Time For a Change
Setting The Hook
Neatness Counts
The Confidence Game
Stick Your Hand in the Water
The Elimination Process
Water Depth
Double Hooked Baits
Plug Tracking To One Side
Adjustable Sliding Rig, by John Sykes
Time For a Change
Habit sings a siren's song that hides a deadly trap. We tend to be creatures of habit, fishing the same areas, using the same lures, and following identical patterns every time we're on the water. That approach may work on many days, but it also has built-in limitations. Conditions change constantly and fish modify their behavior to adapt. If the fish aren't biting, look for new spots and try to analyze he conditions. Experiment with different tactics. Keep changing your setup and approach until something positive happens. Learn to search the entire water column when possible. Work an area with a game plan rather than at random. Even on the good days, it pays to spend a little time experimenting and searching for new spots. As you add to your knowledge, you will be better equipped to produce fish on those days when most folks return to the dock with only a suntan.
Setting The Hook
More strikes are missed because anglers insist on setting the hook at the wrong time with a vicious swipe of the rod. You'll hook more fish if you follow the proper technique and let timing work for you. The key lies in making sure that the line is absolutely tight before you do anything. When you feel a strike, crank the reel handle rapidly until the line tightens and you can feel the fish straining on the other end. In some instances, you may want to hesitate a moment until the fish swims off and the line comes tight or use a combination of both methods. At that time, you can continue reeling or make several short, sharp jabs to the side with the rod. By setting with the rod horizontal to the water, you keep the bait or lure in front of the fish if you miss. Keep in mind that you don't have to wait a long time for a fish to swallow a bait (even a live one). They can gulp their meal in a fraction of a second. Remember to take the slack out of the line before setting the hook and you'll land more fish.
Neatness Counts
Fish respond better to bait that is fresh and neatly trimmed. Ragged chunks of bait tend to be a turnoff. Soaking a bait in the water too long saps the odor it gives off. That's why it's important to change bait frequently.
Sense of smell is vital to most species and they use it to find food. Bait works better in a current because the flowing water helps to broadcast this smell track. The same theory of fresh bait applies to live bait. Change a live bait often so that it remains frisky. Rest tired baits in the live well. You will be surprised at how much better fresh bait can be. And, you should be aware that there are smells that repel. If you have gas, oil, sunscreen, and other contaminants on your hands, touching a bait or lure produces a negative effect. Keeping your hands clean or rubbing a neutralizing agent on them could result in more fish.
The Confidence Game
Confidence holds the key to catching fish consistently. It's critical to believe in the spot you are fishing, the technique you are using, and the bait or lure secured to the end of the line. When you begin to have doubts about any facet of the process, it's time to make a change. Serious anglers go through the mental exercise of thinking that a fish is about to grab their bait. They work their offering as if something is about to happen. If they lose that edge, they change baits or lures, try another technique, or change spots. Remember that there are several effective approaches to catching any fish. Have confidence in the one you are using and it should produce positive results.
Stick Your Hand In The Water
A thermometer often ranks as the most effective fishing lure in your tackle box. Water temperature should be considered the single most important factor in determining where fish will be. Each species has its temperature preferences and tolerances and that includes forage fish (bait species). Fish are extremely sensitive to temperature differences as minor as a fraction of one degree. That means that when you discover a temperature change, fish can be in the warmer or the cooler water. And, if the water is cooler or warmer than a fish's preferences, chances are they won't be there. Carry a thermometer and check water temperature frequently. It will help you to find fish consistently.
The Elimination Process
The elimination process holds the secret to most research. Instead of looking for something, you try to eliminate those places where it isn't or those things that won't work. That approach moves you toward the right answer rather than away from it.
Fishing is no different. The only thing on which you can count is some type of change. Conditions are never the same. One lure may have worked yesterday, you'll need a different one today. The hotspot last week turns out to be as cold as the ice in your cooler this week.
Veteran skippers and experienced anglers constantly work a system based on the elimination process. They'll start at the last known reference point or where they are told the fish should be. Then, they'll try different baits, a variety of lures, and even modify techniques until they discover the system that works at that moment. It might change again in an hour and they'll make further adjustments.
The key to catching fish on a consistent basis centers on one's ability to recognize change and work through the elimination process using experience and reason to produce educated guesses. Try it!
Water Depth
Finding the right water depth for the species you seek ranks as a critical factor. If somebody else is catching fish, you don't need to know the precise spot. The first question to ask centers on water depth. If you know how deep that person was fishing, you can find a similar area and catch fish. Experts will tell you that if they know the depth, they can locate fish. For some reason, fish frequently prefer a specific depth at a given time.
Some species migrate daily. Striped bass, for example, may feed closer to shore early and late in the day, easing off into deeper water as the sun gets higher. Certain bait species follow the same pattern, luring predators with them.
On the inshore grounds, tides affect water depth dramatically. Fish are often creatures of habit, preferring a particular area on a specific phase of the tide. I have fished with several experts who were skilled at following the tide. They fished an area for only a few minutes and then moved to a new spot, even if you were catching fish. Over the years, they figured out the basic movement of fish in relation to the tide and positioned themselves to take advantage of it.
Pay attention to water depth and you'll be pleased with the results.
Double Hooked Baits
If you use tandem hooks in a mullet, ballyhoo (balao), mackerel, or other bait, you may experience difficulty in making them swim right. Try putting a small barrel swivel between the two hooks rather than linking the hooks together directly. The swivel adds flexibility and helps to eliminate spin or roll.
Plug Tracking To One Side
A plug should track straight through the water. If it veers to one side or the other, you can correct it by bending the eye to which the line or leader is tied. You don't have to move the eye very far to make the adjustment. When the plug tracks left, move the eye to the right. Ease the eye to the left if the plug veers right. A loop knot tied to the eye gives a plug more flexibility in the water. Avoid snaps or snap swivels, particularly when using light line and small plugs.
Adjustable Sliding Rig
One of the most common rigs in Florida is the sliding rig, a variation on the fishfinder rig, where a barrel weight is used on the leader between the hook and the running line. To give you more flexibility, try tying the rig as follows:
Snell or tie the hook onto 6 ft or more of your favorite leader material. Then, slip the free end of the leader through a glass or plastic bead, then loop the leader around the bead and pass it through the hole in the same direction. Thread your barrel weight onto the leader, then add another bead as above. Tie a loop in the end of the leader or leave the end free to tie to your running line with a no name knot. Now, by loosening the loop of leader around the glass beads, they may be moved up or down the leader to adjust the distance between the lower bead and the hook and between the two beads to give the barrel weight more or less room to slide back and forth.
– John Sykes