The “Kid” and I were discussing some of our recent fishing trips a few days ago. Inevitably, the conversation turned toward someone asking us if we had any “luck”? Now I have always believed that “luck”, is simply a meeting of opportunity and hard work.
When the two come together, you increase your chances of being successful no matter what it is that you’re pursuing. In the case of fishing, there are what I like to refer to as my “Lucky Seven” rules. I follow these each and every time I get on the water because years of trial and error have borne these out to be the most important components for having good days fishing.
1. Seasonal Patterns Of Fish Behavior
The first thing that I look at are seasonal patterns. Yes, these can vary by a few months depending on where you do your fishing but they tend to be one of those elements that are consistent no matter the location. Fish are going to spawn at some point during the calender year.
Our job as anglers is to spend the time doing the research to find out when this is going to happen in our area or the area we are going to fish. Once we know this, we can take a pretty educated guess as to when we’ll see pre and post spawn conditions as well. Knowing this information guides us in where and what to use when we get out there.
2. Fish Key Structure
Next for me is fishing key structural elements. The ones that I focus on are, points, creek channels, humps, ridges and flats. Most bodies of water have some mix of these topographical features that have historically, consistently held fish. Depending on the seasonal pattern that we’re subject to, these structural features will each, in turn, hold fish.
Now I like to zero in on water temperature and clarity. Not only will they affect what lure choices we should use but they can have an influence on the seasonal patterns by either delaying them a bit or accelerating them. All of this information is readily available either on the internet or by calling a local tackle shop ahead of the trip to see what they have recorded recently.
Just a little hint here: If you can find a tackle store that guides use, they generally will have more up to date and accurate info on the specifics water conditions. Don’t be shy about asking. More often than not, they are happy to bring you up to date.
3. Prepare For The Unexpected
Have you ever heard the old saying about the best laid plans of mice and men? Sometimes you get out there and just don’t find what you were expecting to. Hey, this is fishin’ not catchin’. Here again, preparation is the key to overcoming something unexpected. Having the ability to cover the entire water column efficiently is going to save you a lot of headaches when Murphy’s Law pops up.
We always need to have lures on hand, in different color patterns, that will serve this purpose. Once you’re keyed in on what the fish want, you may only use a couple of baits all day. But to get to this point, you have to be ready to make adjustments on the fly and a well stocked tackle box or bag is part of the antidote for rapidly changing conditions.
4. Find What The Fish Are Eating
Sometimes it’s easy to figure out what the fish are feeding on and sometimes, it’s near impossible. However, if we can feel fairly comfortable that we’ve got this one figured out, it will further narrow our lure choices. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on the water and had some folks come up to me asking me what I was using to catch fish. I make a habit of showing them and then asking them what they’re using.
Man, you should see how far off base some of these people are with their choice of baits. It’s no wonder they aren’t catching fish when they’re throwing something that is completely unlike anything the fish are feeding on.
5. Get The Timing Right
This one is really up to personal preference but I like the old adage, “start early and stay late”. I’m sure that there is something to all the so-lunar tables and best fishing times and other more ethereal studies. But for me, I kinda figure that the fish are going to feed at some point in the course of a day and I want to have a line in the water when that happens. Pretty simple really.
6. Get To Know Your Water
On top of that, you can get more information about a particular body of water by spending more time on it. You may notice something after having been on the water several hours, that just wasn’t apparent when you got there. This could be the key to turning your whole day around by giving you a piece of information that you didn’t have prior.
A case in point, this summer I went night fishing and just wasn’t getting bit on top-water even though it was the perfect time of year for it. All of the sudden I saw a school of bait fish break the surface and then disappear. I immediately tied on a soft plastic jerk bait and caught a fish on my first cast! The rest of the night, all I did was was throw the jerk and would up with over a dozen fish.
7. Use Your Confidence Baits
And finally, when the going gets tough, use your confidence baits. Yes we here at MVF fish a LOT of different lures during the course of the season. But when the bite shuts down or we’re in a whole new environment, we reach for the lures that have proven they catch fish. For whatever reason, your “confidence lures” are the ones that tend to get you the most strikes because you are the most proficient with them.
Don’t minimize this part of the equation. If you know that you can use a particular bait to consistently get bites, by all means, use it!
There it is folks, our “Lucky Seven”. Just because these have been successful for us doesn’t mean that there aren’t other methods out there that may work for you. But if you tend to get a little scattered before you hit the water, narrowing things down in this way just might help you to have more fun and catch more fish.
And hey, when all else fails, you may just need to get a lucky fishing hat!
See ya’ on the water …