Smart Fishing

Basic Tips for New Tackle

2009-01-11T23:34:00.000-08:00

But it is at this point that many of us go astray. Most fishermen believe that the lures they buy are going to be perfect right out of the package or box, and I hate to tell you, but it aint so.

Crankbaits for example have a habit of either running off to one side or the other. In most cases this is a bad thing, but fortunately in an era of mass production, easily fixable. Simply bend the eyelet carefully to the side the lure is tracking to get it to run true. Don't overbend or the eyelet will break. Trial and error will help you find that right position to get the lure tracking correctly.

However, don't get to overzealous on correcting every crank that runs crooked. Time and experience have shown me that there is a place for a crank that runs slightly to one side or the other. Tight crevices, dam walls, or nooks and cranny's lend themselves well to off kilter cranks. Simply by tossing the lure into them and retrieving them will send the crank bashing into either one side or the other and often produce devastating strikes.

One way to keep track of these special cranks is with a black magic marker. Simply put an "L" or and "R" on the the lures bill to indicate which way it runs. makes them extremely easy to find when you have a whole tray of the exact size and color lure.

Spinnerbaits usually run true but they can be modified or tinkered with to adjust their rate of fall simply by bending the spinner arm either forward to catch more water or back towards the body of the bait to sink faster. Going to a slightly larger spinner is also an option of getting a spinnerbait to fall slower. The bigger blade catches more water and thus helicopters more slowly as it falls. An even easier fix is the addition of bulky trailers to achieve the fall rate you want. Take your pick; each have their place among an anglers arsenal.

One thing that annoys me is that sometimes the major manufacturers slap on treble hooks that are either too large or too small. If the trebles on a crankbait don't come out about 1/4" on either side of a bait, odds are you are going to miss a few fish. bigger trebles have a habit of fouling the lure or line when they are cast. The only way to remedy these situations is to replace the hooks with ones more suitable for the job.

The independant lure manufacturers are more aware of the nuances and technical aspects of the lures they produce. I have had the oppurtunity to test some wonderful tackle these past two years and it truly amazes me at what they have ingeniously created to help anglers everywhere catch more fish. Hope you all take the time to check out our sponsors products and purchase a few. If my experiences with them are typical, you won't be disappointed in the least.

Which leads me to my next point. If you are trying tackle you are not familiar with, instead of just tying it on and letting it fly, take the time to read the directions. You should actually do this before you buy, otherwise you might buy a size or lure that is not suitable for your fishing style.

For example you aren't going to use a #13 Rapala on an ultralight setup are you? That would be defeating the purpose, not to mention seriously affect the dynamics and balance of your outfit. odds are you won't catch very many fish with that setup. Ultralights are meant for smaller lures and offerings, not larger baits that appeal to oversized fish.

Matching lure sizes to your specific rods action and capabilities is important but is perhaps the most overlooked thing most fishermen do. When is the last time you looked to see what lures or weight your rod was best suited for?

You might be buying the right lures for your rod, but what about that reel? You checked that? Placing the wrong reel on a good rod just about kills everthing that rod was capable of. If the reel is too heavy, then the simple act of casting becomes a chore by the end of a long day. Too light and it might not last very long performance wise before its shot. Everything must be balanced. Rod, reel, line, and lure, to achieve the best your setup can offer.

Of course, everyonce in a while, you'll luck into that one lure out of that last bunch you bought that has something different in it. A subtlety you can't quite put your finger on but drives fish wild. Buddies and family can be throwing the same thing in the same area, but your bait will produce more strikes.

If this happens, mark it or set it aside. This is a "go to" bait. Basically, a confidence lure that can be counted on to produce in situations that demand it. You can never have too many of them. Odds are, you won't, given common manufacturing practices among the mass produced baits. The factors that made this bait stand out are rare and you can count yourself as lucky if you happen to get one of these.

Even among my all time favorites, the #5 and #7 floating Rapala's, there are differences. Run a few in the water beside each other. You'll see what I mean. Its those differences that catch fish wherever you find them. If you can spot them, then you know the fish can too.

Tips on Sight Fishing for Big Fish

2009-01-11T23:26:00.000-08:00

I have been sight fishing for years. It was one of the first ways I started catching bass. And it is one of my primary methods of catching fish in and around weed beds.

Anyone can sight fish as long as the water is clear enough to for you to see the fish. The water visibility factor will affect how receptive the fish are to your presentation. It will also affect what your presentations will be.

First off, there are a lot of ways to sight fish, but one of the best ways to catch bass involves sight fishing live bait for them. Whole nightcrawlers on free-rigs are absolutely deadly on these bass. Minnows work better around twilight unless you come across a huge school of crappie. If you keep your eyes open and your attention sharp, that is not as hard as you think. Leeches can be incredible in the early morning hours for walleye and bass. Crayfish are great for shy smallmouths.

I have been experimenting with head hooking two crawlers on one weedless hook and let me tell you, the results speak for themselves. Almost like using a pork frog and dancing it across the weed tips to entice the fish. The tails of the two crawlers writhe independently and entice spooky fish far better than anything else I tried.

Sight fishing in general usually involves soft plastic baits. grubs, twitch and stick baits, smaller pork baits,and smaller straight tail worms. These presentations are used because they can be cast in front of a fish and feathered so they land softly and don't spook the fish. They are also tough enough to stand the vicious wear and tear of smaller fish attacking your presentation. If you are sight fishing correctly, this will happen pretty often.

No matter what presentation you try, drab and natural color clothing is the only way to go. Bright colors are easier for fish to see and you want to remain as "invisible" as possible. Stay away from whites, yellows reds and oranges. Browns, Blacks, greens and blues are alright because the blend in to the background better.

I do know one sight fishing fanatic who actually wears camo clothing and face paint to catch some of the largest bass I have come across in the state. So much so in fact that I am actually considering the tactic to use at some of my favorite holes to see if it increases the size of my catches.

Wading can be the best way to sight fish. it puts you further out in the water and enables you to see fish from a vantage point that is not accessible from the immediate shoreline. If the water isn't that clear, then even a few inches can make a difference in the fish you see and the fish you miss.

Another tip is to keep the sun to one side of you, never in front of you. When the sunlight hits the water at certain angles, it enables deeper penetration and allows you to see more fish. This is especially evident in areas of shade. If you look closely, you can see fishing hanging in the shady areas. If the sun is in front of you, it is reflecting back at you and hampering your view of your surroundings.

If you do choose to wade, move slowly and surely. There is never any hurry. One fall in the water can scare any potential fish not to mention put you in some serious danger.

Top waters are a good choice but usually my last choice. Too many other options work with this tactic, but an angler should always be ready and unafraid to experiment. It is how we all learn and is important to the overall learning process.

Fishing Can be Easy in Stained Water with These Two Tricks

2009-01-11T23:23:00.000-08:00

The first is a lake or reservoir that is normally nominally clear...say the clarity is right about 4-6 feet which is about standard for reservoirs and lakes, depending on algae blooms and lake dynamics. A few days of thunderstorms and higher winds have roiled your fishing hole until the water clarity is about as clear as mud. You are marking fish holding tighter to the bottom structure but they seemed to have developed a case of the "won't bites". What do you do?

Well, this is a common situation. If you are bent on using artificials in this situation, get out your jigs and smaller spinner baits. While you are at it, round up a few of your smaller spoons as well for vertical jigging. You know from past articles that fish react negatively to the passage of cold fronts, hugging bottom structures and contours and being generally lethargic.

What you might not know is that every time a storm or front passes through, the upper atmosphere is cleansed of dust, allowing for more sunlight to penetrate the waters. Another reason the fish go deeper than usual. Thus, you can use the stained water to your advantage.

The fish are not going to move very far under these conditions. You can usually position a boat right over the top of them and work them over with a jig/minnow or jig/plastic grub combination slowly. It is possible that you may have to "finesse them". In other words--fish them thoroughly and very slowly. Up to the point of slow crawled retrieves.

You can try smaller safety spin spinner baits and slow roll them over the bottom, hugging the contours with your retrieve, if you find them generally receptive to moderate jig retrieves. Another option is the jigging spoons. The only reason I bring this tactic up is that few and I do mean few people use it. If the fish are biting on jigging retrieves, I would normally stick with what works, but if you are fishing a heavily pressured lake and marking fish, but having a heck of a time getting them to bite, then check out the jigging spoons.

If that fails as well, all is not lost. There are still other options. Many bass fisherman would include in this arsenal the plastic worm on a carolina rig, or the jig-n-pig combination. Those have their time and place during stained water periods, but for the sake of general species reaction, I am limiting the different methods to a mere handful so they are best remembered.

The other option for stained water is to look for an edge. What I mean by this is sometimes an influx of stained water into your favorite fishing spot is merely brought about by an incoming tributary or wind action on a nearby shoreline. if this is the case, then there is an edge of stained water that meets clearer water.

Generally the more stained the water, the sharper this edge will be. This can spell big fish and active fish. In this situation, I would opt for lures that emit sound, like rattle baits or flash like big bladed spinner baits or vibration like wider wobble crank baits. These three things are vital to scoring bigger fish, especially since visibility is of little consequence in these conditions. The earlier you can get to this breakline the better.

What I mean by that is simple. If the breakline is the result of shower runoff no more than an hour ago, this is prime. If the runoff is from about two days ago, chances are the fish are around but not quite as willing to cooperate, seeings how they already have stuffed their gullets with food washed down earlier, but with a little persistence you can still catch some fish.

The second situation deals with reservoirs that are normally "dirty" as a result of our near constant state of windiness. One reservoir that comes to mind immediately is Willow Creek SRA near Pierce. Every time I have fished there, the water is unusually murky and the lay of the lake promotes this. But there are some nice fish there and they can be caught all year. Perhaps more so because the water condition is part of their daily cycle. Spinner baits, cranks, rattle baits and slash baits (cicada's, Heddon Sonars, etc.) can score bigger fish when used in close conjunction with structure and wind direction.

This is a key to remember. Wind plays a vital role in determining fish location, even in murky waters. To the fish it is an unconscious act, responding to it much like we would respond to a light touch from something we couldn't see. Our first reaction is to move. Flashes from metallic lures offer the resemblance of bait fish like shiners, fatheads, and chubs and spell easy pickings to predatory fish. Add a distinct rattle emission or vibration and you are usually ready to go.

Experiment with different retrieve speeds and methods to see which works best for the current conditions The only real exception to this generally is river fish, which normally do not use the wind as much as they use the current.

However, if it is a slow meandering river, don't rule it out. using the principles outlined above, you should be able to take some fish, by concentrating on wing dams, abutments and jetties, rock piles, etc. The fish will be closer to cover and don't be afraid to let the artificial bang into these structures. Sometimes the fish can use the wake up call and that metallic crash into granite is enough to induce a vicious strike.

Fishing Tips and Tricks for Clear Waters

2009-01-11T23:20:00.000-08:00

First off, clear water can be a blessing or a curse. Fish are easily spotted but usually hard to catch because if you can see the fish, they can see you. These tough conditions call for some special tricks. Anything you can do to keep the fish from seeing you or your line is important.

Some quick angler influenced options include:

reducing line visibility
reducing lure size
using natural colors
speeding up retrieves

My best clear-water rig, is a 6' 6" medium-light spinning combo, spooled with 8 lb mono. Top water plugs, shallow diving minnows, and soft jerk-baits are the best lure choices. Try to duplicate the color patterns of available forage. I try to use silver, white, and even transparent lures. Also, go for the smallest lures you have. A smaller lure is the best choice for spooky fish.

Wild colors can catch fish too, but they require a faster retrieve speed. Burn the lure through the water because you don't want the fish to get a good look at it. This classic reaction-strike pattern is very effective. Don't worry about setting the hook because a good strike will almost rip the rod from your hands. You'll forget all the other options when you get this pattern to down.

Natural conditions such as time of day and wind direction are important as well. They can't be changed, but you still have options. Try fishing the low-light hours and over-cast days. Try fishing the windy shore. Even small waves will mask your presence. A slight breeze on a blue-bird-day can be the difference between getting skunked and landing lunkers! Anything that will allow you to ambush your prey without being seen will improve your success.