Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Pro-Lure-Fishing-Tips » The Science & Art of Catching
The Science & Art of Catching
By Justin Willmer
The Science & Art of Fishing is a phrase associated with ZMan fishing products and it’s one that I have thought about often, especially when faced with people claiming that fishing is just luck. There is no doubt that there are elements of luck in fishing, as there are with almost anything, however if you said fishing is just luck to a tournament angler who spends days on preparation, drives long distances and heavily researches their target species, producing consistent results on the water… they would likely throw you out of the boat. I have spent virtually my entire life fishing, working in the fishing industry, and learning about fishing, and to me that is one of the most attractive and absorbing things about this sport. There is always new species and techniques to learn about, new locations to visit and new gear to try… in an effort to improve your luck. 😉
Have you ever stood alongside someone fishing the same soft plastic as you, into the same water as you and only one of you is getting the bites? It’s okay if you’re the one getting the bites and doing the sledging… otherwise it can be frustrating to say the least. I thought I would take some time to break down some of the key variables that may be able to turn things around, by thinking about what the plastic is doing underwater. We are the one driving that soft plastic, so I guess it’s about changes that we can make above the water to drive that plastic to get the bite under the water.
Straight up we would ask the person that is getting the bites, what line or leader are you running or what retrieve are you using and how fast are you retrieving. Line and leader can make a difference as lighter lines can allow longer casts and create less drag, allowing lures to run deeper. You have probably heard many times ‘go light to get the bite’ and in some scenarios a lighter leader can assist in attracting more bites, especially in clear water and when targeting finicky feeders.
Unfortunately, your friend that is smashing the fish is running the same braid and leader as you… so where to now… maybe the retrieve. After experiencing both sides of this equation, I came up with three main variables that I should try and change to get the bite; where in the water column is the plastic, how fast is it moving and are there any changes in the retrieve that I am missing. Let’s have a look at these in more detail.
Speed - This one is pretty simple, it’s the speed at which the soft plastic is moving through the water. Too fast and the fish may not be interested or follow but not strike and likewise if it’s moving too slow.
Depth – Where in the water column is the soft plastic travelling. Is it close to the bottom, somewhere mid-water or near the surface?
Action – Finally, is my mate getting the bites because of the action or lack of action being applied to the plastic. This one can take some analysis as it can be as subtle as a short pause or a few twitches or shakes of the rod tip.
Now, here’s the tricky bit… the difference could be a combination of these three things, making for a stack of different combinations, so it’s worth taking some time to pay attention to what is working for the person catching and then attempting to mimic this. It’s all about mixing things up to crack a pattern on the day, however once a pattern is cracked, it’s all about keying into this pattern.
Speed
So, I’m watching my mate and I am winding the handle of the reel at the same rate, so my lure is travelling at the same speed… not necessarily. Are the reels the same size and are they the same retrieve speed / gear ratio? I have experienced this one first-hand when chasing bream on the flats and on both occasions, I told my mate to speed up his retrieve a little to get the commitment and reaction bite from the fish. Fish on! On one occasion the reel was smaller and on the other occasion the reel was geared slower, so by speeding up his retrieve, he started driving his plastic at the same speed as mine and got the bites.
Unfortunately for you, both of you are running the same combo and your plastics are running at the same speed. So, what’s your next excuse? 😉
Depth
Your plastics are travelling at the same speed, now we need to work out if they are travelling at the same depth in the water column. An obvious question is jighead weight and it’s definitely worth asking as some anglers will fish heavier than others. I am known to fish heavy and fast, running and gunning and looking for active fish. So, if you have a 1/8oz jighead on and I am running a 1/4oz jighead on the same combo, if you mimic my retrieve speed then your plastic will be running much shallower than mine and one of us may be in the zone and triggering the strike, while the other goes fishless. This scenario played out recently with a mate of mine as he was fishing a 1/8oz in the shallows and I was rolling a 1/4oz faster and close to the bottom to trigger the reaction strike. As soon as he switched to a 1/4oz, fish on!
Nope… it appears you are running the same jighead weight and your mate is hooked up again!
The next thing to consider is rod angle. I’m fishing a 1/4oz jighead in one metre of water to get a long cast in the wind, however I am then retrieving with the rod tip high to negate the additional weight of the jighead. I want the weight for casting and speed of retrieve however I need the rod tip up to keep the plastic running just above the bottom and away from the weed. Think about a 7’ spin rod and the difference in line angle if you are retrieving with the rod tip at water level, verse the rod tip raised high. This could be as much as two metres difference or more and this is where the variables start to combine into many different combinations.
By selecting our jighead weight, retrieve speed and rod angle, we can drive our lure in a multitude of different ways. The same jighead weight can be fished low in the water column by slowing down our retrieve speed or lowering our rod tip, or the reverse, by speeding up or lifting our rod tip we can make the soft plastic swim higher in the water column. Commonly I will cast long with a heavier jighead and slow roll the plastic across the flat, with the rod tip high at the start of the retrieve to keep the plastic up out of the weed. As the plastic gets closer to the boat or kayak, I will begin to lower the rod tip to reduce the angle to the lure and stop it from rising through the water column, maintaining its position just above the weed.
Some techniques and plastics are better suited to certain retrieve speeds and rod angles, however the key takeout is that you are the one driving the soft plastic, so consider jighead weight, rod angle and retrieve speed when working to crack a pattern or mimic someone that is catching fish.
Action
Hopefully you have now started hooking a few and the sledging is back to flowing both ways. If not, there is one more variable that we need to pay attention to and that is the subtleties of the retrieve. What is your fishing buddy doing during the retrieve that is triggering the fish to feed? Is it a slight pause or even change of speed every few turns of the handle, lowering the rod tip close to the boat to keep the lure running deeper and then rising at a steeper angle close to the boat, or maybe a few shakes of the rod tip on the pause? These little triggers may be obvious enough that the switch flicks and you realise they’re biting on the pause or a longer pause. They may take some closer observation, watching the rod tip for twitches or shakes and when during the retrieve these are being applied.
Overall, I hope this article throws up a few variables that you can consider next time your mate is smashing the fish, or if you’re the one pinning them all and you’re feeling nice and want to help your mate key in on what’s working for you. This also gives you an arsenal of variables to consider when you’re fishing and maybe you could change up the speed, depth, or action of your plastic to trigger a strike. I have no doubt that sometimes luck plays its part and sometimes we might just be having an off day… but hopefully this article helps you rig the dice in your favour.
See you on the water…
Justin Willmer