The importance of your sounder
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give, it’s to go back to basics! Keep it simple and focus on the key factors that really matter. Whether you’re targeting whiting, tuna, or marlin, it’s essential to set your sights on one species at a time. Personally, I love chasing bream, so when I head out for a bream session, I make sure all my lines are tied, rods are rigged, and trebles are replaced. I’ll even set aside a night or two before to study conditions like the sun, wind, and tides, as they all play a role in fish behaviour and feeding patterns.
Setting specific targets for the fish you want to catch is crucial. You don’t want to waste time on the water wondering where to go or what to look for. Take longtail tuna, for example—one of my favourite species. There’s nothing more thrilling than planning your approach: what lures to use, which rods to rig, and knowing it’ll all pay off. Sure, you might think, “How hard can it be? Just drive around, spot the fish busting, and catch them.” But trust me, there’s much more to it than that.
The night before heading out, I make sure I’ve downloaded the latest Insight Genesis maps for the area. I’ll rig a few different rods with a variety of lures—like a stick bait, small plastic, and large plastic—so I can match the bait when I figure out what they’re eating. I also make sure the boat is ready for action, with everything in place for when the tuna start busting.
I like to study my sounder, checking out sandbanks, drop-offs, holes, and areas with reef and structure. These give me a huge advantage because finding the structure means finding the bait, and where there’s bait, there are fish. A good sounder can truly make the difference between catching or missing your target species. Insight Genesis maps provide detailed bottom contours, so instead of aimlessly driving around hoping to spot birds or tuna busting, I focus on reef edges, drop-offs, and deeper holes to track patterns. This approach lets me go straight to productive spots and work along the drop-offs, giving me the best chance of success.
With this setup, I always run sonar and an Insight Genesis maps page, using sonar to keep an eye on bait and structure below, which helps pinpoint where tuna might be. Keeping a constant eye on your sounder is priceless; you’ll come across some amazing underwater features you never thought existed. And who knows? It might even lead you to other species like trevally or snapper that hang around bait and structure.