Personal safety devices should be the first items any boater acquires anyway and a Marine VHF, a SSB/CB, and your cell phone are a good start, an EPIRB device or PLB just plain smart as well. As I have serious medical issues, being able to summon help prior to losing consciousness means I never go alone so my fishing team mate knows how it all works.

[flatheadslayer]

come take a trip down the ohio river with me some morning when the fog is so thick you cant find the bow of your boat...lol
this was after the sun came up and you could see a little.

nothing like hearing the barges getting off loaded, but not being able to see any of it!

I deal with fog like that all the time.You can't tell if your goin' up stream,down stream,or towards the bank.In those situations i either fish longer(til it lifts)or I hang close to the bank and idle,then again we don't have barges,but I highly doubt a gps will show them any way.

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