Trying To Improve At Fishing. Please Help!
- Thread starter Stizzla
- Start date
Stizzla
Crew Member
Reading tides is also one aspect I need practice on. I usually just get to my spot, stop the boat and see which way it pulls me.
Rain City
Crew Member
I keep this link on my home screen on my phone along with two weather apps, navionics and this forum. I know exactly where and what I'm doing before I wake up. https://www.tide-forecast.com/locations/Vancouver-British-Columbia/tides/latest
Aces
Well-Known Member
M
My Lowrance chart plotter has a tide button which shows you what the tide is doing
UkeeDreamin
Well-Known Member
Keep a journal. Doesn’t matter if it’s fresh or salt, fish have seasonal as well as daily patterns, as the season changes, so does the bait: locations, depths, species, size, etc. Your local ares won’t fish the same on every tide or morning vs mid-day vs evening. Keeping a journal helps a lot of folks figure out what works in their local area by season, time of day, tide, what bait is available, what depths tend to work, etc.
Working out these “patterns” is particularly important if you have limited time and short fishing windows, as you won’t have the luxury of sorting through various options and locations to figure out a pattern daily. You also dont have the time in a short window to “stick and stay to make it pay”, aka as grinding out tried and true location, depth, bait etc until fish show up or “turn on”.
There’s a reason seasoned locals and guides produce, they’ve paid their dues over many seasons to earn the knowledge that gives them the best starting point in any given season or on any given day.
Cheers!
Ukee
Working out these “patterns” is particularly important if you have limited time and short fishing windows, as you won’t have the luxury of sorting through various options and locations to figure out a pattern daily. You also dont have the time in a short window to “stick and stay to make it pay”, aka as grinding out tried and true location, depth, bait etc until fish show up or “turn on”.
There’s a reason seasoned locals and guides produce, they’ve paid their dues over many seasons to earn the knowledge that gives them the best starting point in any given season or on any given day.
Cheers!
Ukee
Stizzla
Crew Member
adanac
Well-Known Member
Don’t over think it, find a spoon, a hoochie, a plug, and a teaser head that works for you and fish the **** out of them . I highly disagree with guys constantly changing out their gear for minor changes in colour that I don’t believe make a difference . All the top rods fish the same gear day in day out, regardless of what they post to make gimmicky Gibbs Delta happy.
casper5280
Crew Member
I don't know how many times I have been with guys that fish everything in there tackle box and not catch a thing. Main reason being their gear is never in the water long enough. I've even seen guys change up gear just after they catch something. Guys will ask me to come fishing with them and all my gear fits in a lunch bag. They'll ask me where my gear is and I just point to my lunch bag. lol
Mako 22
Well-Known Member
Learn how to mooch properly.
Prospect, prospect, prospect. My old Straits chart from the 1970's is well worn but has tons of productive areas marked along with lineups and compass bearings inked on. (No GPS back then and most of us could not afford Loran).
Keep a log book, note tides & currents, locations, bait sighted, what the fish were caught on, anything special. Stomach contents also.
After a few years you will be able to predict where to go.
And I use proven gear. If the stuff below is not working, I move to another of my "holes".
When I am mooching I take three sizes of bait. Small 3 to 4 inch "firecrackers", the standard 6 inch, and some big guys up to 10 inches long. Firecrackers have caught for me when the fish would not touch a 6 inch.
If anyone is interested I will unwind the setup below and explain. Most of the Chinook I have caught have been within 10 feet of the bottom.
Downrigging: This setup has worked for me since about 1979. Still produces!!!
Ummm dynomite on feeder Chinook!!! 18 to 20 feet behind the downrigger wire.
I normally run the flasher/hoochie within 10 feet of the bottom and the plug the same.
My productive areas are drop off ledges that run down to 4oo or so feet deep, I usually fish where the bottom is 160 to 200 feet deep.
60 pound Yama Mono leaders to the flashers and plugs, same for the hoochie leader.
Prospect, prospect, prospect. My old Straits chart from the 1970's is well worn but has tons of productive areas marked along with lineups and compass bearings inked on. (No GPS back then and most of us could not afford Loran).
Keep a log book, note tides & currents, locations, bait sighted, what the fish were caught on, anything special. Stomach contents also.
After a few years you will be able to predict where to go.
And I use proven gear. If the stuff below is not working, I move to another of my "holes".
When I am mooching I take three sizes of bait. Small 3 to 4 inch "firecrackers", the standard 6 inch, and some big guys up to 10 inches long. Firecrackers have caught for me when the fish would not touch a 6 inch.
If anyone is interested I will unwind the setup below and explain. Most of the Chinook I have caught have been within 10 feet of the bottom.
Downrigging: This setup has worked for me since about 1979. Still produces!!!
Ummm dynomite on feeder Chinook!!! 18 to 20 feet behind the downrigger wire.
I normally run the flasher/hoochie within 10 feet of the bottom and the plug the same.
My productive areas are drop off ledges that run down to 4oo or so feet deep, I usually fish where the bottom is 160 to 200 feet deep.
60 pound Yama Mono leaders to the flashers and plugs, same for the hoochie leader.
Last edited:
Mako 22
Well-Known Member
Yes!!! I have sorted out what works for me, if I am not getting hits I move to one of my other locations. Find the right stuff and have faith in it. I am still using gear I bought in the 1980's.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
Killer posts mako
Thank you
Thank you
wishiniwasfishin1
Well-Known Member
And can you please un ravel the mooching leader so we can take a look? Great post btw!Learn how to mooch properly.
Prospect, prospect, prospect. My old Straits chart from the 1970's is well worn but has tons of productive areas marked along with lineups and compass bearings inked on. (No GPS back then and most of us could not afford Loran).
Keep a log book, note tides & currents, locations, bait sighted, what the fish were caught on, anything special. Stomach contents also.
After a few years you will be able to predict where to go.
And I use proven gear. If the stuff below is not working, I move to another of my "holes".
When I am mooching I take three sizes of bait. Small 3 to 4 inch "firecrackers", the standard 6 inch, and some big guys up to 10 inches long. Firecrackers have caught for me when the fish would not touch a 6 inch.
If anyone is interested I will unwind the setup below and explain. Most of the Chinook I have caught have been within 10 feet of the bottom.
Downrigging: This setup has worked for me since about 1979. Still produces!!!
Ummm dynomite on feeder Chinook!!! 18 to 20 feet behind the downrigger wire.
I normally run the flasher/hoochie within 10 feet of the bottom and the plug the same.
My productive areas are drop off ledges that run down to 4oo or so feet deep, I usually fish where the bottom is 160 to 200 feet deep.
60 pound Yama Mono leaders to the flashers and plugs, same for the hoochie leader.
fish brain
Crew Member
I really don't think you have enough 602 plugsLearn how to mooch properly.
Prospect, prospect, prospect. My old Straits chart from the 1970's is well worn but has tons of productive areas marked along with lineups and compass bearings inked on. (No GPS back then and most of us could not afford Loran).
Keep a log book, note tides & currents, locations, bait sighted, what the fish were caught on, anything special. Stomach contents also.
After a few years you will be able to predict where to go.
And I use proven gear. If the stuff below is not working, I move to another of my "holes".
When I am mooching I take three sizes of bait. Small 3 to 4 inch "firecrackers", the standard 6 inch, and some big guys up to 10 inches long. Firecrackers have caught for me when the fish would not touch a 6 inch.
If anyone is interested I will unwind the setup below and explain. Most of the Chinook I have caught have been within 10 feet of the bottom.
Downrigging: This setup has worked for me since about 1979. Still produces!!!
Ummm dynomite on feeder Chinook!!! 18 to 20 feet behind the downrigger wire.
I normally run the flasher/hoochie within 10 feet of the bottom and the plug the same.
My productive areas are drop off ledges that run down to 4oo or so feet deep, I usually fish where the bottom is 160 to 200 feet deep.
60 pound Yama Mono leaders to the flashers and plugs, same for the hoochie leader.
ab1752
Crew Member
Stizzla I think you should win SFBC posts of the year. Anyway one thing I learned this year is I now leave my UV flashers in the light for a half hour before dunking them as it seems to bring back the UV. Likely everyone else knows this already but it works for me. Also Mako's hoochie rig is what I am using too, most likely I found it in an old post of his...pretty much instant increase in success.
Oh and the number one thing I've learned is friends don't let friends use ****** swivels. Life is too short for that.
Oh and the number one thing I've learned is friends don't let friends use ****** swivels. Life is too short for that.
advTHXance
Well-Known Member
As I understand it UV blades wont hold a charge, they just reflect UV light, which happens to penetrate the water column deeper than the regular sunlight we see. Glow tape will hold a charge, so you should be charging that if anything. Test it out in a dark room!
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