Going Global on Cedar Valley Saver Inc.

*Fishing report* If you're looking for a place to go this memorial weekend I recommend Brushy Creek lake located between Webster City and Fort Dodge about 90 miles from Waterloo. My son Alex and I just spent three days there (May 21-23) practicing for and winning a bass tournament but noticed a lot of crappie activity. The bass fishing was fair and getting better but the crappies were the big talk. They're moving up shallow to spawn and by this weekend the banks should be lined with them.

Many times you hear about how good the fishing was the weekend before you were there. But not this time - you're getting a heads up! Hanks Bait and Tackle in Waterloo has maps of Brushy Creek and all the crappie jigs and minnows you need so don’t miss out.

GPS, which is short for Global Positioning System, is a wonderful navigational tool that was originally developed for the military but is fast becoming a household name. They're not just for the outdoors person anymore. They can be added to any car or truck and are available as factory equipment on many new vehicles; even most cell phones come with GPS tracking.

Just like everything when it starts to become popular lots of brands start showing up. I have used several of these different brands and by far prefer Lowrance. The incredible screen resolution and almost unbelievable amount of quality maps that are available for the Lowrance units make them number one in my book. I am not a “gadget” guy; I like things to work by just turning them on. Don’t get me wrong - I love the tons of extra features on my Lowrance units and I do use a few of them on occasion, but for the most part I turn the GPS on and go.

In the time since I got my first GPS several years ago it has become an integral tool in my fishing. I have a color screen unit mounted in my Nitro boat that takes all of the guesswork out of where I am or where I've been. Even if I'm on a familiar body of water things change. I hate to admit it but the older I get the less detail I remember. With my GPS I can mark the spots where I catch fish or potential boating hazards like a stump just under the water surface. I can even save the exact trail that I took to get to these spots so I can not only go back to them the next day but the next month or year.

As a tournament angler I go to a lot of bodies of water that I've never seen before or only visit once a year and having a good map of the lake or river is very important. Now imagine that map on a screen in front of you with a cursor showing exactly where you are and the exact path you took to get there, that’s what a GPS does! No more stopping the boat and unfolding a paper map on a windy day to try and figure out where you are.

This is a very small snippet of the advantages of having a GPS in the boat; now think how great it would be to have all of these advantages in the truck. Always knowing at a glance if you are on the right road or how far it is until your next turn. Staying with the same brand in your truck and boat will allow you to use the same interchangeable maps or you can use the same unit for both your truck and boat. Just have it installed on a quick release gimble type mount, get an extra antenna and power cord and mount them in the truck then you can transfer it quickly from truck to boat.

Hand-held units are also available; they're not much bigger than a cell phone so they can be easily carried in your pocket. Yep that’s right I get the same great GPS advantages as in the boat and truck right in the palm of my hand. These little units are fantastic for hunting, hiking and even biking. Fortunately for us as the technology advances and the popularity grows the price of GPS units has come down over the past few years, so no more excuses - do yourself a favor and get a GPS. Until next time keep your lure wet.