THE SCIENCE OF FISHING by Bill Clede (reprinted from March, 1991
      OUTDOOR LIFE article with permission of author).
     
     If you're a science fiction fan, like me, just imagine: It's a 
     lake you don't know very well. You're not sure of the techniques 
     that will work best under the conditions you find there. Along
     with your tackle box and rods, you also put a briefcase into the 
     boat.

     You open the briefcase to expose a portable computer. Calling up 
     the map program, you study a chart of the lake. You zoom in on 
     the likely looking spots to reveal greater detail of the growth 
     and the structure underwater. It shows you the weed beds, a 
     sunken wreck and a deep trough.
     
     Then you bring up the Fish Expert program and enter the type of fish
     you're after, the time of day, time of year, type of water, water
     clarity and depth, wind and weather, the season, the spawning stage,
     weed conditions, water temperature, type of bottom and whether the 
     barometer is rising or falling.  The computer then tells you the
     technique and type of bait most likely to succeed.
     
     When you've boated your limit, you open up the computer again.
     You bring up the Fish Expert program again and enter the day's
     information into your log. It's a database that you can review
     later to check what worked and what didn't.
     
     Science fiction? Not anymore.
     
     Today, computer mapping of streets, right down to house numbers,
     is being used by surveyors and emergency service agencies. So why
     not a computer charting lakes? The only reason why it hasn't been
     done with fishing waters is because it's expensive and no one has
     identified the market for such a product - until now.
     
     Chester Ceille of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has found a willing audience
     for his fishing program. He started with a program he calls 
     the Deer Expert System (See "High-Tech Hunting," OUTDOOR LIFE,
     December, 1989), and what he learned from perfecting it, he applied
     to his Fish Expert System.
     
     A computer expert system is not quite artificial intelligence, 
     although it comes close. For every possible variable you enter,
     there are many different answers. As you define the conditions more
     specifically, the program homes in on fewer possible answers. When
     you've told it all that it needs to know, the program displays the
     best advice for catching fish.
     
     For example, say that you're after largemouth bass. The program
     covers largemouth bass, trout and walleyes so far. I defined a 
     sunny summer day on a river of moderate depth. The program suggested
     that I stillfish or cast into shallows and weed beds, look for 
     structure and use topographic maps to find sharp breaks in contour.
     If I defined the same circumstances for night, it suggests casting
     or stillfishing with spinnerbaits or other vibration/sound lures,
     trying the points where the bottom breaks sharply, then reminds me
     that fish are more active at night. If I changed to the fall, the
     program says to cast or stillfish backwater holes.
     
     The program also covers boat control. Yes, I said BOAT CONTROL. When I
     answered "no" to get past the fish species, it asked if I was won-
     dering about boat control. I said "yes." Then the program asked about
     conditions. I set up the same situation as above on a sunny bright 
     day with light winds.  "Anchor upwind or upcurrent from where the fish
     are," it said. "Drift back to the fish with the sun at your back."
     Seems that fish don't look into the sun so they're less likely to see
     your boat.
     
     The Fish Expert's main menu gives you five file choices: general 
     overview, determine method (enter conditions), library, fishing logs
     and exit.
     
     The general overview is a help file to get you through the program.
     
     The library is filled with information about line, lures, methods,
     gear and tips from the professional fishermen.
     
     Fishing logs is a collection of files where you can inventory your
     rods, reels, lures, clothing, boat(s), motor(s), and electronics.
     Another section prompts you to enter descriptions of the lakes you
     fish so that you can refer to this information later.  There's a 
     names file, which is an address/phone book of places and services
     you may want to remember.  And a notes section with tips on trip 
     planning.  There's plenty of room for you adding your own notes, too.
     
     The packing file is a checklist of all of those little things likely
     to be forgotten when you pack for a trip. A quality file is a prod-
     uctivity chart so that you can figure out the ratio of big fish for
     particular waters.  And there's even a section where you can keep all
     of your favorite recipes.
     
     You'll like the record section.  Here, you enter our catch records:
     date, waters, weather, species, size/weight, bait, time, method and
     location.  As this file builds, there's a search function so that you 
     can quickly find information on past activity at a particular body
     of water.  The safety file includes tips on what to do when you're
     boating, wading, if you encounter lightning, as well as tips on sur-
     vival and contents of a survival kit.
     
     The last section, sources, is a bibliography. One of my favorite 
     sources of information has always been to strike up a conversation
     with some salty-looking character at the launching ramp.  It will 
     continue to be.  That's what to put into your Fish Expert program,
     besides your own observations and experience. If you're an active
     fisherman, you will build up quite a base of helpful data in one
     season.
     
     Then, when you go back next year, you'll have all of that data at
     your fingertips. You'll have forgotten what the old man said, but
     the computer won't.  You may remember the size lunker, but what
     were the weather conditions that day?
     
     If you have a computer, any computer, and a modem to hook into the
     telephone line, you can try out a limited-capacity version the 
     Fish Expert System with just a phone call to CompuServe Information
     Service.  If you're not a subscriber, call 800-848-8199, ask for
     representative #156 and tell 'em you want to join the Outdoor
     Forum.  They'll send out an IntroPak that lets you join free and will
     also give you $15 worth of free time to get acquainted.  The connect
     time charge at 2,400 bauds per second (bps) adds up to 21.3 cents
     a minute, but you quickly learn how to complete your business in a
     few minutes.  Then do our time-consuming reading and writing when
     the charge clock isn't running.
     
     When you've joined Outdoor Forum, leave a message for Bill Clede
     (74736,165), and I'll tell you where to find the Fish Expert System.
     If your computer is mute and you can't telecommunicate, contact
     Strat-Tech, Inc., Box 1957, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (414-271-0980).