Author Topic: What's your approach to fishing?  (Read 1044 times)

Offline ctom

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What's your approach to fishing?
« on: 03/08/18 13:19 UTC »
Everyone has an approach to how they fish. The different ways are as many as there are anglers.

Whether I am in the boat or on shore in some fashion I tend to start with a know producer color and profile, then expand from there based on how the bite is. I call it fast fishing because I carry a lot of plastics in a ton of colors and if the bait I start with isn't fitting the bill I am one of those guys who'll switch out baits, colors and actions usually within 15-20 casts as I search for a bait that gets a few back to back hits and then I slow down a really "fish" it. I'll run baits under a float or cast and jig back. I'll maybe to a static float or a slip float and change the retrieve up to get different actions. I'll search water with different baits and colors while vertical jigging submerged structure or marked fish until I connect then I generally will pick the water column apart starting high and slowly working deeper so I don't upset fish by hauling fish thru areas yet to fish.

If I am casting/retrieving without a float on the line I really like using a head on a hook with a 28-35 degree bend that has a swimming action over a head that has a 90 degree bend and leg and offers more of a hop, so I carry modified Wacky Heads for this purpose. I also carry a wide variety of hook sizes in standard collarless ballhead jigs. 1/32 heads will have hooks ranging from a size 8 to a size 2 to accommodate virtually any carry plastic  I make and carry. 1/16 heads have hook sizes from 6 to 2. 1/24 heads have hooks in both 6 and 4. Most of my jigs are either purple or blue but I do carry fluorescent yellow, fluorescent chartreuse, fluorescent orange, and fluorescent hot pink on the off chance I need to use one of those bright colors.

My rods are all between 6 feet and 7 feet in length and are rated for 1/32 to 1/4 ounce jigs but they'll cast a 1/64 well to. Reels are mostly Shimano Saharas or Symetres and are spooled with 4 pound mono or 3 pound Nanolfil.

I'm really at home on the water or casting from shore. I know that Olsarge has a float tube or a kayak, maybe both and that he does well. Mike J and Walleye Wacker are both waders but I know they too are great anglers in a boat. There are a bunch of others on board here that are super successful when they hit the fishing grounds. Muskygary and Lamar have boats.

Other that fishing fairly fast to locate hitting fish, I don't really care to use live bait and the closest I come to live bait as a rule is either a PowerBait and Gulp product. These are in my bucket always.

I try hard to keep my fishing and thinking simple but then I make baits so I have pretty much tossed all of my thinking to the wind and hit the water more complicated than I wanted to.

So how do others here approach their fishing?  Its fun to hear how regional differences come into play with common fish.
There are good ships
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always be ......An Irish Toast

Offline WALLEYE WACKER

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Re: What's your approach to fishing?
« Reply #1 on: 03/08/18 13:48 UTC »
Tom pretty much the same approach test till you find what they want and go from there. Waders I carry jigs & plastics and husky jerks, storm twitch stick, lucky craft pointer 78, berckly flicker minnow. In the boat is a little different but not much blades, tail spins, Lindy rigs heavier jigs and trolling bait’s. I fish with 7’ to 8’ rods but the one that seems to be in my hand the most is the 7’6” medium light fast action  eyecon but just picked up a 13 fishing muse gold that’s 7’6” medium light extra fast. And Kraemer custom that’s 7’ medium light extra fast.
May your days be filled with sun shine and you always have a tight line. AMEN

Offline Lamar

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Re: What's your approach to fishing?
« Reply #2 on: 03/08/18 15:11 UTC »
  I'm a little different then you guys. It's a rare rare day I keep any fish in Ohio. I've tournament bass fished with pretty much the same guy now for 20 years. When you do that you either are pre fishing or fishing a tournament. Neither of us keeps notes but both of us can remember every tournament for the last 20 years and what the conditions were. It's very important to know what the conditions were at what time of year and what the bass were doing. So if you ask me what our approach is I would have to say first to check out what did well last time with these conditions on this body of water this time of year. You'd be surprised how often that will get you close to what is going on. The second thing we do is we talk. I normally have Wednesdays off and he gets different days through the week. So we call each other up and make sure we check different things out. That's important, no reason to beat the same water up over and over again. The last thing is we each fish our strengths. He's one of the best shaky head fisherman I know of and I'm pretty good at flipping. So when we get out on a point or flats he's up front. When we get around cover, weed lines or the bank it's my turn up front. I see to many boat owners always on the front or two people up front. We fish as a team so we fish our strengths. So each day is different and I try not to get stuck on one why to do things. I have starting points from what I've learned in the past and then I listen to the fish and adjust.

Offline olsarge

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Re: What's your approach to fishing?
« Reply #3 on: 03/08/18 17:23 UTC »
This time of year is always hit or miss for the crappie.  We have had 3 separate fronts come thru one after the other that has sent the crappie scrambling.  Tomorrow I will go fishing and my initial strategy will be to throw a 1/16th oz jig (without a bobber) and counting it down and slowly reeling it back in.  I will vary the count till I can figure out where they are at.  If I start catching them shallow (they only need a couple of days of warm weather to start pre-staging again) then the bobber goes on and it is time to play.  I prefer 7 foot rods with a medium action especially for my deeper work and also prefer monofilament line for the stretch.  I do change colors frequently but mostly I change a bait to get a different profile/action (ie, wider slower wiggle, faster wiggle etc) and if that fails I will haul out my trusty small fry and throw it out under a slip float and let it sit in front of their faces.  If all of that fails I go home and drink a cup of coffee thankful that I got to go fishin!!!!!!!!!!!
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Offline WALLEYE WACKER

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Re: What's your approach to fishing?
« Reply #4 on: 03/08/18 20:07 UTC »
Olsarge any more it’s like you said thankful to fish
May your days be filled with sun shine and you always have a tight line. AMEN

Offline Muskygary

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Re: What's your approach to fishing?
« Reply #5 on: 03/08/18 20:14 UTC »
Since I live on a lake, most of my fishing is for three hours early each weekday morning. I like to try different baits; in new colors and play around. If I want fish to eat I usually just fish bluegill out in front of my pier. My lake is also a trophy northern lake so in the fall I do spend a lot of time fishing for them. Walleye fishing is done on another lake across town that is stocked and catching one or two walleye in a morning is a good day.