By: Tobin Strickland – CAM Special Correspondent
You’ve spent a lot of money on your gear and your boat, not to mention the time and money it took to put this trip together. You’ve taken the time to research, read articles, books, even buy DVDs. And here’s the deal, if you don’t plan your approach, it all goes out the window.
I was just about to enter a favorite big trout flat on a busy Saturday afternoon, and there were quite a few people on the water in the general area… but no one on the flat itself. While I was about to begin my approach, an “over-excited” boat owner decided to enter the flat. He headed straight for the entrance to the flat, pulled off of plane, did a 360 spin at idle, then hammered down and meandered across the entire flat on plane. He exited out another end just about as unintentionally as he entered.
Just what did they intend to accomplish? Were they scouting? If they expected to fish that flat anytime in the next 24 hours, they could have done all their scouting without ever running up on it.
When high numbers of baitfish are together, there are several signs visible from 100 yards away. Many people see long linear slicks and call them “wind slicks.” Wind makes ripples on the water; it does not make slicks. A long linear slick on the water can often be made by baitfish. They bump into each other releasing oils; they burp, fart, and poo…that’s a technical term. But all together it creates on long line of shiny slick water. If you see this sort of sign over the right habitat or structure, odds are there will be a predator or two around. There were other signs on the flat as well. Had they pulled up 50 yards out, shut down the outboard and utilized a pair of binoculars, they could have seen them as well. As my good friend Joey Barnett of GNettfishing.com says, “Stop, look and listen when you approach a fishing area.”
Plan a stealthy approach to your chosen big trout flats. Pull up 50 yards outside the flat you are going to fish and stop. Look at the water and read the signs. Once you’ve confirmed what you wanted to see in terms of sign, approach the area in such a way that won’t spook the fish. Turn off the outboard; use the troll motor and ease in to position. I sometimes even plan my wading approach to include a short, quiet walk along a shoreline. I can move faster along the shoreline out of the water and then ease into the water unnoticed. Use Google Earth or another aerial photo source and plan how you could stealthily approach high-percentage areas. I promise, it will make a difference.
Tobin created TroutSupport.com – Tech Support for Speckled Trout and Red Drum fishermen. Their instructional DVDs clearly show the signs others overlook.
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