Slow down presentations to allow lethargic fish to see your bait and have time to eat it. If your using artificial bait you have to slow down and make presentation look real at the same time. The right action to your lure can make a big difference to these lethargic fish. A good rod can allow for more action to your lure as well as the lighter line choice and the leader. Allowing the bait to stay in the strike zone for as long as possible will help get more strikes but you also need something the fish want to eat. During cold weather I like to use live bait as much as possible due to the natural movement of the bait. This natural movement allows you to leave the bait in the strike zone for longer periods of time.
Some fish go deep when the water is cold, and you can find lots of fish in holes at this time. During afternoon warm ups, you may find fish on the shallow flats trying to warm up. For those shore bound anglers don’t be distraught, just look at the water and you may be able to tell were the water is deeper or shallower. If you have flow to the water you fish you can see little pockets where the water may be deeper.
During the warm up of water, you may find fish in transit from deeper to shallower water. You can target these fish in transition zones where fish move through canals or trenches to get into or out of the right temperature. These may be channels or creeks that lead in or out of deeper water. These fish are moving so a little more activity to your lure may be necessary. A good artificial for this is a spoon, it gives you the activity and the flash to catch a fish’s attention. A spoon also allows for multiple depths of fishing and multiple speeds of retrieve. Keeping the bait in front of the fish is key as they probably have tunnel vision while travelling.
If fishing in deeper water it is alright to fish topwater or shallow, but you have to attract the fish to your lure so make sure you have a noisy bait. The popping cork is a great way to accomplish attracting fish in these situations. Some anglers use this for trout that attack from below their prey. I have seen trout caught from a twenty foot hole with the bait only being two feet deep. On the other hand, redfish are bottom feeders and you may need to fish deeper or even on the bottom.
Some research of your fishing area can determine deep holes and shallow flats areas. A good depth finder can also make a difference to finding holes and fish. I won’t5 go into fish finders here but chose you’re favorite and get fishing.
Now if fishing on the bottom you may need multiple hooks and weights due to snags and broken line, so be sure to have extra tackle with you. I prefer to quickly break or cut5 the line so I don’t disturb any fish in the area. Be sure to have a sharp knife to cut the line and maybe a towel if you prefer to break the line by hand. This will prevent cutting your hand with the line, which is a big risk with this technique. I try to have at least two rods rigged and ready for each angler on board in case the bite is hot, so I don’t have to stop fishing and re rig a rod.
As mentioned above, the action of your bait is vital to success so the freshest live bait, and the flexibility of a lure are critical. Most bait and tackle stores can help find the right type of bait for your target fish. Curl tail jigs allow you to keep the lure in the strike zone for longer while still having motion to attract fish. You may be able to shake the rod around a little and add movement to your lure while not moving it around a lot.
Tide and flow play a part in the type of fishing you should chose as well. Moving water will add activity to your lure without having to move it out of the strike zone as quickly. Moving water also plays a role in bottom fishing. You may need to throw your lure or bait a little further up current and allow it to fall back to the fish in a natural way. Especially when trying to fish holes in a creek or river this can make a big difference in catching lethargic fish as they are facing into the flow of water and waiting on prey to come to them.
Whatever you’re type of fishing, just slow down and have fun! Check these specials.