Every year I try to make a conscious decision to get better at one aspect of the craft. One year it was to learn to catch with a needlefish and after many, many fruitless nights, I figured it out and now, generally do very well with them(but that's another story).

Last year my resolution was to follow my gut as much as I could in terms of places, tides, etc. I found that trusting my gut paid off way more than it didn't.

As a cool example, a few weeks back I was heading to the Canal for an early morning bite. As I rigged the gear the night before, I put my trusty stick shadd on my 126mh, along with my just rebuilt Z27. This is my favorite canal outfit and I felt lost without it while the reel was being serviced. Set the rod in the racks when I suddenly had a hunch. I remembered a highliner that I respect tremendously telling me he had done well recently with big metal lips. I generally don't like them in the fast water but we were looking at daybreak slack. I pulled out a new Choopy A40 in Parrot and just got that gut feeling. Instead of putting it on the Z, I put it on my conventional 126.

Next morning as I arrive, a few fish are starting to show. Several guys are on with decent fish. I luck into some room and on the first cast with the conventional............Backlash!! Dohhh!!! After a bit of picking, we are good and and on the next cast(lob), slowww retrieve, when I gut a good thump, then the line starts screaming. 37.2#. 4 casts later, on again, 35.5#. Gave the spot to a buddy after that and stopped fishing.

Would I have gotten those fish on the stick shadd? Maybe, maybe not. I know that I usually work the shadd alot quicker than the metal lip. That big ML culled out the 2 largest of the morning by far.

So, couple questions. Anyone else throwing big ML's in the Canal with success and how about a few stories on following your gut.

WoW, hell a nice fish...congrats. Can't say much about the canal, since I don't fish it, but I too will try to go with my hit feelinga, as much add possible...maybe it's experience that's talking.
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so it's taken you 30 years of fishing to start trusting your instinct. you grow slower than a tog :rotf2:,

Congrats on the two fish....:)

Nice fish Rick!

swwwweeeeet

Wish I trusted my gut on my wedding day.
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Had a trust yer gut experience at the canal last week...... was slinging a magic swimmer and felt the awful feeling like i was gonna cast it off. Went to my bag and switched it up with an sp minnow...FIRST cast the bail flips over and the sp isn't heavy enough to break the line. I woulda been soooooooooooo sour if I casted off the MS after not going with my gut.

Those fish will usually hit almost anything when passing through and feeding. I have a 14 inch jointed mackerel I used to bring. I would catch fish with it when they were passing through and feeding. They are nice at slack and just before or after. But I would say you would have hooked up with the sebile too. Maybe even more fish. But who knows for sure.
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big medal lips rock....fast/slow/slack...this one's 6.2oz 9 inchs of wood body http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o454/stripercrazy/62ozpikie.jpg

great story, nice fishes

Nice fish Rick. Couple of slobs!

Nice fish Rick well deserved. Hope all is well
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My gut always tells me to avoid the canal. Sometimes I go anyways. Usually I regret it.

Use ur gut and you will be dancing with fat girls

Use ur gut and you will be dancing with fat girls

The way my gut is shaping up lately, that's about as good as I can hope for.....
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Nice fish Rick

Wish I trusted my gut on my wedding day.
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But then think of all the experience and wisdom you would be with out.
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I had a gut feeling last night for some large.... It didnt go as I had planned in my head.

Hi Rick :wavey:

I had a gut feeling last night for some large.... It didnt go as I had planned in my head.

You weren't singing :rotf2:

Wish I trusted my gut on my wedding day.
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:rotflmao:

my gut told me to go to the further show last night and then caddy this morning, instead of goin there today. you might be on to somethin...

I got an invite on a buddies boat last night. My gut told me to go, but my wife told me no, cuz we had baby class. This kid has been sending me pics of progressively larger fish over the last few days. 3 days ago was 35. The next day a 40. After that a 50. Stupid baby class! The baby is going to pop out anyway. Millions have, millions will. You don't need a stupid class for that. What about all the animals that have babies? Do they take a class? WTF. Anyway, I woke this morning w/ a text sent to my phone of a HAWG! Boat fish don't count anyway. BUt my gut has been killing me ever since I saw the pic. Stupid baby classes!!

Don't know the exact specs it was released.

I have had VERY good luck with CCT Dannys in the canal. There is something special about the way they swim when tuned to dive. They run deep and keep a wiggle. Only CCT dannys for asome reason. Another metal lip that works well is the jointed senior from AH. I love big metal lips, i get made fun of by a couple guys i fish with becasue of the size of the plugs i throw.

That's a great story and some really nice fish. I think fishing the CCC has a lot to do with trusting your gut and having faith, since the fishing is so hot and cold, and usually more on the cold side. And since a lot of times you need to be there at such odd hours, believing you'll catch a nice fish is what ets you out of bed!
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Those fish will usually hit almost anything when passing through and feeding. [/i][/size]

Can't say I agree here... you must only go when your cell rings. :smash:

There are more days when they are keyed in on action and especially size than they're not. Even on those "pinch me" days, you may think you're crushing fish, but if you experiment you'll often find that you were hitting a fraction of what was actually possible..

Can't say I agree here... you must only go when your cell rings. :smash:

There are more days when they are keyed in on action and especially size than they're not. Even on those "pinch me" days, you may think you're crushing fish, but if you experiment you'll often find that you were hitting a fraction of what was actually possible..

:uhuh:

What's this talk about "Trusting your Gut"???? ...:confused:

I thought the PX40 program was supposed to get rid of that thang!! :rotf2:


I don't have to tell you nice fish, you've heard it plenty.... and God knows that head is inflated enough :devil2:...hey, did your buddy eat the shark he kept? Seems like I was sitting on that school while you waded out past me into the bass-bite...you do know they were all around you right???...:shark::shark:...still can't believe I didn't pick up a bass on those bloody chunks,,, I was fishing them weightless trying to avoid them but it didn't take but seconds before I felt the sharks fighting for it, like I was casting into a kennel of em.

See you soooooooooooon...:fishin:

He ate it and loved it! Wants more!

The bass were only there for about 15 mins out of 3 hours! Conditions were too good to leave and luckily we stayed long enough to get a few. Rigged Eels were the ticket.

Can't say I agree here... you must only go when your cell rings. :smash:

There are more days when they are keyed in on action and especially size than they're not. Even on those "pinch me" days, you may think you're crushing fish, but if you experiment you'll often find that you were hitting a fraction of what was actually possible..

My cell only rings while I'm working. And I fish there more than most.

Wish I trusted my gut on my wedding day.
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Which one?:rotf2:

The way my gut is shaping up lately, that's about as good as I can hope for.....
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Hahaha everyone knows you get more action outta fattys

Trusted my gut and went down to my local breachway last week at near slack low.

Had the place to myself at 2:00AM.

Except for the 46" heifer that ate my plug an hour into the flood.

:-))
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Which one?:rotf2:

First one didn't count, the guy who married us wore a purple robe with gold stars and moons on it. I am not making that up. I called him Merlin ( he didn't find it funny )so I think I'm cursed. Yeah, I'm definitely cursed.............:screwy:

Trusted my gut today, didn't work out so well.
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Interesting post Rick. Did your "gut" call you at 3AM to drag your sorry arse out of....well, whatever you were in???

Congrats Mr Man...as much as I like to bust your chops, I ain't gonna break 'em too bad after that outing!!! Well done bro!!!
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Oh yeah, Sebiles that day were taking fish no doubt!!!! However, the big dawgs obviously wanted the slow wiggle of the Choopy metal lip!