The fish engulfed the topwater plug in one bone-rattling moment. Then, it — the fish — was gone. That plug was gone as well, having fallen victim to a knot that unraveled under the strain of the strike. Mouth agape, I sat there in the johnboat in a state of shock.
Mr. Roper, one of my outdoor educators, then calmly stated, “Just wait a minute. She’ll come up to throw it.” Those words had barely registered with me when a few yards away the bass hurled itself airborne, whipped its head about and slung the red and white Heddon Lucky 13 onto the bayou’s surface.
Picking up his sculling paddle, Roper eased the flatbottom toward the plug, then began retying the trotline staging to the lure’s eye.
As he worked to retool his cane-pole doodlesockin’ outfit, he expounded on how what had occurred was one of the “rules” of fishing that he’d learned over years of on-the-water training. (We’re talking anglers’ ideas on fishing, not the bag limits and other regulations to be found in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s annual fishing guidebooks.)
Bass apparently don’t like body piercings of this nature, choosing to use their muscle power in an effort to remove the hooks from their jaws.
I’ve thought about what he related to me that day many times over the ensuing three decades as I’ve seen other fish offer similar performances.
Of course, the tenets of his fishing lesson are only the beginning when it comes to the teachings that experienced anglers offer the younger or less experienced members of the pursuit.
One simple principle is that a fisherman should use lures of certain colors based on the water color. For instance, muddy water might mean going to a spinnerbait with a white and chartreuse skirt. Meanwhile, black-clear water would be better suited for something in black or brown. The general rule is the darker the water, the darker the lure — and vice versa.
Going with Roper’s old-school methodology, an angler using a topwater bait like a Lucky 13 would want to cast the lure and let it sit there until all the rings from the splashdown have disappeared. Then, one would jerk the bait and reel in the slack and repeat the waiting game.
While that way can and will still work at times, fishermen from later generations have noted that sometimes the fish want the lure moving more quickly, like in a walking-the-dog rhythm.
What always holds true here is that you’ll just need to see how aggressive the fish are and gauge the speed of your retrieves to what seems to be getting the most response.
Recently, one of my buddies from college and his son came by to pick me up for a day of fishing. The wind must have changed directions more than a half dozen times while we were on the water. That weather had my buddy reminding ourselves of that old saying: “When the wind is from the west, the fish bite the best.”
That may be the case, but the saying has three other parts. One says that wind from the north means do not go forth. Another negative refrain has the fish biting the least when the wind is from the east. Getting back to a positive note, however, wind from the south is said to blow the hook into a fish’s mouth.
While my time in a boat and on the bank has generally held true to these guidelines, I can’t help but wonder about something. Does a southwest wind blow the hook in a fish’s mouth the best or does it mean …? What about northeast winds — go forth the least?
Now, I’m getting myself confused, so let’s just take stock of what some other sage theories about fishing have to offer.
• Match the hatch. This belief is common among trout fishermen. However, the same can hold true when angling for other species and trying to match prey species like baitfish with lures that are similarly colored and sized.
• Fish above the fish. Some anglers believe many game fish will not go down to get a bait because their eyes are on their head; thus, they are looking up.
• Follow the food. Offshore anglers follow seagulls and pelicans to hit schools of game fish chasing smaller fish. Freshwater anglers can sometimes do the same, either by watching for birds or by watching for schooling activity on the surface.
• Find something different. Rather than fishing a large group of trees, single out individual trees or small clusters of them. Also, look for areas where different kinds of cover meet, such as a vegetation line or brush mixed with stumps. Drop-offs can be another key.
• Early to bed, early to rise. The old timers may be onto something here. Dawn and dusk provide low-light conditions that often translate into good action. Of course, for even less light, consider the graveyard shift.
• The clearer the water, the lighter the line you should use. Fish can see us as well or better than we can see them when we’re on the water. This fact can be offset at times by making longer casts with those lighter lines.
• Warm or cold means fast or slow. This is based on the reasoning that cold-blooded creatures are less active in lower temperatures.
• Borrowing from farmers, only plant in one week what you can harvest in one week. Conservation, in this case, means keeping only the fish you need — not all that you want. Limits are set for a reason.
• Patience is a virtue, but he who hesitates is lost. This is the balancing act of waiting a little while for fish to bite, but not waiting too long. Patience and persistence must sometimes give way to gut feelings.
• Ask for advice. Older or more-experienced anglers can share some good tips and techniques, like maybe a new style of fishing, a new location or a new species to target.
• Preparation is key. Before, during and after trips, don’t leave your hooks dangling so that poles will become a tangled mess. Make sure your tackle boxes are closed. Keep your hooks sharpened, your lines freshly retied and your equipment serviced.
• No noise is good noise. “Be quiet. You’re going to scare the fish.” I heard that as a kid. Then, I didn’t realize just how true that can be. This is more evident in shallow-water haunts, especially around the spawn or during periods of calm winds.
• Bigger baits will catch bigger fish. While I’ve heard this said a million times, I must admit that it depends on the situation. For instance, the biggest bass I’ve ever guided into a landing net was taken on 6-pound test line, a crappie jighead, a minnow and an ultralight spinning outfit.
• Fishing isn’t a matter of life and death. It’s much more important. Do I really need to explain this one?
• With catfishing, the worse your bait smells, the better the fish will bite it.
• Thunder and lightning coming at night means the catfish will bite. Good time to run some trotlines.
• A bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work.
Remember that trip I shared with you earlier — the one where the wind kept changing directions throughout the day? Well, that brings to mind another rule for fishing. The wind was only the beginning of the story. We experienced everything from sunny and warm to dark skies with rain and drizzle to a return to partly cloudy conditions. During that span, the temperatures went from near 70 degrees to the lower 50s and back up into the 60s.
It was one of those days when you fully believe the fish will not bite, yet we tallied 28 good bass and 38 keeper crappie.
That final rule? No matter what all the other sayings hold to be true, remember that the best day to go fishing is, indeed, whenever you can.
Staff writer James K. Joslin can be reached at (501) 399-3693 or jjoslin@arkansasonline.com.