Tactics & Tackle

Staying in Touch
by Mark Sosin

It sounded simple. "Touch," my father would tell me, repeating himself to make sure I heard him. "Touch, master it and you'll catch fish." From my earliest recollections, hardly a day on the water passed without that word becoming part of the lesson. He applied it to drifting a bait in a chumslick, bouncing a bucktail, working a lure at mid-depth, and dragging bottom with a sinker and bait.

The concept proved much more complex than the description. Basically, one must hone his sense of feel so that he knows what a bait or lure is doing every second and precisely where it is in the water column. To be effective, an offering must appear natural and placed in the productive zone where the fish happen to be.

Touch becomes particularly important when dealing with bottom dwellers. Most species spend the major portion of their lives in the lower 10 percent of the water column, because that's where they find food and cover. A fish on the bottom seldom chases a bait that suddenly pops up a considerable distance above its lie. Exceptions always occur, but those who catch fish consistently focus on the best chances for success.

Deep jigging refers to the technique of working a leadheaded jig from the bottom through the water column to the surface. By allowing the boat to drift, the angler covers different water on each drop. If bottom species become the primary target, it pays to modify tactics.

Several theories attempt to explain why a jigged lure works better when the line is straight up and down. The reason isn't really as important as the simple fact that it's true. That means dropping the jig over the side and letting it fall directly to the bottom instead of casting it. If the boat is drifting rapidly, you may have to lob the lure a short distance upcurrent so the line is straight when the lure reaches the bottom.

Retrieving the offering through the entire water column on a single drop only makes sense when you are fishing for a variety of species. With activity concentrated on the bottom, you simply work the jig for about 8 to 10 feet and then let it drop right back to the bottom. Repeat the procedure two or three times more. Every time you drop back to the bottom, the angle of the line changes because the boat is drifting.

When the angle reaches about 45 degrees or more, it's time to reel in and start again. By keeping the lure near the bottom for the maximum length of time, you cover much more productive territory and keep the jig in the pay zone longer. If you insist on jigging all the way to the surface after each drop, the offering could miss concentrations of fish.

In terms of touch, you have to feel the lure strike the bottom each time. When the water is particularly deep, the actual bounce might defy detection, but the line goes slack for an instant. Unless the lure lingers right on the bottom or a few feet above, your chances of catching fish diminish dramatically. Never forget that small baitfish the size of the jig don't make 10-foot jumps with a single flick of the tail. Work the artificial with a delicate touch, mentally monitoring the action you are imparting.

Tending the line correctly poses a problem for bottom fishermen. The key to success lies in using the lightest sinker that will keep the bait on the bottom. With a drifting boat or even from an anchored boat when the current is strong, insuring that the sinker rests on the bottom takes constant monitoring.

The same vertical drop that one would use for deep jigging also works with a sinker and bait. Make certain you feel the sinker touch bottom or you actually see the line go slack for an instant. Once that has been achieved, take up any excess slack so that you maintain taut contact with the bait.

Experienced bottom bouncers picture the sinker dragging over the terrain. They raise the rod very slightly every few seconds and let the sinker fall back to the bottom. If they don't feel bottom each time they do this, a little more line is released from the reel. The procedure is repeated over and over again until the angle of the line passes about 45 degrees and certainly before it reaches 60 degrees.

What you must avoid is the tendency of the current to lift the bait above the fish and out of the productive zone. Remember that a belly often sags in the line. Although the line appears relatively straight up and down, the sinker might actually be farther away than you suspect.

Anytime you can't feel the sinker on the bottom, you are wasting precious moments and could be passing over the fish you hope to catch. You have to know that the bait is precisely on or near the bottom at all times. It takes constant work, but the rewards make it worthwhile.

At times, bottom fishermen want to probe a wider area than the zone directly under the boat. With relatively light tackle, casting makes sense and can be effective. When you make the cast, monitor the line until the sinker strikes bottom. If the bait doesn't get there, the entire retrieve will be above the fish.

Once the cast is made and the sinker reaches bottom, use the rod to ease the sinker along. This should be done slowly and carefully in order to avoid hopping the sinker with giant leaps. Each time the sinker edges toward you, recover slack line. Movement does not have to be constant. You can pause for a few moments and, if nothing happens, lift the rod slowly and move the sinker. Under some circumstances, this method may catch fish when the straight drop fails.

Touch becomes equally important when you drift a bait in a chumslick or live-line a frisky offering. The key to fishing in a slick centers on feeding just the right amount of slack line to keep the bait moving at the same rate as the natural chum. That means you have to add line before it comes tight. If the bait is held back for an instant, it rises above the chum. Too much slack also causes problems, because it's difficult to know where your line really lies. And, you might keep feeding line while the end is holding right near the boat.

With a live bait, simply allow enough slack for the fish or crustacean to swim freely while still maintaining control. Tethering the live bait on too tight a line may prove counter productive; letting it swim with too much slack becomes troublesome when trying to set the hook.

Call it touch, feel, a sixth sense, or simply experience. Whatever term you use to describe it, the ability to make a bait appear natural and know exactly where it is at every moment will make you better at the sport. That's why my father insisted on talking about it every time we fished together.

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Tactics & Tackle

Staying in Touch by Mark Sosin

Staying in Touch
by Mark Sosin