How to find your own secret spot

Your next favorite spot. As anglers, we are always on the lookout for that mythical spot where there's not another angler in sight and the fish seem to be biting 24/7 365.

Spots like these don’t have to be relegated to myth, however. With a little legwork and help from Fishbrain, you can find your next hotspot this spring, regardless of where you live, or what you’re fishing for. Follow along below as we share our favorite tips for looking for and finding a new hot spot all to ourselves.

Start from the bottom up

Any spot can look good from the surface, but it can all depend on what’s underneath. Navionics Depth Charts can show you if you are targeting water with the proper depth to hold fish. Look for deep, cold, water in the summer. Find drop offs for morning through afternoon fishing and flats near spawn time. 

Then focus on the water

If you’re looking for a new hot spot, start with the water tab. This tab brings up a complete list of fishing waters in your area. Scroll through the lists with ease as you find your starting point. Your water list is sorted by the most logged catches on a body of water to the least. Tap any water to go directly to its page, where you can find the species in it, the most successful lures used and more.

Where aren’t the catches?

I love looking at catch waypoints on a quick outing, or when exploring a completely new area, but when I’m looking for that spot of my own, I specifically look for where the catches aren’t posted. I’m fairly certain I am the only person to land a fish in my favorite spot of all time and I found it by looking away from congregations of catches to somewhere unsuspecting.

Specify species

Are you looking for any old fish, or do you want specific game fish? Fish don’t always inhabit the same sections of water. What’s good for largemouths, aren't great for channel cats and trout holding water isn't the same for smallmouths. Try tapping the filter at the top of your map screen and select the species you’re interested in. Your map will then only populate with waypoints featuring those species. This could help you determine good holding water for fish and can teach you which kind of water to look for in the future.

Access is key

You can’t fish a spot if you can't get to it. Access is one of the biggest factors preventing anglers from exploring new spots and a huge factor gatekeeping fishing from the general population. When you turn on the Parks and Government Lands layer on the Fishbrain map, you will see potential public access connecting you and the water you’re looking for.

This layer can lead you to the smallest slivers of public access that will open the door to completely untouched waters.

Stay close to the gauges

A river gauge can give you so much information on what’s happening with conditions. Whether you’re fishing a lake, pond or running water, look for a new fishing spot near a gauge. If you’re fishing a lake, the river gauge will give you details about the water running into your lake, the water temp pouring in and how much sediment is affecting clarity. For running water, you'll know changes in water levels, changes in temperatures and historical averages for the time of year.

Big fish potential 

If big fish, or just the possibility of big fish, are on your wish list, turn on Big fish potential when studying bodies of water. The filter tells you the likelihood of you finding an above average fish in a body of water, which gives you the perfect starting point to start mapping out a potential hot spot.

Move with the seasons

Your honey hole could be made up of several seasonal spots. Fish often move into new water as seasons change. Water levels drop in the summer, so fish move into deeper water. In fall, when water temps drop, fish will move to shallower, warmer water. Make sure to filter catches on the map for these different times of years to pattern different clusters, then look how some clusters move with different seasons. 

A lot of factors can go into finding a secret fishing spot, but when using Fishbrain to its potential you can narrow down the options and pinpoint your future favorite spot. Exploration is and always will be a key tenant of fishing, so let Fishbrain be your compass and journal.

if you're looking for a fishing spot with some elbow room, un-pressured fish and a place you can call your own, make sure and utilize these Fishbrain functions ,and others, to their highest potential. When it comes to finding that next honey hole, the only limit is your will and imagination.

Now let's go fishing. We'll take you to our secret spot. Maybe.

If you haven't experienced the #1 fishing app worldwide, make sure and check out Fishbrain to see all the fish data, fishing spots, weather conditions you've been missing out on plus much more.