A few years ago (okay…it was a l-o-n-g time ago) I was fishing my first ever B.A.S.S Federation bass tournament. It was a two-day event being held on Melvern Reservoir. In those days the tournament limit was whatever the state limit was. At the time it was a 10-fish daily limit and a 15” length limit. (Today most tournaments limit fisherman to 5-fish a day.)
The first day I had 11-keepers and was required to release one to get to my 10-fish limit. I led the Kansas B.A.S.S. Federation tournament the first day weighing in the only 10-fish limit of the day. The reason I share this story is because the guy that I shared a boat with that day never caught a keeper fish all day!How is that possible? How could I catch so many keeper fish and he catch none…fishing from the same boat in the same places with the same lures?
If you have fished much at all I know this has happened to you. Hopefully you were the one doing the catching. There are several things that go into being a successful fisherman. Most important is understanding the biological needs of the fish you are trying to catch and how those needs are being met in the body of water you happen to be fishing that day. All fish have their own unique needs and those change based on time of year, water temperature, water conditions, weather conditions and available/preferred food sources.
Too often we place too much emphasis on the color or action of our lures, some special “twitch” we impart to the lure or bait, scent or the sound it might make. Usually these are the least important. After all, the best lure in the world will catch no fish if fished where there are no fish! In a future posting we will talk in detail about the two most important things to consideration when trying to catch your favorite fish…“Speed and Depth”.
Back to why I caught so many fish and he didn’t. The answer was simple. Because of weather conditions the fish had literally buried themselves deep into the available cover. So lures either presented on the “edge” of the cover or on “top” of the cover would draw no strikes. The lure had to be presented such that it was allowed to sink deep into the middle of the cover.
Most fish were being caught in less than 3-feet of water but literally down in the middle of the brush. I was using a 5/8oz slip sinker with my plastic worm…normally considered way to heavy for such shallow water. He was using a ¼ oz sinker…normally considered the “correct” weight for such shallow water. We were fishing the same color and size of worm. The difference? My sinker was heavy enough to “force” my plastic worm deep into the middle of the brush without “settling” in the top of the brush. His smaller sinker was simply not heavy enough to get his worm through the brush to where the fish were. Yes, I suggested he make the change (several times!) but he just wouldn’t do it. The result? I qualified for the Kansas B.A.S.S Federation team…and he did not! (Hope he isn’t reading this right now!)
Recently I made a trip to the KDOT East Lake (east corner of 96 & 135 in Wichita). The goal wasn’t to fish…it was to interview and film others fishing. Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect, but did I luck out. I met a group of really great people and they gave me permission to shoot some video. The result is funny, entertaining and educational. The two guys fishing are brothers and one is catching channel catfish on every cast while the other is being “skunked”…using the same bait… nightcrawlers. Sound familiar?
Join me as we discover why one was catching fish and the other wasn’t. There is a great lesson to be learned that will help us all catch more fish.
What lesson? The next time you are not catching fish…and your fishing partner (or others around you) is…pay attention to the details.
Until next time…go fishing…keep some to eat…turn back the rest…and check back in soon.
Clayhttp://www.KansasFisherman.com
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