Being an avid tournament bass fisherman, the competition that I face on a day to day basis is overwhelming. I'm always looking for that new product whether it be tackle, line, electronics, whatever can promise me that edge over my competition.

Over the years I've seen things introduced to the fishing world that promises success and guarantees the buyer that they'll catch more and bigger fish. Whether the product does just that is up to the fisherman, we definitely don't all fish the same and our styles leave the door wide open for something to be coveted by one angler yet waste away in another ones garage.

When I was first getting into the competitive side of bass fishing I admit I was one who would look for that bait or that product that would cash me paychecks. Most of the time I just ended up a little more broke in the checkbook and carrying a lot more junk in the boat. See the product itself was probably great but my skill at using it wasn't. I recall a time that I went out and bought a fiberglass rod because I heared KVD preaching the benefits of using these rods when throwing crankbaits. I remember hitting the lake with it and wouldn't you know I didn't catch anything. Insulted, I shoved the rod back into my rod locker and I swear it sat there for a better part of six months.

Gimmick? Well had you asked me that then I would have said yes, without a doubt. Ask me that now and the answer would be not at all. See the truth to the matter is I wasn't seasoned on the technique of deep water crankin' and just because I buy that specific style of rod doesn't give me all the inner tools needed to master the technique. Though now that I've spent countless hours practicing the technique of deep crankin', I can wholeheartedly see the benefits as to what KVD was talking about.

There's a million examples one could come up with very similar to the one I just shared. Though from time to time a company will introduce a product that will set a new standard. A product so useful that it rewrites the way fishermen fish. You can't fine tune a presentation if you can't find the fish and the products put out by Navionics are meant to do just that.

Out of everything I own fishing related, what couldn't I live without? That's a really tough question to answer and one that was emailed to me by a fisherman looking for some solid advice. My first answer would have to be my boat, I can't compete or even fish without it. Second would have to be my electronics. Without these I wouldn't know where to fish. That's when I got to thinking, my electronics are very important but without my Navionics data cards showing me what is under the waters surface I wouldn't know where to begin. Even the new addition of Side Imaging is known as a game changer but it wouldn't be nearly as useful if I didn't know what structure was underneath me. To be able to just show up and fish a body of water and have all the lake information at the tip of my finger is essential to my and every other anglers success. My Navionics chip is what breathes life into my electronics!

Now Navionics has stepped up there game once again and introduced a new App for both Android and iPhone. This state of the art and already award winning product can now be at anybodies fingertips even if you don't own a boat. For around ten dollars anyone who owns one of these phones can download Navionics and see exactly what I can see from the deck of my Ranger. Not only can they see but they can follow along with the GPS as well as save waypoints. Talk about a truly good deal, for a ten spot you can turn your phone into a hand held unit? Now were talking about a good deal!

Another key introduction to the Navionics App is the User Generated Content, better known as UGC. This function empowers Navionics customers to modify navigational aids or points of interest on their charts and instantly share it with an entire community of users! Simply input your UGC via your Smart Phone App or PC App and you will join others in creating the best and freshest localized charts available.

No matter your skill level, Navionics offers a product that will benefit you the instant you hit the water. Like any other sport, practice develops your skills. To catch fish you need to be able to think like one, invest in Navionics and take the guess work out of your time on the water. From the crankbait rod to the crankbait itself, it's all useless if I don't know the structure that I'm throwing it to. That's were Navionics gives me my edge!

For more information please contact me via email at Josh@JoshDouglasFishing.com or contact Navionics directly at www.Navionics.com.