Tuesday, June 28, 2016

From David Ronald Hartwell @ Big Dave's Slay City. Land based lessons.

Multi species 101
I love meeting new friends and teaching them to be better fisherman. As you know, teaching people to fish is my passion. I love the chance to broaden somebody's horizons and change how they see things. Seeing somebody making the transition from a bug stinky skunk to regularly catching and not just fishing thrills me to no end.
Getting to the point where you're catching fish on a consistent basis is not something that happens over night. Education and a nudge in the right direction are fantastic tools when learning to fish on a higher level but there is no substitute for time spent on the water. Experience is the best teacher. I learn something new every time I hit the water and that fact is what keeps me coming back for more.
During the endless process that is learning to fish on the same level as the big boys means maximizing your time on the water and doing your homework. Every fish requires different strategies and techniques to target and though the basics can be taught, it is the intricacies and subtleties involved that cannot. These must be experienced first hand.
Now, I have a few tips for you all and they are what I live by. These may seem basic and simplistic but to build up a strategy for targeting a specific species means starting from the fundamentals. Here we go folks.
1) To catch a certain fish you need to have a basic understanding of its biology. Google is a great tool for furthering your knowledge. Researching your target fish's habitat, diet, spawning behavior preferred temperature range and feeding behavior will serve you well in the long run.
2) When you get to the water with some newfound knowledge in hand, use it to make enlightened observations. This means that things you may have overlooked before will begin to affect how you approach targeting specific fish.
3) Fish with the understanding that most fish are only available with consistency during certain seasonal periods. Simply put, you can't do the same thing day in and day out and expect to stay on the fish.
4) Think, "outside the box," experimenting with various baits, lures and unorthodox strategies can break you out of a slow spell.
5) When you do inevitably skunk, instead of just feeling sore and disappointed, try and figure out why you struck out. Sometimes it's only a very small observation that can put you back on the fish during seemingly poor conditions.
6) Remember to be patient, attentive, persistent, level headed and goal oriented.
Hopefully these small tips will help you get on the bite and keep the ball rolling!

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