As our fishing season winds down and this crazy weather pattern gives us more time ashore than on the water, it may be a good time to reflect on the past mistakes that may have cost us fish. I know it is difficult for most of us fishermen to admit to not knowing everything, but a little humble pie now and then can serve to educate and enlighten us, and make us better anglers.
When I fish with a group of fishermen, say on a head boat, the biggest mistake I see is reels half-filled with line. Monofilament line is relatively inexpensive, and there is no reason why you should go fishing with a half-full spool. On a head boat, or anytime you are bottom fishing, by the time your rig hits bottom, most of your line is gone. Hook a big fish or get snagged, and it’s game over.
A half-full spool also makes it harder to retrieve line. You begin with a much smaller spool, and each turn of the handle retrieves less line than with a full spool. When casting with a spinning reel, the line will encounter resistance against the inside of the spool, so your distance will suffer. This is a serious problem when surf fishing.
If you have reels with half-full spools, fill them up over the winter. If they hold braided line, back that line up with mono to save a little money.
Rodney the Rod Holder is responsible for a lot of missed fish. My good friend Jeff Waxman disagrees with me on this one, but I stand by my overall observations.
Rods left unattended in rod holders, be it in the surf or on a boat, simply do not catch as many fish as rods held by the angler. The use of circle hooks has improved this ratio in favor of the rod holder, but I still go with holding the rod and feeling the pickup. By holding the rod, I can feel what kind of bottom I am over when fishing from a boat. I can tell if we are on a wreck and when we drift off. I can feel the difference between sand and mud bottom, as well as when we are over rocks.
When I hold the rod, I can put a little action into my rig. Sometimes a slight jigging, and at other times I may crank up a few feet to see if fish are holding above the wreck. You just have more options when you have the rod in hand.
Circle hooks seem to confuse a lot of old fishermen and some young ones. I was introduced to circle hooks in 1989 when I moved to Virginia Beach to take the position of executive director of the Coastal Conservation Association of Virginia. Dr. James Wright invited me to join him on a trip to the Southern Tower off North Carolina for some amberjack fishing. We used live spot for bait and large circle hooks. When I first saw those things, I couldn’t see how they could hook anything.
The spot were dropped next to the tower, the amberjack ate them, the captain moved away from the structure, and when I engaged the reel, I was almost pulled overboard. Those circle hooks never failed.
I think the biggest mistake anglers make with circle hooks is covering the point with the bait. The point must remain exposed in order for the hook to work. You also must let the fish move off until it has the bait well into its mouth. Then engage the reel and your fish will be hooked.
Current and tide seem to confuse a lot of people. The tide is the rise and fall of the water, while the current is the direction the water flows. The moon controls the tide, and the current is the result of the water moving with the tide.
Indian River Inlet will see a high tide at noon, but the current will continue to run in until around 1:30 p.m. This is because it is really hard to stop an ocean full of water at exactly noon. It keeps running in until it fills up Indian River and Rehoboth bays. Then it stops, you have slack tide, and then it starts running out.
Many years ago, I was guiding a group of outdoor writers around Sussex County. We stopped at Indian River Inlet during a hard northeast blow and outgoing water. One writer from Illinois said, “That river really runs fast.”
I said, “Wait about two hours; it will stop dead still and run the other way.”
He said, “No it won’t; the Mississippi don’t.”
I said, “It does in New Orleans.”
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
