by Capt. Joe Kent
The old adage in the title of this article may be a bit exaggerated; however, it does refer to the fact that a small group of fishermen catch the majority of the fish. Now, let’s take a look at why this select group comes away with most of the fish and others go home with sparse catches.
If I had to say why the haves prevail over the have-nots, it would come down to three things: first and foremost, experience, then comes equipment and finally skills.
Those three areas are what separate fishermen from catchermen.
During my 15 years of guiding, I have observed just about all levels of fishermen and can speak with experience when it comes to identifying problems that keep individuals from catching fish.
I mentioned earlier that experience is the number one factor. By experience I am referring to the length of time people spend fishing and how serious they are about the sport. Anglers that focus on a given area, say one of the bays such as Trinity, West Bay or East Bay, are going to learn that body of water and the movements of fish therein. Knowing where the reefs are located, bottom contour and depths of a body of water give a good head start.
While becoming educated with the traits of a bay or other aquatic location is important, equipment is the next item that needs attention.
A properly matched rod and reel along with fishing line suitable for the size of fish and type of surroundings are vital to success. There is no universal rod and reel, meaning that you need different equipment for various types of fishing. Let’s use some examples. If you wade or drift fish with artificials, a long accurate cast is vital to covering as much territory as possible while working your way across flats or deep-water reefs. For anglers preferring popping corks with live shrimp for the same type of fishing, a slightly heavier rod and stronger line is needed.
For surf fishing, a longer rod is required with a heavier reel that holds more line than conventional casting reels or smaller spinning reels.
If I were asked my opinion on the number one problem that keeps bay and jetty fishermen from catching fish, I would say it is casting skills. Too often I have seen anglers trying to cast and they just could not get their bait very far from the boat and better than half of the casts ended up in a backlash that took time away from fishing to correct. Some of this had to do with the equipment they were using; however, a good part of the problem was their lack of experience in casting.
Now, if you are in that so-called 90 percent category of fishermen, here are some pointers that should improve your results.
To begin, you should commit to making a serious effort to improving your skills. Find the proper rod and reel for your type of fishing and start practicing casting. Practice makes perfect.
While you may be interested in catching every type of fish the bay system has to offer, start out by focusing on one species such as trout. Choose an area that is convenient to get to and that is known for producing that fish.
If you are not seasoned at using artificial baits, start with live shrimp and then work your way into soft plastics or hardware. Once you have brushed off some of the handicaps to fishing and have a comfortable feeling about your casting skills, hire a fishing guide to take you to the areas you plan to fish. Be sure the guide is well known for his expertise in that particular body of water.
Once you get some pointers from a guide or alternatively another experienced fisherman, fish your area as often as possible.
If you follow these pointers it should not take long before you join the 10% of anglers catching 90% of the fish.
Selecting which color lure to use can be an overwhelming experience for those new to fishing with artificial lure and soft plastics. Here is a crash course in matching your color to the conditions and clarity.
Natural colors closely mimic baitfish or shrimp and work best on sunny days with very good or excellent clarity.
Multi-use colors usually combine a neutral body with a bright tail and work well in stained water or cloudy weather.
Bright colors catch the attention of fish in off-color or dirty-wate durng sunny or mostly sunny weather.
Use dark colors at night or during bad water clarity conditions.
Visit www.TexasTackleFactory.com for a detailed chart and more information concerning color selection.
Search “Capt. Joe Kent” on YouTube for fishing videos taken all across the Galveston Bay complex.
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