The time to search for bass offshore is now. Starting in mid-May, a large percentage of the bass population in your favorite fishery will move off the bank to seek refuge on offshore structure. Without high-end electronics, finding these haunts can be an extremely intimidating task, especially if you are inexperienced at offshore fishing.
But it doesn’t have to be.
I grew up predominantly fishing Illinois farm ponds and strip mines out of Jon boats. A working depth finder was a luxury we rarely had; high-end electronics like we have available nowadays were unheard of. I’ve since progressed to a 21-foot bass boat circa 2005, but I’ve still never owned sophisticated graphs. Even without the latest and greatest technology, I’ve learned there are ways to locate sweet spots offshore.
First of all, this isn’t a knock on high-end electronics. Working in the fishing industry has afforded me the opportunity to spend time in several professional anglers’ boats. Time with the pros has proven to me that utilizing all the technology available in today’s top-of-the-line electronics makes an angler exponentially more efficient at finding offshore structure, and schools of fish themselves.
If you want to become an offshore aficionado, invest in top-of-the-line electronics—they’ll make you better, period. But if you’re new to bass fishing or you don’t have the means to run a sophisticated graph, there are still ways to uncover off-the-bank hidey holes. You just have to be willing to put in a little more work and a lot more time.