a strike here, it will be a big hit, so hold
on tightly. When surface fishing, the strike
will be an explosion of white on the water.
You’ll know when that fish hits, for sure!
Another question that people often ask
is, “How do I learn to fish plastic worms?”
For a long time, I couldn’t catch a bass on
plastic worms, no matter how hard I tried.
Plugs and spinners seemed to be the way
for me. I realized that if I wanted to catch
bass and lots of them, I needed to learn
how to fish plastic. So, one nice spring day
I went fishing and all I took with me were
a worm rod, a variety of plastic worms, and
some scent… NO plugs or spinners. One
thing that I had learned is that on a given
day, any person might handle soaps, after
shave or cologne, motor oil, gasoline, foods,
etc. These scents linger on your hands, and
it is easy for them to transfer to the soft
plastic baits. So I had purchased a bottle
of scent to cover-up those various aromas,
and replace them with a scent that is more
acceptable to the fish.
Next, I worked on my retrieval
technique.A worm crawls on the bottom, so
I crawled my plastic bait, trying to imitate
the live worm. I fished very slowly, and with
little results, so I retrieved the worm even
SLOWER than before. I allowed the fish
to pick-up the worm and start to carry it
off before I reacted to set the hook. Some
may dispute this, on the theory that since a
fish has no hands, if the worm moves, it has
to be in his mouth. At times, the fish will
not have a firm grip on the bait, or he may
take hold of the plastic but not the hook.
In those cases, you will yank the bait away
from him. By the time he is carrying the
bait off it is usually in his mouth, both hook
and bait. This yields higher percentages of
sets that result in “Hook-Ups”, and that
means more fish in the boat. Keep trying
this and watch your catch improve... you
won’t want to stop. You’ll be hooked, too.
Another popular question is, “How
do I fish an area that holds lots of fish that
is heavily fished, and the fish don’t want
to bite because they see a lot of baits and
presentations?” Fishing heavy cover in an
area that holds good numbers of fish and
gets a lot of fishing pressure is very difficult,
so if you can learn to catch fish there, you
can fish anywhere.
When trying your luck an area that is
heavily fished, take care not to scare your
quarry away. A successful angler takes his
fishing very seriously; every effort must be
made to improve one’s catch. Don’t rush
in with your boat and cause a lot of wake
splash on the shoreline. Instead, in your
approach to the fishing spot, stop the boat
well short of the target area. Then slowly
continue on to the spot using your electric
trolling motor. Obviously, it will take more
time to reach your spot, but it won’t take
any longer then it takes for the water to
settle down from a sloppy approach, and
the slower approach with your trolling
motor will not spook the fish. Result: you’re
likely to have a much better catch.
Try fishing such a spot with jigs or
Magic worms. A good spinner man or
plug fisherman can fish this area with some
success, but you will do much better with
plastic.In the spring,I like to use Firecracker
or Red-Shad colors. One interesting note:
A lot of times women can fish these areas
better than men... I believe it is because, as
a general rule, women have more patience
when fishing.Most men have a tendency to
be in more of a hurry. If you want to catch
these fish, patience is definitely a virtue.
Cast your plastic worm into the area
(
I usually favor brush or lie-downs) and let
it set. Don’t move it for a while, and then
work it (pull it) very slowly. If this draws no
strike, cast it back in the same location, and
again, let it set.
As you slowly raise your rod tip and
point it at the area where you are fishing,
give the line some slack from the reel so
as not to move the plastic worm. The line
should now be just slightly slack. With the
rod tip pointed at the fish, shake the rod tip
rapidly.This should cause the plastic worm
to shake and AMP, encouraging the fish to
bite—Try this continually until you draw a
strike.The fish can’t resist it, and they strike!
While in Pennsylvania at a trade
show, I discussed this particular method of
fishing with a tackle rep. Upon returning to
that show the next year, I met the same rep
again. In the year that had passed, he had
come up with a new fishing rod specifically
for this method of fishing. He called it a
“
noodle” rod or “Noodling” rod and gave
this type of fishing a name: “noodling”. I
never did own one of those fishing rods.
Instead, I like to use a “medium” tip rod
with a “good” brand name line. (I used to
fish Jim Bagely’s SilverThread line and later
changed my preference to Shakespeare).
There are few things more frustrating
than hooking a good fish and then losing
it while trying to land it in the boat.
Remember these three things, and you will
bring more fish all the way into the boat,
especially the larger ones.
1.
I recommend using a “medium” tip
rod.This type of rod will bend more then a
heavy one, which allows a person more time
to “catch-up” to a fish when that fish starts
a run.The increased sensitivity lets you gain
on the fish and have more control, instead
of letting the fish have control.
2.
A good brand name line will have
a more accurate line test break rate (eg:
20
lb test line), and allows some stretch,
which also gives the fisherman a little more
confidence and ability to land this fish.
3.
Finally, learn to set the drag so
that the line will not break. This is very
important to learn, and I suggest that
you get with someone you trust as a good
fisherman to show you how to set your drag
Good luck and
good fishing!
~Bob King
Fishing Continued...
on various types of reels. It is more practical
to demonstrate how to set the drag than it
is to try and describe it here in words.
Now, here is where some would say
they would use a heavy rod, stronger line,
and a tighter drag to guard against losing a
good fish. You defeat the purpose by doing
this. When the fish runs in this situation, it
is easier for the fish to escape because the
hook will often straighten and/or just pull
out. Improving your catch ratio involves
using as many safe guards as possible, and
in the process, you will become a more
skilled angler.
I cannot over-emphasize: Fishing
slowly is the key. If you want to become
more successful at catching bass, that’s how
it’s done! Don’t give up, take your time, fish
slowly, and when you start learning to fish
plastic, take only plastic and stay with it
until you have mastered this fine art. You
will be glad you did. As always, don’t keep
more than you can use. In this weather,
“
catch and release” may be employed with
all species of fish. You can still take home
some great pictures of your “catch and
release” trophies.
Preserve our resources, remember to
wear safety gear, and abide by the rules.
Follow this advice, fish SLOWLY, and I
am confident you will be pleased with the
results. If the information in this article
helps you to become a more successful
angler, let me hear from you!
TAKE A KID FISHING! You’ll both
be glad you did!
Full moons this spring:
February 25, 3:26 PM.....Full Snow Moon
March 27, 5:27 AM.........Full WormMoon
April 6, 3:19 PM..............Full Pink Moon
May 25, 6:25:00 AM.....Full Flower Moon
Discover Smith Mountain Lake |
www.discoversmithmountainlake.com
Discover Smith Mountain Lake | Spring 2013
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