The trackback feature on a Simrad lets you scroll back through your recorded sonar history, find something you passed over, and drop a waypoint right on it, so you can keep running on your course and still mark structure or fish without ever turning the boat around. In this How 2 Tuesday I sit down with Captain Scott Walker to break down one of my favorite features and exactly how he uses it to put more spots in his GPS.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Trackback lets you scroll back through your sonar history and set a waypoint on something you already passed over. Not long ago, if you went over interesting structure you had to physically turn the boat around to find it again. Now you can keep going on your course, scroll back through the recorded sonar, and drop a waypoint right on it. Scott walks through exactly how he uses it in the episode.
When Scott sees something he passed over, he goes onto his machine and tags it right there. He stops the machine, saves the point, creates a new waypoint, names it something like interesting, and hits save. That waypoint then appears on his chart so he can come back and work it however he likes. He demonstrates the steps in the episode.
A lot of times Scott is mutton fishing and not watching the bottom machine, or he catches a fish without having seen anything marked. Trackback lets him look back, realize what he just went over, and tag it instead of losing it. Rather than wondering how to get back to that spot, he waypoints it and comes around to work the bait he missed minutes earlier. He explains the payoff in the episode.
Yes, that is the whole point. Before trackback you had to physically turn around to relocate something you passed. Now you keep going on your merry way, scroll back through the sonar history, and set the waypoint from where you are. It saves time and keeps you fishing. Scott describes how that changes his approach in the episode.
Anything worth coming back to, structure you passed, a fish you marked, or bottom that looks promising while you were focused elsewhere. Once it is a waypoint on the chart you can burn it up, grid it, or work it however you like to attack a spot. Scott says it will catch you more fish and put more spots in your GPS to fish later. He gives examples in the episode.
This is one of my favorite features on the Simrad, the trackback, and Scott Walker uses it as well as anyone. Not long ago, marking something you passed over meant turning the whole boat around to find it again. Trackback fixed that, and Scott has woven it into how he fishes so he never loses a spot. We have been working through his Simrad series, and this one is a feature every angler should know. Hear him explain it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Not long ago, if you ran over something interesting you had two choices: turn the boat around and hunt for it again, or lose it. Trackback removed that tradeoff. Now you keep going on your merry way, scroll back through the recorded sonar history, and set a waypoint right on what you passed. It is one of those features that seems small until you realize how many spots it saves. Scott explains the shift in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Scott's process is quick. When he sees something in the history, he goes onto his machine and tags it right there, stops the machine, saves the point, creates a new waypoint, names it something like interesting, and hits save. Now it is on his chart as a fresh waypoint he can attack however he likes. He walks through the exact button sequence in the episode, so press play in the player above.
A lot of times Scott is mutton fishing and not watching the bottom machine, or he boats a fish without having marked anything. That is when trackback shines. He looks back, sees what he just went over, and tags it instead of shrugging it off. Then he comes around to work the bait he missed ten minutes earlier. He tells the story of how that pays off in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Every time Scott trackbacks a waypoint, his GPS gets a little richer. He can burn a spot up, grid it, or fish it however he likes, and over time those saved marks become a library of productive bottom. It is a simple habit that compounds into more fish. He explains how he builds his spot list in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Trackback is one of those features that quietly makes you a better fisherman. You stop losing the spots you pass over and start banking them, one waypoint at a time.
Next time you run over something interesting, do not turn around, scroll back, tag it, and save it. It will catch you more fish and fill your GPS with spots to work later. Press play in the player above for Scott's full walkthrough.
Captain Scott Walker · Into the Blue · Simrad · trackback · waypoints · mutton snapper · GPS · Waypoint TV · How 2 Tuesday · Tom Rowland Podcast · Saltwater Experience
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
Captain Scott Walker runs Into the Blue and is one of the most respected charter captains in the Florida Keys. He runs a full suite of Simrad electronics and is known for turning powerful features into simple, repeatable habits on the water. He is a frequent How 2 Tuesday guest in the Simrad electronics series.
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