It’s time to address a handful of questions from my Facebook fans. I’m really impressed with how my fans are constantly seeking to improve their fishing knowledge and understanding, so it’s my pleasure to share as much instruction and detail as I can.
Here’s a sampling of the questions I get through Facebook:
Q: What’s the best way to get a hooked fish out of thick pond grass?
A: When I hook a fish in hydrilla or milfoil or something like that, I don’t play the fish; I try to get the fish in as fast as I can. I just steadily reel until the fish locks up. Once the fish locks up, I don’t pull anymore. All I do is keep pressure on the rod and keep the fish tight.
What he’s done is he’s got himself balled up in grass, or he’s got himself into the lily pads or something like that. So, what I do is keep the rod tight and then I use the boat to go get him. In the past, when a fish got balled up in grass, I’d just lean back and pull harder. But what happens is the hook can tear the fish’s lip or something.
My experience has been that you reel until it just locks up and then you have to go get the fish.
Q: If you’re flipping tubes in a shallow cover and you get a good fish, do you Power-Pole down and immediately flip that area again?
A: The easy answer is, “Yes.” You know, this is not something I did a lot until the Power-Poles came out. A lot of times, you’d catch one and the wind would blow you into the cover, or the natural tendency of that boat to move forward puts you too close to the cover.
Years ago, we really didn’t know that there were more fish in the area. Now, as soon as I catch one and get a fish in the boat, I drop the Poles down and do everything I can to keep moving. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve caught another fish, or two or three, by doing that.
Once I catch one, I slow down and really work that spot thoroughly.
If you Power-Pole down and then stand right back up, and then there's a tree really close to the boat, without making a lot of commotion I’ll try to flip that and make sure there’s not one close to the boat.
Then, go right back to where I caught that fish, or next. So, I always go back to that same area, and if there’s a wolf pack, a lot of times you’ll catch another fish.
Q: What is your favorite bait color on a lake where you’re fishing for the first time?
A: I like to say there are two different kinds of lakes: One type is clear-to-stained and the other is stained-to-muddy. In a clear-to-stained lake, I’m a green pumpkin/purple guy. I feel like I can catch fish from gin clear to a foot or two of visibility on that color.
If we get in to lower visibility of just a few inches, I’m a black-and-blue kind of guy.
Q: You’ve identified a productive pattern in practice, but on tournament day it’s not working. How long do you stick with that pattern before trying something else?
A: Knowing when to leave something and when to stick around and wait for it – I think the answer to that question separates the more successful anglers from the rest. I’m the type of guy who’s stubborn; I’ll stay and try to wait those fish out if I have confidence in an area.
Now, how long I’ll wait really depends on how many patterns I have in the tournament, or how many areas. If I have a lot of areas, I’ll tend to move more quickly. But if I didn’t catch much in practice, or if I only have two patterns or areas, then I’ll stick it out a long time.
What’s funny is that this logic has cost me in tournaments, but I’ve also won tournaments because of this thinking. I stay there when everybody else bails, the fish turn on at 1 o’clock and I catch them. It seems like in the tournaments that I’ve won, that’s been the case.
Now, these are just a few of the great questions I receive through Facebook, so let’s keep the discussion going. Please visit my Facebook page and I’ll do my best to answer as many as possible.