Modern electronics will give us information we couldn’t even dream about 10 or 12 years ago. Frankly, I can’t imagine trying to fish a high-level tournament without my Raymarine units. But they don’t replace common sense and basic angler skills.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the ways you can use your units to give you practical information the next time you’re out chasing bass.

Marking trails and waypoints with your GPS can be useful if you use those features wisely. Turn your trails on and you can see where you’ve been. That’s helpful if you want to cover a sizeable area without missing spots or without wasting your time by going over the same water twice. And, if you’re on a new lake, they’ll help if you want to keep an eye on where you’ve been and where you’re at. They’re also good for marking shortcuts or routes through hazardous water.

If you fish the same lake all the time, however, you might want to turn them off. You know where you’re at and what’s out there so why clutter your screen with a wad of spaghetti-looking strings? All that’ll do is keep you from seeing the information you really do need.

Marking waypoints is helpful if you want to return to the same spot again, but don’t become a prisoner to them. If you mark a spot that’s full of fish one day but go back the next day to the same spot and things have changed, you need to change. It’s a waypoint, not a fish.