Poor Man’s Inshore Saltwater Fish Finders

Established anglers and newcomers alike all have seen the expensively outfitted huge boats that are competing for inshore saltwater fishing. These boats are almost always outfitted with the latest gadgets including depth finders, GPS units, electronic fish finders and nearly any other piece of equipment geared towards providing an edge while angling. However, you need not worry about this, you may be electronically challenged or simply not willing to invest that kind of money in your hobby. There are other alternatives to these high-tech options that anyone can take advantage of. You simply need to adapt to what you have available to you and make the most of it. Here are some tips for inshore saltwater fish-finding for the less than affluent fisher.

Using online resources

The internet has become a great source of information. Do a quick search of your favorite shore areas and it’s quite possible that you will be able to locate a discussion group that is set up for anglers. These discussion groups often contain hints about not only great fishing spots but the best bait, lures and other helpful information. Don’t forget to share your experiences, as you may be able to help out other anglers with what you learn on your trip.

Local Tackle Shops

Local anglers love to share their experience with both new and experienced anglers. Let’s face it, fishing is fun and fishermen are known for their tales. One thing to avoid however is the appearance that you’re just hanging around to get information. If you are in a local tackle shop and you just immediately start asking questions you will most likely get ignored. However, a bit of browsing and a few well placed questions and you’re likely to get an ear-full of information that you can use.

Local Fishing Clubs

Take a look at your community pages in your town and find out if there is a local fishing club. It’s true that these clubs are usually membership based, but they are comprised of members with a passion for fishing. What could be better than hanging out with anglers with a love of the sport and sharing stories and collecting information in a casual setting? Not only that, but fishing clubs tend to interest only serious anglers, so you won’t find a lot of ‘non-fishermen’ in the group.

Charter Cruises

Although certainly not the most cost effective method, a fishing charter can provide you with some valuable information that you can put to use. Fishing charters typically have a captain on board who is extremely knowledgeable about the area that they are navigating. Since these charters are specifically designed to get fishermen in contact with fish, you can get a lot of great information on these charters.

Check out the Wildlife

When you were fishing the last time you probably noticed a group of birds overhead. There’s a reason for this, they are far more in tune to what is happening in the water than most anglers are. In fact, it’s not unusual to see seagulls, osprey, eagles and cormorants overhead.

Ocean birds like osprey, cormorants and eagles feed on baitfish and you can spot them circling around an area and screeching at the top of their voices – this is a good indication that they have located a bait-fish school. Since stripers and blues feed on many baitfishes, it’s highly likely they are not too far behind.

Area Anglers

As you walk along the beach, you may see a few things that tip you off to a good fishing area. One of these of course is a group of happy anglers. These fisherman are generally in small groups and are easily identified by loud whoops and bent rods. Another good sign that an area is going to produce a decent fishing trip is blood and scales along docks, jetties and the beach. This means that in the not too distant past, someone has been very successful fishing that area.

Sure, you can invest thousands of dollars on a boat and all the electronic gadgets you need, or, you can use a bit of creativity and find the cheapest methods for i dentifying inshore saltwater fish.

When you are preparing to undergo a saltwater fishing experience, it is important that you have the proper fishing gear. Some of the most popular gear include Shimino Reels, Okuma Fishing Reels and Van Staal Reel.