04-10-2009, 01:12 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Good questions. What I start with...how I fish it...how long I fish it...and what I go to next...are all very subjective. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As you know, from fishing with me, I generally have a game plan before each trip. I factor in my basic knowledge and experience of the water and the target species...combined with whatever I can find out about current weather, water temps and clarity and fish activity. Then, I am always prepared to find something different than what I expected. That is fishing.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If water conditions are "fishable"...with reasonable clarity and stable or rising water temps...my first task is to find where the fish are holding or feeding. I do that through a combination of sonar and random casting. If I find active fish, and they accept my offerings, I enjoy the rewards.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If I find fish but cannot buy a hit, I go through a series of experimental changes. If the water is more stained than I consider ideal...or colder, after a front...I might change my jig to something brighter or with contrasting colors...and maybe with more action. I might also slow down the retrieve and/or try tipping it with "sweetener"...worm or fish flesh.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If low and slow do not get the job done, I will try something bigger and with more flash, wiggle or vibration...and use faster retrieves.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Again, what I try will be based largely on past experience and what I THINK I know. I seldom just start going through my tackle boxes and tieing on one thing after another. And, in a high percentage of cases, PLAN A works fine and my mental database comes through. But, I usually have plan B or C ready just in case.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]How long do I try something before giving up? That varies with every situation. Sometimes I am more patient than others. If I know the fish are there...and that they should be hitting my offerings if they are hitting anything...I will stick with it. There are times when the fish simply have lockjaw, and will not even take live food.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But, if I see fish actively feeding, all around me, and PLAN A is not producing even any bumps, you will see me making 3 - 5 casts with something new...working each retrieve differently...and then switching to something else.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You said that you suspect that sometimes you stay too long with something you have confidence in, but is not working. That can be both good and bad...and we all do it. The upside is that if you fish something with confidence...even though it might not be the best lure...you are likely to catch more fish than if you fish the RIGHT LURE...without confidence. Been there, done that.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A lot of us develop a fondness for fishing a certain lure a certain way. We simply like the way it casts or the action it creates on the rod tip as we retrieve it. But, that is a lot like the old joke about the guy who was down on hands and knees, searching the ground for a contact lens. His friend asked if he was sure about where he lost it. The reply was "No, I lost it over there but the light is better here."[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In other words, DON'T GET HUNG UP on fishing a lure just because YOU like it. You gotta find what the fish like and how they want it served. And, don't let your ego shoot you down. Be open minded and willing to learn new things. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Some fishermen are their own worst enemies. They catch a few fish by fishing in a certain spot a certain way...and forevermore, that is the only place they fish and the only way they fish...year around. And, like a broken clock, they are right sometimes...but most of the time they are wrong.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Glad you like the avatar change. Thanks again to PACKFAN for taking that picture. That was on a picture perfect early summer trip on Willard when he was out fishing with his wife and fishing buddy. I took pics of them and they took pics of me.[/#0000ff] (SEE ATTACHED)
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As you know, from fishing with me, I generally have a game plan before each trip. I factor in my basic knowledge and experience of the water and the target species...combined with whatever I can find out about current weather, water temps and clarity and fish activity. Then, I am always prepared to find something different than what I expected. That is fishing.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If water conditions are "fishable"...with reasonable clarity and stable or rising water temps...my first task is to find where the fish are holding or feeding. I do that through a combination of sonar and random casting. If I find active fish, and they accept my offerings, I enjoy the rewards.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If I find fish but cannot buy a hit, I go through a series of experimental changes. If the water is more stained than I consider ideal...or colder, after a front...I might change my jig to something brighter or with contrasting colors...and maybe with more action. I might also slow down the retrieve and/or try tipping it with "sweetener"...worm or fish flesh.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If low and slow do not get the job done, I will try something bigger and with more flash, wiggle or vibration...and use faster retrieves.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Again, what I try will be based largely on past experience and what I THINK I know. I seldom just start going through my tackle boxes and tieing on one thing after another. And, in a high percentage of cases, PLAN A works fine and my mental database comes through. But, I usually have plan B or C ready just in case.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]How long do I try something before giving up? That varies with every situation. Sometimes I am more patient than others. If I know the fish are there...and that they should be hitting my offerings if they are hitting anything...I will stick with it. There are times when the fish simply have lockjaw, and will not even take live food.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But, if I see fish actively feeding, all around me, and PLAN A is not producing even any bumps, you will see me making 3 - 5 casts with something new...working each retrieve differently...and then switching to something else.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You said that you suspect that sometimes you stay too long with something you have confidence in, but is not working. That can be both good and bad...and we all do it. The upside is that if you fish something with confidence...even though it might not be the best lure...you are likely to catch more fish than if you fish the RIGHT LURE...without confidence. Been there, done that.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A lot of us develop a fondness for fishing a certain lure a certain way. We simply like the way it casts or the action it creates on the rod tip as we retrieve it. But, that is a lot like the old joke about the guy who was down on hands and knees, searching the ground for a contact lens. His friend asked if he was sure about where he lost it. The reply was "No, I lost it over there but the light is better here."[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In other words, DON'T GET HUNG UP on fishing a lure just because YOU like it. You gotta find what the fish like and how they want it served. And, don't let your ego shoot you down. Be open minded and willing to learn new things. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Some fishermen are their own worst enemies. They catch a few fish by fishing in a certain spot a certain way...and forevermore, that is the only place they fish and the only way they fish...year around. And, like a broken clock, they are right sometimes...but most of the time they are wrong.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Glad you like the avatar change. Thanks again to PACKFAN for taking that picture. That was on a picture perfect early summer trip on Willard when he was out fishing with his wife and fishing buddy. I took pics of them and they took pics of me.[/#0000ff] (SEE ATTACHED)
[signature]