Questions

[catfishtonyd]

I get the impression since I've been on this board that a lot of the people who post here are inexperienced fishermen, who really want to learn, but don't understand some of the basics that old coots like me tend to take for granted.

I see things like "the best lure".."the best worm"..topwaters don't catch fish, etc. Â*We've all seen those comments.

First you have to understand: Â*There ain't no magic bait. Â*A lure is a tool. Â*That's all. Â*Just like a hammer to a carpenter, or a wrench to an auto mechanic, it's just a tool designed to do a certain job. Â*Just as a carpenter could shorten a piece of wood with a hammer, a saw is a better choice. Â*It's faster and does a neater job with less work.

So what does that have to do with fishing? Â*You need to use the right tool for the job you want to do. Â*First you have to ask yourself Â*"What job do I want to do?" Â*What tools do I have to use to do that job?"

Now you might think "I want to catch a fish", but that's not the first thing. Â*The first thing is to FIND a fish. Â*Then you can worry about catching him. Â*

So. Â*How do we find a fish? Â*The best way is to put a lure in the water, start fishing. Â*So. Â*What lure do we use?

Lures can be loosly defined as "search baits" and as "catch baits". Â*Search baits are those that can be used quikly to cover a lot of water, and hopefully draw a strike from an agressive fish. Â*Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and topwaters fall into that catagory. Â*If you're really lucky, that's all you'll need. Â*We've had those days when every fish in the lake wanted to pounce on a spinnerbait so bad you have to hide it behind your back to tie it on.

For those times when fish aren't as agressive, which actually is most of the time, you use the slower moving baits such as plastic worms, jigs, grubs, tubes, etc.

I don't want to get too long winded here. Â*I could write a magazine article, or a book on this subject but basically when you start off you want to use a bait that covers a lot of water quickly. Â*When you catch a fish say on a spinnerbait, keep fishing that bait for a few minutes. Â*If you don't catch anymore on that then go to a slower moving bait, say a plastic worm or a jig. Â*Maybe a lure that runs deeper, say a crankbait.

Out of all the factors that come into play for lure selection the most important is depth. Â*How deep are they? Â*Not what color, but what depth. Â*You can throw the "right" color all day, but if you don't get it to the right depth, no fish is going to see it. Â*On the other hand if you get the "wrong" color to the right depth, you're in the game.

So what depth are the fish? Â*They're either on the top, on the bottom or in the middle. Â*That sounds simple doesn't it? Â*<lol> Â*When I first read where Buck Perry had said that I thought "No Sh.. Sherlock". Â*Now I realize what he meant was you try all depths until the fish tell you just how deep they are.

I guess I've bored everyone long enough with this, so I'll let it go for now. Â*