In an effort to get some positives going again.........I am initiating this thread and hopefully we can have some positive sharing.
The thread: Best advice you ever received from someone else re fishing (esp stripers, but not limited to them specifically.........humor accepted)
I have two:
1. When I first started out not knowing my reel from my tippet and having no success what-so -ever on the flats....I met a senior gentleman who had a thick Irish brog(sp).....don't remember his name sad to say. After his watching me flail unsuccessfully for a morning, he came over and asked me if I wanted to join him. I learned more from him in 4 hrs than I did the whole previous year.
He asked me what my goal was....I answered ....to catch stripers. He said..."that is why you are not being successful....your goal should be to learn at least one new thing every time you go out...if you do that...you will catch fish"
He went on to make me aware of subtle changes in flats, current direction, swimming behavior to determine mood of fish, presentation, bait and bait behavior etc.
To date...I have tried to do this everytime I go out....actuallly learning something new is often more rewarding than catching fish....but that made be an "age thing"...I hope I never know it all...it would take 1/2 the fun out of fishing for me;
2. From Ken Mc Cray....to paraphrase because he demonstrated rather than say....pay attention to every retrieve you make, don't just aimlessly cast and retriieve...try a certain retrieve to at least 3 fish, if it doesn't work, vary the retrieve and pay attention...change fly if fish appear to be in a feeding mood and tried retrieves failed. I have yet to fish with anyone who had a higher cast to catch ratio than Ken...he studies everything and was a great role model.
Hopefully others will share........if there is interest....maybe a thread can be started on "what you have learned re striper behavior and techniques". I am sure that most of it will be "common knowledge/old hat" for most....but there are newbies out there like we were and it could be a great resource for people or simply verify that what we have seen and learned has been seen by others as well.
Much appreciated,
Ron
The thread: Best advice you ever received from someone else re fishing (esp stripers, but not limited to them specifically.........humor accepted)
I have two:
1. When I first started out not knowing my reel from my tippet and having no success what-so -ever on the flats....I met a senior gentleman who had a thick Irish brog(sp).....don't remember his name sad to say. After his watching me flail unsuccessfully for a morning, he came over and asked me if I wanted to join him. I learned more from him in 4 hrs than I did the whole previous year.
He asked me what my goal was....I answered ....to catch stripers. He said..."that is why you are not being successful....your goal should be to learn at least one new thing every time you go out...if you do that...you will catch fish"
He went on to make me aware of subtle changes in flats, current direction, swimming behavior to determine mood of fish, presentation, bait and bait behavior etc.
To date...I have tried to do this everytime I go out....actuallly learning something new is often more rewarding than catching fish....but that made be an "age thing"...I hope I never know it all...it would take 1/2 the fun out of fishing for me;
2. From Ken Mc Cray....to paraphrase because he demonstrated rather than say....pay attention to every retrieve you make, don't just aimlessly cast and retriieve...try a certain retrieve to at least 3 fish, if it doesn't work, vary the retrieve and pay attention...change fly if fish appear to be in a feeding mood and tried retrieves failed. I have yet to fish with anyone who had a higher cast to catch ratio than Ken...he studies everything and was a great role model.
Hopefully others will share........if there is interest....maybe a thread can be started on "what you have learned re striper behavior and techniques". I am sure that most of it will be "common knowledge/old hat" for most....but there are newbies out there like we were and it could be a great resource for people or simply verify that what we have seen and learned has been seen by others as well.
Much appreciated,
Ron