When Reading the Water................

[BassDawg]

how much consideration do you give to "fish slicks",
when/if they are present? not so concerned about this when there is surf to work, or swirls, and other indicators that signal target areas; but, i am more interested in yer opinions when there is less than 3' of roll and not much else to go on,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

as an adjunct to what's before you;

how important do you guys consider "the melon smell"?
is that strictly bluefish/boos and stripeys, or do stripers emit an unmistakeable
odor of their own when feeding deep and beneath our eyesight?

THANKS, in advance gents.

[nklinesider]

i definetly try to notice areas of "nervous water" to tell me where there might be fish hitting on bait under the water and not nessicarily breaking the surface... like the pogies tailing or when the whole bay is flat as glass and there is one area that looks like its wind blown. ive never noticed a "smell" to fish feeding under the surface though....i guess ill have to be a little more receptive to whats going on around me

[american spirit]

funny post because i had a situation last night where most of the beach was flat and i notice some turbulence in one area. turns out there was a boulder field that some current was running over. i noticed this at a lower stage of the tide. new spot and wasn't familiar with the area.

tatoobob can tell you all about smelling stripers. he can smell em.

[likwid]

Originally Posted by nklinesider

i definetly try to notice areas of "nervous water" to tell me where there might be fish hitting on bait under the water and not nessicarily breaking the surface...

nervous water isn't always bait.

don't make your first cast into it...

[nklinesider]

no usually a little ways off the "nervousness" to the outer edges before getting into them

[numbskull]

In the book "Reading the Water", Roberto Germani describes how to find bass by watching for signs of their defecation. Doesn't work if you're fishing with a Brockton guy, though.

[BasicPatrick]

I think at times I can smell the Bass, but I do not think it is from feeding, just their odor eminating from the water.

I smell cucumbers and there are blues around, or some chick from Cambridge. Take a boat down by Miacomet Rib off Nantucket and take a deep breath, damn blues do smell good.

[Backbeach Jake]

Bass have never smelt like melons to me, they smell like your thumb after your first bass of the season.
Slicks, yeah, I cast to them. There's fish in there.