Things Learned
 

What was the one thing that you learned about fishing for striped bass, that you could not have been taught, that you had to learn for yourself by putting in time.

Was there somthing that you learned that made it just click for you?

I do quite a bit of eel fishing and always try to get the wind directly at my back for maximum casting distance. Some of the places I fish you simply can't get the eel where it needs to be without a stiff breeze at your back. I call them my "Northeast Wind" spots. They're especially productive during a big blow due to the helping wind which might add as much as 50' to a cast. Not sure whether the fish only show on a NE wind, but countless nights its been good with the helping breeze. Same goes for any strong breeze you can get at your back. Some of the early fall SW blows this last year had us into fish we normally couldn't reach

Lesson leaned= flat water with wind at your back is good, don't believe what you read in the books about needing white water and all that crap to catch fish. I used to boat fish alot on the outer cape and noticed many, many nights the fish would be just out of range for the surf guys unless there was a strong SW wind.Since I got back into 100% surf fishing, I've always employed this principle of using the wind as a catching aid. I actually learned it as a result of my boat fishing experience.

The one thing I have learned more than anything else is there has been times when I didn't feel like going fishing because of the weather or other circumstances or thought I should have my head examined for going fishing at a certain time or place only to have some of the best fishing days I can remember.

Now when I don't feel like going or think that I should again have my head examined remember those days when I did go and have been rewarded many many times again.

When i started, it was day fishing strickly. Of course it was the only time i could get out. but since, night time is the right time. lol

One thing I learned useing a small wader pouch for my soft plastics is when putting it on in the dark make sure the zipper part is on top and the two rivet drain holes are on the bottom. :tooth: I've done it so many times what a pain in the butt when your deep wading.

Also the art of fan casting and changing up distance, this was learned while fishing with guys who know what there doing.

I learned that the wind CAN be your friend, particularly when fishing the canal during the summer. It can add distance to your cast and, Damn those skeeters!)

I also learned how to differentiate between a bump from the bottom and that of a fish when jigging the canal (much easier with braid).

But most importantly, I learned that fun of this nature should be shared / taught to someone that can appreciate it. My brother, who had limited fishing experiences as an adult, has learned to fully appreciate the experience. It doesn't matter if we get a "keeper" or not, but just to get out and fish. He now knows why I love fishing so much, and now describes me as "my brother, the fisherman". He will even go as far as to explain that I will (and do) fish ALL YEAR ROUND!

I have a sister that is catching on, as well as a few nephews and nieces too!

Presentation of a lure at the right position, angle, speed, and depth; and feel for the current. Improvement in these areas will increase the success rate on every gamefish not just stripers and the only way to improve is the same as with everything else, practice, practice and practice. I don't think you can ever really master it, just hope to get better.

not to tell everyone the secrets that I had to learn the hard way. I will share with a select few though.

This whole thing we do, really. One can read all of this stuff, on oll of these forums. But the real learning is getting out there and doing this thing we do. :wavey:
But the one thing, I know today, is; the very bottom of the tide, I mean when there is just about no current on the ebb, is very productive.

The nastier the better, I've had my best nights in hurricanes, downpours, wind in my face, rough seas, etc....

excellent thread, CH!

sumthin' i taught myself 2 years ago during
the Fall Run at the corner rocks of 1stBeach.

it was about an hour into first light, and
i was into multiple schoolies on a classic Atom's blue/white.

so then i says to myself,
"self, switch to a storm bunker to reach the mid/bottom
of the water column, and two casts later,,,,,,,,,,,,BAMM!"

25#er in broad daylight and a huge, ahaa!

since then i've applied it to several UDL's to
know that water depth and tide position is HUGE
and that ALL spots are tide specific,,,,,among other conditions.
:uhuh: :uhuh: :uhuh: :uhuh:

I think putting in the time to know your spots is key. Weather, tide, moon, wind, and time of day all very your spots and knowing which conditions increase your chances takes understanding of these variables. Once you get a handle on these, you can better decide what rod/reel combo and lure or bait are appropriate for the location you pick. For instance, at inlets, high tides can pull a lot of weed and pickiing the right lure or bait is key to having a shot as well as knowing the current food source for the fish. It takes time to soak up all these things before you can target more successfully. I am still learning. If it were easy it wouldn't be as fun or challenging.

When I sit and think about this I can't seem to come up with any one thing that strikes me as the one that made anything click for me.For me it kinda came in small bits and pieces.I have a nephew who is 6 and is growing like you can't imagine.I went a stretch where I saw him often and I you take it for granted.After a while had passed I noticed him again and he doesn't even resemble the kid that he was at Christmas.
I have been fishing all my life cept for a short period when I found out why god made women.I learned the importance of wind as a kid.I learned fishing prior or during storms was more productive as a kid.Same with the art of hunting fish,fishing ambush spots like points or any cover or structure.
If there is any one thing, I would have to say it was my commitment to learn to fish moving water.I was a average striper fisherman.Catch some here and there.One year I decided I was going to learn the moving water and that was all I did.The aspect of fishing moving water opened up a entirely different style of fishing for me.I found it invigorating. I never left.
Moving water puts the fish where they are supposed to be.
One of my favorite bit's of advice I ever read is if you find the moving water you will find the fish..
If I could think of a second one.Years ago I decided I would never bring a gun to a knife fight.If I had to say one thing that has helped me to become a better angler was the sacrifice I made to fish gear that could get the job done.Staying with the same tackle for continuity reasons.I learned my gear better, learned it's limitations and landed fish that may have been question marks for me at a earlier time..Fishing is full of sob stories.I have no desire to take part in that aspect of it.

you just can teach someone how to fight a bass through a boulder field at low tide... how much drag to use, how to properly identify the best area to land the fish, and then actually getting the fish in your hands... all while staying on your feet in the pitch black night... you have to experience it all, and learn every bit of it one mistake at a time... oh yeah... AND you actually have to get a large bass on the line first before going through all this...

check your knots... Lost some beauties because I dd not load test my knots..

A few things learned over time:

1) Listen to people who have a very high success rate. Look for the minute details that they employ and copy them.

2) Have confidence in yourself and the lure/bait you are fishing.

3) Stay the course.

4) Don't be afraid to think outside the box and experiment.

5) Enjoy the experience not just the "catching".

6) The more time on the water the more proficient you become.

7) Teach your kids the right way of fishing and let them be part of the entire experience form prep to clean up.

the wind right in your face, you are golden. uncomfortable weather. weather so bad you cant even drink your beer(cause you are into so many fish)

Presentation. Swinging the plug/fly with/across the current to a to a spot through a rip, and pay attention to your line as you do it.

Just one of the million things I've learned,this one stands out.When unhooking a bass or blue,never hesitate while grabbing the fish.Once you commit,commit.Hesitate and youve got a fish attached to your plug and your plug attached to your hand.
You cant teach this.It must be learned.You all know what I mean.

Yup
 

And you don't learn it all at once

BD, are You Emeril? Your sure as hell sound like him. Put some essence on it.

:agree: :agree: :agree:

Words of Wisdom,,,,,,,,,,,

thanks for "keeping it simple", and
speaking from your experiences,,,,,,,,,,
:claps: :claps: :claps: :claps:

sorry, m'man,,,,,,,,,,,
i'm not trying to rip him off, but

i DO tend to go over the top like that, and i have been doing so for as
long as i can remember!! Emeril is one of my favorite Chefs.

very down to earth and keepin' it lively and authentic.
i can definitely relate to his personna,,,,,,,,,ya think???

funny thing is, i am very quiet when i'm fishing or have one AWWWN!
:bl: :bl: :bl:

Slow means realllllly slow.

Ed stole my thunder wrt angles of presentation, but I'll repeat, as it also makes a huge difference in the boat. I've spent hundreds, if not thousands of days in the boat casting eels in SoCO. I'm always paying attention to how those angles make a difference depending on tide, boat positioning, wind, etc..

Shut your motor off during a drift (so obvious, yet I see hundreds of people doing this all the time), and don't start it back up again until you've drifted well over the area you're fishing(over 90% of the people I see do this and foul up the spot they're fishing in short time). When you've passed said area and want to re-drift, make a big loop around to the other side instead of driving back through the fish. I learned that one early, and it's uncanny how many folks I see doing this sort of thing. Many of them are out on the water a LOT.

That, and a light drag in a shallow rocky area is the best bet for landing big fish, not the opposite (which I learned the hard way too many times early on!). If you're patient enough, it's uncanny how often big fish will find their way out of the rocks. I've waited nearly half an hour for fish that I thought were big enough to wait for. It's resulted in some nice fish coming over the gunnels.

Big time.

learned w/ flaptail
 

fish everywhere w/ flap beach n boat .. alot ...iv'e learned alot ....ie.. when fishin b-harbor in june.bring sun screen ,fresh water .wide brim hat .and most importent is alcohal ars wipes for steve , for that very special moment that nature calls and theres not a thing but sand and seagulls:kewl: ......:topic:........

learned w/ flaptail
 

fish everywhere w/ flap beach n boat .. alot ...iv'e learned alot ....ie.. when fishin b-harbor in june.bring sun screen ,fresh water .wide brim hat .and most importent is alcohal ars wipes for that very special moment that nature calls and theres not a thing but sand and seagulls:kewl: ......:topic:........

that is an exaggeration and misrepresentation of facts. I usually don't comment on stuff like that as my pail of Preparation H supply is dwindling but i do resent posts that are misleading. I think white water helps me in a lot of ways but it certainly not the only way to catch fish. If that is true, we'd have a hard time in the fall with winds in our back for weeks at the time