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| Want to take a beauty like this from clear water? You won't unless you use a stealthy approach. |
Fishing With Care: Part 1
By Stan Fagerstrom
Chances are you've heard that old business about 10 percent of fishermen catching 90 percent of the fish.
You may, in fact, have heard it often enough to be a bit weary of listening to it. Unfortunately, the longer I observe fishermen in different parts of the world, the more convinced I am of its truth. I recall a conversation I overheard once at a bar in New Zealand.
"Bloody yank," the New Zealand guide muttered into his glass of beer when the fishing for the day was done. "I took him to some of the finest brown trout water on the south island. What does he do? He goes wading through the shallows like a wounded water buffalo and puts down every brownie for three kilometers in each direction."
I've heard that kind of complaint from expert guides all the way from Argentina to Alaska and from Maine to Mexico. Some fishermen never do learn the benefits of a quiet approach. It's important regardless of the species you are after, doubly so if you're dealing with clear water.
I used to fish now and then with a long time fish biologist for the Washington Wildlife Department. Every time I went out with him I probed his thoughts for ideas and suggestions I could use in my own fishing. One of the things he especially stressed while fishing flies for summer steelhead or sea run cutthroat, was the need for a quiet approach. "Don't," he said, "walk right up to a hole and wade in. Sneak up and look the water over before you cast. You might be able to spot fish. If you do you'll know where to wade in without alarming them and also where to present your fly. Keep a low profile. Sneak up on your hands and knees if you have to."
Experts everywhere follow that procedure. Go fly fishing in New Zealand for example, and you'll find it often resembles hunting as much as fishing. I've had the good fortune to fish in that beautiful country twice and for a month on each occasion. Fish with a guide in the land of the Kiwis and chances are he will be out ahead of you and sneaking along the stream bank. Once he spots a trout, he'll tell you where to wade and cast.
That approach often results in a hook up. Like that unhappy guide said, slosh noisily into that gin clear New Zealand water and you can cast until this time next month without catching zip.
I don't want to leave the impression the only time stealth is required is when you're trout fishing. It applies darn near as much when you're after other fish like bass or panfish. Those species aren't generally as spooky. That's due in part to murky water conditions they're often found in. If you can't see the fish, chances are the fish aren't finding it all that easy to see you.
Be that as it may, the 10 percent of fishermen doing 90 percent of the catching exercise caution every time out. Like developing casting skills, a careful approach is one of the few things an angler can actually control. We can't do a blessed thing about weather or water conditions. We can all use caution and care.
In my next column we'll consider some of the additional benefits of using a careful approach on both lake and stream.
To Be Continued |
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| Bass aren't usually as spooky as the trout species. Even so, do a lot of banging around in your boat and you'll dim your prospects in a hurry. |
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