G’DAY fishos.
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Had a long conversation with a workmate recently and he was lamenting his ability to catch a trout.
He said that no matter where he went he failed to entice even a tiddler to his grasp.
Thinking on his remark I remembered an old saying; that 10 per cent of anglers catch 90 per cent of the fish.
This got the grey matter going, well what’s left of it anyway, and it really is the 10 percenters that make the difference between a good day out or just a day out.
The better anglers around here all have the same characteristics, traits, and habits which place them at the top of the tree.
Technology, keeping up with trends and being informed and knowledgeable is a good place to start – all this begins at your local tackle store.
All anglers need a little advice to steer them in the right direction to success – whether it be a location, technique or type of tackle.
Tackle stores are an information magnet for anglers, and staff will be sure to assist, provide pointers and top tips.
Magazines keep anglers up-to-date with new lures, reels, rods and all the technological advances that occur on a weekly basis.
Listen and take note of what not only shop staff say, but what other fishermen say. Even something as simple as a colour pattern that has worked for them is important.
This group of anglers are quick to adapt to new methods and will often try to find better ways to improve results, they don’t keep relying on the old ways, although they never forget what has worked in the past. A good example is the black grub technique used on the yellas out on the Hume and the fact that even though the grubs were available for some time, it really took another 18 months to catch on.
Simple fact being that some anglers are willing to change to catch fish, mind you, there are some anglers that still believe that it’s just a stunt to increase sales of plastic lures despite the large numbers of fish captured.
The same technique has been extremely successful on bass in the east coast rivers and dams.
Gearing up with suitable tackle is also essential to the ten percenters, they will match a rod and reel to suit the application and species of fish they are targeting.
This is really common sense, as you wouldn’t chase a cod with a 1000 size reel and two kilogram stick, conversely 15 kg braid is unsuitable for using celtas on a tiny stream.
When trolling experiment with speed, up revs then down revs, steer the boat to the starboard side, count to five and then steer it to the port side.
Look for structure above the surface like drop offs, rocky banks and drowned timber, then if your targeting trout try a run wide of the shore in deeper water.
Fish by degrees too, natives enjoy warmer water than trout so look for the changes in temperature as this often will change angler’s focus from surface to deep.
Persist, don’t say something is not working after a short period of time, often just a colour change will bring results. Always be alert as often the smallest sign, like a seagull feeding in the water, could be the difference between a good or a great day.
Send your fishing pictures and details to 0475 953 605.