Many articles have been published about tournament preparation and most of them started with using a quality map of the lake, river or impoundment. I too believe that a good map is invaluable to every angler and is a necessary tool for success.

Lets talk about TOPO+LOG, a CD ROM loaded with fishing maps that allow you to do some of your preparation in the comfort of your home, on your computer. As with every tool there are some negative attributes, so lets get them out of the way, you have to have a computer, monitor and printer. I take it that if your reading this article that you have the equipment needed to get the most out of TOPO+LOG.

Over the last month I have studied several lakes using TOPO+LOG and have found it to be easier to use than I expected, by no means have I become an expert in using all of the functions available with this system, but it is extremely user friendly.

Start with selecting the desired map and then click on the zoom tool to zero in on the portion of the lake that you want to study. Don’t try to study the entire map, just pick out an area of the lake that you want to fish and focus only on that area.

Here’s how it works.

Step one, I selected Grand Lake as the map of choice.

Step two, I’m going to click on the zoom tool and highlight the Honey Creek arm (click and drag the mouse to highlight the area you’ve chosen).

Step three, use the Pan Tool to move the map around on your monitor screen.

Step four, zoom in or out as needed to view the information by using your mouse and clicking on the bold up or down arrows on the tool bar.

Find an offshore hump or ridge, how about a rock pile or house foundation?

Step five, Click on the GPS tool and get pinpoint accuracy. So you want to print all of the information on your screen?

Step six, Click on the print review symbol on the tool bar and make sure that the area you’ve highlighted is within the boarders of your paper, if so then just click on the “P” in the upper left hand corner.

There are other features about TOPO+LOG that are just as easy to use and I’m sure, with a little practice that you will master them. You won’t have to buy paper maps anymore, you can now make your own. The only other item I can see a need for is a laminating machine to protect the map pages that I make. Give TOPO+LOG a try, without it you may just run around in circles.

Till next time, practice catch and release and good fishing.