02-23-2016, 12:58 AM
I appreciate your reply,
None of what I conveyed is meant as gospel but after having spent so many days on the water and after catching so many fish on different lures, I've fit together pieces of the puzzle, playing with different variables such as line size, jig weight, jig hook size, lure design, types of retrieve, etc. Having noted which seems to work best most times, I've come to the conclusion that there are only a few good ways to catch fish a majority of the time but that many lure designs and colors can do the job 100 % of the time - at least for pan fish.
I fish from a boat 100% of the time (except when the boat launch was closed Dec. 27) and always check my sonar for bottom configuration, softness/ hardness, weeds, depth and bait fish. Larger fish on the screen I'm usually not interested in because the depth I usually fish is under 15' and I believe those fish are spooked by the trolling motor.
What I would suggest to anyone just learning how to catch fish the first time out is the following as a start to learning a few pieces of the puzzle:
5-5'6" light action rod
4-6 lb test mono
1/32-1/16 oz ball head jigs (unpainted, no bait holder barb)
A straight tail grub
Next I would say after rigging the lure would be to fan cast everywhere one can, retrieving the lure as slow as possible with slight twitches of the rod tip and a stop & go rate of retrieve. Also, try different depths in the same area.Your lure finds fish by provoking them to bite something slow moving and easily sucked in. (Think in terms of the similarity of getting a cat to go after a toy mouse on a string.)
If my young grandkids could catch fish the first time out, anyone can (BTW the youngest was 6 and the lure was dragged slowly along under a float.)
Fishing to me is more than just catching fish the same way day after day. I need to answer questions that come up every time I go out on the water and construct theories why things worked, didn't work or were just flukes. Too cerebral for many but challenging nonetheless. I refuse to read fishing articles or watch fishing shows based on misinformation that is useless on the water. The meat & potatoes of fishing in IMO is all of the above.
Thanks for reading.
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Quote:... it pays to listen to those that are having success with methods I don't use. It might not be a method I'm using but it will likely help a bunch, in a certain situation.
None of what I conveyed is meant as gospel but after having spent so many days on the water and after catching so many fish on different lures, I've fit together pieces of the puzzle, playing with different variables such as line size, jig weight, jig hook size, lure design, types of retrieve, etc. Having noted which seems to work best most times, I've come to the conclusion that there are only a few good ways to catch fish a majority of the time but that many lure designs and colors can do the job 100 % of the time - at least for pan fish.
I fish from a boat 100% of the time (except when the boat launch was closed Dec. 27) and always check my sonar for bottom configuration, softness/ hardness, weeds, depth and bait fish. Larger fish on the screen I'm usually not interested in because the depth I usually fish is under 15' and I believe those fish are spooked by the trolling motor.
What I would suggest to anyone just learning how to catch fish the first time out is the following as a start to learning a few pieces of the puzzle:
5-5'6" light action rod
4-6 lb test mono
1/32-1/16 oz ball head jigs (unpainted, no bait holder barb)
A straight tail grub
Next I would say after rigging the lure would be to fan cast everywhere one can, retrieving the lure as slow as possible with slight twitches of the rod tip and a stop & go rate of retrieve. Also, try different depths in the same area.Your lure finds fish by provoking them to bite something slow moving and easily sucked in. (Think in terms of the similarity of getting a cat to go after a toy mouse on a string.)
If my young grandkids could catch fish the first time out, anyone can (BTW the youngest was 6 and the lure was dragged slowly along under a float.)
Fishing to me is more than just catching fish the same way day after day. I need to answer questions that come up every time I go out on the water and construct theories why things worked, didn't work or were just flukes. Too cerebral for many but challenging nonetheless. I refuse to read fishing articles or watch fishing shows based on misinformation that is useless on the water. The meat & potatoes of fishing in IMO is all of the above.
Thanks for reading.
[signature]