Look Beyond The Obvious

By Buck Perry Fishing Facts, Sep. 1984

Excerpts:

> If I had a depth sounder, I would still do the trolling. Lures that are trolled properly will give a more detailed picture of the shape, depths, and the condition of the bottom than a depth sounder. But more importantly, the lures on the troll would have me "fishing" all the time. Furthermore, if I used a depth sounder as an aid in determining what bottom features were present, the speed of the boat would be rather fast, anyway, to get a good picture of the changes in the bottom.

If the boat is moving slowly, such as with a paddle or an electric motor, a depth sounder is not likely to allow a true interpretation of the bottom features (structure, breaks, breaklines, deep water). So I may as well be trolling a lure while I learn whats down below. Much too often the fisherman doesn't realize these things and he skips trolling. Trolling is still an outstanding, "teacher."

> My thoughts and "guidelines" in the fishing situations discussed are:

(1) Fish spend the greater part of their time in deep water—a sanctuary from a changing environment (when deep water is available to them). And they are usually so deep, or so dormant, they are almost impossible to catch.

(2) Fish are not active and moving ALL the time. Therefore I must exercise patience quite often for the fish to become active and move shallower.

(3) When the fish move shallower, they follow bottom features (structure, breaks or breaklines) to show them the way. I can also recognize the same features the fish use in their movements and migrations.

(4) How far the fish move toward the shallows and how long they stay is controlled by weather and water conditions (at that time). And I have found the weather and water conditions are seldom good enough for all the fish, and especially the larger ones, to move shallow enough for the shoreline fisherman to make a decent catch consistently.

(5) To handle the different fishing situations faced, I must control the depth and speed of my lures (or bait) on or around the bottom features (structure, breaks, breaklines) the fish use in their movements and migrations. To handle all the situations, trolling is the "teacher" and is just as important as casting - and in some instances may be the only way to put the fish on the stringer.

8 Rules For Bigger Fish

8 Rules To Help You Catch Big Fish

By Spence Petros

Fishing Facts, Sep 1984

Excerpt:

RULE 1 - Fish Where Your Chances Are Best ... deals with selecting trophy-producing waters.

RULE 2 - Be Aware Of Key Times And Conditions... deals with seasonal and weather conditions that usually turned the big ones on, plus some examples of on-the-water peak periods that occur.

RULE 3 - Forage Means Fish... explains how important forage is to game fish concentrations. Briefly, the more forage that's funneled through, collected or drawn to a specific area, the better it will generally be for consistently producing numbers of bigger fish.

RULE 4 - Big Balts For Big Fish.... Day in and day out bigger lures and baits will produce a lot more big fish than smaller-to-medium-size baits, unless dealing with certain adverse conditions that were noted.

Now let's get to the final four rules for maximum effectiveness on big fish.

RULE 5 -  ACE-IN-THE-HOLE PRESENTATIONS

I have a standard rule that's almost always followed: If I fish EXACTLY like everyone else on a lake or in an area, my results will pretty much be like everyone else's - average... and that's not a favorite word of mine.

RULE 6 - THAT BIG-FISH FEELING

Of all the rules given, this is the toughest one to teach. That big-fish feeling is similar to a very skilled hunter's sense of awareness. It's more like a feeling that comes over you that seems to signify it's big-fish time or you're on a big-fish spot. Most of these feelings probably stem from years of successful fishing experiences, and only those who have this awareness will understand exactly what is meant.

RULE 7 - LEARN TO 'PATTERN' FISH

Before you learn to "pattern" fish, you should understand what a fish-catching pattern is. By definition, "a pattern is the exact set of water conditions such as depth, cover, struc-ture, temperature, clarity, current, forage availability, etc., which attracts fish to that specific spot and generally to other similar spots all over the same body of water that day." Isolate features which are producing, and try to find similar situations elsewhere.

RULE 8 - MINIMIZE MISTAKES

Unfortunately, a lot of mistakes will never really be cured until they're made. But when a foul-up costs a trophy, you'll remember the hard way.