How Terry Hearn uses Google Earth to aid his angling

QUESTION: “While we are on the subject of using modern technology, do any of the other contributors use Google Earth much? I am often venturing to new venues for filming and I like to get a little idea of what the lake is like before I go there and over the years I have found it a very handy tool on a variety of waters.”

ANSWER: Yep, I absolutely love Google Earth and I use it regularly. Other than the obvious aids, like being able to work out access, and water clarity permitting, spotting the bars and features, the main thing I use it for is working out which winds blow where. Whenever I’m studying an aerial image of a new water I always find myself thinking ahead, comparing the lake alongside the weather and imagining where the carp are likely to be before I’ve actually got there. I often think even further ahead too, like sussing out the areas of water which are likely to be more sheltered in the winter winds, even if it’s summer when I view the image for the first time. I can’t help it, I get just as big a buzz from the watercraft and location side of things as I do actually catching them, and Google Earth really helps me to put a picture together in my head. I’ll sometimes spend ages staring at an aerial image of a lake hoping for something to click, and quite often something does.

A nice one from the Estate Lake back in November.

In the past I’ve printed off an aerial image of whichever water I happened to be fishing at the time, but nowadays I just go on the iPad, and while I’m at it I quite often check out every other piece of water in the area too. I know that sometimes I might give the impression that I don’t like the fast paced, instant way of the internet, and in the case of social media I don’t, but Google Earth, eBay, and bang up to date weather forecasts on the bank certainly go a long way to make up for it!