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The Difference
By Nicholas Thompson aka Nickfish
There's nothing worse than watching fish swim through the sounder and you can't get them to eat. Let's have a look at some of the things we can do to find 'the difference' that turns those fish on the sounder into fish in the boat.
The first thing that you can do to make 'the difference' on your trip is to experiment with changing your jighead weight. This may mean changing over to a heavier weight, so that you can get to the bottom faster, stay in the strike zone for longer and possibly make the plastic work more aggressively. Alternatively you may want to go lighter to fish higher up in the water column so that you can catch fish smashing on the surface.
A great jighead that makes changing weights easy is the TT Lures SnakelockZ. This jighead is a weedless jighead with a clip that allows you to mix and match hook sizes and head weights, from light weights with larger hooks, to heavier weights with small hooks and all combinations in between. It is especially effective for minimizing snagging and fouling when fishing structure.
Another thing you can do to change things up if you're not catching is to change the size of the hook. This can also increase your hook up rate, especially when fishing for fish like barramundi or Murray cod that suck the bait in, making them difficult to hook. A larger hook size for these species can mean more hook clearance and increased chance of hooking up, whereas a smaller hook may be the better option for fish with smaller mouths and species that feed differently.
If that still does not work, you can add some scent and this could make 'the difference'. There are hundreds of different brands and even more types of scent, so what brand and what type of scent? I always use Pro-Cure Super Gel because it has a really sticky consistency that allows the scent to stay on much longer and there is also a large variety of flavours.
The three main types of scents are based around crustaceans, fish and more chemical based scent. Picking your scent is generally easy and if the lure you're using is meant to imitate a crustacean, then you use a crustacean scent, such as Blue Crab, Shrimp or Saltwater Yabby / Nipper. The same is true when using a fish profile lure, use a fish based scent, such as Mullet, Bloody Tuna or Sardine / Pilchard. Chemical scents are different and they are designed to be used across all lures. Instead of smelling like prey, they still contain bite stimulants and amino acids, along with additional attractants such as aniseed or garlic instead of fish or crustaceans.
Changing your leader can make a difference on a trip also and not only changing the breaking strain of your leader, changing the type of leader. There are two common types of leader material, monofilament and fluorocarbon. Mono is often preferred when fishing on the surface as it generally floats, which is great for surface fishing and getting the most out of your surface lures. Switching to a fluorocarbon leader, a sinking leader, can make 'the difference' when it comes to fishing subsurface and staying in contact with sinking lures and baits.
Changing to a lighter leader is also an option that can aid in catching more fish because it creates a smaller presence and can be less visible in the water. Sometimes it's a trade off between losing the occasional fish and getting the bites, however when fishing a lighter leader I also like to lighten my drag a bit as this can help reduce chafing on your line by reducing the pressure on it.
If you're still not catching then you may want to consider changing the size of your lure. I normally downsize first, rather than upsizing. The size of the lure that you are downsizing to will depend on the lure that you are currently using. Let's say that you're chasing some bream up against a rock wall using a ZMan 2.5" GrubZ and you're getting bumps but they're not quite hooking up. Here I would recommend changing to a ZMan 2" GrubZ as this may allow the bream to get a better grip on the lure and find the hook. It may also encourage the fish to attack the lure more aggressively.
You can also upsize your lure. I normally do this if I'm only catching small fish or if I'm still getting bumps from small fish. What upgrading your lure can do is focus your attention on larger fish as the smaller fish will tend to leave it alone. This technique is often used in fishing competitions where an angler has their bag of fish and wants to focus on upgrading to larger fish. It is also useful when there is a pest species that keeps biting your lures and upsizing will allow you to focus on a different target species.
If your other changes haven't fired up the bite, then changing the colour may just do the trick. So, let's say you are fishing a pink colour that has proven a really good colour when fishing in dirty water, however it doesn't seem to be getting the bite when fishing on very clear and bright days. So, what are your other colour options? You could change to a more natural colour in the clear and bright conditions or go to something that stands out of the crowd even more.
Simply changing the type of lure you are using can also make the difference on your trip. You may attempt to match the hatch, however you think that the barra are feeding on mullet and they may actually be feeding on prawns. So that one little change can make the difference. There is a style of lure called a creature bait that works really well in heavily fished areas for a few reasons, one being that it is something that the fish have never seen before, so it stands out from the crowd and may draw their interest. A couple of my favourite creature baits include the ZMan 3" TRD HogZ and the more recently released ZMan 3" Baby GOAT.
Remember if lure changes don't work, then you can always change the way you are retrieving the lure. Let's say you're doing a slow roll across a weed flat for flathead and you're getting caught up in the weed constantly. This is going to deter the fish from your lure, so you could add a hop to your retrieve to help shake off the weed. A hop or a quick turn of the reel can also bring on the fish. The reason that it does this is by making the predator think their prey is going to escape, triggering a strike. There are heaps of different retrieve options available and you may have to work through a variety of them to get a fish.
Remember that if you're not getting the bite and you don't change anything, this pattern is likely to continue, so it's all about changing things up until you find 'the difference' that gets the bites. It could be a change of lure, colour, size, profile, adding scent, changing retrieve or when in an area that is heavily smashed by other fishos you could try fishing at night. You might be astounded by not only the numbers but also the species that you hook into.
We all have those days where we try different things in our favourite spots and there's not much else you can do to get that hook up. Sometimes it is best to move away, explore new water and find those fish that are actively feeding. I normally change lures every thirty casts or so, if I'm not getting any bumps or fish. Remember, even if it's a trip that doesn't produce the fish, there's always something to learn and sometimes it's just a trip where you search for new areas to fish and new techniques to apply.
Cheers, Nickfish