May 12 2009
Catching again!
Instead of a lunch hour today, I spent an hour at the canal. I had a strict brief:
- No more than an hour
- Only take four lures with me
- Only fish the likely looking spots
- Spend just enough time to cover the spot then move on
I have been getting very hung up on tackle and what-not lately and I have been far more tied up with trying loads of lures than actually trying to find the fish. Spending far too much time in each spot, trying all the combinations, but ultimately on a stretch of water that, more likely than not, was devoid of fish. I figure that if I spend five minutes covering each swim with one lure, I am more likely to catch a fish than if I doggedly spend an hour in each (possibly empty) swim trying 20 different lures. It seems obvious now I’ve written it, but it’s all too easy to get entrenched in a routine sometimes. I was also determined to get a fish using a soft plastic lure so I packed four and went off.
Three quarters of an hour in I had a good strong take from a fish really close in. I struck, hit the fish and got it in the net as quickly as I could. A heart-stopping fight played out within about three feet of where I was standing – exciting stuff! The fish went 4lb 7oz and swum off strongly when I slipped it back in.
I stopped at this point as I felt I had achieved all I wanted to in this session, and I drove off with a good feeling about things and a strong desire to get back as soon as I can to try again. I had covered more ground in 45 minutes than I typically would over two or three hours and I really do think this was the key – I didn’t get frustrated or annoyed, I just moved on as soon as I was sure there were no fish to catch in each spot. Every cast felt necessary, every retrieve was made in anticipation of the fish that was sure to take my lure. I am convinced that it was this attitude that got the fish on the bank.