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One of my favorite fishing
stories involves a group of young boys who
went to a South Dakota stock dam and ended
up catching a state-record largemouth bass.
When asked what they used for bait, the boys
said, “ stinging worms.”
Those stinging worms,
as it turned out, were baby rattlesnakes. My
old friend Mort Bank of Bismarck, ND caught
a 43-pound world line-class record musky while
walleye fishing in the Mississippi River. One
of the biggest walleyes ever caught was taken
by a crappie fisherman using light line and
a tiny jig.
These stories—and
dozens more like them—illustrate a couple
important points for hawg hunters. First, off-the-wall
techniques often produce trophy catches. And
second, you never know when the big one will
hit so you better be ready.
Mort wasn’t expecting
to battle a huge musky on six-pound line that
chilly fall day on the Mississippi, but because
he’s a skilled angler and was using good
equipment he was able to battle that big fish
for several hours and eventually land it.
If I had a dollar for
every story about “the big one that got
away” I could retire in style. Each year
literally tens of thousands of once-in-a-lifetime
fish get away because of broken line, sticky
drag or a panicked net man.
That’s why I use
the best equipment I can afford and keep that
equipment in good working order. Even when
I’m using ultra-light gear, the line
I’m fishing is fresh and the knots carefully
tied and checked. The reels I used have a smooth
drag system and won’t freeze up when
I need it most. And when I tie into a big fish,
I always coach my net man and try to keep everyone
in the boat calm.
Most anglers only get
a few cracks at a trophy fish. Wise anglers
don’t waste those rare opportunities
by fishing with bargain-basement line or a
reel that doesn’t perform.
Using quality gear won’t
guarantee you’ll hook a trophy fish,
but it sure comes in handy when it’s
time to land one. The final ingredient in the
recipe for big fish is presentation. There’s
a lake in my backyard that—on any given
year—produces some big walleyes in the
spring and fall. It’s also a good bass
fishery. Not many anglers realize that this
lake holds some trophy northern pike. One who
does consistently catches pike from 15 to over
20 pounds, and he does it in the dead of summer.
His secret: First, he fishes an area where
few others try—a shallow, weed-infested
bay. The second thing he does is to speed-troll
over-sized crankbaits along the outside edge
of the weeds. He understands that big pike
hang around weeds for the forage opportunities.
He also knows big pike prefer big meals, and
he capitalizes on the ferocious fish’s
aggressive personality.
A big “toothy” prowling
the outside edge of the weeds in search of
a two-pound sucker has a tough time resisting
a 10-inch crankbait moving through the water
a three or four miles an hour.
Catching the trophies
from any body of water requires that approach.
First, you have to discover where the big fish
are hiding, and that means finding their preferred
forage. Second, you have to give them what
they want, which at most times of year is a
big bait or lure.
Here’s another
very important tip. When moving in to cast
for big fish of any species, always shut down
the big motor well before arriving at the spot
and use your electric motor to get into position.
Start by making long casts to the spot, and
avoid getting too close with the boat. Big
fish tend to be spooky. Use long, fast-tipped
rods to make long casts. When trolling for
big fish, let out as much line as possible
without altering the action of the lure. A
big fish may swim off to the side of the boat
when it passes, but it usually will resume
feeding by the time your long-lined lure reaches
the spot.
In summer and fall, use
big baits. Once, while fishing a popular Midwestern
reservoir in fall, my partner and I landed
a dozen trophy walleyes while a group of top
local guides were struggling to take a couple.
The difference was that we had eight and 10-inch
redtails for bait; the locals only had smaller
sucker minnows at their disposal. On many bodies
of water night fishing produces the biggest
catches. Be sure to check out the bite at dawn,
dusk and even in the middle of the night.
Weather conditions also
can be a key factor. The biggest fish in any
body of water tend to be most active and accessible
when conditions are the worst for fishing.
A big wind that kicks up nasty waves often
triggers a strong response from trophy fish.
If you have a big enough boat and arecomfortable
handing that boat in rough conditions, always
check out the windy side of the lake during
a nasty blow.
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