Superstition? or Intuition?
by Pro Guide
Mark McManaway
How many times
has this happened? You're cruising across the lake and in
your mind you have an idea where you might find some fish. As you
cross that all familiar bank along that deep creek it hits you.
You don't
know why but for some reason you slow down and head towards the flat.
BAM!!!
10 quality fish in as many minutes. How many times have we all gone
fishing and not had a productive day like we had planned? Then while
on the drive
home we try to over analyze the day when really all we would have
needed to do was follow our gut instinct a time or two and it might
have been
a better day. We think "If only I would have went to the creek by the
marina that I was doing good in last week" or maybe "I should have
broken out the topwater baits even though it was a
high blue bird sky" like my gut instinct was telling me.
Conversely, what
about the times you decided to pull out the Carolina rig in mid December
in 50 degree
water and slayed them right before a cold front blew through? what made
you do something as unorthodox as that? Intuition, that's what.
So
as not to
oversimplify,
I'm not talking about modifying your pork trailer or shortening your
spinner bait skirt. I'm talking about following your gut instincts
when they are
telling you something on the water. It's deciding to pitch a jig in
3 feet of water as
the water is starting to ice over a little instead of using jigging
spoons in 30 feet of water like others are doing. You have a good day
why? because
you
had a feeling this narrow creek with good wood cover was calling your
name.
Some are of the belief that you shouldn't use fluorescent line
because the
fish can
see it. I've used hi-vis line since I can remember. Some believe you
have to have a dark bottom boat so as not to spook the fish in shallow
water.
Others
believe big fish only bite big lures. Is this superstition? I'm not
sure but I have proved to myself otherwise on all accounts.
So the
next time
you decide
to start the engine and leave the
cove when you "feel" that the fish are waiting for you why not stop by that
brush pile at the mouth of the cove and fish it with the deep diving small
crank bait
like your intuition is trying to tell you. You just might get a pleasant
surprise.
As always, if your big engine is on so is your life jacket and
as I prefer to
call it your "live switch".
Mark McManaway
Local Anglers Guide Service
Local Anglers
