What is that down there?

These days you can spend thousands of dollars on depth finders, today called “fishing electronics” and see just about anything on the bottom of the lake or anywhere inbetween the bottom of your boat and the bottom of the lake. It’s amazing. You can even get “side imaging” and look out beside your boat. No kidding. Look, there is a fish up under that boat dock!

The options and applications of this technology are far beyond what most fishermen understand, but it sure looks pretty.

As I said, it shows you everything. But what is that down there? Bass? Crappie? Bream beds? Sunken logs? A brush top? Somebody’s cast iron lawn chair? Or just “stuff”?

I’ve been fortunate to spend a lot of time in the boat with people that can answer many of those questions as to what exactly we are looking at. But I also know people that have bought these units that don’t fully understand what they are looking at.

If that’s you, or you would like to learn more, there may be something on the horizon that can help you. And not too far away, at that.

Bossier Parish Community College, which brought Crappie University to our region earlier this year, is hosting a two hour “Fishing with Electronics” class May 18 at the Margaritaville Casino Theater in Bossier City. FLW touring pro Nick LeBrun will lead the session. I spoke with him about the class.

“We are going to keep it general where the information will be useful to bass fishermen or crappie fishermen,” he said. “I will be using a lot of actual screen shots from my electronics and we’ll be talking about what you are seeing, what it is and what it means. We’ll show and talk about everything from brushpiles, submerged bridges and roadbeds to schools of bait fish and how fish relate to them.

LeBrun uses Lowrance units, but said the things he is sharing in the seminar will be universal for any type of unit you may fish. There will also be a segment on choosing the right types of line for the right types of conditions and lures for fishing.

The seminar cost $49.00, lasts from 7-9 p.m. and space is limited. Crappie University almost filled up the theater and I’m sure this one will, too. You can click on the link below for more information and to register.

www.bpcc.edu/continuingeducation/documents/FishingElectronicsFishingLineFlyer.pdf