Being able to confidently and effectively fish offshore elevates anglers to another level. Offshore fishing, or fishing cover / structure that you cannot see visually, opens up a whole new population of fish anglers that others just aren't targeting. The result is usually more and bigger fish! While the overall productivity of offshore fishing depends on the the layout of the lake it typically becomes more productive in the summer or winter months when fish move to deeper water. However, taking offshore fishing tips back to shallow water locations will help you catch more fish in those areas!
Let's start off by defining what offshore fishing means. You may be thinking that this is fishing in the middle of the lake, over open water, or trolling over deep water and this while this is part of it but not what we are referring to. For us offshore fishing is anything when you are not casting towards shoreline or a visible target like a laydown, dock, timber, or shoal. In short any target that is not visible above the surface of the water! In small lakes shaped like a bowl where shorelines drop of quickly to depths offshore fishing really isn't necessary but in more complex bodies of water that have large flats of similar depth the fish will use all of it and anglers need to move offshore to fish the dropoff to deep water, pieces of cover scattered around the flats, the edge of the weedbed, or simply get where the bait is hanging out. At first it is hard to have confidence in this style of fishing but we have a handful of tips to build your confidence and fish effectively.
1. Holding Location
Once you do find a hot offshore spot you can easily be pushed off of it by the wind or boat waves while swapping a bait, taking off a fish, or re-tieing a line. After leaving the spot getting back on to it can be tricky and time consuming. To effectively fish offshore you need a way to hold your location. Our recommendations:
- Trolling Motor with Spotlock
- Anchor
- Triangulate Location with Shoreline Reference Points
2. Know Where You Are
Moving offshore is a lot like jumping into the abyss. Without the reference point of the shoreline it becomes very difficult to understand where you are and what you are fishing. Being slightly off the area you want to be targetting can have a huge impact on your success. To know where you are at all times while fishing offshore anglers need to have a GPS on board the boat. The GPS will show you where you are as well as allow other features for fishing effectively. For best results take advantage of the following tips
- GPS where you operate trolling motor from
- Use waypoints to manage fishing spots and give reference points to fish around.
- Install map cards on GPS unit so you can understand the world below and where you relate to it
3. Trust Your Electronics
One of the hardest things for anglers to do while moving offshore is trusting their electronics. While fishing shoreline cover your electronics aren't super useful for spoting fish or bait but once offshore they become your eyes! Learning how to effectively use your electronics will help you understand the world below and put more fish in the boat. Our tips below
- Have a sonar screen where you operate trolling motor and understand where reading is coming from. This gives you the most information and best feedback for making decisions
- If you aren't seeing bait or fish move on! Anglers have a hard time accepting the fish finder works properly or shows everything. Believe us, if there is bait and fish around it will be obvious even on the most primitive fish finders!
- Make short cast so you can quickly reel in and drop down on a fish marked on the transducer.
If you want to learn how to better understand your electronics and get the most out of them while on the water be sure to take our "Everything Electronics Made Easy" course at the link below:
To experience a day of fishing on the water with us be sure to check out our YouTube channel at the link below.
If you or someone you know is looking to get into fishing or you just want to become a more successful angler be sure to check out our "Zero To Hero Fishing Masterclass" for courses on everything fishing! The masterclass is built to help you learn how to find and catch fish like the pro's by providing all the information you need and a clear development path! Don't miss out check it out now at www.newwavefishingacademy.com/zero-to-hero
Have you ever wondered why lures don't come with instructions and wanted to know how to fish them? Look no further than our "How To Fish" series where you will learn what each bait is, how to use it, when and where it excels over other baits, our preferred setup to use it on, and the common mistakes anglers make when using it. www.newwavefishingacademy.com/how-to-fish
