Duplication is the Key in Fishing

We just completed a few days on the St Clair River chasing down walleye. A few things came to mind. The small details and the duplication of them will always result in more fish, regardless of the species. Some of these are second nature to us and maybe you.
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Mark a way point on every fish caught especially when the boat is moving. Pay attention to the exact location that the fish was caught. Was it caught on a drop-off? Was it along the weedline? We limited out on walleye 4 times over the past 2 weeks.

In each case a pattern was easily spotted. We were fishing the edge of a river channel where it bordered a shallow flat. At times we caught fish on the flats especially when the cloud cover rolled in. When the sun was bright the walleyes drifted to the edge of the river channel or right into the deepest water of the channel.

Each river is different. Some rivers a deep channel might be 14-20 foot range, other rivers it might be 50-60 feet deep. The point is, walleyes and other species stage and hold in certain areas of a river for a reason. They look for current breaks, seams and hide behind objects that deflect current.
In a lake fish of any species love flats, weeds, edges, points and drop-offs. Once again marking a way point is critical. Then seeing that way point on a contour map will explain things. We will often mark a waypoint where we see other anglers land a fish. We can then analyze what they were doing and duplicate it elsewhere.

Using a tracking mode on your graph helps a lot. We like to see exactly where we traveled. Then duplicating that drift or troll becomes very easy. You will see a pointer showing where your boat is and showing past drifts or trolls.

Fishing a weedline it will show you if a fish was caught on the flat, on an inside turn or cup or on a point or opening of a weedbed. It might show you that the bottom structure changed from marl to rock or mud.

We would much rather understand why a fish was there than on a certain color lure or bait. We talk to many anglers on any given day on the water. We never ask for their waypoints but will ask the depth, the general area, etc.

Patterns emerge quickly on any body of water. It applies to all species. Fish are in a given spot for a reason. Yes, there are times when you catch fish moving from one area to another location. Fish spawn in certain areas, feed on certain forage which can change location over the course of a season.
You can bet that bluegills and crappies will be within a good casting distance of a weed bed most of the season. You can also count on them to suspend over open water. This is due to forage. Plankton blows off of the shallow flats and at certain times of the year hatches of insects emerge from mud flats that might be hundreds of yards from the nearest weedline. Blood worms, wigglers etc. hatch at different locations.

Marking every fish caught will assist you in determining a pattern. Two more tips to share. I follow the minor and major feeding periods for each day. Make me a liar when I say that 80% of our caught fish will fall during one of these two periods.

Keep a log book on where you caught fish, the date and the air and water temperatures. When it comes to temperatures what I concentrate on is how it compares to the averages. Was the air temps 20 degrees above or below normal? Right that down.

We keep lures and baits fairly simple. Charlie Brewer crappie and walleye grubs, jig heads from a 1/32 up to a 1 ounce, Whip R Snap plastics, Black Moon teardrops, Hot Leg foam spiders, homemade crawler and bluegill harness rigs and a Buck fillet knife. The new model fillet knife makes a quick job on walleye. Duplication, using your waypoints and monitoring your travel paths will land you more fish.