Help me Catch Bass away from the Bank please

[Mumpy]

Alright guys, I would like to ask for your help. Teach me how to Offshore Fish for Bass with a Fancy HDS Sonar System! Next Saturday I pick up my boat and I’ve got an HDS7 and 5 coming with it, with the Structure Scan Option. Here’s the deal, I’ve always been one of those Bank Beaters. I don’t have the first clue as how to get away from the Bank. Can some of you experts teach me how to step away from the Bank and get me on those Off Shore Schooling Bass that I dream about?

Thank you very much!

[kennethdaysale]

Mumpy first off congrats on the boat!.. I'm guessing you've read tons of stuff about structure fishing and watched countless vids of guys fishing from a boat. You've probably watched plenty of tutorials re: Lowrance units. The best advise I can give you is to spend as much time in your new boat as possible. Invite the most experienced and skillful boat fisherman you can find to go with you as often as they can. A couple of hundred hours sharing a boat with the right (talkative/honest) person will go a lot farther to shorten the learning curve than the black and white words you might read here................Safety First............Have Fun...........Be Thankful.............It'll come.

[Tavery5]

Wait untill after the pre-spawn/spawn.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

Mumpy, I mostly fish as a co-angler, so I seldom get to see what is on the graph. But we have some guys around here, I think Todd Driscoll is his name who handles a lot of the Lowrance questions on here. Your equipment is only as effective as your knowledge of how to use it. I am sure they also have other forums that can help you with your settings to get the most out of your electronics. I would stay on top of those and learn what you are looking at. I always enjoy looking at the pics put up by the Lowrance and H'bird guys with the SI and DI capabilities.

And like Ken said, find someone with a lot of experience. Possibly join a club as a co-angler and learn from the boater and then take your experience back to your boat and fine tune it.

[basstech]

If the body of water has secondary channels coming through coves, one good way to start learning is finding it and keeping your boat in it. There'll be secondary points and some deeper underwater flats and females will stage in some of those places when there is spawning grounds nearby. The knowledge on how to structure fish is easy to come by and there is a ton of information out there. Actually doing it and gaining the experience seems to be a lot harder. Teaming up will with someone who is experienced on structure fishing and who can really point out what it is you're looking at on sonar will definitely help like Kenneth said, but plan on spending some time watching your sonar and referring to a topo map (hopefully, you have one or can get one of the water you fish). But it is a thing really learned over time with experience, also get you some marker buoy's, they will be invaluable at times. Good luck and don't expect to become an expert in a single season. Just stick with it and resist the urge to say "screw it" and start beating the bank out of frustration...Good luck again.

[Mumpy]

Thanks a ton guys and I can't wait! I can't imagine what Next Saturday morning is going to be like for me. It's opening morning of Turkey Season and I can just picture myself in the woods, having a gobbler thundering the trees at 9am and I go.... Sorry Brother but I got a Boat to go pick up, I'll catch ya tomorrow, hehe.

[lilmule]

Actually learning to read what one sees is the most important when using it,but picking out spots to use it prior on maps loaded on your computer can save time.
Then learning how fish relate to structure at various times is a huge help that is where your sonar will help.with current they are different than without,and often suspended not on or down deep at times on the hump not the drop.
While the boat is often in 20-45 ft of water im generally fishing from 4-8 ft deep often a flat or a first drop off it as a shallow fish is an active fish.That first drop here can be 8-45 ft but they tend to suspend just lower than what the flat was for the first 8-10 ft.
Then one has to learn how to force feedem or offer tidbits.
Its a lot to encompass all at one time,toss everything you heard about deep ledge fishing out of your mind,and start a menu of your own tailered to waters you fish.