Successful fishing necks down to two things. The first challenge focuses on finding the species you are planning to catch, and the second phase centers on getting them to eat a bait or strike an artificial. Everybody may know that, but not all anglers achieve their goals on the water. The key lies in planning your day and working your plan.
Did you ever wonder why leading guides almost always find and catch fish every time they are on the water? There’s no mystery or deep, dark secret. They know the area they fish, they understand the preferences of the species they seek, and they plan their day in advance.
If you fish the same waters repeatedly, you should have a pretty fair idea of where your quarry should be based on the tide, water temperature, bait concentrations and basic experience. Decide before you leave the dock where you plan to start and the next three or four spots if the first one doesn’t pan out. It’s also important to spend sufficient time in each location to make sure you give it a fair chance to produce results.
Regardless if you are new to the area or fish there all the time, there are basic approaches you should constantly remember. If you can learn the depth where fish were caught recently, chances are they will still be lingering at that depth even if you don’t know the precise spot. During new and full moons, if you fish the shallows, the tides will be higher and lower. On the incoming water, fish will push up shallower and then drop off the flat during the last of the outgoing tide. If you see sharks cruising a flat, that’s a good indication of the depth you should be looking for fish.
For those who prefer trolling, try a zigzag course working at a 45-degree angle deeper and then shallower until you start getting strikes. On the offshore grounds, look for weedlines, debris, currents, birds, baitfish and anything else out of the ordinary. Troll with the current, against the current, from deep to shallow, and shallow to deep until you hit paydirt.
Remember the theory of “seats in a restaurant.” Fish tend to hold in very specific places. Even if you catch one, another will replace it shortly. That means you need to keep going back to exact spots where you caught fish in the past. Too many anglers simply fish at random without studying the area they plan to fish. Even if you’ve never fished those waters before, study the currents, the dropoffs, and necks of a funnel where water flows in an out in channels.
Finally, if you use natural bait, make sure it is fresh and change it frequently so it constantly gives off maximum odor. Live bait should be frisky. Replace it every 15 or 20 minutes. If you prefer artificials, stick with the basics and with lures that have caught fish in the past. You can try new lures when you find the fish and are having a banner day. The price of success is eternal vigilance on the water. Stay alert, follow a game plan, and you should be smiling at the end of the day.