My Last Fishing Trip
By: Anthony Thompson
Well, my son, myself and two of his friends rented 2 cabins at sunset lake, all set for 2 days fishing. My wife and her mother, who lives with us went to Kansas too see our new grandchild.
Thursday night I got in 5 minutes late and had to look up the owner at home for everybody had gone home and nobody left out the keys so we could get in. After a cheeseburger and fries we unpacked, at 85 degrees outside we had the the a/c cranked up to the max and I caught the summer cold of a life time, sick all night and half the next day.
I struggled through the night praying that the lord would still let this turn out to be a great fishing trip for us. I was up at 5:00am Friday, still under the weather, to try fishing off the dock, being that the boys were still in bed. Getting up early for them is noon...... whatever.
When they finally got up we all took both of our boats out and headed out to bag our limit. My boat was on it's first time out and had a few rough spots (motor speed, new fish finder, ect.) Little kinks to work out. Needless to say fishing was slow and not all that good the first day. That night I went out myself, the boys went to town as young men will, I got a couple of good strikes, but no fish.
Saturday I laid in bed with a small fever, slept all day and half the night. I awoke about 3:00am Sunday determined to make this last day worth something. I got all the boys up at 6:00am and away all 3 of us went, do or die this time. We pulled out into the stumps, good bass habitat and got a few strikes. The fishing was slow so we moved to the east shore, and pulled up in some lily pads and waited.
We noticed the boat sat a little low in the water, but this was our first time out in this boat so maybe it was supposed to ride low.
I was using a 6" red shad. After casting out twice and getting caught on a stump once I gave it one more attempt, "Bingo!" he hit and the fight was on. I kept saying "I got him! I got him! And he practically jumped into the boat. My son took him off the hook and put him in the live well, which was
almost over flowing. I looked down and the drain in the middle of the boat was bubbling water up, so we decided we better head for shore (about a mile away). By the time we navigated through the logs, the water was up to our hind ends and we had to put my son all 300lbs. in the bow seat to keep the stern from going under. Well we limped into shore and got out just before the back end, (stern of the boat) sunk into the lake.
Being that we were on some grass, I got the truck and pulled her up onto land a little more. Then someone got the bright idea, "why not use the bilge pump" and in 5 minutes she was dry as a bone.
I neglected to tell you that it had rained both nights we were there, first time the boat was out and first bass boat I ever had. Oh' the drain plug was a little loose also, just minor things you learn when fishing from a boat.
All in all, it was an interesting weekend and a learning experience for all involved, but for somebody who loves fishing, well worth the experience.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Nanticoke River Hot Spots
Nanticoke River Hot Spots
by Steve vonBrandt
LOCATION AND RAMPS
The Nanticoke River is located in both Delaware and Maryland, and runs through several small towns all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. There are two ramps that you can access from Delaware. Phillips landing is the most popular. It has a big parking lot with room for about 30 boats and trailers. It has two ramps that can be reached by taking rt.13a to the town of Bethel, going over the Bethel bridges, and past the Bethel hole to Portsville. Take your second right after Portsville Pond, and follow the signs to Phillips landing. The other ramp can be reached by turning off
rt.13, and taking rt. #20 west, down to Shipley Street in Seaford, and following the green signs to the launching ramp. There are restroom facilities, and room for about 40 trailers. There are two ramps there with deep water and good docks.
LOCATIONS AND LURES
The best location to start searching depends on the time of the year. In the spring from April to the end of May, launch at Phillips landing, and head to the right towards Broad Creek. About 1/4 mile up, past the lily pads on the left hand side, is a series of laydowns, and underwater boulders. The sun hits this area all day, and warms the water up a few degrees more than the rest of the area. Start working all the visible structure, laydowns, etc. with a fast moving bait such as a 3/8 ounce Terminator Spinnerbait in chartruese/white, with tandem blades. If you don't get any takers in a short time, rework the same area with a crankbait parallel to the pads and in the wood. You should have a spider grub rigged on a spinning rod also, with 6-8 pound test line. Brown/orange or watermelon are a good choice. If you can't locate any bass in this area, then continue up into Broad Creek, all the way towards the Bethel Hole. Work the bridge pilings and the wood on the turn before the Bethel Hole, with a black/blue tube bait, jig, and a buzzbait. If these locations fail to produce, turn on the outboard and head back towards Phillips Landing.
Proceed past the ramps, and make a turn at the main channel towards the Woodland Ferry. There will be a series of docks and pilings a short distance before the Woodland ferry that should be worked well with a buzzbait and spinnerbait, then move in closer and flip a black/blue jig or a Senko. After working these docks, cross over to the entrance of the creek, and work the mouth with a spinnerbait and a buzzbait, then work all the wood with a jig and a Senko. Next, move down to the Ferry crossing, and throw small worms and Senkos right up against the sea wall, being careful of the ferry and the cable. After leaving this area, head up river towards Maryland to the next major creek on your right. There is a lot of wood there that should be worked thoroughly with spinnerbaits and buzzbaits first, then rework the same area with the jig and Senko. Many times while searching for bass here you will run into some decent size Stripers.
BEST TIMES
The best time to work these areas is the first two hours of the incoming tide, and the
last two hours of the outgoing tide. Three days prior to a new moon in April are best, but other times produce with a little patience. Many 2-3 pound bass are caught in this area.
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS
When all else fails, run up into "Broad Creek," on either tide, and work the Bethel hole with tube baits and Senkos cast directly up on the bank and then pull them slowly into the water. This is a bass spawning area, and only one of a few on the river, so be respectful, and practice catch and release.
BAIT STORES AND LICENSE
A&K tackle has a variety of lures and bait, and are open year round You don't need a freshwater license in Delaware to fish tidewater, but you need both a Freshwater and Bay Sport license in Maryland. The weekends will have a lot of boat traffic, jet skis and the like, but all in all, most people are pretty respectful. There is a variety of wildlife along the river to enjoy, so take the whole family sometimes. It will keep them occupied all day.
by Steve vonBrandt
LOCATION AND RAMPS
The Nanticoke River is located in both Delaware and Maryland, and runs through several small towns all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. There are two ramps that you can access from Delaware. Phillips landing is the most popular. It has a big parking lot with room for about 30 boats and trailers. It has two ramps that can be reached by taking rt.13a to the town of Bethel, going over the Bethel bridges, and past the Bethel hole to Portsville. Take your second right after Portsville Pond, and follow the signs to Phillips landing. The other ramp can be reached by turning off
rt.13, and taking rt. #20 west, down to Shipley Street in Seaford, and following the green signs to the launching ramp. There are restroom facilities, and room for about 40 trailers. There are two ramps there with deep water and good docks.
LOCATIONS AND LURES
The best location to start searching depends on the time of the year. In the spring from April to the end of May, launch at Phillips landing, and head to the right towards Broad Creek. About 1/4 mile up, past the lily pads on the left hand side, is a series of laydowns, and underwater boulders. The sun hits this area all day, and warms the water up a few degrees more than the rest of the area. Start working all the visible structure, laydowns, etc. with a fast moving bait such as a 3/8 ounce Terminator Spinnerbait in chartruese/white, with tandem blades. If you don't get any takers in a short time, rework the same area with a crankbait parallel to the pads and in the wood. You should have a spider grub rigged on a spinning rod also, with 6-8 pound test line. Brown/orange or watermelon are a good choice. If you can't locate any bass in this area, then continue up into Broad Creek, all the way towards the Bethel Hole. Work the bridge pilings and the wood on the turn before the Bethel Hole, with a black/blue tube bait, jig, and a buzzbait. If these locations fail to produce, turn on the outboard and head back towards Phillips Landing.
Proceed past the ramps, and make a turn at the main channel towards the Woodland Ferry. There will be a series of docks and pilings a short distance before the Woodland ferry that should be worked well with a buzzbait and spinnerbait, then move in closer and flip a black/blue jig or a Senko. After working these docks, cross over to the entrance of the creek, and work the mouth with a spinnerbait and a buzzbait, then work all the wood with a jig and a Senko. Next, move down to the Ferry crossing, and throw small worms and Senkos right up against the sea wall, being careful of the ferry and the cable. After leaving this area, head up river towards Maryland to the next major creek on your right. There is a lot of wood there that should be worked thoroughly with spinnerbaits and buzzbaits first, then rework the same area with the jig and Senko. Many times while searching for bass here you will run into some decent size Stripers.
BEST TIMES
The best time to work these areas is the first two hours of the incoming tide, and the
last two hours of the outgoing tide. Three days prior to a new moon in April are best, but other times produce with a little patience. Many 2-3 pound bass are caught in this area.
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS
When all else fails, run up into "Broad Creek," on either tide, and work the Bethel hole with tube baits and Senkos cast directly up on the bank and then pull them slowly into the water. This is a bass spawning area, and only one of a few on the river, so be respectful, and practice catch and release.
BAIT STORES AND LICENSE
A&K tackle has a variety of lures and bait, and are open year round You don't need a freshwater license in Delaware to fish tidewater, but you need both a Freshwater and Bay Sport license in Maryland. The weekends will have a lot of boat traffic, jet skis and the like, but all in all, most people are pretty respectful. There is a variety of wildlife along the river to enjoy, so take the whole family sometimes. It will keep them occupied all day.
Night Time Buzzin'
Night Time Buzzin'
When it comes to catching bass at night, anytime of the summer or fall, buzzbaits are some real fun. Like in my article on Night Time Crankin', night fishing can be awesome. But, buzzbaits are very unique and can be fun to fish.
When throwing these baits, use them around any flat or any type of cover like weeds or sticks. The bass that hit these baits are the most aggressive, same as I said in the crankbait article. So you will normally find the most aggressive bass. So throw the buzzbait first at your spot, then work the spot with the plastic worm or jigs.
As for the type of buzzbaits, I suggest to use Viper Baits and Blue Fox. These make
a lot of noise and can handle a lot of big fish. Use the darker black/red, black/blue, and black colors for night. Throw these with a 6'6" to 7' medium heavy action rod, and a high speed reel, 6.3:1. This will get your bait to the surface faster and keep it up better. So I prefer to use a Shimano Series rod or G. Loomis rods, with a Shimano Curado or Chronarch reels.
So with these little tips, I hope it will help you out with your night time fishing. So go out and get yourself some buzzbaits and catch some lunkers. It is fun and a good way to catch a limit at night. Good Luck!
When it comes to catching bass at night, anytime of the summer or fall, buzzbaits are some real fun. Like in my article on Night Time Crankin', night fishing can be awesome. But, buzzbaits are very unique and can be fun to fish.
When throwing these baits, use them around any flat or any type of cover like weeds or sticks. The bass that hit these baits are the most aggressive, same as I said in the crankbait article. So you will normally find the most aggressive bass. So throw the buzzbait first at your spot, then work the spot with the plastic worm or jigs.
As for the type of buzzbaits, I suggest to use Viper Baits and Blue Fox. These make
a lot of noise and can handle a lot of big fish. Use the darker black/red, black/blue, and black colors for night. Throw these with a 6'6" to 7' medium heavy action rod, and a high speed reel, 6.3:1. This will get your bait to the surface faster and keep it up better. So I prefer to use a Shimano Series rod or G. Loomis rods, with a Shimano Curado or Chronarch reels.
So with these little tips, I hope it will help you out with your night time fishing. So go out and get yourself some buzzbaits and catch some lunkers. It is fun and a good way to catch a limit at night. Good Luck!
Night Time Crankin'
Night Time Crankin'
Well when it comes to fishing at night time, there really is no more an exciting way to catch bass than on crankbaits. This is fact. I think that bass are so honed into loud noises and fast moving baits. This is my own opinion, you may have your own, but I will give you my thoughts and tips on throwing these baits at night.
If you are going to pick a good crankbait I would put all my money into 2 brands of baits. Norman and Pradco Fat Free Shads. These two baits have the best shape, color, and wiggle of all the crankbaits out there. I suggest for night time to use a darker color. I look for the darkest I can find. I think for the Norman Crank Bait, use either the Midnight Blue, Sun Texas Red, or Sun Crawfish. For the Fat Free Shad, I like the Threadfin Shad, Brown Crawfish, and Red Shad. These baits are my number one colors to throw at night. If I'm going to throw my baits, I recommend to use a 6'6" medium action rod to a 7'
medium heavy action rod. I like to throw them on either the GLoomis or Shimano series rods. They seem to work really well. Reels don't really need to be too serious. Just make sure that they either have a 5.1 or 6.1 gear ratio's to get the baits down to it's maximum depth fast. It is really important to make as long of cast as possible to get your bait in the strike zone the longest. Use a lighter line so you can get maximum depth yet big enough to handle the fish. I like and prefer to use 10-12 pound test P-Line. This is about it for the tackle you need.
Now when looking for a particular spot key in on spots where there has been a lot of bait present at the time. This will be the spot where bass are eating shad and only this. Look for any birds before it gets dark and this will give away a ball of shad or any bait activity.
Yet, if there is no bait or birds really congregating, then go to the shallow grassy flats or long points with rock and sticks. The bigger bass seem to like sticks and rocks. Work your bait slowly over the rocks and sticks. Most of these colors of crankbaits kind of look like crawfish, so if you work it slowly over the structure and it looks like a crawdad slowly scooting away. That's what you are looking for in your spots.
This might not be the most productive way to catch fish, but it will be the way to get the more aggressive fish. It is in my books the most fun way to catch the fish at night. It can absolutely scare the snot out of you. It is a really fun way to catch the fish.
The best times when the night is a full moon. This is when the bass can see and key in on your bait best. Try to plan your trip around and during the full moon. Trust me this will get you more strikes and more fish. I can admit to this, I had a tourney on the full moon and all my bites were on crankbaits and then 2 weeks after with a new moon, no bites on it. So plan around the full moon.
I hope that this little article on crankbaitin' at night will help you out and catch a few more fish at night. It is really the most fun way to catch the most aggressive bass out there. Like I said, when you get hit, the bite can be so tremendous that you will get the snot scared out of you. I promise, it is worth it though.
For any of these baits, Norman Crank Baits, Fat Free Shads, GLoomis Rods, and Shimano Rods, P-Line, look here at Bigfishtackle.com and they have the best prices and variety around.
Good Luck and God Bless! Eric Elshere
Well when it comes to fishing at night time, there really is no more an exciting way to catch bass than on crankbaits. This is fact. I think that bass are so honed into loud noises and fast moving baits. This is my own opinion, you may have your own, but I will give you my thoughts and tips on throwing these baits at night.
If you are going to pick a good crankbait I would put all my money into 2 brands of baits. Norman and Pradco Fat Free Shads. These two baits have the best shape, color, and wiggle of all the crankbaits out there. I suggest for night time to use a darker color. I look for the darkest I can find. I think for the Norman Crank Bait, use either the Midnight Blue, Sun Texas Red, or Sun Crawfish. For the Fat Free Shad, I like the Threadfin Shad, Brown Crawfish, and Red Shad. These baits are my number one colors to throw at night. If I'm going to throw my baits, I recommend to use a 6'6" medium action rod to a 7'
medium heavy action rod. I like to throw them on either the GLoomis or Shimano series rods. They seem to work really well. Reels don't really need to be too serious. Just make sure that they either have a 5.1 or 6.1 gear ratio's to get the baits down to it's maximum depth fast. It is really important to make as long of cast as possible to get your bait in the strike zone the longest. Use a lighter line so you can get maximum depth yet big enough to handle the fish. I like and prefer to use 10-12 pound test P-Line. This is about it for the tackle you need.
Now when looking for a particular spot key in on spots where there has been a lot of bait present at the time. This will be the spot where bass are eating shad and only this. Look for any birds before it gets dark and this will give away a ball of shad or any bait activity.
Yet, if there is no bait or birds really congregating, then go to the shallow grassy flats or long points with rock and sticks. The bigger bass seem to like sticks and rocks. Work your bait slowly over the rocks and sticks. Most of these colors of crankbaits kind of look like crawfish, so if you work it slowly over the structure and it looks like a crawdad slowly scooting away. That's what you are looking for in your spots.
This might not be the most productive way to catch fish, but it will be the way to get the more aggressive fish. It is in my books the most fun way to catch the fish at night. It can absolutely scare the snot out of you. It is a really fun way to catch the fish.
The best times when the night is a full moon. This is when the bass can see and key in on your bait best. Try to plan your trip around and during the full moon. Trust me this will get you more strikes and more fish. I can admit to this, I had a tourney on the full moon and all my bites were on crankbaits and then 2 weeks after with a new moon, no bites on it. So plan around the full moon.
I hope that this little article on crankbaitin' at night will help you out and catch a few more fish at night. It is really the most fun way to catch the most aggressive bass out there. Like I said, when you get hit, the bite can be so tremendous that you will get the snot scared out of you. I promise, it is worth it though.
For any of these baits, Norman Crank Baits, Fat Free Shads, GLoomis Rods, and Shimano Rods, P-Line, look here at Bigfishtackle.com and they have the best prices and variety around.
Good Luck and God Bless! Eric Elshere
MUSKIES AND THE FIGURE EIGHT
MUSKIES AND THE FIGURE EIGHT
By David Christian
Muskies can be one of the more stubborn of our aquatic friends, one of the techniques we use at Cave Run Muskie Guide Service to trigger strikes from these viscous fish is a move commonly called the “figure eight”.
This technique will trigger strikes from following fish right at the side of the boat with only a few inches of line out. It is very exciting to see a fish appear from the depths and attack a lure at boatside. Our fishing logs indicate that over thirty percent of all muskies are taken on the figure eight.
The figure eight is nothing more than ‘drawing’ a sideways eight in the water with your rodtip. The erratic action of the lure will give the appearance of a frantic baitfish trying not to be eaten. A muskie has followed the lure because it is curios and in a neutral mood, now that the lure has done something different it appears more realistic and triggers the final strike.
The proper figure eight begins as the lure comes in to the anglers sight, look a foot below and a foot behind the lure for a follower. As you go into the first turn of the figure eight it must be smooth and quiet as not to spook the muskie. Don’t stop the lure or the
fish will turn away knowing it is not real. A smooth figure eight will continue into the second and third turns as you look for the muskie. If a fish was sighted continue doing a number of figure eight's in the water, I have captured muskies on the 10th figure eight, they will sometimes reposition themselves to get a better attack angle.
When muskie fishing it is required that you perform at least one figure eight at the end of every cast, insuring that there is not a fish following deep and out of your site. Thirty-percent odds are pretty good, don't give them to the musky.
By David Christian
Muskies can be one of the more stubborn of our aquatic friends, one of the techniques we use at Cave Run Muskie Guide Service to trigger strikes from these viscous fish is a move commonly called the “figure eight”.
This technique will trigger strikes from following fish right at the side of the boat with only a few inches of line out. It is very exciting to see a fish appear from the depths and attack a lure at boatside. Our fishing logs indicate that over thirty percent of all muskies are taken on the figure eight.
The figure eight is nothing more than ‘drawing’ a sideways eight in the water with your rodtip. The erratic action of the lure will give the appearance of a frantic baitfish trying not to be eaten. A muskie has followed the lure because it is curios and in a neutral mood, now that the lure has done something different it appears more realistic and triggers the final strike.
The proper figure eight begins as the lure comes in to the anglers sight, look a foot below and a foot behind the lure for a follower. As you go into the first turn of the figure eight it must be smooth and quiet as not to spook the muskie. Don’t stop the lure or the
fish will turn away knowing it is not real. A smooth figure eight will continue into the second and third turns as you look for the muskie. If a fish was sighted continue doing a number of figure eight's in the water, I have captured muskies on the 10th figure eight, they will sometimes reposition themselves to get a better attack angle.
When muskie fishing it is required that you perform at least one figure eight at the end of every cast, insuring that there is not a fish following deep and out of your site. Thirty-percent odds are pretty good, don't give them to the musky.
Weeds, Muskies and Cave Run Lake
Weeds, Muskies and Cave Run Lake
By David Christian
Cave Run Lake is known as “The Muskie Capital of the South” and is highly ranked as Kentucky’s muskie hotspot. When we first think of a musky hunting adventure on Cave Run Lake we anticipate banging lures into some form of timber. The variety and amount of timber this lake holds is phenomenal, whether it’s standing in 30 feet of water or some downed shoreline wood, we always associate three things, Cave Run Lake, muskies, and timber.
Aquatic life is changing dramatically on this body of water. The past three years have seen major developments of aquatic vegetation (weeds). This aquatic vegetation is known as Eurasian milfoil and has produced giant beds and mile-long areas to troll.
These weed-beds are now encountered in every bay that is associated with the main lake basin. There are also small, scattered weeds in the tributary arms, which means they are expanding rapidly. This Eurasian milfoil is one of the quickest spreading types of vegetation known in our waterways and can quickly take over a lake. The depth of this millfoil growth is from the surface to 13 feet deep on our “clear water”
years. The floods and long periods of murky water will keep its growth a little shallower, nine feet is usually the maximum depth. As musky fishermen know, our quarry loves to hang around weedbeds. If you have ever ventured into the northern area of musky country, these weedy bays are one of the first places you begin fishing. Though we may think this newfound resource is wonderful, it has it's dangers and associated problems.
Eurasian milfoil was introduced from Europe in the early 1900's. It is found from mid-America eastward and also on the West Coast. It is a perennial that blooms from June through August. Milfoil grows very rapidly and forms dense mats that will grow to the surface. The plants have a long thin reddish stem about 1/8 inch in diameter with 12 to 20 small green leaflets in each leaf-section and they are arranged in groups of four down the length of the stem. Eurasian milfoil is kin to our native Northern milfoil. As with most organisms introduced into an unnatural environment they can wreak havoc once they are established, take zebra mussels for example. Once Eurasian milfoil has established itself it can become very difficult to control or remove. Because it grows so rapidly and creates such thick mats it can wipe out native plants by blocking sunlight and eventually killing them off completely. It can eventually dominate the entire water system. The method that Eurasian milfoil utilizes to reproduce is what makes it so successful. Plant fragments are its main source of reproduction. These tiny pieces can create an entirely new plant once they come in contact with suitable substrate. Eventually these single plants will form giant mats of vegetation. Most of the northern and Canadian waters warn you about the spread of organisms and request that you clean your boat and motor before putting it in another body of water. These tiny fragments of vegetation and other microorganisms are the reason for these requests.
Government agencies are trying a number of methods to control the spread of Eurasian milfoil which include hand and mechanical harvesting, water level manipulation and aquatic herbicides. Harvesting, whether by hand or mechanics is very difficult because of the fact that, any plant fragments left behind will produce a new plant and start the "spread" all over again. The yearly six-foot drawdown at Cave Run Reservoir will keep its' weeds at a manageable level, but this water manipulation is only viable on reservoirs. Aquatic herbicides are a last resort for the control of Eurasian milfoil because of its adverse effects on the ecosystem. There is an effective control method being tried in some areas. It is the use of aquatic insects such as the milfoil weevil, as the name indicates its preferred forage is milfoil. The number of considerable assets for using this insect for weed control are, that it is native to North America, the reduced costs and limited environmental impact.
As conservation conscious anglers, we need to help control this swift spreading vegetation. There are some ways we can refrain from increasing the contamination to other waters and slow the advancement of Eurasian milfoil at Cave Run Lake. Try not to run your big motor through the weeds, this chops up the weeds and the fragments will quickly root themselves in areas as the current or wind pushes them about the lake. When you fish these weedlines, try your best not to cast too deep into them and foul your lure. Every time you snag these weeds and remove them from the lure, you are assisting the advancement. Remember to check your boat before and after you leave a body of water that has any undesirable organisms such as Eurasian milfoil. If you are involved with fishing clubs, inform them of the dangers of Eurasian milfoil. Some weeds are good for the fishing and aquatic life, but too much of something can also be bad. By putting forth this extra effort you can help save your fishing hotspots and keep them from becoming weed-choked.
By David Christian
Cave Run Lake is known as “The Muskie Capital of the South” and is highly ranked as Kentucky’s muskie hotspot. When we first think of a musky hunting adventure on Cave Run Lake we anticipate banging lures into some form of timber. The variety and amount of timber this lake holds is phenomenal, whether it’s standing in 30 feet of water or some downed shoreline wood, we always associate three things, Cave Run Lake, muskies, and timber.
Aquatic life is changing dramatically on this body of water. The past three years have seen major developments of aquatic vegetation (weeds). This aquatic vegetation is known as Eurasian milfoil and has produced giant beds and mile-long areas to troll.
These weed-beds are now encountered in every bay that is associated with the main lake basin. There are also small, scattered weeds in the tributary arms, which means they are expanding rapidly. This Eurasian milfoil is one of the quickest spreading types of vegetation known in our waterways and can quickly take over a lake. The depth of this millfoil growth is from the surface to 13 feet deep on our “clear water”
years. The floods and long periods of murky water will keep its growth a little shallower, nine feet is usually the maximum depth. As musky fishermen know, our quarry loves to hang around weedbeds. If you have ever ventured into the northern area of musky country, these weedy bays are one of the first places you begin fishing. Though we may think this newfound resource is wonderful, it has it's dangers and associated problems.
Eurasian milfoil was introduced from Europe in the early 1900's. It is found from mid-America eastward and also on the West Coast. It is a perennial that blooms from June through August. Milfoil grows very rapidly and forms dense mats that will grow to the surface. The plants have a long thin reddish stem about 1/8 inch in diameter with 12 to 20 small green leaflets in each leaf-section and they are arranged in groups of four down the length of the stem. Eurasian milfoil is kin to our native Northern milfoil. As with most organisms introduced into an unnatural environment they can wreak havoc once they are established, take zebra mussels for example. Once Eurasian milfoil has established itself it can become very difficult to control or remove. Because it grows so rapidly and creates such thick mats it can wipe out native plants by blocking sunlight and eventually killing them off completely. It can eventually dominate the entire water system. The method that Eurasian milfoil utilizes to reproduce is what makes it so successful. Plant fragments are its main source of reproduction. These tiny pieces can create an entirely new plant once they come in contact with suitable substrate. Eventually these single plants will form giant mats of vegetation. Most of the northern and Canadian waters warn you about the spread of organisms and request that you clean your boat and motor before putting it in another body of water. These tiny fragments of vegetation and other microorganisms are the reason for these requests.
Government agencies are trying a number of methods to control the spread of Eurasian milfoil which include hand and mechanical harvesting, water level manipulation and aquatic herbicides. Harvesting, whether by hand or mechanics is very difficult because of the fact that, any plant fragments left behind will produce a new plant and start the "spread" all over again. The yearly six-foot drawdown at Cave Run Reservoir will keep its' weeds at a manageable level, but this water manipulation is only viable on reservoirs. Aquatic herbicides are a last resort for the control of Eurasian milfoil because of its adverse effects on the ecosystem. There is an effective control method being tried in some areas. It is the use of aquatic insects such as the milfoil weevil, as the name indicates its preferred forage is milfoil. The number of considerable assets for using this insect for weed control are, that it is native to North America, the reduced costs and limited environmental impact.
As conservation conscious anglers, we need to help control this swift spreading vegetation. There are some ways we can refrain from increasing the contamination to other waters and slow the advancement of Eurasian milfoil at Cave Run Lake. Try not to run your big motor through the weeds, this chops up the weeds and the fragments will quickly root themselves in areas as the current or wind pushes them about the lake. When you fish these weedlines, try your best not to cast too deep into them and foul your lure. Every time you snag these weeds and remove them from the lure, you are assisting the advancement. Remember to check your boat before and after you leave a body of water that has any undesirable organisms such as Eurasian milfoil. If you are involved with fishing clubs, inform them of the dangers of Eurasian milfoil. Some weeds are good for the fishing and aquatic life, but too much of something can also be bad. By putting forth this extra effort you can help save your fishing hotspots and keep them from becoming weed-choked.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
INSHORE FISHING BASICS: CHOOSING
INSHORE FISHING BASICS: CHOOSING
TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT - EASY AS 1 - 2 - 3
Fishing is a great sport. Its popularity is increasing every day and more and more people are getting involved. The result of this continued growth is a large number of eager beginners. Beginners know that knowledge is the key to success. Reading, attending fishing schools and lectures, and asking questions of those with experience is the key to knowledge.
Traveling in the circles that I do, I usually end up talking about fishing. The people most eager to talk fishing are the beginners or those that are relatively inexperienced. The questions they ask are good questions, to the point and relevant. They want, appreciate, and deserve answers that are direct and honest. In trying to answer all these questions over the years, I have noticed that the most commonly asked questions are related to inshore fishing and specifically to tackle, the tools of the sport.
I have my theories about this observation. Fishing involves a lot more than just having the right tackle. Knowledge of areas to fish, techniques to apply, bait to use, tides, weather and numerous other things all are involved in the sport to some extent, but are not as frequently asked about as is tackle. Why is this? I believe that having the correct tackle is the best starting point for the beginner and he probably feels the same. It is something that can be immediately achieved with a modest investment of time and money. Amassing the proper assortment of tackle and related equipment provides a feeling of accomplishment and a firm base with which to begin the real job of learning how to fish. I think the beginner accepts the fact that such knowledge will come slowly with time and experience. Having the tackle however, is of immediate importance!
Talking tackle is a really big subject and often very confusing for the novice, lacking the hands on experience. In trying to provide some help, I have organized a list of what I believe to be the most important concerns for tackle and related equipment. I have tried to keep this list as simple as possible, listing only three specific suggestions. Wherever possible I give specific reference to the particular type or product that I use. I feel this is important because when people ask me questions, they want to know exactly what product I have used and been successful with.
ROD AND REEL COMBINATIONS
1. Medium/light weight bait-casting.
Penn PPG 4971 rod and 930 reel with 15 lb. Ande line. This outfit would be appropriate for flounder, fluke, weakfish and small blues.
2. Medium/light spinning.
Penn PSG 4871A rod and 722Z reel with 10 lb. Ande Super Soft line. This would take care of casting jigs and lures for blues and weaks and school size bass.
3. Medium/light conventional.
Penn PC 3801L rod and 320 GTi levelwind or 25 GLS reels with 25 lb. Ande line.
BOAT EQUIPMENT
1. Chart, navigation and bottom contour, waterproof.
"Carmark" bay chart for sportfishing. This chart provides information about fishing areas and local names. In addition, a NOAA regulation navigation chart should be aboard for precision navigation and buoy information.
2. Bait cutting board and knife.
Preferably a rod holder mounted teak or nylon version which is available in most marine supply houses or the popular and inexpensive bucket mounted board. Dexter or Russell fillet knives of 7 or 8 inches serve well for both bait and fish cleaning purposes.
3. Landing net.
I prefer a telescoping model that stores easily, with at least a 30 inch wide opening. Several different manufacturers produce such nets but be sure it utilizes a polypropylene mesh. This material is light, nonabsorbent and long lasting.
SPECIAL TACKLE BOX ITEMS
1. Fisherman's pliers.
Parallel jaw pliers with wire cutters, spring loaded, and in the smaller of the two sizes available, 5 inch. Sargent, Manley, Sampo and Berkeley make good pliers and stainless steel varieties are available if you can afford the high price.
2. Sharpening stone.
For keeping knives and hooks in top shape. Several different manufacturers, styles and shapes are available. Keep it as simple as possible.
3. Swivels.
Assorted sizes of high quality barrel and combination barrel/snap swivels should be on hand. Sampo makes excellent swivels both standard and ball bearing, in all varieties.
HOOKS
1. Pre-smelled and packaged. (various local brands) Have at least one dozen (two packages) for each of the most sought after species.
My recommendations are:
Fluke - 2/0 English wide gap.
Flounder - #8 Chestertown with yellow beads.
Blackfish - #5 Virginia style.
Weakfish - 2/0 Bait holder.
Stripers - 4/0 to 6/0 Bait holder.
Bluefish - 5/0 with 6 inch single strand wire leader.
2. Loose hooks for live bait.
I use size 7/0 O'Shaugnessy short shank Gamakatsu hooks for stripers and size 5/0 for weakfish. These hooks are exceptionally sharp right out of the package.
3. Miscellaneous hooks.
For backups, special conditions, and custom rigs tied as needed, I carry an assortment of O’Shaugnessy style short shank hooks in sizes from #8 to 6/0. Mustad hooks are excellent quality and reasonably priced for this purpose. Sharpen them before putting them in your tackle box.
WEIGHTS
1. Sinkers for still and drift fishing.
The basic variety of bank style sinker which is available in all tackle shops will suffice. Cover the range of 3 to 8 ounces with the bulk of them in the 5 ounce size. This is the weight I most often use.
2. Drails for live bait fishing.
In areas where water depth is rarely over thirty feet, 3 ounce drails will be just right in most cases. I also carry a few four ounce and two ounce versions for the odd occasion when they may be needed. Bead Chain brand is an excellent choice.
3. Small weights for special applications.
On many occasions small specialty weights are useful. I carry an assortment of Dipsey swivel sinkers, Rubbercore torpedo weights and egg sinkers covering the range from 1/2 ounce to 2 ounces in each style. Water Gremlin is the brand I use.
CASTING LURES
1. Hopkins 1 1/4 ounce no-equal #3SB with single hook white bucktail.
This is a very versatile productive lure which can be worked at all depths. It will catch bass, blues and weakfish. As with all lures, if bluefish are around, a short trace of stranded wire leader should be used to prevent chopped off lines. Berkeley makes pre-rigged leaders for just such purposes. I use the 6 inch 20 pound test version.
2. Rebel #S3001S, 5 inch sinking minnow in silver with black back.
This will also catch all gamefish but is particularly deadly for mid-water use and when fish are on the shy side. This is a super lure for big weakfish in water up to 15 feet deep. It is also a great lure for school bass along the banks and edges of channels.
3. Atom #58P, 1 1/4 ounce "Talking Atom" surface popper.
The best all around surface lure. This lure it most effective with calm water conditions, in fairly shallow water, or when fish are feeding near the surface. It also casts a long distance.
ADDENDUM
Those things that I think are a must, but mentioning them where I should have would have broken my self-imposed rule of only three recommendations.
1. Lead head hooks.
These are a must for rigging plastic lures such as jelly worms and salty dog shrimps. These are still very effective lures. Mann makes excellent lead heads in two sizes. I carry at least half a dozen of each size.
2. Diamond Jigs.
These jigs are best for working schools of fish in a vertical fashion rather than casting. Ava brand jigs are popular and work very well. For bay fishing I use the 007, 17 and 27 sizes both with white tubes and with plain hooks.
3. McClane's Fishing Encyclopedia.
This is a most informative and useful addition to any fisherman's library. I would have to consider it a part of the basic equipment required. It can provide information about the life history, feeding habits and basic behavior of the fish you will pursue, the basic rigs you should use and the knots you will have to learn to tie. I still consult it frequently and can't imagine not having it.
All that I have mentioned may seem like a lot but it is what I believe to be essential for the person that really wants to be successful at catching fish. I am also sure that other people might have recommendations that differ from mine. What I have written is not the last word, but simply my suggestion. Hopefully it can serve as a guideline for someone that has made up their mind to quit playing games and do it the right way.
TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT - EASY AS 1 - 2 - 3
Fishing is a great sport. Its popularity is increasing every day and more and more people are getting involved. The result of this continued growth is a large number of eager beginners. Beginners know that knowledge is the key to success. Reading, attending fishing schools and lectures, and asking questions of those with experience is the key to knowledge.
Traveling in the circles that I do, I usually end up talking about fishing. The people most eager to talk fishing are the beginners or those that are relatively inexperienced. The questions they ask are good questions, to the point and relevant. They want, appreciate, and deserve answers that are direct and honest. In trying to answer all these questions over the years, I have noticed that the most commonly asked questions are related to inshore fishing and specifically to tackle, the tools of the sport.
I have my theories about this observation. Fishing involves a lot more than just having the right tackle. Knowledge of areas to fish, techniques to apply, bait to use, tides, weather and numerous other things all are involved in the sport to some extent, but are not as frequently asked about as is tackle. Why is this? I believe that having the correct tackle is the best starting point for the beginner and he probably feels the same. It is something that can be immediately achieved with a modest investment of time and money. Amassing the proper assortment of tackle and related equipment provides a feeling of accomplishment and a firm base with which to begin the real job of learning how to fish. I think the beginner accepts the fact that such knowledge will come slowly with time and experience. Having the tackle however, is of immediate importance!
Talking tackle is a really big subject and often very confusing for the novice, lacking the hands on experience. In trying to provide some help, I have organized a list of what I believe to be the most important concerns for tackle and related equipment. I have tried to keep this list as simple as possible, listing only three specific suggestions. Wherever possible I give specific reference to the particular type or product that I use. I feel this is important because when people ask me questions, they want to know exactly what product I have used and been successful with.
ROD AND REEL COMBINATIONS
1. Medium/light weight bait-casting.
Penn PPG 4971 rod and 930 reel with 15 lb. Ande line. This outfit would be appropriate for flounder, fluke, weakfish and small blues.
2. Medium/light spinning.
Penn PSG 4871A rod and 722Z reel with 10 lb. Ande Super Soft line. This would take care of casting jigs and lures for blues and weaks and school size bass.
3. Medium/light conventional.
Penn PC 3801L rod and 320 GTi levelwind or 25 GLS reels with 25 lb. Ande line.
BOAT EQUIPMENT
1. Chart, navigation and bottom contour, waterproof.
"Carmark" bay chart for sportfishing. This chart provides information about fishing areas and local names. In addition, a NOAA regulation navigation chart should be aboard for precision navigation and buoy information.
2. Bait cutting board and knife.
Preferably a rod holder mounted teak or nylon version which is available in most marine supply houses or the popular and inexpensive bucket mounted board. Dexter or Russell fillet knives of 7 or 8 inches serve well for both bait and fish cleaning purposes.
3. Landing net.
I prefer a telescoping model that stores easily, with at least a 30 inch wide opening. Several different manufacturers produce such nets but be sure it utilizes a polypropylene mesh. This material is light, nonabsorbent and long lasting.
SPECIAL TACKLE BOX ITEMS
1. Fisherman's pliers.
Parallel jaw pliers with wire cutters, spring loaded, and in the smaller of the two sizes available, 5 inch. Sargent, Manley, Sampo and Berkeley make good pliers and stainless steel varieties are available if you can afford the high price.
2. Sharpening stone.
For keeping knives and hooks in top shape. Several different manufacturers, styles and shapes are available. Keep it as simple as possible.
3. Swivels.
Assorted sizes of high quality barrel and combination barrel/snap swivels should be on hand. Sampo makes excellent swivels both standard and ball bearing, in all varieties.
HOOKS
1. Pre-smelled and packaged. (various local brands) Have at least one dozen (two packages) for each of the most sought after species.
My recommendations are:
Fluke - 2/0 English wide gap.
Flounder - #8 Chestertown with yellow beads.
Blackfish - #5 Virginia style.
Weakfish - 2/0 Bait holder.
Stripers - 4/0 to 6/0 Bait holder.
Bluefish - 5/0 with 6 inch single strand wire leader.
2. Loose hooks for live bait.
I use size 7/0 O'Shaugnessy short shank Gamakatsu hooks for stripers and size 5/0 for weakfish. These hooks are exceptionally sharp right out of the package.
3. Miscellaneous hooks.
For backups, special conditions, and custom rigs tied as needed, I carry an assortment of O’Shaugnessy style short shank hooks in sizes from #8 to 6/0. Mustad hooks are excellent quality and reasonably priced for this purpose. Sharpen them before putting them in your tackle box.
WEIGHTS
1. Sinkers for still and drift fishing.
The basic variety of bank style sinker which is available in all tackle shops will suffice. Cover the range of 3 to 8 ounces with the bulk of them in the 5 ounce size. This is the weight I most often use.
2. Drails for live bait fishing.
In areas where water depth is rarely over thirty feet, 3 ounce drails will be just right in most cases. I also carry a few four ounce and two ounce versions for the odd occasion when they may be needed. Bead Chain brand is an excellent choice.
3. Small weights for special applications.
On many occasions small specialty weights are useful. I carry an assortment of Dipsey swivel sinkers, Rubbercore torpedo weights and egg sinkers covering the range from 1/2 ounce to 2 ounces in each style. Water Gremlin is the brand I use.
CASTING LURES
1. Hopkins 1 1/4 ounce no-equal #3SB with single hook white bucktail.
This is a very versatile productive lure which can be worked at all depths. It will catch bass, blues and weakfish. As with all lures, if bluefish are around, a short trace of stranded wire leader should be used to prevent chopped off lines. Berkeley makes pre-rigged leaders for just such purposes. I use the 6 inch 20 pound test version.
2. Rebel #S3001S, 5 inch sinking minnow in silver with black back.
This will also catch all gamefish but is particularly deadly for mid-water use and when fish are on the shy side. This is a super lure for big weakfish in water up to 15 feet deep. It is also a great lure for school bass along the banks and edges of channels.
3. Atom #58P, 1 1/4 ounce "Talking Atom" surface popper.
The best all around surface lure. This lure it most effective with calm water conditions, in fairly shallow water, or when fish are feeding near the surface. It also casts a long distance.
ADDENDUM
Those things that I think are a must, but mentioning them where I should have would have broken my self-imposed rule of only three recommendations.
1. Lead head hooks.
These are a must for rigging plastic lures such as jelly worms and salty dog shrimps. These are still very effective lures. Mann makes excellent lead heads in two sizes. I carry at least half a dozen of each size.
2. Diamond Jigs.
These jigs are best for working schools of fish in a vertical fashion rather than casting. Ava brand jigs are popular and work very well. For bay fishing I use the 007, 17 and 27 sizes both with white tubes and with plain hooks.
3. McClane's Fishing Encyclopedia.
This is a most informative and useful addition to any fisherman's library. I would have to consider it a part of the basic equipment required. It can provide information about the life history, feeding habits and basic behavior of the fish you will pursue, the basic rigs you should use and the knots you will have to learn to tie. I still consult it frequently and can't imagine not having it.
All that I have mentioned may seem like a lot but it is what I believe to be essential for the person that really wants to be successful at catching fish. I am also sure that other people might have recommendations that differ from mine. What I have written is not the last word, but simply my suggestion. Hopefully it can serve as a guideline for someone that has made up their mind to quit playing games and do it the right way.
How to store live eels:
How to store live eels:
Find a five gallon plastic bucket with a locking top. Drill 7/16 holes approximately every two inches in the walls, top and bottom. Place about 3 inches of golf ball size stones in the bucket for ballast. The eels really like to wiggle in between the rocks. Tie a line to the handle and suspend the bucket from a dock or your boat. Keep it down near the bottom where the water is cool. Don’t worry about feeding them. Lots of little tasty creatures will drift in through the holes and provide them with snacks. I have kept eels this way for up to two months.
Find a five gallon plastic bucket with a locking top. Drill 7/16 holes approximately every two inches in the walls, top and bottom. Place about 3 inches of golf ball size stones in the bucket for ballast. The eels really like to wiggle in between the rocks. Tie a line to the handle and suspend the bucket from a dock or your boat. Keep it down near the bottom where the water is cool. Don’t worry about feeding them. Lots of little tasty creatures will drift in through the holes and provide them with snacks. I have kept eels this way for up to two months.
Catch your own Fresh Bait
Catch your own Fresh Bait
Nothing catches fluke better than fresh live bait. It is worth the effort to catch some before fishing. Purchase a small seine net and drag it along the edge of any beach. You should be able to capture a nice selection of killies, spearing or other small offerings that fluke can’t resist. A small cast net with ¼ inch mesh will also work well for those a little more adventurous and it works without having to get wet.
Nothing catches fluke better than fresh live bait. It is worth the effort to catch some before fishing. Purchase a small seine net and drag it along the edge of any beach. You should be able to capture a nice selection of killies, spearing or other small offerings that fluke can’t resist. A small cast net with ¼ inch mesh will also work well for those a little more adventurous and it works without having to get wet.
MOVE TO GET THE BEST WIND/TIDE CONDITIONS
MOVE TO GET THE BEST WIND/TIDE CONDITIONS
Work the tides and the current. The worst situation to have is a wind directly in-line or directly against the tide if you are drift fishing. Working with the wind will move you too fast and make it difficult to hold the bottom. Drifting against the wind will slow the boat so much that you will not cover ground. When this situation occurs, consider moving to and area where the wind will be at angles to the current. For example, if the wind is due west, it would be difficult to fish in front of Ocean Beach. You will move too fast or too slow. If you move to West Channel, the current moves north and south. With a west or east wind, your drift will be angled across the channel and you will drift at a moderate pace which is best for catching fish.
Work the tides and the current. The worst situation to have is a wind directly in-line or directly against the tide if you are drift fishing. Working with the wind will move you too fast and make it difficult to hold the bottom. Drifting against the wind will slow the boat so much that you will not cover ground. When this situation occurs, consider moving to and area where the wind will be at angles to the current. For example, if the wind is due west, it would be difficult to fish in front of Ocean Beach. You will move too fast or too slow. If you move to West Channel, the current moves north and south. With a west or east wind, your drift will be angled across the channel and you will drift at a moderate pace which is best for catching fish.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sheephead Goats
Sheephead Goats
By George Van Zant
Sheephead will be around when everything else is gone. Besides being great fighters on the hook and tasty when cooked, they have the ability to change their sex if needed. All sheephead are born females. When necessary for reproduction and there is a shortage of males Mother Nature very simply changes selected females to males and maintains perpetuation of the tribe.
Male sheephead or "goats" reverently referred to by old anglers are very colorfully distinctive. Their pig like bodies is banded by black, white and red coloring on a body background of orange. Large males have ponderous square foreheads with a knob on top. They have a full set of dog like teeth for grabbing things and deep in their throat is a set of bone like crunchers
meant for crushing clams and crabs. They are colorfully attractive but are grotesque and formable creatures. They can and do eat any thing that moves into their area. That is any thing without a hook in it.
They are caught incidentally whenever the angler is fishing in the kelp area or hard bottom spots where he is in pursuit of yellowtail or calico bass. The large Goats are very suspicious of hooked baits and are very difficult to hook although the smaller females can be caught easily on most any bait. Most large fish are caught when live squid is available. They love to pounce on a live squid after the massive blue perch attack has left the squid tattered and shredded. They seem to be attracted by the frenzied action of the darting tearing perch, even more so than the attraction of the squid.
If you want to target the goats specifically try some of the following techniques. The location is important. Since they live in the rocky kelp environment you have to focus on these areas. The smaller fish can be pests in shallow water to 30 feet so look for a single large rock or area deeper than 50 feet. The 20-pound plus goats usually come from a hard bottom spot at least 80 to 150 feet deep.
25 pound test mono is the minimum for your line. Sheephead are very proficient at running your line around rock and they always fray the line even if they are landed. Use large hooks to give pulling power against a hammered down drag. You cannot allow them to run off any line. After every hookup run twenty feet of the mono above the hook through your fingers to check for frays.
You can use traditional slip egg sinkers or sinkers stationary below a hook and leader. One method that¹s been very successful, especially in deep water, is a two foot leader placed 6 feet or more above the sinker tied to the end of the line. For some reason the fish like the bait presented up from the bottom. This has worked especially well at the oil well drilling platforms.
All kinds of baits can be used but live or fresh squid is probably the most popular. Ghost shrimp or live red shrimp can produce just as well but these baits have to be purchased from bait stores and some times they are not available. The easiest and one of the top baits is a mussel. Simply find a rock and pull off a clump of the clams and throw them into your bait tank. The traditional method is to carve the mussel meat from the shell and place it on the hook but the meat is soft and sloppy and very easily falls off the hook. Try crushing the shell just enough to see it oozing and hook it shell and all. The bait stays on the hook and attracts the sheephead in a more natural presentation. Don¹t worry about the hardness and the bulkiness of the shell, goats will make short work of it with its¹ internal crusher.
The following recipe is what I use for fish chowder. Sheephead is really the best of all fish for chowder because It's always very tender and less tough than other fish. The trick is to stir the potatoes vigorously, which gives it the traditional chowder thickness.
Sheephead Chowder
2 medium onions
Medium potatoes
2 cans chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 cup flour wash (1/2 cup flour-1/2 cup water)
2 1/2 quarts water
Small pack of sliced bacon, about 1 pound
salt and pepper to taste
Trapeys Mexipep Hot Sauce, small amount
4 to 6 quart kettle
Directions
1. Slice the bacon into 1/4 inch strips the width of slices. Braze it very slowly until it's solid brown. Remove the browned bits with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to drain. When they have cooled crush them into bits. Put aside until later. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
2. Chop the onions into 1/2-inch pieces and put them in the pot. Cook them slowly until they are clear, not browned.
3. Add the water and one can of the chicken stock.
4. Chop 3 potatoes into 1/2-inch squares and the other 3 potatoes into one-inch pieces and add them to the pot.
5. Cook about one hour at a slow boil.
6. Remove the pot from the heat and stir the potatoes until they thicken. Add the remaining stock and milk return to the heat.
7. Mix the 1/2-cup flour into the 1/2-cup water stir until blended. Stir into the pot.
8. Shake in as much Mexipep as you dare and add as much sheephead as you want.
9. When the fish is cooked, serve in bowls with a spoon of bacon bits sprinkled on top complimented with oyster crackers. Freeze the left over.
By George Van Zant
Sheephead will be around when everything else is gone. Besides being great fighters on the hook and tasty when cooked, they have the ability to change their sex if needed. All sheephead are born females. When necessary for reproduction and there is a shortage of males Mother Nature very simply changes selected females to males and maintains perpetuation of the tribe.
Male sheephead or "goats" reverently referred to by old anglers are very colorfully distinctive. Their pig like bodies is banded by black, white and red coloring on a body background of orange. Large males have ponderous square foreheads with a knob on top. They have a full set of dog like teeth for grabbing things and deep in their throat is a set of bone like crunchers
meant for crushing clams and crabs. They are colorfully attractive but are grotesque and formable creatures. They can and do eat any thing that moves into their area. That is any thing without a hook in it.
They are caught incidentally whenever the angler is fishing in the kelp area or hard bottom spots where he is in pursuit of yellowtail or calico bass. The large Goats are very suspicious of hooked baits and are very difficult to hook although the smaller females can be caught easily on most any bait. Most large fish are caught when live squid is available. They love to pounce on a live squid after the massive blue perch attack has left the squid tattered and shredded. They seem to be attracted by the frenzied action of the darting tearing perch, even more so than the attraction of the squid.
If you want to target the goats specifically try some of the following techniques. The location is important. Since they live in the rocky kelp environment you have to focus on these areas. The smaller fish can be pests in shallow water to 30 feet so look for a single large rock or area deeper than 50 feet. The 20-pound plus goats usually come from a hard bottom spot at least 80 to 150 feet deep.
25 pound test mono is the minimum for your line. Sheephead are very proficient at running your line around rock and they always fray the line even if they are landed. Use large hooks to give pulling power against a hammered down drag. You cannot allow them to run off any line. After every hookup run twenty feet of the mono above the hook through your fingers to check for frays.
You can use traditional slip egg sinkers or sinkers stationary below a hook and leader. One method that¹s been very successful, especially in deep water, is a two foot leader placed 6 feet or more above the sinker tied to the end of the line. For some reason the fish like the bait presented up from the bottom. This has worked especially well at the oil well drilling platforms.
All kinds of baits can be used but live or fresh squid is probably the most popular. Ghost shrimp or live red shrimp can produce just as well but these baits have to be purchased from bait stores and some times they are not available. The easiest and one of the top baits is a mussel. Simply find a rock and pull off a clump of the clams and throw them into your bait tank. The traditional method is to carve the mussel meat from the shell and place it on the hook but the meat is soft and sloppy and very easily falls off the hook. Try crushing the shell just enough to see it oozing and hook it shell and all. The bait stays on the hook and attracts the sheephead in a more natural presentation. Don¹t worry about the hardness and the bulkiness of the shell, goats will make short work of it with its¹ internal crusher.
The following recipe is what I use for fish chowder. Sheephead is really the best of all fish for chowder because It's always very tender and less tough than other fish. The trick is to stir the potatoes vigorously, which gives it the traditional chowder thickness.
Sheephead Chowder
2 medium onions
Medium potatoes
2 cans chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 cup flour wash (1/2 cup flour-1/2 cup water)
2 1/2 quarts water
Small pack of sliced bacon, about 1 pound
salt and pepper to taste
Trapeys Mexipep Hot Sauce, small amount
4 to 6 quart kettle
Directions
1. Slice the bacon into 1/4 inch strips the width of slices. Braze it very slowly until it's solid brown. Remove the browned bits with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to drain. When they have cooled crush them into bits. Put aside until later. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
2. Chop the onions into 1/2-inch pieces and put them in the pot. Cook them slowly until they are clear, not browned.
3. Add the water and one can of the chicken stock.
4. Chop 3 potatoes into 1/2-inch squares and the other 3 potatoes into one-inch pieces and add them to the pot.
5. Cook about one hour at a slow boil.
6. Remove the pot from the heat and stir the potatoes until they thicken. Add the remaining stock and milk return to the heat.
7. Mix the 1/2-cup flour into the 1/2-cup water stir until blended. Stir into the pot.
8. Shake in as much Mexipep as you dare and add as much sheephead as you want.
9. When the fish is cooked, serve in bowls with a spoon of bacon bits sprinkled on top complimented with oyster crackers. Freeze the left over.
Ten Cardinal Rules of Fishing
Ten Cardinal Rules of Fishing
These rules were devised with one of my fishing buddies. We have discussed them for hours while fishing. Steve Woodard, my buddy, will probably disagree with the list priority but we both agree as to the content. Each rule will be discussed bi-monthly.
1. Save some for seed:
Release the fish you catch if you are not eating them. I really don't have to belabor the point, we all know the great aspects of the catch-and- release program.
Here are some tips as to preventing injury to the caught fish that you plan to release. Use hooks that will rust quickly in the presence of water. Usually the dark color hooks indicate the kind of hook that will disintegrate quickly in a fishes' mouth or stomach. Stainless steel hooks are real killers and shouldn't be used as bait hooks. They usually aren't, but used extensively on lures and trolling feathers.
If the hook is deeply embedded in the throat or stomach don't try to dig it out. This action causes more damage than simply leaving it in the fish. When you cut the mono off the hook attempt to get it all, mono doesn't rot away like hooks.
Learn how to twist away from the point of the hook by making an effort to grab some part of the hook bend with the needle nose pliers and rolling your wrist to pull in such a motion as to retrieve the hook point in the same direction as it's entry.
The air bladder in some fish cause blow up problems because they are brought to the surface so quickly the fish cannot adjust the pressurized air in the bladder. Many of the rockfishes suffer from his problem as do calico bass. If you immediately release a calico, he will swim back down without a problem. If you hold a calico in the bait tank for a length of time he will blow up. Each angler should learn how to deflate a blown up fish so it can make it back down. The best example I have seen of gas release was by a Lake Tahoe guide, John Hinson, who used a hypodermic needle (the largest there is) on macinaw trout. When he inserted the needle in the correct location a loud "pop" sounded as the fishes'' stomach deflated like a burst balloon. The point of some knives are very thin and can be used for deflation and some anglers use an ice pick. No matter what you use, don't poke the fish until you are very sure where the insertion point should be.
If you are releasing the fish don't hold it in the air by the leader. Hold it gently with a rag around its' midsection as you pull out the hook. Sometimes the fish are really tired from the battle and upon the release turn belly up and float. In this case hold the fish upright and push it back and forth just under water. Most of the time this is all it takes to revive him and he will kick out of your hands.
Why kill a large fish? Most of the time they are too tough to eat so release them and keep the just legal ones for table fare. "A large game fish is too valuable to be caught only once"
2. Fish where the fish are:
Ten Cardinal Rules (con)#2. Fish where the fish are. Some anglers think that by moving their boat away from shore, out into the ocean depths, the fish will be waiting for them. Not true. Southern California water is really a marine desert devoid of fish life. This is basically true for any large body of water. Serious anglers always investigate the scene before they head out to avoid Fishing shutouts. How? Here are a few ways.
1. Hire a guide: Especially if you are fishing strange waters. Guides can be expensive but they almost always put you near the fish. An example of a guide would be a sportboat skipper. All of these skippers are guides in the true sense of the word. The sportfishing landings up and down the coast have veteran skippers that really know what they are doing. It is really worth it to spend your money knowing that you will be around fish.( Sometimes catching them is a different story) For steelhead fishing up north it's imperative that you have a guide. Guides know where the fish are holding in the river at a particular time and can put you on them immediately. Without a guide you could spend the whole time of your trip simply trying to find them.
2. Look for the action: The word of a hot bite gets out quickly into the fishing circles. If you are a boater in Los Angeles saltwater, look for the boats. For instance during the summer sand bass spawn, you almost need a parking lot ticket to get among the armada of boats on the Huntington Flats. Last year on Crowley Lake I saw 25 boats jammed into Mc Gee bay, so guess where I took my boat? Also a large crowd of anglers fishing the shore of a lake means fish are being caught or have been caught in that area. So go look for some shoulder room and crowd in.
3. Check with local tackle stores: The proprietors will always offer current fishing information especially if you buy something. One tackle store in Mammoth has all the fishable lakes on a chalkboard with what tackle and flies are necessary for each lake. They also offer the latest Fish and Game plants for each lake. Big Fish Tackle has personnel in the store that have the latest information on the surf fishing and also the latest info for the small boaters.
4. Read the natural conditions: Physical conditions of the fishing area can show clues as to where the fish are. For example, surf fishermen can read Along-shore rip tides and recognize that where they turn out to sea is the collection point for schools of spotfin croaker. Trout fishermen in the dead of summer know that the fish will be in the fastest or the deepest water to get into their cooler temperature comfort zone. Bill fishermen watch the postures and actions of soaring gulls to show them where the marlin are. Likewise the observant angler knows where not to be. He knows not to waste time fishing in dead areas where birds are absent, no bait schools dimpling the surface, and the water is cold and dirty. To the veterans this is called a Long life area. Basically this is all learned through years of experience but each angler should always be on the look-out for something natural associated with a successful fishing trip. There is always something in nature that made it successful.
5. Journal: After each fishing trip record in your log or diary the date, weather, depth and water conditions. Record where you fished, what you caught and what you did to catch them. (bait, hooks, leaders etc.). Also relate where you were located to catch them. The most important skill for boaters is the practice of triangulating your position. Out in the vast expanse of water you cant draw an OXO on the side of the boat, but you can learn to read land bearings so that you can always get back to the spot ,unless the land is obscured because of fog or haze. Draw a picture of the bearings and write down LORAN and GPS numbers.
6. Depth finders: You must have a depth finder! All boat anglers should have a depth finder whether it's fresh or salt water. If you read it correctly, you can identify bottom structure, hard bottom areas and fish. If you are somewhere fishing that you know nothing about, a depth finder can save the day. Personally, I wont leave the dock without one.
7. Current and wind: In the ocean, currents are very important. If you had a successful trip it was mostly because you had favorable currents in the places you fished. At Catalina island on the backside of the western end, the current must be flowing north-west to produce a sea bass bite. But backside on the eastern end the current must be going south-east to get a sea bass bite. If conflicting currents are prevalent, veteran anglers don't fish for sea bass. This is true for the entire coastline and you should know the favorable currents for the fishing in advance. Needless to say, wind can play havoc on a days fishing. Believe it or not though, sometimes a strong wind can help the scene. There are places on the Horseshoe Kelp that fish better in a strong westerly. If you are a small boater make sure you're anchored up before the blow and get ready to ride it out. Once it blows over 20 knots it's difficult to get up to the bow to pull the anchor.
In conclusion, to fish where he fish are, use your head. Certain kinds of fish are in certain places at certain times of the year, day, and hour. The surf perch are most abundant in the winter and they like strong surf. Sand bass and calico bass are around structure except when sand bass move into the sand bottom areas to spawn. Trout are caught best in early spring and late fall except for the usual rise to flies just before dark in the summer time. Tightly schooled shad indicate a striper lurking nearby. In the spring, eight feet of water with tree tops will always support crappie schools. Some anglers catch their best fish by the tale.
3. Think like a fish:
Biological functions that happen to a fish, occur proportionately to its habitat water conditions. These functions happen to all fish whether they are bluegill, carp or marlin.
Water Temperature. Every fish has its comfort zone and will leave it only to change locations or to chase food. Water temperature is by far the most sought after, by a fish. The temperatures vary according to the individual species. Rainbow trout want temps to 55 degrees, brown trout want colder than that and golden trout want water in the 40's, while Macinaws (lake trout) want water temps in the high 30s' or low 40s'. Mako sharks don't appear in our offshore waters until the temps reach 65 degrees or warmer and marlin are most active around here when the water is 68 to 70 degrees.
So what you ask! What it means is that if you are a fish, 95% of your life is spent somewhere in your zone. That means simply, that's where we should look to catch what we're after. If you are rainbow trout in a shallow stream you would locate yourself in the coolest possible location which would probably be in the deepest or the fastest part of this stream.
Water Movement. One of the least known techniques for catching calico bass, is one that helps explain what water movement means to a fishes' zone. This technique is throwing iron jigs into the violent, white, foamy water around the shoreline. A calicos' life is spent in the rocky, kelp habitat and very early in the morning before the sun breaks, just before the gray, calicos' love to chase bait into shallow water. They trap the bait in the shoreline shallows where the water is turbulent. The bait has no where to go and many times will jump clear of the water to land high and dry on the shore. Large calico charge into these trapped schools in water so shallow that sometimes their backs are showing. I have caught many large fish with this method. (But also lost many jigs, you don't dare backlash) The water is only one foot deep whether it's into the shore or around turbulent rocky surf. The bite is over the minute the sun peeks, and I mean it stops cold.
There are times when fish will not bite on anything you throw at them. This is the real moment when you have to think like a fish. Since they wont move two inches from where you know they are, you have to put that bait exactly in their mouth. So if you are a trout in the middle of the day, hanging out in the fastest part of the stream, you would position yourself as close to the bottom as possible, behind a rock, not a big rock, but one that cuts the flow of the water. The position allows you cool crisp water flow but doesn't wear you out holding in the current. Mainly, you are in position to grab any morsels that swirl by. Knowing this, the angler would use the techniques to putting that bait right in front of him, so that it floats directly into his mouth.
If you were a corbina in the bay you would get most active when the razor clams raised partly out of their holes to take feeding advantage of a swift tidal flow. You would swim through the bed nipping off the clam tops before they retreated to their holes. You as an angler would drift a razor clam bumping along hopefully right into a 5 pounders mouth. If you were a big ole carp swimming around in a public lake you would immediately "wake-up" to the splashing antics of the ducks and coots, being fed bread by a picknicker. A bread ball stuck on a no.#16 treble, and floated into the turbulence would certainly get some attention by a grumpy carp.
Some fishermen wear rubber gloves to bait their hooks, not to protect their hands. but to keep the dreaded human smell off the bait. Some anglers rub their hands with oils and substances that smell and attract fish. I guess that means we should not only think like a fish we should stink like a fish too. "You can't fight nature and win". Ted Trueblood
4. Feed the fish what they want:
Rule #4: Feed the fish what they want. How do you know what they want? One thing for sure fishing techniques, tackle and bait can change in any given situation. My biggest problem is using my favorite techniques when I know that something else is called for. So, what are some things that will give you an edge, tackle wise? Tackle Preparation: As said before you have to have an idea on what tackle its necessary for the particular trip you are going on. But you must be prepared for any contingency. For example: Scenario #1. Halibut fishing in the harbor is done in shallow water with light tackle. For this trip you might have 3 rods, a spinning rod, a bass rod and a medium saltwater rod. This would cover most of the tackle needs for the harbor, including drifting. Still you might want to slide outside to the Horseshoe for a little bass fishing if the butts aren't biting. The medium rod with a backup reel with #15 pound would be perfect. Scenario #2. Off to Catalina targeting a sea bass bite calls for more preparation because you have to be ready for deep water attractions that could pop up on the way across. You should be ready to bait a swordfish, work over a kelp paddy, jig fish working birds, or to troll feathers and plugs. Don't forget the wire for a Mako that might show. One trolling rod with 50 lb on a 6/0 reel would duplicate for heavy trolling and/or baiting a swordfish or marlin. A jig casting rod could be used for both jig-in-squid sea bass bait or throwing iron at a kelp paddy. Finally, you need a medium rod for fishing the calicos. halibut, or sea bass. Of course backup reels with at least #30 and #40 pound test line is an absolute necessity for the Osmoses back yellowtail that swim by. Your terminal tackle should be prepared in advance with hooks, sinkers jigs, lead heads etc. Scenario #3. Freshwater. To bank fish a trout lake, you need a bait rod and a lure casting rod. (and a two pole use stamp from the Fish and Game). You need 4lb, 3lb, 2lb, and 1lb test line and leaders. While you soak a bait on the bait rod, throw lures or flies on a bubble set-up with the other rod. Fishing a stream means only using one rod. It also means not toting a tackle box up and down the rocky stream edge.
Travel light but carry some of your favorite flies, and carry a couple favorite lures. The terminal tackle would be aimed at mostly bait fishing unless of course you are fly fishing only. I investigate the scene: Use tackle and methods that are currently working. With your tackle prepared to meet any situation, it's time to give them what they want. As I said before, if you are like me you will probably always have to test your Favorites first. For instance, in my case, if the anglers are slaying trout in a lake using a no. #14 Royal Coachman, I first will fish my favorite fly. If it doesn't produce then I switch to the Royal Coachman. No matter what was recommended at the tackle shop my first lure into the lake is a copper Super Duper, it being my all time favorite. Otherwise, do what you are told by the many references available. Last year, in the local saltwater, it was reported that a deep running, 6 inch, fire tiger, Rapala was taking local yellowtail. Of course I trolled my favorite anchovy colored Rapala and caught two barracuda in an hour of trolling. My fishing buddy boated 5 yellows with the firetiger Rapala. Yes, I finally switched. Be observant and watch the clues. Once on anchor on one of my halibut spots, we were using the standard large sardines for bait and we had pulled in many chewed up baits but no butts. I noticed a massive school of anchovies flashing and swirling under the boat.
Also In the general area the Pelicans and gulls were on a frenzied feeding rampage on another large school of 3 inch anchovies. For kicks, I snagged 5 or 6 of the 3 inchers, with a snag gang. I threw them into the bait tank but they went belly up so I wasn't very excited about using them for bait...Mistake! Dead or not I caught a 36 inch halibut the first cast before the sinker could reach the bottom. We ended up catching 4 nice halibut with the miniature anchovies. Later when we cleaned the fish we found their stomachs crammed with the small anchovies. This happened again with grunion. A beach jogging friend of mine found enough dead grunion on the beach to fill a bucket. We fished the grunion just behind the surf line in the area of the where they were beached and caught some very nice halibut. When you look at a trout's stomach, you will always find it full of minute midge and mayfly larvae. I could never handle fishing with midge patterns which call for a size #18 or #20 hook but when I found caddis in the stomach I knew my time was near. When you see the striped bass boiling after a freshly planted trout supply you know what they are chasing. Also a real show stopper is the display put on by largemouth's pounding on a trout plant in our local county lakes.
The most famous freshwater lure of all times evolved from this action it's called a Casitis Trout. It really produces large bass in those local lakes that have trout plants every other week. Remember the tuna crab invasion in the 1980Õs? I caught a sheephead that had so many red crabs in stomach and throat the crab claws were sticking from his overloaded stomach out his mouth. He took a red, lead head, with a brilliant red Scampy rubber tail. When the grunion gather in the surf to do their thing, so do the halibut. (WARNING! There is a possession limit on grunion and they can only be caught by hand.) Believe me, its worth it to go out of your way to catch them, even if they are dead. For a bruiser halibut there's not a better bait. So, to feed the fish what they want, you have to be prepared for all contingencies, listen to the advice of the media, watch and investigate the scene and be very observant.
5. Never leave a bite: To understand this rule you have to determine what a bite is and what to do with it. The 3 most used expressions for a bite are, "it is a wide open bite", we are "picking away" and fishing "for nothing".1. "Wide open Bite". This term varies depending on what's being caught. To the sportboats it can mean 20 barracuda hook-ups going on for 50 anglers, 10-12 sand bass hook-ups, or 5-6 calico bass being caught. Absolute chaos for a wide open bite is 25 albacore hooked up with 35 fishermen. A wide open halibut bite can mean 3 keepers for 3 anglers all day. To me "wide open" means more quality fish in the boat or on the hook rather than quantities of fish being caught "hand-over-fist". I'll take 2 four pound calicos in an hour over 12 inchers caught every single cast for an hour.2. "Picking away". One or two sand bass hooked all the time for 50 anglers with flurries of 10-12 hook-ups now and then. Picking can mean catching a small halibut every cast and after catching 30 little ones, and then finally landing a keeper.3."For nothing". It's obvious. This statement refers to placing your boat over a known "hot spot and catching nothing, not even getting a strike. Or charging into a frenzy of yellowtail birds and not catching one fish. It's time to move on to another spot if you have truly fished it out. Actually a fish bite is all in the eyes of the beholder. Some anglers have ants in their pants, others wear out a spot catching nothing. The impatient ones are those that need to have a fish going every cast to keep them happy. Personally I will wear out a spot if it is one of my best spots. It's one of my better spots because it has probably been a fish producer, so it needs lots of attention. Many anglers tire of catching one particular fish in a wide open bite or even a picking bite and move on, looking for a different action. Invariably, they don't catch another fish any where else, so they head back to the original bite which has completely shut off.
Some anglers don't realize when they are well off. Catching 3 nice calicos for three guys in an hour is better than none in an hour. Impatient anglers are always rewarded with nothing. If you are with me on a bad day, you will most certainly be bored especially, if you suffer from the "impatient" disease.
If I am convinced we have anchored correctly, yet the fish aren't biting, I'll stubbornly fish until one is caught. Sportboat captains in their fishing search must move around because their paying customers demand action.
What is a bite? That's up to you. But if you have caught one quality fish, stay there and fish for more. Don't get ants in your pants.
6. Patience: Patience is the rule most broken by anglers. It's easy to haul anchor and move from place to place using the mobility of a boat to cover lots of area when apparently they aren't biting. This mobility is the main reason for the lack of patience it causes. The same happens to the shore angler who can move, an move, an move impatiently down the shoreline from one spot to the next never catching anything. The point being, that anglers shouldn't let the ease of moving around let them pass up fish that will bite with a little patience. How long you spend fishing a spot depends on the following:
1. The conditions of that spot.
2. What tackle tactics you are deploying for the type fish that inhabit the spot.
3. Your preparations before going to that spot.
Many anglers are not concerned with these tactics and are the ones usually found lacking patience. If you are one of these people on my boat you will be bored to tears. My goal is to catch quality fish not quantities of fish. So when I don't catch fish every cast it doesn't bother me. (much) Preparation before fishing a spot is important. (As mentioned in rule #4).
For instance, two rods can be deployed into a lake. One for bait fishing, the other used as an all purpose rod for casting lures and flies, or as another bait rod. Your preparations before leaving home base should include the different kinds of bait that have worked or baits that you have been advised to use. You should have all the lures and flies that are popular for the area and your own general favorites. Finally, you need the terminal tackle to fish the spot. If you go through all these possibilities you will be rewarded because you will be spending lots of time trying to catch a quality fish. Also it will take lots of time to deploy all of these tactics and keep you from the path of impatience. If you have yourself properly equipped and the boat anchored correctly, take the time to deploy all the tactics to fish it out On the shipwrecks sculpin sometimes take over an hour to start biting. They seemingly have to gather together as a group under your boat before they jump on the hooks. A calico bass rock on the Horseshoe Kelp takes a precise, methodical approach, especially when you use live bait. First, start by casting the bait flyline. As the bait drifts back, pause now and then by thumbing the spool. Hold it a few minutes, then allow it to drift back further. Repeat this process until the bait is back behind the boat about 50 yards (or more with #15lb test line, less with lighter line). If they don't bite add a 1/4 ounce slip egg sinker and repeat the process. Keep adding weight until they start biting. This procedure takes at least an hour to complete and it will further keep you from the impatience bug. Finally, you can deploy the famous method that guarantees a bite.( but you have to be in perfect position over the rock). Tie a 3 foot dropper, 3 feet over a sinker at the end of your line. Attach a 4/0 hook to the dropper, pin on a large sardine or small mackerel and lower it straight into the bowels of the rock. Put your rod in a rod holder with the reel in clicker position and pop out a sandwich. Usually by the time you finish the sandwich, some denizen has ran off with your bait.
7. Keep the rod bent and reel: Sure, there is no guarantee that all hooked fish will be landed, but you can deploy tactics that will reduce the loss ratio.... that's what this is all about.
The new hooks on the market are really doing the job. They are much sharper than the old standards and that's the major improvement. Ask any angler why they lose fish and they will tell you to the man it's because of dull hooks that do not penetrate to the bend of the hook and allow the barb to perform its function. The old standard hooks need to be sharpened even before they are used once. The new breed of hooks like the Gamakatsu, Owner, VMC, Eagle Claw etc. are chemically sharpened and they become as sharp as a hypodermic needle. But they are very expensive and you don't like losing them. The style hook you use should fit the fishing occasion and the rod you are deploying. The popular "live bait" hooks are stout, straight eyed (ringed is the proper terminology) with a sproat bend about 1X long. You can get them as small as a number #10. At one time we used to catch the schooled blue fin tuna at Catalina using "pin head anchovies" on a #10 hook. These fish were so spooky (and still are) that many anglers swore they couldn't be caught with hook and line. But with a no. #10 Mustad 9176 live bait hook, stuck into a 3 inch anchovy, 10 to 12 pound test line, and lots and lots of chum you could hook one. Most tuna at that time didn't exceed 20 pounds, but now and then a 50 pound bruiser quickly spooled you before you could talk yourself into breaking it off.
Stout hooks need a stout rod to exert the necessary backbone to push the hook to the barb. Use hooks that fit your rods bend. For trout fishing I wrap my own fly rod blank into a spinning rod. The fly rod quality makes it very willowy and slow bending. This is necessary when using running line of 2 lb test. It performs a spring like action against a fighting trout, especially a 5 pounder. I use a 2X fine, light wire, fly tying hook, because they are skinny and penetrating. Using 2lb line needs the soft backbone of the fly rod. In fact they are so light and skinny, you can bend them with your fingers.
Conversely, if you are throwing iron jigs at barracuda, you need a long rod for casting distance but a stout fast action type to set the large treble hooks of the jig into the fish.
Also, hook size should fit the bait you are using not only for hiding but also for proper penetration into your quarry. For instance, you shouldn't use a hook larger than a number #10 on a 3 inch anchovy or a number #10 on an 8 inch sardine. One leading factor for losing a running fish is an improperly placed hook in the bait. If the hook is too large it will turn around and stick back into the bait, usually into the eye socket ; thereby. burying the point so it can't penetrate into the aggressor. This happens all the time with large sardines and mackerel. Most of all fish are lost because they throw the hook out of its penetration on slack line. The whole idea is to keep the line tight... at all times! As the fight progresses a pumping action is needed to gain lost line back onto the spool. This is the way to do it. As you wind against a heavy fish (only when it's not running), lower the rod tip slowly downwards to reduce the weight so you can retrieve line, but keep pressure on it never allowing slack. Sounds easy doesn't it? One fishing trip while throwing iron jigs, I hooked 15 dorado and landed one. They kept throwing the jig because I couldn't reel fast enough to keep the line tight as they charged the boat. They would charge and leap out of the water directly at me at a 30 MPH clip, throw slack and the jig right back in my face. I couldn't keep the line tight even with a 6-1 Shimano reel. Most of the time on the pump downward, you will have to wind as fast as you can to keep the line tight.
Another important consideration for hooking a fish, is winding up slack line that has accumulated. Slack can occur when a live bait runs out and then back to the boat. This happens many times with sardines and mackerel. It also happens when your bait is picked up by the one you are trying to catch and it runs full speed back to the boat. Anglers that fish with downriggers are always retrieving slack that falls out of the clip on a strike. Bill fishermen have that problem with a baited marlin. When the marlin runs off with the mackerel an angler never knows in which direction it went. At the point of a marlin pick up they put the boat in gear and charge forward as fast as they can, going sometimes a half mile before the line comes tight. Then they actually go a little further to help set the hook.
Slack happens many times when a calico bass runs with your bait back to the boat. It can fool the angler because there is so much slack the actual entry point of the line appears to be leading away from the boat, and it is, for a ways. Down below the fish has caused a giant loop back to the boat. This is why you don't set the hook immediately when the line runs off the reel spool. Wait until your rod tip goes down before you set the hook. This means the fish has pulled out the slack and is ready to be hooked. I like to use very light, 8 lb test line when IÕm fishing for calicos. Most of the time I allow the bait to run back until it is bit, sometimes 60 to 70 yards. By the time I feel a pick up it's virtually impossible to get the hook set into the bass with so much line out. But I try with lots of gusto and set the hook numerous times on the pumping in with the fish. If he stays on the hook it's rarely penetrated to the barb. As a matter of fact, I have gone to the use of barbless hooks with all my light tackle. Also with the light line I have gone to very light wire hooks in the Octopus style.
If you fight every fish that pulls back thinking that the hook is not set to the barb, it makes you realize the need for constant pressure. That's why you keep the rod bent and reel like crazy.
8. Don't touch that drag: Most anglers adjust their reel drags before they cast and just as many forget too! One way not to forget that critical maneuver is to establish a habit of backing off the drag after each trip. The time to back them off is when you are preparing to stack your rods in the garage, just after washing them off. Also, if you remove the terminal tackle when you finish a trip that¹s the time to back off the drags. (Following the wash off). As you string the line next time, set the drag also.
It¹s an understatement to say that many fish are lost because of an insufficient drag. It¹s a fact that most fish are lost because of poor drag washers or improper setting of the drag. If your line is in good shape, not twisted, nicked or old, the condition of your drag becomes the most important part of landing a fish capable of breaking your line.
Veteran anglers usually start off with lighter drag than the breaking strength of the line. During the battle some anglers tighten the drag when the fish is completely whipped. That¹s the point when it¹s on its side and sliding to the gaff. This is dangerous though and the experienced fishermen never touch the Star Drag Wheel even if the fish appears to be whipped. They thumb the spool tightly while dragging the fish to gaff. Many fish are broken off because of tightened drags, when the fish exerts a last ditch effort after appearing whipped. Many times the gaffer misses the swipe an activates the fish into a sudden lunge which breaks the line if the drag has been clamped down. At the point of the gaff swing you should throw your reel out of gear, just in case he misses.
After the fishing trip, when it¹s time to wash down the rods, tighten the drag all the way before you put water on the rods. After the washdown back off the drags all the way. This procedure keeps water from seeping through the drag washers. Many reel manufacturers are recommending that you not wash the reels, but wipe the salt off and spray them with WD 40 or silicon based lubricants.
Reel drags must be changed periodically. How often depends on how many times a fish has tested the washers. Line must run off smoothly when you pull it at its tightest setting, without any jerking. Some anglers change their drags after every trip when they have been catching the powerful albacore. It¹s also time to change washers after catching 3-4 yellowtail. Most fishermen don¹t change their washers enough and that¹s a shame because it¹s simple to have it done. For a few dollars any tackle store will quickly replace the drags. There is nothing more important than a smooth drag.
9. Avoid contempt from fellow anglers: Southern Cal lake vendors stock trout by the tons to attract money paying fishermen to their lakes. Each lake has a group of "regular" anglers that know the lake like the "back of their hand". They know exactly where to fish
for the stocked fish. In most of the lakes the regulars are shoulder to shoulder in specific areas of the lake to catch the freshly planted fish. Their rods, stuck in the sand spikes, are sometimes 2 feet apart.
If you want to fish the lake after a fresh plant and you are not a regular, it can be dangerous trying to fit into a fishing spot. So what can you do to avoid contempt from the group and find a plot of shoreline to wet your line? You have three choices. 1. Rent a boat. 2. Force your way in to a spot. 3. Ask permission to squeeze in.
In most lakes renting a boat doesn¹t work. The planted trout move up and down the shoreline in very shallow water, 30 feet from shore. (Some say they are looking for a way out of the lake). If you pull a boat to where you can cast to the fish, the shore anglers will retaliate with verbal abuse or throw sinkers at you. On shore, if you try to force your way in, you risk hand-to-hand combat.
Really, the only way to handle the situation is to ask permission to squeeze in. Some might say "no", but somewhere down the line-up you will find a forgiving soul. When you find a spot use only one rod and cast straight to avoid crossing any of your neighbors¹ lines. Soon you will be accepted and avoid that awful contempt.
Competition can be very strict on the ocean too. The commercial sportboat skippers know most of the favorable fishing spots and the week-end small boaters know it. The best and easiest thing for prospective private boater to do in finding a fishing spot is to find an anchored sportboat and fish around it. But many small boaters have discovered the wrath of the sportboat guys by taking on the bombardment of iron jigs, sinkers and verbal abuse for
getting too close to them. Sportboat skippers continually throw over chum to attract the target fish. This is a chum line designed to attract the targets to casting range for the paying customers. The chum line usually extends a minimum distance of 100 yards, usually further and calico bass, barracuda, and yellowtail love to follow the chum up to the sportboat. When an unsuspecting boater crosses behind the sportboat, through the line, it will shut off the bite for the sportboat anglers. This is definitely a "no-no". To avoid contempt cross only in front of a parked sportboat or cross 1/2 mile behind.
Trolling contempt can come from a troller whose plugs or feathers have been cut off accidentally by an unsuspecting boater who crosses too close behind the troller. You have to be vigilant for these boats. Trolling boats can be identified by tell tale clues as they appear in front of you. If a boat is crossing in front at a slow speed, look for anglers in the stern looking back at their wake. Obviously they are watching their rods for a strike when normally they would all be looking forward. You can usually see rods sticking up from the boat and bent in a curve toward the wake. Sometimes, depending on the angle of the sun, or if there is any sun, the lines will glisten as they trail back to the lures. But if you can
see the line, you¹re too close and take emergency measures to escape crossing their wake. Trolling boats cannot maneuver quickly, so avoid contempt and give them a wide berth.
There are many situations in the angling scene that can cause contempt. I prefer to be a good guy. Yes, there are many that simply don¹t give a damn.
10. Prevaricate with intelligence: Once, in the late 1960¹s I was fishing the trout opener on the June Lake loop. I was fishing on Rush Creek below the campground. The sun was barely up as I approached the first hole. Six fishermen surrounded the hole. I got into the water and waded in from above and drifted my bait over and down the small waterfall into the hole and immediately hooked a 3lb brown trout that took me down the bank weaving over and under the bank anglers. After landing the fish at the bottom of the hole I walked back around the amazed anglers back to my starting point. I drifted another bait down the waterfall and instantly hooked another 3lb brown. Again, I struggled through the anglers
to finally land the fish. This procedure was repeated 5 times with just as many fish, 3 nice rainbows and 2 more browns. Finally it came. "What are using for bait?" Intelligent prevarication or smart lying sometimes is hard to do. Should I tell them or not? I felt very greedy though and confessed to using Velveeta Cheese. Velveeta cheese was just beginning to gain popularity at that time, so at least, I felt better about giving then a viable
substitute. I felt badly as the time went on, but I really felt worse when the only store in the area sold out of Velveeta cheese in 2 hours. If those guys found out about the prevarication I would have been lynched.
After many experiences like that over the years, I usually do not outright lie anymore about fishing secrets. It¹s hard to live with yourself especially when it involves your fishing friends. It¹s better to simply tell them nothing, or if it involves a fishing spot, be very vague about its location. I don¹t lie about hot bait or a successful fishing method anymore. It¹s easier to sleep at night.
But in some cases it is still difficult to divulge a secret. If you click on my home page "Contact Me" I just might tell you about the greatest trout bait ever! The one I used on Rush Creek.
This concludes the Ten Commandments Of Fishing. Follow them to be a better fisherman and a better person.
"SOME ANGLERS CATCH THEIR BEST FISH BY THE TALE"
These rules were devised with one of my fishing buddies. We have discussed them for hours while fishing. Steve Woodard, my buddy, will probably disagree with the list priority but we both agree as to the content. Each rule will be discussed bi-monthly.
1. Save some for seed:
Release the fish you catch if you are not eating them. I really don't have to belabor the point, we all know the great aspects of the catch-and- release program.
Here are some tips as to preventing injury to the caught fish that you plan to release. Use hooks that will rust quickly in the presence of water. Usually the dark color hooks indicate the kind of hook that will disintegrate quickly in a fishes' mouth or stomach. Stainless steel hooks are real killers and shouldn't be used as bait hooks. They usually aren't, but used extensively on lures and trolling feathers.
If the hook is deeply embedded in the throat or stomach don't try to dig it out. This action causes more damage than simply leaving it in the fish. When you cut the mono off the hook attempt to get it all, mono doesn't rot away like hooks.
Learn how to twist away from the point of the hook by making an effort to grab some part of the hook bend with the needle nose pliers and rolling your wrist to pull in such a motion as to retrieve the hook point in the same direction as it's entry.
The air bladder in some fish cause blow up problems because they are brought to the surface so quickly the fish cannot adjust the pressurized air in the bladder. Many of the rockfishes suffer from his problem as do calico bass. If you immediately release a calico, he will swim back down without a problem. If you hold a calico in the bait tank for a length of time he will blow up. Each angler should learn how to deflate a blown up fish so it can make it back down. The best example I have seen of gas release was by a Lake Tahoe guide, John Hinson, who used a hypodermic needle (the largest there is) on macinaw trout. When he inserted the needle in the correct location a loud "pop" sounded as the fishes'' stomach deflated like a burst balloon. The point of some knives are very thin and can be used for deflation and some anglers use an ice pick. No matter what you use, don't poke the fish until you are very sure where the insertion point should be.
If you are releasing the fish don't hold it in the air by the leader. Hold it gently with a rag around its' midsection as you pull out the hook. Sometimes the fish are really tired from the battle and upon the release turn belly up and float. In this case hold the fish upright and push it back and forth just under water. Most of the time this is all it takes to revive him and he will kick out of your hands.
Why kill a large fish? Most of the time they are too tough to eat so release them and keep the just legal ones for table fare. "A large game fish is too valuable to be caught only once"
2. Fish where the fish are:
Ten Cardinal Rules (con)#2. Fish where the fish are. Some anglers think that by moving their boat away from shore, out into the ocean depths, the fish will be waiting for them. Not true. Southern California water is really a marine desert devoid of fish life. This is basically true for any large body of water. Serious anglers always investigate the scene before they head out to avoid Fishing shutouts. How? Here are a few ways.
1. Hire a guide: Especially if you are fishing strange waters. Guides can be expensive but they almost always put you near the fish. An example of a guide would be a sportboat skipper. All of these skippers are guides in the true sense of the word. The sportfishing landings up and down the coast have veteran skippers that really know what they are doing. It is really worth it to spend your money knowing that you will be around fish.( Sometimes catching them is a different story) For steelhead fishing up north it's imperative that you have a guide. Guides know where the fish are holding in the river at a particular time and can put you on them immediately. Without a guide you could spend the whole time of your trip simply trying to find them.
2. Look for the action: The word of a hot bite gets out quickly into the fishing circles. If you are a boater in Los Angeles saltwater, look for the boats. For instance during the summer sand bass spawn, you almost need a parking lot ticket to get among the armada of boats on the Huntington Flats. Last year on Crowley Lake I saw 25 boats jammed into Mc Gee bay, so guess where I took my boat? Also a large crowd of anglers fishing the shore of a lake means fish are being caught or have been caught in that area. So go look for some shoulder room and crowd in.
3. Check with local tackle stores: The proprietors will always offer current fishing information especially if you buy something. One tackle store in Mammoth has all the fishable lakes on a chalkboard with what tackle and flies are necessary for each lake. They also offer the latest Fish and Game plants for each lake. Big Fish Tackle has personnel in the store that have the latest information on the surf fishing and also the latest info for the small boaters.
4. Read the natural conditions: Physical conditions of the fishing area can show clues as to where the fish are. For example, surf fishermen can read Along-shore rip tides and recognize that where they turn out to sea is the collection point for schools of spotfin croaker. Trout fishermen in the dead of summer know that the fish will be in the fastest or the deepest water to get into their cooler temperature comfort zone. Bill fishermen watch the postures and actions of soaring gulls to show them where the marlin are. Likewise the observant angler knows where not to be. He knows not to waste time fishing in dead areas where birds are absent, no bait schools dimpling the surface, and the water is cold and dirty. To the veterans this is called a Long life area. Basically this is all learned through years of experience but each angler should always be on the look-out for something natural associated with a successful fishing trip. There is always something in nature that made it successful.
5. Journal: After each fishing trip record in your log or diary the date, weather, depth and water conditions. Record where you fished, what you caught and what you did to catch them. (bait, hooks, leaders etc.). Also relate where you were located to catch them. The most important skill for boaters is the practice of triangulating your position. Out in the vast expanse of water you cant draw an OXO on the side of the boat, but you can learn to read land bearings so that you can always get back to the spot ,unless the land is obscured because of fog or haze. Draw a picture of the bearings and write down LORAN and GPS numbers.
6. Depth finders: You must have a depth finder! All boat anglers should have a depth finder whether it's fresh or salt water. If you read it correctly, you can identify bottom structure, hard bottom areas and fish. If you are somewhere fishing that you know nothing about, a depth finder can save the day. Personally, I wont leave the dock without one.
7. Current and wind: In the ocean, currents are very important. If you had a successful trip it was mostly because you had favorable currents in the places you fished. At Catalina island on the backside of the western end, the current must be flowing north-west to produce a sea bass bite. But backside on the eastern end the current must be going south-east to get a sea bass bite. If conflicting currents are prevalent, veteran anglers don't fish for sea bass. This is true for the entire coastline and you should know the favorable currents for the fishing in advance. Needless to say, wind can play havoc on a days fishing. Believe it or not though, sometimes a strong wind can help the scene. There are places on the Horseshoe Kelp that fish better in a strong westerly. If you are a small boater make sure you're anchored up before the blow and get ready to ride it out. Once it blows over 20 knots it's difficult to get up to the bow to pull the anchor.
In conclusion, to fish where he fish are, use your head. Certain kinds of fish are in certain places at certain times of the year, day, and hour. The surf perch are most abundant in the winter and they like strong surf. Sand bass and calico bass are around structure except when sand bass move into the sand bottom areas to spawn. Trout are caught best in early spring and late fall except for the usual rise to flies just before dark in the summer time. Tightly schooled shad indicate a striper lurking nearby. In the spring, eight feet of water with tree tops will always support crappie schools. Some anglers catch their best fish by the tale.
3. Think like a fish:
Biological functions that happen to a fish, occur proportionately to its habitat water conditions. These functions happen to all fish whether they are bluegill, carp or marlin.
Water Temperature. Every fish has its comfort zone and will leave it only to change locations or to chase food. Water temperature is by far the most sought after, by a fish. The temperatures vary according to the individual species. Rainbow trout want temps to 55 degrees, brown trout want colder than that and golden trout want water in the 40's, while Macinaws (lake trout) want water temps in the high 30s' or low 40s'. Mako sharks don't appear in our offshore waters until the temps reach 65 degrees or warmer and marlin are most active around here when the water is 68 to 70 degrees.
So what you ask! What it means is that if you are a fish, 95% of your life is spent somewhere in your zone. That means simply, that's where we should look to catch what we're after. If you are rainbow trout in a shallow stream you would locate yourself in the coolest possible location which would probably be in the deepest or the fastest part of this stream.
Water Movement. One of the least known techniques for catching calico bass, is one that helps explain what water movement means to a fishes' zone. This technique is throwing iron jigs into the violent, white, foamy water around the shoreline. A calicos' life is spent in the rocky, kelp habitat and very early in the morning before the sun breaks, just before the gray, calicos' love to chase bait into shallow water. They trap the bait in the shoreline shallows where the water is turbulent. The bait has no where to go and many times will jump clear of the water to land high and dry on the shore. Large calico charge into these trapped schools in water so shallow that sometimes their backs are showing. I have caught many large fish with this method. (But also lost many jigs, you don't dare backlash) The water is only one foot deep whether it's into the shore or around turbulent rocky surf. The bite is over the minute the sun peeks, and I mean it stops cold.
There are times when fish will not bite on anything you throw at them. This is the real moment when you have to think like a fish. Since they wont move two inches from where you know they are, you have to put that bait exactly in their mouth. So if you are a trout in the middle of the day, hanging out in the fastest part of the stream, you would position yourself as close to the bottom as possible, behind a rock, not a big rock, but one that cuts the flow of the water. The position allows you cool crisp water flow but doesn't wear you out holding in the current. Mainly, you are in position to grab any morsels that swirl by. Knowing this, the angler would use the techniques to putting that bait right in front of him, so that it floats directly into his mouth.
If you were a corbina in the bay you would get most active when the razor clams raised partly out of their holes to take feeding advantage of a swift tidal flow. You would swim through the bed nipping off the clam tops before they retreated to their holes. You as an angler would drift a razor clam bumping along hopefully right into a 5 pounders mouth. If you were a big ole carp swimming around in a public lake you would immediately "wake-up" to the splashing antics of the ducks and coots, being fed bread by a picknicker. A bread ball stuck on a no.#16 treble, and floated into the turbulence would certainly get some attention by a grumpy carp.
Some fishermen wear rubber gloves to bait their hooks, not to protect their hands. but to keep the dreaded human smell off the bait. Some anglers rub their hands with oils and substances that smell and attract fish. I guess that means we should not only think like a fish we should stink like a fish too. "You can't fight nature and win". Ted Trueblood
4. Feed the fish what they want:
Rule #4: Feed the fish what they want. How do you know what they want? One thing for sure fishing techniques, tackle and bait can change in any given situation. My biggest problem is using my favorite techniques when I know that something else is called for. So, what are some things that will give you an edge, tackle wise? Tackle Preparation: As said before you have to have an idea on what tackle its necessary for the particular trip you are going on. But you must be prepared for any contingency. For example: Scenario #1. Halibut fishing in the harbor is done in shallow water with light tackle. For this trip you might have 3 rods, a spinning rod, a bass rod and a medium saltwater rod. This would cover most of the tackle needs for the harbor, including drifting. Still you might want to slide outside to the Horseshoe for a little bass fishing if the butts aren't biting. The medium rod with a backup reel with #15 pound would be perfect. Scenario #2. Off to Catalina targeting a sea bass bite calls for more preparation because you have to be ready for deep water attractions that could pop up on the way across. You should be ready to bait a swordfish, work over a kelp paddy, jig fish working birds, or to troll feathers and plugs. Don't forget the wire for a Mako that might show. One trolling rod with 50 lb on a 6/0 reel would duplicate for heavy trolling and/or baiting a swordfish or marlin. A jig casting rod could be used for both jig-in-squid sea bass bait or throwing iron at a kelp paddy. Finally, you need a medium rod for fishing the calicos. halibut, or sea bass. Of course backup reels with at least #30 and #40 pound test line is an absolute necessity for the Osmoses back yellowtail that swim by. Your terminal tackle should be prepared in advance with hooks, sinkers jigs, lead heads etc. Scenario #3. Freshwater. To bank fish a trout lake, you need a bait rod and a lure casting rod. (and a two pole use stamp from the Fish and Game). You need 4lb, 3lb, 2lb, and 1lb test line and leaders. While you soak a bait on the bait rod, throw lures or flies on a bubble set-up with the other rod. Fishing a stream means only using one rod. It also means not toting a tackle box up and down the rocky stream edge.
Travel light but carry some of your favorite flies, and carry a couple favorite lures. The terminal tackle would be aimed at mostly bait fishing unless of course you are fly fishing only. I investigate the scene: Use tackle and methods that are currently working. With your tackle prepared to meet any situation, it's time to give them what they want. As I said before, if you are like me you will probably always have to test your Favorites first. For instance, in my case, if the anglers are slaying trout in a lake using a no. #14 Royal Coachman, I first will fish my favorite fly. If it doesn't produce then I switch to the Royal Coachman. No matter what was recommended at the tackle shop my first lure into the lake is a copper Super Duper, it being my all time favorite. Otherwise, do what you are told by the many references available. Last year, in the local saltwater, it was reported that a deep running, 6 inch, fire tiger, Rapala was taking local yellowtail. Of course I trolled my favorite anchovy colored Rapala and caught two barracuda in an hour of trolling. My fishing buddy boated 5 yellows with the firetiger Rapala. Yes, I finally switched. Be observant and watch the clues. Once on anchor on one of my halibut spots, we were using the standard large sardines for bait and we had pulled in many chewed up baits but no butts. I noticed a massive school of anchovies flashing and swirling under the boat.
Also In the general area the Pelicans and gulls were on a frenzied feeding rampage on another large school of 3 inch anchovies. For kicks, I snagged 5 or 6 of the 3 inchers, with a snag gang. I threw them into the bait tank but they went belly up so I wasn't very excited about using them for bait...Mistake! Dead or not I caught a 36 inch halibut the first cast before the sinker could reach the bottom. We ended up catching 4 nice halibut with the miniature anchovies. Later when we cleaned the fish we found their stomachs crammed with the small anchovies. This happened again with grunion. A beach jogging friend of mine found enough dead grunion on the beach to fill a bucket. We fished the grunion just behind the surf line in the area of the where they were beached and caught some very nice halibut. When you look at a trout's stomach, you will always find it full of minute midge and mayfly larvae. I could never handle fishing with midge patterns which call for a size #18 or #20 hook but when I found caddis in the stomach I knew my time was near. When you see the striped bass boiling after a freshly planted trout supply you know what they are chasing. Also a real show stopper is the display put on by largemouth's pounding on a trout plant in our local county lakes.
The most famous freshwater lure of all times evolved from this action it's called a Casitis Trout. It really produces large bass in those local lakes that have trout plants every other week. Remember the tuna crab invasion in the 1980Õs? I caught a sheephead that had so many red crabs in stomach and throat the crab claws were sticking from his overloaded stomach out his mouth. He took a red, lead head, with a brilliant red Scampy rubber tail. When the grunion gather in the surf to do their thing, so do the halibut. (WARNING! There is a possession limit on grunion and they can only be caught by hand.) Believe me, its worth it to go out of your way to catch them, even if they are dead. For a bruiser halibut there's not a better bait. So, to feed the fish what they want, you have to be prepared for all contingencies, listen to the advice of the media, watch and investigate the scene and be very observant.
5. Never leave a bite: To understand this rule you have to determine what a bite is and what to do with it. The 3 most used expressions for a bite are, "it is a wide open bite", we are "picking away" and fishing "for nothing".1. "Wide open Bite". This term varies depending on what's being caught. To the sportboats it can mean 20 barracuda hook-ups going on for 50 anglers, 10-12 sand bass hook-ups, or 5-6 calico bass being caught. Absolute chaos for a wide open bite is 25 albacore hooked up with 35 fishermen. A wide open halibut bite can mean 3 keepers for 3 anglers all day. To me "wide open" means more quality fish in the boat or on the hook rather than quantities of fish being caught "hand-over-fist". I'll take 2 four pound calicos in an hour over 12 inchers caught every single cast for an hour.2. "Picking away". One or two sand bass hooked all the time for 50 anglers with flurries of 10-12 hook-ups now and then. Picking can mean catching a small halibut every cast and after catching 30 little ones, and then finally landing a keeper.3."For nothing". It's obvious. This statement refers to placing your boat over a known "hot spot and catching nothing, not even getting a strike. Or charging into a frenzy of yellowtail birds and not catching one fish. It's time to move on to another spot if you have truly fished it out. Actually a fish bite is all in the eyes of the beholder. Some anglers have ants in their pants, others wear out a spot catching nothing. The impatient ones are those that need to have a fish going every cast to keep them happy. Personally I will wear out a spot if it is one of my best spots. It's one of my better spots because it has probably been a fish producer, so it needs lots of attention. Many anglers tire of catching one particular fish in a wide open bite or even a picking bite and move on, looking for a different action. Invariably, they don't catch another fish any where else, so they head back to the original bite which has completely shut off.
Some anglers don't realize when they are well off. Catching 3 nice calicos for three guys in an hour is better than none in an hour. Impatient anglers are always rewarded with nothing. If you are with me on a bad day, you will most certainly be bored especially, if you suffer from the "impatient" disease.
If I am convinced we have anchored correctly, yet the fish aren't biting, I'll stubbornly fish until one is caught. Sportboat captains in their fishing search must move around because their paying customers demand action.
What is a bite? That's up to you. But if you have caught one quality fish, stay there and fish for more. Don't get ants in your pants.
6. Patience: Patience is the rule most broken by anglers. It's easy to haul anchor and move from place to place using the mobility of a boat to cover lots of area when apparently they aren't biting. This mobility is the main reason for the lack of patience it causes. The same happens to the shore angler who can move, an move, an move impatiently down the shoreline from one spot to the next never catching anything. The point being, that anglers shouldn't let the ease of moving around let them pass up fish that will bite with a little patience. How long you spend fishing a spot depends on the following:
1. The conditions of that spot.
2. What tackle tactics you are deploying for the type fish that inhabit the spot.
3. Your preparations before going to that spot.
Many anglers are not concerned with these tactics and are the ones usually found lacking patience. If you are one of these people on my boat you will be bored to tears. My goal is to catch quality fish not quantities of fish. So when I don't catch fish every cast it doesn't bother me. (much) Preparation before fishing a spot is important. (As mentioned in rule #4).
For instance, two rods can be deployed into a lake. One for bait fishing, the other used as an all purpose rod for casting lures and flies, or as another bait rod. Your preparations before leaving home base should include the different kinds of bait that have worked or baits that you have been advised to use. You should have all the lures and flies that are popular for the area and your own general favorites. Finally, you need the terminal tackle to fish the spot. If you go through all these possibilities you will be rewarded because you will be spending lots of time trying to catch a quality fish. Also it will take lots of time to deploy all of these tactics and keep you from the path of impatience. If you have yourself properly equipped and the boat anchored correctly, take the time to deploy all the tactics to fish it out On the shipwrecks sculpin sometimes take over an hour to start biting. They seemingly have to gather together as a group under your boat before they jump on the hooks. A calico bass rock on the Horseshoe Kelp takes a precise, methodical approach, especially when you use live bait. First, start by casting the bait flyline. As the bait drifts back, pause now and then by thumbing the spool. Hold it a few minutes, then allow it to drift back further. Repeat this process until the bait is back behind the boat about 50 yards (or more with #15lb test line, less with lighter line). If they don't bite add a 1/4 ounce slip egg sinker and repeat the process. Keep adding weight until they start biting. This procedure takes at least an hour to complete and it will further keep you from the impatience bug. Finally, you can deploy the famous method that guarantees a bite.( but you have to be in perfect position over the rock). Tie a 3 foot dropper, 3 feet over a sinker at the end of your line. Attach a 4/0 hook to the dropper, pin on a large sardine or small mackerel and lower it straight into the bowels of the rock. Put your rod in a rod holder with the reel in clicker position and pop out a sandwich. Usually by the time you finish the sandwich, some denizen has ran off with your bait.
7. Keep the rod bent and reel: Sure, there is no guarantee that all hooked fish will be landed, but you can deploy tactics that will reduce the loss ratio.... that's what this is all about.
The new hooks on the market are really doing the job. They are much sharper than the old standards and that's the major improvement. Ask any angler why they lose fish and they will tell you to the man it's because of dull hooks that do not penetrate to the bend of the hook and allow the barb to perform its function. The old standard hooks need to be sharpened even before they are used once. The new breed of hooks like the Gamakatsu, Owner, VMC, Eagle Claw etc. are chemically sharpened and they become as sharp as a hypodermic needle. But they are very expensive and you don't like losing them. The style hook you use should fit the fishing occasion and the rod you are deploying. The popular "live bait" hooks are stout, straight eyed (ringed is the proper terminology) with a sproat bend about 1X long. You can get them as small as a number #10. At one time we used to catch the schooled blue fin tuna at Catalina using "pin head anchovies" on a #10 hook. These fish were so spooky (and still are) that many anglers swore they couldn't be caught with hook and line. But with a no. #10 Mustad 9176 live bait hook, stuck into a 3 inch anchovy, 10 to 12 pound test line, and lots and lots of chum you could hook one. Most tuna at that time didn't exceed 20 pounds, but now and then a 50 pound bruiser quickly spooled you before you could talk yourself into breaking it off.
Stout hooks need a stout rod to exert the necessary backbone to push the hook to the barb. Use hooks that fit your rods bend. For trout fishing I wrap my own fly rod blank into a spinning rod. The fly rod quality makes it very willowy and slow bending. This is necessary when using running line of 2 lb test. It performs a spring like action against a fighting trout, especially a 5 pounder. I use a 2X fine, light wire, fly tying hook, because they are skinny and penetrating. Using 2lb line needs the soft backbone of the fly rod. In fact they are so light and skinny, you can bend them with your fingers.
Conversely, if you are throwing iron jigs at barracuda, you need a long rod for casting distance but a stout fast action type to set the large treble hooks of the jig into the fish.
Also, hook size should fit the bait you are using not only for hiding but also for proper penetration into your quarry. For instance, you shouldn't use a hook larger than a number #10 on a 3 inch anchovy or a number #10 on an 8 inch sardine. One leading factor for losing a running fish is an improperly placed hook in the bait. If the hook is too large it will turn around and stick back into the bait, usually into the eye socket ; thereby. burying the point so it can't penetrate into the aggressor. This happens all the time with large sardines and mackerel. Most of all fish are lost because they throw the hook out of its penetration on slack line. The whole idea is to keep the line tight... at all times! As the fight progresses a pumping action is needed to gain lost line back onto the spool. This is the way to do it. As you wind against a heavy fish (only when it's not running), lower the rod tip slowly downwards to reduce the weight so you can retrieve line, but keep pressure on it never allowing slack. Sounds easy doesn't it? One fishing trip while throwing iron jigs, I hooked 15 dorado and landed one. They kept throwing the jig because I couldn't reel fast enough to keep the line tight as they charged the boat. They would charge and leap out of the water directly at me at a 30 MPH clip, throw slack and the jig right back in my face. I couldn't keep the line tight even with a 6-1 Shimano reel. Most of the time on the pump downward, you will have to wind as fast as you can to keep the line tight.
Another important consideration for hooking a fish, is winding up slack line that has accumulated. Slack can occur when a live bait runs out and then back to the boat. This happens many times with sardines and mackerel. It also happens when your bait is picked up by the one you are trying to catch and it runs full speed back to the boat. Anglers that fish with downriggers are always retrieving slack that falls out of the clip on a strike. Bill fishermen have that problem with a baited marlin. When the marlin runs off with the mackerel an angler never knows in which direction it went. At the point of a marlin pick up they put the boat in gear and charge forward as fast as they can, going sometimes a half mile before the line comes tight. Then they actually go a little further to help set the hook.
Slack happens many times when a calico bass runs with your bait back to the boat. It can fool the angler because there is so much slack the actual entry point of the line appears to be leading away from the boat, and it is, for a ways. Down below the fish has caused a giant loop back to the boat. This is why you don't set the hook immediately when the line runs off the reel spool. Wait until your rod tip goes down before you set the hook. This means the fish has pulled out the slack and is ready to be hooked. I like to use very light, 8 lb test line when IÕm fishing for calicos. Most of the time I allow the bait to run back until it is bit, sometimes 60 to 70 yards. By the time I feel a pick up it's virtually impossible to get the hook set into the bass with so much line out. But I try with lots of gusto and set the hook numerous times on the pumping in with the fish. If he stays on the hook it's rarely penetrated to the barb. As a matter of fact, I have gone to the use of barbless hooks with all my light tackle. Also with the light line I have gone to very light wire hooks in the Octopus style.
If you fight every fish that pulls back thinking that the hook is not set to the barb, it makes you realize the need for constant pressure. That's why you keep the rod bent and reel like crazy.
8. Don't touch that drag: Most anglers adjust their reel drags before they cast and just as many forget too! One way not to forget that critical maneuver is to establish a habit of backing off the drag after each trip. The time to back them off is when you are preparing to stack your rods in the garage, just after washing them off. Also, if you remove the terminal tackle when you finish a trip that¹s the time to back off the drags. (Following the wash off). As you string the line next time, set the drag also.
It¹s an understatement to say that many fish are lost because of an insufficient drag. It¹s a fact that most fish are lost because of poor drag washers or improper setting of the drag. If your line is in good shape, not twisted, nicked or old, the condition of your drag becomes the most important part of landing a fish capable of breaking your line.
Veteran anglers usually start off with lighter drag than the breaking strength of the line. During the battle some anglers tighten the drag when the fish is completely whipped. That¹s the point when it¹s on its side and sliding to the gaff. This is dangerous though and the experienced fishermen never touch the Star Drag Wheel even if the fish appears to be whipped. They thumb the spool tightly while dragging the fish to gaff. Many fish are broken off because of tightened drags, when the fish exerts a last ditch effort after appearing whipped. Many times the gaffer misses the swipe an activates the fish into a sudden lunge which breaks the line if the drag has been clamped down. At the point of the gaff swing you should throw your reel out of gear, just in case he misses.
After the fishing trip, when it¹s time to wash down the rods, tighten the drag all the way before you put water on the rods. After the washdown back off the drags all the way. This procedure keeps water from seeping through the drag washers. Many reel manufacturers are recommending that you not wash the reels, but wipe the salt off and spray them with WD 40 or silicon based lubricants.
Reel drags must be changed periodically. How often depends on how many times a fish has tested the washers. Line must run off smoothly when you pull it at its tightest setting, without any jerking. Some anglers change their drags after every trip when they have been catching the powerful albacore. It¹s also time to change washers after catching 3-4 yellowtail. Most fishermen don¹t change their washers enough and that¹s a shame because it¹s simple to have it done. For a few dollars any tackle store will quickly replace the drags. There is nothing more important than a smooth drag.
9. Avoid contempt from fellow anglers: Southern Cal lake vendors stock trout by the tons to attract money paying fishermen to their lakes. Each lake has a group of "regular" anglers that know the lake like the "back of their hand". They know exactly where to fish
for the stocked fish. In most of the lakes the regulars are shoulder to shoulder in specific areas of the lake to catch the freshly planted fish. Their rods, stuck in the sand spikes, are sometimes 2 feet apart.
If you want to fish the lake after a fresh plant and you are not a regular, it can be dangerous trying to fit into a fishing spot. So what can you do to avoid contempt from the group and find a plot of shoreline to wet your line? You have three choices. 1. Rent a boat. 2. Force your way in to a spot. 3. Ask permission to squeeze in.
In most lakes renting a boat doesn¹t work. The planted trout move up and down the shoreline in very shallow water, 30 feet from shore. (Some say they are looking for a way out of the lake). If you pull a boat to where you can cast to the fish, the shore anglers will retaliate with verbal abuse or throw sinkers at you. On shore, if you try to force your way in, you risk hand-to-hand combat.
Really, the only way to handle the situation is to ask permission to squeeze in. Some might say "no", but somewhere down the line-up you will find a forgiving soul. When you find a spot use only one rod and cast straight to avoid crossing any of your neighbors¹ lines. Soon you will be accepted and avoid that awful contempt.
Competition can be very strict on the ocean too. The commercial sportboat skippers know most of the favorable fishing spots and the week-end small boaters know it. The best and easiest thing for prospective private boater to do in finding a fishing spot is to find an anchored sportboat and fish around it. But many small boaters have discovered the wrath of the sportboat guys by taking on the bombardment of iron jigs, sinkers and verbal abuse for
getting too close to them. Sportboat skippers continually throw over chum to attract the target fish. This is a chum line designed to attract the targets to casting range for the paying customers. The chum line usually extends a minimum distance of 100 yards, usually further and calico bass, barracuda, and yellowtail love to follow the chum up to the sportboat. When an unsuspecting boater crosses behind the sportboat, through the line, it will shut off the bite for the sportboat anglers. This is definitely a "no-no". To avoid contempt cross only in front of a parked sportboat or cross 1/2 mile behind.
Trolling contempt can come from a troller whose plugs or feathers have been cut off accidentally by an unsuspecting boater who crosses too close behind the troller. You have to be vigilant for these boats. Trolling boats can be identified by tell tale clues as they appear in front of you. If a boat is crossing in front at a slow speed, look for anglers in the stern looking back at their wake. Obviously they are watching their rods for a strike when normally they would all be looking forward. You can usually see rods sticking up from the boat and bent in a curve toward the wake. Sometimes, depending on the angle of the sun, or if there is any sun, the lines will glisten as they trail back to the lures. But if you can
see the line, you¹re too close and take emergency measures to escape crossing their wake. Trolling boats cannot maneuver quickly, so avoid contempt and give them a wide berth.
There are many situations in the angling scene that can cause contempt. I prefer to be a good guy. Yes, there are many that simply don¹t give a damn.
10. Prevaricate with intelligence: Once, in the late 1960¹s I was fishing the trout opener on the June Lake loop. I was fishing on Rush Creek below the campground. The sun was barely up as I approached the first hole. Six fishermen surrounded the hole. I got into the water and waded in from above and drifted my bait over and down the small waterfall into the hole and immediately hooked a 3lb brown trout that took me down the bank weaving over and under the bank anglers. After landing the fish at the bottom of the hole I walked back around the amazed anglers back to my starting point. I drifted another bait down the waterfall and instantly hooked another 3lb brown. Again, I struggled through the anglers
to finally land the fish. This procedure was repeated 5 times with just as many fish, 3 nice rainbows and 2 more browns. Finally it came. "What are using for bait?" Intelligent prevarication or smart lying sometimes is hard to do. Should I tell them or not? I felt very greedy though and confessed to using Velveeta Cheese. Velveeta cheese was just beginning to gain popularity at that time, so at least, I felt better about giving then a viable
substitute. I felt badly as the time went on, but I really felt worse when the only store in the area sold out of Velveeta cheese in 2 hours. If those guys found out about the prevarication I would have been lynched.
After many experiences like that over the years, I usually do not outright lie anymore about fishing secrets. It¹s hard to live with yourself especially when it involves your fishing friends. It¹s better to simply tell them nothing, or if it involves a fishing spot, be very vague about its location. I don¹t lie about hot bait or a successful fishing method anymore. It¹s easier to sleep at night.
But in some cases it is still difficult to divulge a secret. If you click on my home page "Contact Me" I just might tell you about the greatest trout bait ever! The one I used on Rush Creek.
This concludes the Ten Commandments Of Fishing. Follow them to be a better fisherman and a better person.
"SOME ANGLERS CATCH THEIR BEST FISH BY THE TALE"
The New and Amazing
The New and Amazing
Braided Lines
By George Van Zant
The new braided fishing lines are truly modern miracles. "SpiderWire", "FireLine", "Magibraid Spectra" to name some have diameters so small that their line testing 20 LB breaking strength has the diameter of regular 6 LB test monofilament.
To most anglers the search for small fishing line is a prime objective. Small diameter lines allow their live bait to swim around more naturally and be less visible to their targets, yet afford the strength to pull them out of the structure.
But these lines have some drawbacks that anglers have to consider.
1. The line is so hard and sharp you must wear protective covering on your fingers to avoid line cuts. They cut without pain, until later when you discover them.
2. This line is capable of grooving the hardest of any rod guides. In fact most bill fishermen use only roller guides with the new line.
3. The line has been known to cut through anchor rope while attached to a swift running long range tuna.
4. Kinking is another problem. It's difficult to cast the line, and if you do, you cannot backlash. Any backlash will cause a kink that will severely weaken the line. Most anglers do not cast the line (in the ocean) unless they are very good.
5. Correct knot tying is important. In fact it's critical that only certain knots are used. Most fishermen add monofilament leaders to the new line and do so with an "Albright Knot". Even with an "Albright ", you must wind one inch of wrap back to the loop before pulling it tight. Normally, with mono you tie only 4-6 wraps before you snug it down.
6. Some anglers tie hooks directly to the new line. In this case most anglers use a "Palomar Knot" taking great care not to twist the knot during the wrap.
Even the expense of the line does not distract from its' usefulness. It is amazing in that it doesn't stretch, its' thin diameter cuts water drag and it is very durable.
Braided Lines
By George Van Zant
The new braided fishing lines are truly modern miracles. "SpiderWire", "FireLine", "Magibraid Spectra" to name some have diameters so small that their line testing 20 LB breaking strength has the diameter of regular 6 LB test monofilament.
To most anglers the search for small fishing line is a prime objective. Small diameter lines allow their live bait to swim around more naturally and be less visible to their targets, yet afford the strength to pull them out of the structure.
But these lines have some drawbacks that anglers have to consider.
1. The line is so hard and sharp you must wear protective covering on your fingers to avoid line cuts. They cut without pain, until later when you discover them.
2. This line is capable of grooving the hardest of any rod guides. In fact most bill fishermen use only roller guides with the new line.
3. The line has been known to cut through anchor rope while attached to a swift running long range tuna.
4. Kinking is another problem. It's difficult to cast the line, and if you do, you cannot backlash. Any backlash will cause a kink that will severely weaken the line. Most anglers do not cast the line (in the ocean) unless they are very good.
5. Correct knot tying is important. In fact it's critical that only certain knots are used. Most fishermen add monofilament leaders to the new line and do so with an "Albright Knot". Even with an "Albright ", you must wind one inch of wrap back to the loop before pulling it tight. Normally, with mono you tie only 4-6 wraps before you snug it down.
6. Some anglers tie hooks directly to the new line. In this case most anglers use a "Palomar Knot" taking great care not to twist the knot during the wrap.
Even the expense of the line does not distract from its' usefulness. It is amazing in that it doesn't stretch, its' thin diameter cuts water drag and it is very durable.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
FLUORO-CARBON LEADER WORKS
FLUORO-CARBON LEADER WORKS
When fishing artificials, try using fluoro-carbon leader material. It is almost invisible underwater. It will reduce the chance that the fish will see something that does not look natural and this is most important when fishing in very clear water.
When fishing artificials, try using fluoro-carbon leader material. It is almost invisible underwater. It will reduce the chance that the fish will see something that does not look natural and this is most important when fishing in very clear water.
WHAT SINGLE TOOL CAN BE USED TO HANDLE FISH, LAND FISH, WEIGH FISH, AND SET DRAGS ON YOUR REELS?
WHAT SINGLE TOOL CAN BE USED TO HANDLE FISH, LAND FISH, WEIGH FISH, AND SET DRAGS ON YOUR REELS?
The answer is the BOGAGRIP. This is the niftiest tool in my fishing arsenal. It is made of machined stainless steel, will not corrode and is almost indestructible. Its locking mechanism will attach easily to the jaw of any fish and will not let go until you hit the release. It has a precision built in scale for weighing fish or setting drags. It comes in two sizes; small will weigh up to 30 pounds and large that will weigh up to 60 pounds.
The answer is the BOGAGRIP. This is the niftiest tool in my fishing arsenal. It is made of machined stainless steel, will not corrode and is almost indestructible. Its locking mechanism will attach easily to the jaw of any fish and will not let go until you hit the release. It has a precision built in scale for weighing fish or setting drags. It comes in two sizes; small will weigh up to 30 pounds and large that will weigh up to 60 pounds.
BRINE THE BAIT
BRINE THE BAIT
Whole clams threaded on a hook will catch striped bass. Many tackle shops sell shucked whole skimmer clams for bait. The problem is however, when clams are frozen and then thawed, they become soft and are easily torn off the hook. I like to thaw the clams a day before fishing and mix them with a good helping of Kosher salt. The salt will toughen the tissue considerably making it very difficult for the fish to steal your bait. The salt does not seem to reduce the attractiveness of this bait. Any leftover salted clams can be refrozen and thawed again without seriously hurting the quality. I always have a couple of boxes of Kosher salt handy for this purpose or just for making up a brine solution for rinsing fillets. Some bait and tackle shops do carry salted shucked skimmer clams
Whole clams threaded on a hook will catch striped bass. Many tackle shops sell shucked whole skimmer clams for bait. The problem is however, when clams are frozen and then thawed, they become soft and are easily torn off the hook. I like to thaw the clams a day before fishing and mix them with a good helping of Kosher salt. The salt will toughen the tissue considerably making it very difficult for the fish to steal your bait. The salt does not seem to reduce the attractiveness of this bait. Any leftover salted clams can be refrozen and thawed again without seriously hurting the quality. I always have a couple of boxes of Kosher salt handy for this purpose or just for making up a brine solution for rinsing fillets. Some bait and tackle shops do carry salted shucked skimmer clams
WORKING WITH MULTIFILAMENT LINES
WORKING WITH MULTIFILAMENT LINES
I use multifilament line on many of my fishing outfits. Berkley "FireLine" and Innovative Textiles "Power Pro" are my choice in this type of line. One problem that exists with such lines is being able to cut them when rigging. The cutter on a set of fishing pliers or a nail clipper will not cut them properly if at all. A sharp knife will cut them but it is dangerous to use on a rocking boat or when near others. I find that a good sharp scissors works best. Many of the available multi-purpose tool manufacturers make a model with scissors. I use the Leatherman "Micra" and "PST II" which both have scissors. They easily cut through these extremely tough lines quickly and safely. I like the "Micra" because it can be kept in my pocket and I wear the "PST II" on my belt in a leather pouch. The "PST II" also has a diamond grit hook sharpening file with groove. These tools are an indispensable part of my fishing gear. I recommend strongly that you get hold of such a tool with a scissors feature if you use multifilament lines.
I use multifilament line on many of my fishing outfits. Berkley "FireLine" and Innovative Textiles "Power Pro" are my choice in this type of line. One problem that exists with such lines is being able to cut them when rigging. The cutter on a set of fishing pliers or a nail clipper will not cut them properly if at all. A sharp knife will cut them but it is dangerous to use on a rocking boat or when near others. I find that a good sharp scissors works best. Many of the available multi-purpose tool manufacturers make a model with scissors. I use the Leatherman "Micra" and "PST II" which both have scissors. They easily cut through these extremely tough lines quickly and safely. I like the "Micra" because it can be kept in my pocket and I wear the "PST II" on my belt in a leather pouch. The "PST II" also has a diamond grit hook sharpening file with groove. These tools are an indispensable part of my fishing gear. I recommend strongly that you get hold of such a tool with a scissors feature if you use multifilament lines.
CLOUDY WATER
CLOUDY WATER
When the water is murky the way it is now, I always add an extra attractant to my lures. I usually tip-off the lure with a piece of pork rind or strip of squid or fluke belly. I also split the strip from the middle to the tail to create a fluttering action. This definitely will improve your catch in cloudy water.
When the water is murky the way it is now, I always add an extra attractant to my lures. I usually tip-off the lure with a piece of pork rind or strip of squid or fluke belly. I also split the strip from the middle to the tail to create a fluttering action. This definitely will improve your catch in cloudy water.
BAD SCENTS HURT FISHING
BAD SCENTS HURT FISHING
Fish like certain scents and dislike others. Two scents proven to turn off the fish are insect repellent and sunblock lotions. If you are fishing and apply these to your body, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before touching any bait or lures.
Fish like certain scents and dislike others. Two scents proven to turn off the fish are insect repellent and sunblock lotions. If you are fishing and apply these to your body, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before touching any bait or lures.
Save the poor worms
Save the poor worms
When you fish worms and have leftovers at the end of the day, dump the worms and grass they are packed in into a bucket of salt water for a few minutes. They will freshen up and it will clean away their metabolic wastes. Put them back into their container and refrigerate them. They will last several days, hopefully until your next fishing trip. You will save money ($5 per dozen) and you will conserve worms!
When you fish worms and have leftovers at the end of the day, dump the worms and grass they are packed in into a bucket of salt water for a few minutes. They will freshen up and it will clean away their metabolic wastes. Put them back into their container and refrigerate them. They will last several days, hopefully until your next fishing trip. You will save money ($5 per dozen) and you will conserve worms!
Dirty water? Make it smell
Dirty water? Make it smell
When fishing in dirty water, (brown-tide or wind churned) fresh dead or live bait will produce better than artificials. In these conditions the fish will feed by smell rather than by sight. Natural bait produces the scent to attract the fish. If you insist on using artificials, then add a scent to them. Bunker oil is a good one to try. Chumming also will bring the fish to your offering. Anchor and chum with bunker or clam. Use fresh bait on the hook. You can catch any kind of fish that swims using this technique.
When fishing in dirty water, (brown-tide or wind churned) fresh dead or live bait will produce better than artificials. In these conditions the fish will feed by smell rather than by sight. Natural bait produces the scent to attract the fish. If you insist on using artificials, then add a scent to them. Bunker oil is a good one to try. Chumming also will bring the fish to your offering. Anchor and chum with bunker or clam. Use fresh bait on the hook. You can catch any kind of fish that swims using this technique.
TIDE AND CURRENT ARE NOT THE SAME
TIDE AND CURRENT ARE NOT THE SAME
In our area, current change occurs about two hours after the high or low tide. If high tide where you fish is at 12 noon, the current will start to ebb or run out about two hours later. If low tide is slated for 4 p.m., the current will start to flood or run in at about 6 p.m. etc.. In addition, If you are using Fire Island inlet tide information, the farther you are from the inlet, the later will be the tide change. At Ocean Beach the current will change almost two hours after the current change at Fire Island inlet.
In our area, current change occurs about two hours after the high or low tide. If high tide where you fish is at 12 noon, the current will start to ebb or run out about two hours later. If low tide is slated for 4 p.m., the current will start to flood or run in at about 6 p.m. etc.. In addition, If you are using Fire Island inlet tide information, the farther you are from the inlet, the later will be the tide change. At Ocean Beach the current will change almost two hours after the current change at Fire Island inlet.
MULTIFILAMENT LINE IS HOT!
MULTIFILAMENT LINE IS HOT!
Try using the new multifilament lines. They are half the diameter of comparable test monofilament line and have almost no stretch. You can fish lighter lures and hook setting power is unsurpassed. I recommend filling your spool ¾ full with monofilament and attaching a header of about 100 feet of multifilament line using an Albright knot to make the connection. This will be a sufficient amount of line for most inshore fishing applications and it cuts down on the cost for these expensive lines. I also recommend using the gel-spun variety of multifilament line. When using this variety, normal fishing knots will work well and no glue will be needed to keep the knot from working itself loose. I use Berkley Fireline in 12 or 20 lb. test.
Try using the new multifilament lines. They are half the diameter of comparable test monofilament line and have almost no stretch. You can fish lighter lures and hook setting power is unsurpassed. I recommend filling your spool ¾ full with monofilament and attaching a header of about 100 feet of multifilament line using an Albright knot to make the connection. This will be a sufficient amount of line for most inshore fishing applications and it cuts down on the cost for these expensive lines. I also recommend using the gel-spun variety of multifilament line. When using this variety, normal fishing knots will work well and no glue will be needed to keep the knot from working itself loose. I use Berkley Fireline in 12 or 20 lb. test.
SCENTS WORK
SCENTS WORK
Try using "bunker oil" to add scent and flavor to the waters and to your baits and jigs. "Bunker oil" is a natural scent of the Atlantic menhaden fish. I dip my bunker chunks in the oil to add extra flavor and scent. When I chum for bluefish or sharks, I add a few drops to the water to create a better smelling slick. I put some in a small squeeze bottle with a dropper tip and add a bit to my artificial lures. I really think it makes a difference. Give it a try.
Try using "bunker oil" to add scent and flavor to the waters and to your baits and jigs. "Bunker oil" is a natural scent of the Atlantic menhaden fish. I dip my bunker chunks in the oil to add extra flavor and scent. When I chum for bluefish or sharks, I add a few drops to the water to create a better smelling slick. I put some in a small squeeze bottle with a dropper tip and add a bit to my artificial lures. I really think it makes a difference. Give it a try.
MOVE TO GET THE BEST WIND/TIDE CONDITIONS
MOVE TO GET THE BEST WIND/TIDE CONDITIONS
Work the tides and the current. The worst situation to have is a wind directly in-line or directly against the tide if you are drift fishing. Working with the wind will move you too fast and make it difficult to hold the bottom. Drifting against the wind will slow the boat so much that you will not cover ground. When this situation occurs, consider moving to and area where the wind will be at angles to the current. For example, if the wind is due west, it would be difficult to fish in front of Ocean Beach. You will move too fast or too slow. If you move to West Channel, the current moves north and south. With a west or east wind, your drift will be angled across the channel and you will drift at a moderate pace which is best for catching fish.
Work the tides and the current. The worst situation to have is a wind directly in-line or directly against the tide if you are drift fishing. Working with the wind will move you too fast and make it difficult to hold the bottom. Drifting against the wind will slow the boat so much that you will not cover ground. When this situation occurs, consider moving to and area where the wind will be at angles to the current. For example, if the wind is due west, it would be difficult to fish in front of Ocean Beach. You will move too fast or too slow. If you move to West Channel, the current moves north and south. With a west or east wind, your drift will be angled across the channel and you will drift at a moderate pace which is best for catching fish.
Porta-Bote's Rising Tide
By Erin Chambers
Porta-Bote's Rising Tide
If there's a niche, expect an entrepreneur to fill it -- men like Sandy Kaye, for example, and his unsinkable folding boat
Of all the foldable things in the world -- laundry, lawn chairs, paper airplanes -- a boat isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But Sandy Kaye thinks differently, and has built a thriving multi million dollar business worldwide around the idea of a collapsible water vessel.
Yes, that's right, foldable boats. Kaye is owner and president of Porta-Bote International, a Mountain View, Calif., purveyor of dinghy-sized boats that fold down flat to four inches in height. Last year the company sold close to 10,000 boats worldwide. "People may not recognize them folded up because they look just like a surfboard," says Kaye, who was a Porta-Bote fan before deciding to buy the company in 1973. "And out on the water, the look just like an unfoldable boat."
TRADITIONAL LOOK. Porta-Bote International has racked up steady sales through grass-roots marketing to water enthusiasts all over the world. In addition to his own online outreach efforts and trade shows, Kaye says the unusual factor -- the sheer oddity of seeing owners unfolding a boat before launch -- has driven the word-of-mouth buzz for over 30 years.
Believe it or not, foldable boats aren't new. Kaye bought one for use as a dinghy on a larger boat in the early 1970s, and was less than pleased at his fellow boaters' reactions to what he says looked more like "a pregnant canoe" than a workable boat. "When people laugh at your product, that's a problem," says Kaye.
So in 1973, itching to get back to work after just two short years in retirement from a career as Executive Vice President of the world's largest publisher, he bought the fledgling company with the intention of completely overhauling it. He put his degrees in engineering to work, redesigning the boats to look more like traditional dinghies, and began marketing them overseas (no pun intended).
LIKE A CORK. Europeans, used to tight quarters and pricey gas, were particularly receptive to the space-saving, energy-efficient foldable boats. The flat design makes the various models easier to store than a regular aluminum or fiberglass dinghy (it fits on the side of an RV, the roof of a car, or hull of a larger boat) and less cumbersome than an inflatable. There is also no need to blow it up or patch inevitable holes of an inflatable boat.
It even fits on a yak. Seriously. Britain's Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service strapped a folded-up Porta-Bote on the back of the scruffy animal for a trek up Mt. Everest. The team wanted a lightweight, reliable vessel in case it was caught in melting glaciers, but when the expedition reached a lake they expected to be frozen, the climbers unfolded their vessel and continued. The Porta-Bote International team recently confirmed a spot in the 2005 Guinness Book of World Records as the first boat to be sailed at a height of 20,000 feet. "There's a Porta-Bote for everyone," Kaye says proudly.
Available in four sizes, from 8 feet to 14 feet, the boats can be ordered with Nissan outboard motors for those with a need for speed, Rolly Tasker sails and accessories for the skipper who prefers the wind, even in olive drab for duck hunters. Among its accolades, the Porta-Bote has passed all stability tests by the Tokyo Fire Dept.'s Water Rescue Scuba Team. Kaye says his boats are unsinkable, even when filled with water, and have exceeded the latest U.S. Coast Guard compliance standards.
SURF AND SAIL. How does the foldable phenom work? Two big words: polypropylene copolymer. Porta-Botes' hinges and patented "flexihull" are made from a resin material developed decades ago by NASA and used today in many car bumpers. Original manufacturer Dupont conducted tests and found the material actually became stronger after 500,000 foldings, and Sears uses it in their lifetime Diehard batteries because the material is impervious to acid. Kaye fields many inquiries on his company Web site, most asking how a foldable boat is going to hold up on the water. His response: "Nothing is indestructible, but this comes pretty close."
In the 1990s, Kaye noticed more people downsizing to condominiums and small cars and decided to start step up his marketing efforts in the U.S., a market he had all but ignored. Word of mouth alone would not have been enough, he says, "so we got on the Internet." His site catches many random boaters surfing the Web, but the company also uses trade shows to spread the Porta-Bote buzz.
It's an approach that has paid off with a loyal following. Since 1999, professional photographer John Petralito has owned at least one of every size Porta-Bote, using them in "oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds from Maine down to Florida." Now a permanent Floridian, he and wife Ellen were looking for an alternative to a pricey, high-maintenance inflatable boat.
INVENTOR ENVY. "It turns on a dime, goes through the water like nobody's business, and is half the price of an inflatable," says Petralito, who has started something of a Porta-Bote fan club, operating two Yahoo! groups for Porta-Bote owners, who post information on aftermarket accessories, options, and ideas on new ways to use the boats. "When people at the campgrounds see us unfold it and ask if I'm the inventor, I wish I could say 'yes,'" says Petralito.
Since redesigning and relaunching the boats, annual sales have nearly doubled. To date over 80,000 have been sold. The boats come with a 10-year limited warranty. And this year, armed with the new optional sailing package and a bigger 14-foot model, his staff of 39 will represent Porta-Bote International at over 400 boat, RV, and outdoors-lifestyle trade shows in the U.S. alone, more than ever before. For Porta-Bote, it looks like smooth sailing ahead.
Chambers is a reporter for BusinessWeek Online in New York.
Porta-Bote's Rising Tide
If there's a niche, expect an entrepreneur to fill it -- men like Sandy Kaye, for example, and his unsinkable folding boat
Of all the foldable things in the world -- laundry, lawn chairs, paper airplanes -- a boat isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But Sandy Kaye thinks differently, and has built a thriving multi million dollar business worldwide around the idea of a collapsible water vessel.
Yes, that's right, foldable boats. Kaye is owner and president of Porta-Bote International, a Mountain View, Calif., purveyor of dinghy-sized boats that fold down flat to four inches in height. Last year the company sold close to 10,000 boats worldwide. "People may not recognize them folded up because they look just like a surfboard," says Kaye, who was a Porta-Bote fan before deciding to buy the company in 1973. "And out on the water, the look just like an unfoldable boat."
TRADITIONAL LOOK. Porta-Bote International has racked up steady sales through grass-roots marketing to water enthusiasts all over the world. In addition to his own online outreach efforts and trade shows, Kaye says the unusual factor -- the sheer oddity of seeing owners unfolding a boat before launch -- has driven the word-of-mouth buzz for over 30 years.
Believe it or not, foldable boats aren't new. Kaye bought one for use as a dinghy on a larger boat in the early 1970s, and was less than pleased at his fellow boaters' reactions to what he says looked more like "a pregnant canoe" than a workable boat. "When people laugh at your product, that's a problem," says Kaye.
So in 1973, itching to get back to work after just two short years in retirement from a career as Executive Vice President of the world's largest publisher, he bought the fledgling company with the intention of completely overhauling it. He put his degrees in engineering to work, redesigning the boats to look more like traditional dinghies, and began marketing them overseas (no pun intended).
LIKE A CORK. Europeans, used to tight quarters and pricey gas, were particularly receptive to the space-saving, energy-efficient foldable boats. The flat design makes the various models easier to store than a regular aluminum or fiberglass dinghy (it fits on the side of an RV, the roof of a car, or hull of a larger boat) and less cumbersome than an inflatable. There is also no need to blow it up or patch inevitable holes of an inflatable boat.
It even fits on a yak. Seriously. Britain's Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service strapped a folded-up Porta-Bote on the back of the scruffy animal for a trek up Mt. Everest. The team wanted a lightweight, reliable vessel in case it was caught in melting glaciers, but when the expedition reached a lake they expected to be frozen, the climbers unfolded their vessel and continued. The Porta-Bote International team recently confirmed a spot in the 2005 Guinness Book of World Records as the first boat to be sailed at a height of 20,000 feet. "There's a Porta-Bote for everyone," Kaye says proudly.
Available in four sizes, from 8 feet to 14 feet, the boats can be ordered with Nissan outboard motors for those with a need for speed, Rolly Tasker sails and accessories for the skipper who prefers the wind, even in olive drab for duck hunters. Among its accolades, the Porta-Bote has passed all stability tests by the Tokyo Fire Dept.'s Water Rescue Scuba Team. Kaye says his boats are unsinkable, even when filled with water, and have exceeded the latest U.S. Coast Guard compliance standards.
SURF AND SAIL. How does the foldable phenom work? Two big words: polypropylene copolymer. Porta-Botes' hinges and patented "flexihull" are made from a resin material developed decades ago by NASA and used today in many car bumpers. Original manufacturer Dupont conducted tests and found the material actually became stronger after 500,000 foldings, and Sears uses it in their lifetime Diehard batteries because the material is impervious to acid. Kaye fields many inquiries on his company Web site, most asking how a foldable boat is going to hold up on the water. His response: "Nothing is indestructible, but this comes pretty close."
In the 1990s, Kaye noticed more people downsizing to condominiums and small cars and decided to start step up his marketing efforts in the U.S., a market he had all but ignored. Word of mouth alone would not have been enough, he says, "so we got on the Internet." His site catches many random boaters surfing the Web, but the company also uses trade shows to spread the Porta-Bote buzz.
It's an approach that has paid off with a loyal following. Since 1999, professional photographer John Petralito has owned at least one of every size Porta-Bote, using them in "oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds from Maine down to Florida." Now a permanent Floridian, he and wife Ellen were looking for an alternative to a pricey, high-maintenance inflatable boat.
INVENTOR ENVY. "It turns on a dime, goes through the water like nobody's business, and is half the price of an inflatable," says Petralito, who has started something of a Porta-Bote fan club, operating two Yahoo! groups for Porta-Bote owners, who post information on aftermarket accessories, options, and ideas on new ways to use the boats. "When people at the campgrounds see us unfold it and ask if I'm the inventor, I wish I could say 'yes,'" says Petralito.
Since redesigning and relaunching the boats, annual sales have nearly doubled. To date over 80,000 have been sold. The boats come with a 10-year limited warranty. And this year, armed with the new optional sailing package and a bigger 14-foot model, his staff of 39 will represent Porta-Bote International at over 400 boat, RV, and outdoors-lifestyle trade shows in the U.S. alone, more than ever before. For Porta-Bote, it looks like smooth sailing ahead.
Chambers is a reporter for BusinessWeek Online in New York.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Weigh In
The Weigh In
The take off in the morning and the weigh in are the two most exciting times of a tournament and the rest is just ‘plain work.’ After a hard day of fishing, you head to the designated check in area. You load your boat on the trailer and head to the weight area. The adrenaline starts to pump and your heart starts to race in anticipation. While you’re in line, both you and your partner review your catch for the day. You discuss how much weight you think is in your boat’s live well. You wonder if you have enough weight to place in the money or even win the tournament. You look back and reminisce about the one that got away… just as you put the net in the water, or the one that wrapped you around that tree and broke you off. You talk about, if we would have only picked-up that last kicker fish (the big one for the day). You watch as your fellow tournament anglers reach into there live wells and pull out their fish, one by one. As each fish is pulled out and placed in the basket, you try to estimate the weight of each fish. As they walk to the scales you have your own estimate of what their catch weighs. Then
you hear the Weigh Master call out their total weight. This is the time when your heart races just a little harder. You think you have a good catch of quality fish of your own. As the weights are announced, one by one, you either become excited or disappointed. You estimate your own catch to be 16.8 pounds and you hear 12.3 pounds, 15.8 pounds, and 13.9 pounds. Your heart races with anticipation. You think you have a chance. Is your Big Fish good enough to win the Big Fish money? You may have a solid 6.8 pound fish of your own. The Weight Master calls out Big Fish 5.9 pounds. Your heart races a little harder with anticipation. There are ten teams ahead of you and forty teams behind you to weigh in. As you get closer to your turn, you begin to get more excited. As you pull your fish out of the live well one by one and hear the crowd that has gathered, start commenting on your team’s catches. You hear the “ooh’s and awe’s” from the crowd. You reach in and pull out a 2 pounder, then a 2.25, a 2.8, a 3.0 and finally your big fish, that you believe weights 6.8 pounds. The crowd's response with delight. You head to the Weigh Master; the fish are put on the scale. Then the announcement comes, total weight 16.39 pounds, with a Big Fish of 6.28 pounds. It is a lesser weight than you thought. You ask around, “what is the heaviest weight?” “What is the Big Fish?” So far there is a total weight of 15.39 pounds and big fish is 6.25 pounds. Your first reaction is one of great joy as you turn to your partner and say, “we’re in the money.” Now your adrenaline really starts flowing. You are giving each other high fives.
As each team heads to the weigh in area, you are there watching. Again you try to estimate the weight of each fish and total limit. You still think you are ‘in it.’ The Weigh Master announces 16.35 pounds and “Big Fish, 7.25 pounds.” You tell your partner, “well we lost Biggest Fish, but we are still in the money,” but there are still a lot of teams to come.
As each team weighs in, you are right there with anticipation. As each remaining team’s weights are announced, we discover we have dropped to 3rd place. You tell your partner, “that’s all right, where still in the money.” As more teams come in, we drop down two more places. You tell your partner, “well it doesn’t look good at this point!” We are now in 5th place with 20 teams still to go.
In the Father and Son Division we are looking good. The team that was ahead of us has weighed in and they have fallen behind. We have won that division. You say to your partner, “we maybe out of the money today, but we took the lead in the Father and Son Division.”
All the boats have weighed in. We have finished 15th out of 53 teams. You feel a little disappointed, but we did the best we could. You look back even harder at this point about the one that got away and how if we only had that one fish it would have made the difference in finishing in the top 5. We may not have finished in the money today, but what a ‘blast’ it was just being able to compete.
It is now awards time. Our team was called up to receive the 15th place and the 1st place finish certificate in the Father and Son Division. My young partner, and son Eric went up to receive our awards, and as he started to walk back he was called back to pickup a check for $140.00. This was from one of the options we participated in. The smiles and high fives started up once again. It’s great to see your son or daughter walk up to the podium and pick up an award of any kind. This makes it all worth while. The smile on their face is priceless and you will never be able to erase that picture from your mind. You may not win them all or even one, just being on the water is what it is all about, spending quality time with your son or daughter. You tell your teammate, “we didn’t get them today, but will get them next time.”
--Larry Elshere
The take off in the morning and the weigh in are the two most exciting times of a tournament and the rest is just ‘plain work.’ After a hard day of fishing, you head to the designated check in area. You load your boat on the trailer and head to the weight area. The adrenaline starts to pump and your heart starts to race in anticipation. While you’re in line, both you and your partner review your catch for the day. You discuss how much weight you think is in your boat’s live well. You wonder if you have enough weight to place in the money or even win the tournament. You look back and reminisce about the one that got away… just as you put the net in the water, or the one that wrapped you around that tree and broke you off. You talk about, if we would have only picked-up that last kicker fish (the big one for the day). You watch as your fellow tournament anglers reach into there live wells and pull out their fish, one by one. As each fish is pulled out and placed in the basket, you try to estimate the weight of each fish. As they walk to the scales you have your own estimate of what their catch weighs. Then
you hear the Weigh Master call out their total weight. This is the time when your heart races just a little harder. You think you have a good catch of quality fish of your own. As the weights are announced, one by one, you either become excited or disappointed. You estimate your own catch to be 16.8 pounds and you hear 12.3 pounds, 15.8 pounds, and 13.9 pounds. Your heart races with anticipation. You think you have a chance. Is your Big Fish good enough to win the Big Fish money? You may have a solid 6.8 pound fish of your own. The Weight Master calls out Big Fish 5.9 pounds. Your heart races a little harder with anticipation. There are ten teams ahead of you and forty teams behind you to weigh in. As you get closer to your turn, you begin to get more excited. As you pull your fish out of the live well one by one and hear the crowd that has gathered, start commenting on your team’s catches. You hear the “ooh’s and awe’s” from the crowd. You reach in and pull out a 2 pounder, then a 2.25, a 2.8, a 3.0 and finally your big fish, that you believe weights 6.8 pounds. The crowd's response with delight. You head to the Weigh Master; the fish are put on the scale. Then the announcement comes, total weight 16.39 pounds, with a Big Fish of 6.28 pounds. It is a lesser weight than you thought. You ask around, “what is the heaviest weight?” “What is the Big Fish?” So far there is a total weight of 15.39 pounds and big fish is 6.25 pounds. Your first reaction is one of great joy as you turn to your partner and say, “we’re in the money.” Now your adrenaline really starts flowing. You are giving each other high fives.
As each team heads to the weigh in area, you are there watching. Again you try to estimate the weight of each fish and total limit. You still think you are ‘in it.’ The Weigh Master announces 16.35 pounds and “Big Fish, 7.25 pounds.” You tell your partner, “well we lost Biggest Fish, but we are still in the money,” but there are still a lot of teams to come.
As each team weighs in, you are right there with anticipation. As each remaining team’s weights are announced, we discover we have dropped to 3rd place. You tell your partner, “that’s all right, where still in the money.” As more teams come in, we drop down two more places. You tell your partner, “well it doesn’t look good at this point!” We are now in 5th place with 20 teams still to go.
In the Father and Son Division we are looking good. The team that was ahead of us has weighed in and they have fallen behind. We have won that division. You say to your partner, “we maybe out of the money today, but we took the lead in the Father and Son Division.”
All the boats have weighed in. We have finished 15th out of 53 teams. You feel a little disappointed, but we did the best we could. You look back even harder at this point about the one that got away and how if we only had that one fish it would have made the difference in finishing in the top 5. We may not have finished in the money today, but what a ‘blast’ it was just being able to compete.
It is now awards time. Our team was called up to receive the 15th place and the 1st place finish certificate in the Father and Son Division. My young partner, and son Eric went up to receive our awards, and as he started to walk back he was called back to pickup a check for $140.00. This was from one of the options we participated in. The smiles and high fives started up once again. It’s great to see your son or daughter walk up to the podium and pick up an award of any kind. This makes it all worth while. The smile on their face is priceless and you will never be able to erase that picture from your mind. You may not win them all or even one, just being on the water is what it is all about, spending quality time with your son or daughter. You tell your teammate, “we didn’t get them today, but will get them next time.”
--Larry Elshere
Southern Solar Secrets
Southern Solar Secrets
by David Christian
Changing daylight hours are somewhat obvious and we are all affected by it. The amount of daylight hours is significant to all creatures, it is their internal time clock. As humans we may not notice these conditions due to our homes and offices providing unnatural light conditions, but keep in mind that nature knows exactly what is going on outside.
In late February thru early March there is a time frame of three weeks when the amount of daylight hours increases by fifty minutes, that is 2.25 minutes per day. Most anglers overlook this solar edge. Is one the greatest triggering effects of Mother Nature. This is the true sign that winter has ended and the muskies will start to prepare for their annual spawning rituals. As a southern muskie hunter on Cave Run Lake I wondered if this increase in daylight hours had an effect on the muskie. After
almost ten years of fishing it appears that, despite water temps this solar change placed fish very close to the spawning areas. After talking with a number of other anglers that have early open water and learning of the big fish captured, I was convinced this is a pattern!
By mid March the days are longer than the nights. This solar alarm clock is obvious to all species, trees start to bloom, insects start to buzz, and creatures appear from the winter doldrums. These are the creatures we notice and can visually connect with, all the while the underwater species are alive again as well, from lizards, to muskies, to weeds, everything is awake and starting to move about.
By mid May we are reaching a peak in daylight hours, almost fourteen hours of sunshine. This is an edge that starts to move fish into their early summer feeding patterns. By the mid summer peak we are provided with daylight lasting over fourteen hours and these long days continue through June. Metabolic rates are at peak during this period and the muskie action is starting to increase all across the country.
Mid July starts to bring a one minute per day decrease in daylight hours. In five to ten days we lose five to ten minutes, thus triggering a genetically coded response to feed, the days are getting shorter and nature knows summer is coming to an end. This is the period we all try to take advantage of. We notice the falling water temperatures, it is something we can connect with visually (temperature gauges), the shorter days are also contributing to this feeding frenzy.
By late September we are below twelve hours of daylight, now the nights are longer than the days, triggering an even stronger response for muskies to feed. On the southern waters, surface temperatures are still relatively high (mid 70's). This slow but deliberate change in the day's length is luring big muskies onto the shallows to feed. They are following the schools of shad which are also moving up in the water column,
these movements are related to water temperature and the length of daylight hours. Deer start the rut because of daylight hours, not air temperatures!
The winter period brings ten-hour days and fourteen-hour nights. This internal clock says it is time to slow down or sleep, combine this with cold water temperatures and we can surely realize why everything has slowed down.
These are the solar edges that determine seasonal patterns and water temperature, they are as important as dawn and dusk. Musky hunters across the nation have been used to closed fishing seasons, therefore these changing conditions have not been studied thoroughly. In the Midwest these changing daylight hours are almost as important as the moon phases. Check your Farmers Almanac to see if a big fish period on your lake coincides with a major change in daylight hours, I'll bet it does and you will have some more data to add to your fishing logs.
We have learned so much more in the past few years about the solar influence of sunrise and sunset. Understanding why this period offers better angling opportunities is not difficult. At sunrise, the sun's tremendous gravitational force begins to affect our area, sunset is the point when this force leaves our area. These forces along with changing light conditions are a time frame that should never be passed up. Solar and lunar influences have a tremendous effect on all types of animals. Big fish that are located during the day can be captured during this solar edge and it has been proven time and time again. The moon phases, either daily or monthly are also "planetary" times when big fish are captured. Learning more about the planetary forces that control habits or our natural responses should become part of our arsenal in the never ending hunt for trophy game. Changing daylight hours determine major seasonal movements in nature and can trigger trophy size results. Something else to study and add to our logbook
by David Christian
Changing daylight hours are somewhat obvious and we are all affected by it. The amount of daylight hours is significant to all creatures, it is their internal time clock. As humans we may not notice these conditions due to our homes and offices providing unnatural light conditions, but keep in mind that nature knows exactly what is going on outside.
In late February thru early March there is a time frame of three weeks when the amount of daylight hours increases by fifty minutes, that is 2.25 minutes per day. Most anglers overlook this solar edge. Is one the greatest triggering effects of Mother Nature. This is the true sign that winter has ended and the muskies will start to prepare for their annual spawning rituals. As a southern muskie hunter on Cave Run Lake I wondered if this increase in daylight hours had an effect on the muskie. After
almost ten years of fishing it appears that, despite water temps this solar change placed fish very close to the spawning areas. After talking with a number of other anglers that have early open water and learning of the big fish captured, I was convinced this is a pattern!
By mid March the days are longer than the nights. This solar alarm clock is obvious to all species, trees start to bloom, insects start to buzz, and creatures appear from the winter doldrums. These are the creatures we notice and can visually connect with, all the while the underwater species are alive again as well, from lizards, to muskies, to weeds, everything is awake and starting to move about.
By mid May we are reaching a peak in daylight hours, almost fourteen hours of sunshine. This is an edge that starts to move fish into their early summer feeding patterns. By the mid summer peak we are provided with daylight lasting over fourteen hours and these long days continue through June. Metabolic rates are at peak during this period and the muskie action is starting to increase all across the country.
Mid July starts to bring a one minute per day decrease in daylight hours. In five to ten days we lose five to ten minutes, thus triggering a genetically coded response to feed, the days are getting shorter and nature knows summer is coming to an end. This is the period we all try to take advantage of. We notice the falling water temperatures, it is something we can connect with visually (temperature gauges), the shorter days are also contributing to this feeding frenzy.
By late September we are below twelve hours of daylight, now the nights are longer than the days, triggering an even stronger response for muskies to feed. On the southern waters, surface temperatures are still relatively high (mid 70's). This slow but deliberate change in the day's length is luring big muskies onto the shallows to feed. They are following the schools of shad which are also moving up in the water column,
these movements are related to water temperature and the length of daylight hours. Deer start the rut because of daylight hours, not air temperatures!
The winter period brings ten-hour days and fourteen-hour nights. This internal clock says it is time to slow down or sleep, combine this with cold water temperatures and we can surely realize why everything has slowed down.
These are the solar edges that determine seasonal patterns and water temperature, they are as important as dawn and dusk. Musky hunters across the nation have been used to closed fishing seasons, therefore these changing conditions have not been studied thoroughly. In the Midwest these changing daylight hours are almost as important as the moon phases. Check your Farmers Almanac to see if a big fish period on your lake coincides with a major change in daylight hours, I'll bet it does and you will have some more data to add to your fishing logs.
We have learned so much more in the past few years about the solar influence of sunrise and sunset. Understanding why this period offers better angling opportunities is not difficult. At sunrise, the sun's tremendous gravitational force begins to affect our area, sunset is the point when this force leaves our area. These forces along with changing light conditions are a time frame that should never be passed up. Solar and lunar influences have a tremendous effect on all types of animals. Big fish that are located during the day can be captured during this solar edge and it has been proven time and time again. The moon phases, either daily or monthly are also "planetary" times when big fish are captured. Learning more about the planetary forces that control habits or our natural responses should become part of our arsenal in the never ending hunt for trophy game. Changing daylight hours determine major seasonal movements in nature and can trigger trophy size results. Something else to study and add to our logbook
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