Finding Rock Structure and Fish with Your Phone?

Have you ever wondered how you could find fish in the ocean without having to have a real expensive sonar or fish finder? Do you have one and still don't have any luck finding fish? Is there any other way to find structure in the ocean that can help you find the fish? Yes there is...

This is no secret and has been around for a long time, so for those who don't know about it welcome to the club... Your phone has Google Maps that you can select "Satellite" view mode and in this mode when you look over the ocean, it will clearly and accurately show you rock structure, as seen in the above picture. So this APP will not specifically show you FISH, but it does show you STRUCTURE and structure is where specific types of fish live such as rock fish, ligcod, cabazon, bait fish that attract many other species, ect. The app is not a "sonar" but simply a map of structure that Goggle has shared with the world and happens to coincidentally work hand in hand as a tool for us fishermen and women amazingly might I say. A game changer in fact!

The shaded view allows you to gauge how heavy the structure is as far as steep or shallow features and ledges it has. The more the darker areas it has the deeper the drops are around that area like shadows would be from the sun. This helps to know if it might be a real snaggy area verse a more smooth surface and less risky area of losing your tackle in crevasses. You can see how its literally like a mountain under the ocean and it tapers off to a flat terrain that becomes grainy sand. If your fishing for rock fish or lingcod you would want to fish over the structure of course and if your fishing for sand dabs, sole or halibut, you would be fishing the flat area outside of the structure. This mapping app is dead on perfect for this. I learned of this app decades ago when I rented a skiff out of Santa Cruz Boat rental for my first time and I asked them "How do I find the fish?". This was what they shared with me and that is where my fishing career started to be frank. This mapping app allowed me to find fish no matter whose boat I went out on from there on and I have changed many peoples lives sharing this info as well.

The next amazing thing about this app, is it will show your live position, so if your on a boat, it will literally show you over the rock structure or when you just come off the structure, so that you know when you need to reset and your not wasting time fishing where there are no fish. Honestly better than a fish finder in my opinion...

The Ultimate specialty gift of this app is the fact you can zoom in, hold down on the screen and mark the spot you are in. You then touch that marker and it allows you to select SAVE, in which you choose an icon (a heart, a star or a green flag) it doesn't really matter what you choose. I select the heart for rock cod, star for salmon and flag for crab. After that you can then touch the maker again and select LABEL. Make a name that you want to remember. Big Red, LC1, ect. You will build a large collection of markers on your map, so its good to have a system and stick with it, so you don't confuse yourself changing it up 20 times down the line. Fish finders can come and go. Phones can drop in the ocean, but your Google account with your maps will stay with you FOREVER!!!! This is my most prized collection of fishing data and I never have to worry about it ever being stolen, or lost because it's in the cloud not on a device that can fail or a subscription that will end and be lost forever.

Once you have your markers in your map, all you do is touch the marker and right at the top you have the coordinates. Plug those into any plotter and hit go! I use my phone literally as my primary device for everything. Whenever I am on a boat, I have my maps right with me and I can mark a spot in seconds with a label. Nobody wants you to have this powerful tool because nobody wants you to have their spots logically, so be courteous in when, where and how you use technology. Some people might take it a little personal, so respect others spots as you would your own and remember don't spot burn. That is a real thing... Develop your own spots, protect them, share them with those you trust if at all. It's tough to tell people that you don't want to share a great productive spot, but let me tell you, once you let that info get out, it's a goner - believe me. You won't find any commercial fisherman whose livelihood depends on productive spots giving coordinates to anyone and with good reason.

I hope this article will have some great impact on your fishing experience and bring you great memories...