OK, I’ll admit it; I absolutely enjoy fishing, especially when there is a lot of catching going on while I’m in the process of fishing.
And like many fishermen, over the years, I’ve developed some favorite techniques, lures, and equipment choices.
When I was still in school, I was taught how to catch trout with salmon eggs and a light, open-faced spinning outfit. I caught plenty of trout, and it was my one and only choice for trout fishing for many years.
Eventually, a day came when the water was very low, clear, and the salmon eggs failed to produce much action. However, another friend of mine was catching the trout with a fly outfit and little dry flies.
I began learning to fly fish, and a whole new fishing world opened up. Not only did I get into some serious fly fishing, but like a lot of others who get into fly fishing, I also started tying my own flies.
The same scenario happened with me when it came to bass fishing. In my high school days, I started bass fishing with live minnows, but then I discovered that artificial minnow lures, such as those made by Rebel and Rapala, worked just as well. They were also a whole lot less trouble to deal with and to take along on a fishing trip.
Not only did adding new and different lures to my arsenal improve my success, but as I already mentioned when I began fly fishing, new ways to present lures also added to my success.
As my bass fishing continued over the years, it wasn’t long until I began to make use of the bait-casting outfits. Although many fishermen dislike these outfits and are reluctant to try them, they serve a purpose and, in certain situations, outperform other presentations. Bait-casters are very durable and sturdy, and work well in weedy water or water with lots of obstructions where bass often hold out.
The point is, open-faced spinning outfits, fly rods, and bait casters are all very different, but knowing how to use all of them certainly increases your chances of success.
Again, I recall my early days of fishing, when I headed out to a favorite local lake for some bass fishing, but I didn’t have any live minnows and not even any night crawlers. I didn’t expect much, but I did have one of those new, soft plastic worms that someone gave me. Out of desperation, I put it on and immediately began to catch bass. Anybody who’s into bass fishing these days knows what a big impact the artificial soft plastics have had on our fishing success; I wouldn’t even think of going out on a bass fishing excursion these days without a good selection of soft plastics from grubs, worms, lizards, wacky rigs, Ned-rigs, and a lot of other selections.
Not only is it wise to add and learn to use new lures to your selection, but also learning the different techniques and how to use the various tools to present those lures will definitely enhance the catching part of fishing. The more diverse species of fish you pursue, the more important it is to be willing to use different presentations. This is especially important when dealing with a multitude of different conditions and environments during our outings.
In other words, the more versatile you are willing to be, the more likely you will be to add more numbers to your fishing success.
Now here’s hoping I can find some time to get out and drop a dry fly along a shaded edge in a nice pool on a favorite trout stream or maybe even work a wacky rig at the edge of a deep weed bed on a nearby lake.
