alt="Bullet"/> Planning for the weather while fishing
Simply put, every decision I make about how and what I’m fishing for follows the first, crucial decision: where I’m fishing. You don’t fish streams the same way you fish ponds. Big rivers aren’t lakes. Public piers jutting out from the beach aren’t exactly like an untouched tidal inlet. So begin your fishing adventures by studying the body of water you intend to fish. When you know the water, you’ll begin to know the fish in it. And then the fun — the catching — begins!
Wherever you fish, follow the same advice I give college writing students: Pay attention to the world around you. With fishing, this means you must watch the water. Every swirl and splash tells you something. The fish’s world is largely hidden from you, but if you pay attention, you’ll find that every body of water provides hints about what’s happening below the surface. Watch the prey (frogs, minnows, and the like) and fellow predators like birds, and they’ll begin to tell you where the gamefish are.
All fish, in any body of water, relate to two key things: structure and cover. Structure refers to what lies beneath the surface of the body of water; a sharp drop-off or a point (a finger of land jutting into the water) is structure, for example. Think of structure as permanent features. Cover could be things like a weed bed or a sunken log. Manmade cover, like docks or piers, hold fish just as natural cover does. Be aware of structure and cover and you’ll find — and catch — more fish.
This chapter helps you figure out where to fish and then how and when to fish that location. There are a lot of variables at play when it comes to finding and evaluating fishing waters, but I do my best in this chapter to call out some typical conditions for both freshwater and saltwater locations.
Knowing Where to Go
As Chapters 4 and 5 make clear, there are hundreds of species of fish awaiting you. While they prefer a variety of habitats, some of those fish may live close to you. Although no two waters are exactly alike (and that’s part of the fun of this whole adventure!), streams in the Midwest share some things in common with streams in the east or anywhere. Farm ponds are alike wherever you go. What you learn in one spot will add to your understanding of how to fish the next.
Fishable water is where you find it. Train yourself to look for water with the following two characteristics:
Access: Fishable water is either open to the public or privately owned. Public water is governed by rules, and your first step is to investigate and learn those rules. Is fishing allowed only during certain hours? Are there rules in addition to state laws that regulate the fishing? If the body of water is open to the public, these rules should be posted or otherwise available (often on a state’s Fish and Wildlife or Department of Natural Resources website). (See the section on fishing licenses in Chapter 2.)If the water is privately owned, then you must ask that owner’s permission. Never fish first, intending to ask later! It’s not only rude, but illegal. However, many landowners will grant you permission if you ask politely. Common-sense rules apply: Ask in a courteous manner; take rejection if it comes; be honest about your intentions (whether you intend to keep or release, for example); and don’t bring all your friends. In other words, it’s a lot like asking a father for permission to date his daughter. If you’re fishing in a farm pond, remember to shut all gates behind you — you don’t want to let any animals out!
Fish: Sometimes giant bodies of water hold only stunted populations of scrawny fish. Occasionally the little pond on the golf course yields a ten-pound largemouth. The only real way to know is to study the water. Private landowners often know what fish have been stocked in that body of water. Some public places will post notices about the fish available too.When it comes to finding good water close to home, there are two good sources to check out online before you leave the house. The first should be your state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website. Another good source is the takemefishing.org website, which is a national, non-profit creation of the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. Both will most likely list popular fishing areas as well as the fish you can expect to find there. Ideally, you should seek water that carries a healthy supply of your favorite kind of fish in an aesthetically pleasing environment. How do you find such a paradise? This chapter helps you locate it.
Fish the one you’re with: Finding fishing water close to home
Familiarity breeds success when it comes to fishing. Show me a person with a shack on the river, or a bay house with a boat tied to the dock out back, and I’ll show you someone who can catch fish when others cannot. The more time you spend on a body of water, the more you get to know it, and the better you understand its personality as seasons pass. Living along a stream will acquaint you with the length of time it takes to return to normal flow after a flood. Visit a lake every weekend for a year, and you begin to understand when baby shad congregate in the shallows, and when bluegills spawn. Guides know their home water because it’s their job: They fish it five or six days a week.
But you can get to know a piece of water, too, even without quitting your day job. Just give the water time; even if you can only fish for an hour after work, every hour adds to your understanding. Now, I know some anglers only fish a particular place for a particular species, even if this place is far away: say, fishing for pike in remote fly-in camps in Canada. These anglers save up and go once a year, and that’s the sum of their fishing. Fine, but that’s not the way I do it, and I don’t think it’s the way to really understand and love fishing.
INVESTIGATING FISHING WATERS ON GOOGLE EARTH
By now, you’ve probably seen your house from space. That’s certainly cool, but what about putting that technology to better use by using satellites to plan your next fishing trip? A program like Google Earth makes it possible to follow streams and rivers, seeking public access landings. You can also find hidden coves on big lakes, or small ponds hidden from the public eye. You’ll still need permission or a license to fish these finds, of course, but finding the water is the first step. Visit www.google.com/earth to download the application.
Finding fish when you’re on the road
A big part of the fun of angling is fishing in new places, for new and different fish. If you travel with a packable fishing rod, a handful of lures or flies, and a small collection of terminal tackle, you can be ready to fish anytime, anyplace. (Just make sure you’re fishing legally! See the section on licenses in Chapter 2.) Perhaps you could steal away during the next family vacation for a visit to the beach. Maybe you could skip the evening cocktail hour at the next conference. If your travels bring you closer to new and exciting fishing, even a short foray could make a great angling memory!
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