Ahhh, the fruits of modern
technology!On my Ranger 518 DVX, I have a wealth of fancy gadgets.
From a Garmin GPSMAP162
that can get me within feet of a specific target to my Garmin Fishfinder160
that shows me depth, bottom composition, thermoclines, as well as temperature
and, oh yeah, fish symbols (if I really wanted to see them!). Yet with
all
these "new-fangled" conveniences, one thing remains the same you still have
to catch the fish!
On the tournament circuits, catching fish is the name of the
game - at least if you want to be successful. With both natural pressures
(weather conditions, water levels, etc.) and man-made pressures (an abundance
of recreational
boaters, over-fished waters, etc.) put on the fish, their activity levels
can change from one day to the next. To be successful, it is important
to be versatile
with the techniques you use.
These days, an angler should be fairly well
versed in a variety of techniques and presentations to be successful.
If your bait of
choice is a crankbait and the bass just
aren’t hitting like they were last week (or even yesterday), its time
to reach in the rod locker (or tackle box) for something different.Sometimes
a vertical
presentation works better at drawing strikes than a horizontal one.
Having both
a vertical (worm, jig, etc.) and horizontal
(crankbait, spinnerbait, etc.) "go to" bait can pay dividends when one of them
doesn’t produce.
Having a comfort level with a different technique could be money
in the bank when the bite turns off (or never turns on),but getting comfortable
requires time.
One of the best ways to get comfortable with a new bait
or technique is to just use it. The next time you are out on a body
of water you are familiar
with, take out
a bait your aren’t comfortable with, and fish with it. You have probably seen
demonstrations or read articles on the mechanics of fishing that bait - so get
it out
and expand your fishing talents.
You’ll be glad you did.
Drop me a line at jeffmorton@gofishmidwest.com if
you have any bass fishing questions and check out Go
FISH Midwest.com YOUR source for Midwest fishing
information…and more!
Back to Tips By
Jeff
