Post by 31Airborne on Jan 1, 2022 8:32:57 GMT -5
Every year, at the end of my tournament season, I look back on what went well and what didn't, then map out some things to work on during the off season. While I'm very pleased w/ how we did overall this past year, I recognized some gaps I need to fill in order to be a more effective teammate. These aren't in any particular order.
Skipping w/ bait caster. I actually started this effort in earnest yesterday. Spent ~4 hours on Claytor skipping jigs under docks, trees, and anything/everything else that blocked direct access to a target. I invested in a couple of the Team Lew's skipping reels (nope, not sponsored) and paired them to MH rods w/ softer tips. I'm still at the stage where the brakes are almost all the way tightened but I made some solid progress yesterday. Will continue to work this presentation with both hands. BTW, even with the shallower spool, I'm still able to make pretty long casts to general targets like points and ledges.
Jerk bait. I've had this one on the list several times in the past 10 or so years. With so many new brands and sizes out there it's worth coming back to this year. The key difference this year is line choice - I'm experimenting w/ co-poly lines. I picked up on this while fishing w/ one of my NOVA buddies. He likes to use floating line to help detect those lighter bites. Hard to do w/ a line that sinks (like fluoro). I've also [finally] put together rod/reel combos to match jerk bait fishing. The jerk bait will remain in my arsenal throughout the year. Had some really good days with it this past summer and fall.
Lite shaky heads. My partner is the biggest shaky head fisherman in the world. I mean he is dang good with it. Kinda like me and my jig or c-rig, when he picks up his shaky head rig, he's 100% confident he can catch anything. One of his biggest things is to fish w/ super lite weights - 3/32 oz and less. It takes a while for it to sink to the target depth but the slow rate of fall often triggers bites from suspended fish he wouldn't otherwise realize. His heads are made w/ tungsten. Some of you may recall my comments on the tungsten-vs-lead debate in my previous reports. I'm a believer in Tn. Gonna give it a try w/ a finesse presentation. Have gotten away from the shaky head the past few years. Time to bring it back into the arsenal w/ a couple of new twists.
Matching crankbaits to rods/reels. I have some really great cranking sticks but I'm not getting everything I can out of them. I've learned (the hard way) that cranking sticks aren't made the same. Some are better suited for bigger bill baits while others are better choices for smaller profile, smaller billed baits. So, this is a no-brainer for you power fishermen. You've known this for years. I am not a power fisherman but need to bring this capability into my arsenal in a big way. To that end, I spent a couple hours yesterday experimenting. After a few casts I was able to align bait types/sizes w/ specific rods. After going thru this drill, I'm finally getting the performance (casting distance, accuracy) I need. I now have a rod for square bills, DT-6s and DD 1.5s, DT-10s and rock crawlers, and my deeper divers.
So, that's the task list I have for this winter. From the looks of the long-range weather forecast, I'm gonna have plenty of opportunities to practice. Whatever your goals are for 2022, I hope it's a safe, healthy, and successful year. I look forward to learning from and sharing with y'all as we work our way thru it.
best,
B
Skipping w/ bait caster. I actually started this effort in earnest yesterday. Spent ~4 hours on Claytor skipping jigs under docks, trees, and anything/everything else that blocked direct access to a target. I invested in a couple of the Team Lew's skipping reels (nope, not sponsored) and paired them to MH rods w/ softer tips. I'm still at the stage where the brakes are almost all the way tightened but I made some solid progress yesterday. Will continue to work this presentation with both hands. BTW, even with the shallower spool, I'm still able to make pretty long casts to general targets like points and ledges.
Jerk bait. I've had this one on the list several times in the past 10 or so years. With so many new brands and sizes out there it's worth coming back to this year. The key difference this year is line choice - I'm experimenting w/ co-poly lines. I picked up on this while fishing w/ one of my NOVA buddies. He likes to use floating line to help detect those lighter bites. Hard to do w/ a line that sinks (like fluoro). I've also [finally] put together rod/reel combos to match jerk bait fishing. The jerk bait will remain in my arsenal throughout the year. Had some really good days with it this past summer and fall.
Lite shaky heads. My partner is the biggest shaky head fisherman in the world. I mean he is dang good with it. Kinda like me and my jig or c-rig, when he picks up his shaky head rig, he's 100% confident he can catch anything. One of his biggest things is to fish w/ super lite weights - 3/32 oz and less. It takes a while for it to sink to the target depth but the slow rate of fall often triggers bites from suspended fish he wouldn't otherwise realize. His heads are made w/ tungsten. Some of you may recall my comments on the tungsten-vs-lead debate in my previous reports. I'm a believer in Tn. Gonna give it a try w/ a finesse presentation. Have gotten away from the shaky head the past few years. Time to bring it back into the arsenal w/ a couple of new twists.
Matching crankbaits to rods/reels. I have some really great cranking sticks but I'm not getting everything I can out of them. I've learned (the hard way) that cranking sticks aren't made the same. Some are better suited for bigger bill baits while others are better choices for smaller profile, smaller billed baits. So, this is a no-brainer for you power fishermen. You've known this for years. I am not a power fisherman but need to bring this capability into my arsenal in a big way. To that end, I spent a couple hours yesterday experimenting. After a few casts I was able to align bait types/sizes w/ specific rods. After going thru this drill, I'm finally getting the performance (casting distance, accuracy) I need. I now have a rod for square bills, DT-6s and DD 1.5s, DT-10s and rock crawlers, and my deeper divers.
So, that's the task list I have for this winter. From the looks of the long-range weather forecast, I'm gonna have plenty of opportunities to practice. Whatever your goals are for 2022, I hope it's a safe, healthy, and successful year. I look forward to learning from and sharing with y'all as we work our way thru it.
best,
B
