Let us be honest and admit how many times it has happened that we actually have taken way longer to get back home from that fishing trip just because we could not find our way out? But not anymore; science and technology has introduced a Global Positioning System or the GPS which is an excellent way to locate your position on earth in latitudes and longitudes. The accuracy rate of the GPS is also pretty impressive.    

Losing your way back home from a fishing spot after a successful day and then circling the same place over and over again with your best buddies does not sound frightening rather it sounds fun! But it could actually get a lot serious at times. Familiarizing yourself with the surrounding landmarks while going out on water is a good idea. May be a pretty boat house or a peculiar tree or whatever you can mentally mark as a landmark.

In case you are lost and can't find your way back or the waypoint, it is important to stay calm and not panic. If you are at some lake, there will be places where you can stop and ask for directions at a marina or another boat dock. If there are other people fishing as well, ask for directions to your dock, they would be happy to help.

As we were discussing earlier, the GPS systems are among those ‘must carry' items on the boat. These range from anywhere between $80 to some several thousand dollars and it is also user friendly. Bad weather, darkness, and even fog do not affect its operation. You could also call someone with your co ordinates and they would know where to find you. Working with latitudes and longitudes could seem a little complicated at first but once you get used to it, it is actually one of your best buys.

In case you are skeptical about taking a GPS with you on a trip, think again. Not only does it help you find locations of waypoints, it also helps in locating fish! You log the coordinates of the fish found on a sheet of paper and that is all there is to it. You can return to the same spot day after day to catch more fish. You can also pick your fishing spot according to the depth of water. Lake trout are known to stay near the bottom. Only a GPS will help you in picking a fishing spot like this. If you are planning to start a trip before daylight, a GPS can pin point the location of yesterday's hot fishing points.

Most of us have made it a rule not to get any electronic items on the boat while on a fishing trip and that includes everyone aboard because you just want to enjoy the time spent in the outdoors. But keeping a cell phone with you in a boat is definitely going to help in cases of emergency. Turn it off if you do not want to be disturbed, but take it with you, it can be a life saver.

It is better to be safe than sorry they say. Why spoil a perfect fishing day by getting lost on your way back home and make the entire episode unpleasant? Keep these things in mind, you will not find all these details even on a fishing map!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fishing-articles/fishing-maps-are-not-enough-to-help-you-find-your-way-back-5301100.html

Mariam is an accomplished writer from Australia. She writes about fishing and the fishing maps of the country.