To catch fish, Think like a fish!

[fishfight]

Putting time in is one of the key factor in getting hits, assuming fish is not too active at that moment. If there are limited anglers around, casting few times on one spot then move in sectional increments, let say move 8 ft increments each time , applying slow retrieve, then stop for few seconds, then retrieve again, then go back to where you started. I landed fish on any lures at times due to hard work and determination.

Before I even make my first cast, I would first scout how deep the area by dropping my lure right close to where I would be fishing, counting how many seconds it takes to reach the bottom. I would then cast at the maximum distance my lure would go, and do the same, count the number of seconds before it reaches the bottom. This will help me estimate how long I want my lure to be close to the bottom during my retrieve or how high I want my lure to be.

How slow of a retrieve one should apply when fish are not active? I would apply half a turn on my reel handle.....yank the rod by a ft........stop for 2-3 seconds......then turn my reel handle again by half turn......Why this slow? Let us imagine you are a predator fish who is not too hungry, you see a bait fish 6-10ft away moving straight against you, as you approach to investigate, if the bait fish continue to move away consistently on a steady pace, Would you want to go after it? Probably not. Based on your past experience, since by the time you approach the bait fish, it will dart away and try to escape, causing you to lose unnecessary energy. Now imagine the opposite, you being a predator, you witness an ailing bait fish not moving away on a straight line, as you approach to investigate, the ailing bait fish darts up and down, only move on a short distance and stop, sometimes it even move backward( by allowing your rod to fall away from you to allow the lure to drop backward ). Now as you approach closer to the ailing prey....there seem to be no obvious motion that your prey can dart away that easily, your instinct was this is an easy meal, your mind made up and you go for it.

I also hold my rod with a light grip so I can feel the lure action and its water surroundings, how light do I hold my rod handle? A 1/2 lb bass will be able to yank my 7' rod backward when it hits, once I feel the hit sensation different from the lure hitting some debris or weeds or current, that is the only time I yank and set the hook, I reset it again 2 to 3 times to ensure proper hook set. We need to imagine if we were an ailing bait fish, how would we be moving underwater?

I always tell other anglers that to catch a fish, we have to think like a fish! Mature bigger fish are like human adults, we do not have time to eat mini meals many times a day? One or two big meal a day is enough for us. While smaller fish are like growing teens that have lot of energy to burn, they will eat more often, small meals and snacks, here and there, all throughout the day.