11/09/99
Tickin'
Bottom is Fishin'
By Larry Dahlberg
“If
I’m not tickin I’m not fishin”
Are
you among the anglers frustrated at the number of fish you catch?
After most outings, do you return disappointed at your lack of
action?
We
all love just being out there, but all things being equal, fishing
is more fun when a fish is pulling back.
With
that reality in mind, we surveyed the members of the Rapala pro
staff, asking them for concrete ideas that could help readers of
this column catch more fish on crankbaits than ever before. One
notion stuck out, and we’d like to offer it up, so you can plant
it in your mind, put it into practice, and see if it makes a
difference for you.
The
idea is this: much of the time, a variety of fish species are
related not only to the bottom, but to some sort of cover, such as
wood or weeds. The bottom line is this: if your lure is regularly
contacting bottom and cover, you’ll catch more fish.
“That’s
a rule I live by, whether I’m casting or trolling, says Larry
Dahlberg, host of ESPN’s Hunt for Big Fish, and one of the best
fish-catchers of all time. I don’t care if I’m fishing in
Egypt or Wisconsin, I spend a lot of time catching fish that are
on the bottom. When I’m casting, if my lure is not touching
bottom I cast farther or put on a different lure.”
“If
you see most of the fish suspended well off bottom (on your depth
finder), this doesn’t apply, but it applies a lot of the time.
Bottom contact with the lure is a big deal for me, in both
freshwater and saltwater. Again, it depends on the species, but
fish like groupers, bass, pike, muskies, walleyes relate to the
bottom a lot of the time.”
If
you own a depth finder, you can spend time slowly motoring along,
discovering where underwater points jut out, where inside turns
jut in, where weeds grow, where underwater brush is, and where
hard-bottom points and spines jut out beyond the end of weed
growth. You can mark these things with marker buoys, or just try
to remember them.
Then,
work to bring your lures into contact with bottom, and cover.
“Bumping
the bottom is a monstrously important thing, says Dahlberg. Not
plowing a furrow, but tickety-tickety-tickety. If I’m not
ticking (bottom), I’m not fishing.”
“If
you fill the lure with weeds, that’s good. Now, move out 8
inches on the next cast or (trolling) pass. If you aren’t
hitting bottom, let out more line, cast farther, or use a
different lure. Especially when fish are in a neutral feeding
mood, it can be the whole
difference.”
We’ve
mentioned the reference book Precision Trolling many times in the
past, but if you don’t have a copy, consider it. The book’s
printed on coated paper, and is full of dive curves showing how
deep many popular lures run, based on how much line is let out,
and diameter of the line. The fifth edition was fairly recently
released, and it’s available at 800-353-6958. That’s good news
for trollers, and good news for casters is reportedly not far
behind: the same outfit is working on a book called ‘Precision
Casting.’
Realize
that each lure will run slightly shallower or deeper, so it’s
important to do your own testing, with your equipment, for how you
fish. Some top anglers even write running depths, in permanent
marker, on the belly of each lure. Do your testing in an area
that’s relatively snag-free, with a gradually sloping bottom.
Try
it.
Tick
bottom more.
Clean
weeds off your lures.
It
should make a difference.
Note:
These articles are provided by the Rapala Professional Advisory
Team. Join the Rapala Fishing Club, and help shape future lures! You get a prototype lure and become an official Field
Evaluator! You also get 6 issues of “Profile,” the Club
publication full of fishing tips, and two different decals. Cost
is $12 in the U.S., $17 in Canada, and $25 in all other countries.
Send membership dues to: Rapala Club, Dept. SC, POB 581126,
Minneapolis, MN 55458.
|
