Wanta Catch Big Fish?

[Plugger]

Why hunt the stragglers? Go after the 90% - the schools of BIG fish

The big reason Buck Perry used to catch fish when no one else does is that he’s spent a lifetime learning to concentrate on the 90 percent, and ignore the 10 percent. He’s discovered how fish behave, and where they live, 90 percent of the time, and he doesn’t waste energy on the exceptions. This article will tell you how he does it. Before you read it, though, here is a word of warning. You’re probably not going to agree with the Perry system. You’ve been taught, or taught yourself, on the basis of the 10 percent—the exceptions to the rule. If you’re catching all the fish you want now, fine. But if you want to increase your chances from 10 percent to 90 percent, then take a deep breath and come along.

Only 5 percent to 10 percent Catch Fish

The big reason only 5 percent to 10 percent of the people who really catch fish is that the vast majority of fishing time is spent where fish aren’t. And it’s too bad, because big fish—bass or what have you— live according to very definite patterns and can be located the overwhelming majority of the time.

Live In Schools—Deep

Big fish are school fish. The older and bigger they are, the tighter they school. Contrary to popular opinion, these big fish live in deep water, not under lily pads, beside logs, or along the shoreline. They may be there occasionally—10 percent of the time—but they live in deep water.
We call these deep dwelling places the “sanctuary.” Big fish don’t feed when they’re in the sanctuary. Periodically, however, they leave the sanctuary and “migrate” to feeding grounds. This is when we catch them, sometimes in unbelievable numbers.

Two questions always come up here:
Q. How deep is the sanctuary?
A. In our waters, 27-34 feet, depending on the clarity of the water and the oxygen content of the thermocline. The clearer the water, the deeper the fish.
Q. Why not catch them in the sanctuary?
A. Because only once in a blue moon will they cooperate, They’re semi-dormant in the sanctuary. They’re stacked up tight, like cordwood. The entire schooling area can be very small—only a few square feet—and unless you hit it to the inch, you won’t get a strike. Finally, it’s hard to control a lure this deep, and without precise control, you won’t get them to strike, even if you do find the exact area, the size of a dining room table, in which they’re lying.

Find Migration Route

So forget about trying to catch fish in their sanctuary. Instead, concentrate on the next step — the migration. Regardless of species, big fish will leave their deep, sheltered home between one and three times a day, normally. How far they migrate and how long they stay depends on local conditions which you will have to experiment with.
Exact time of migration will also vary, but there are some general rules. Early mornings and evening, as most of us know, are usually good. So, however, is the time between 10am, and 2pm when most fishermen have been taught to go in and take a nap.
If a cold front passed by several days ago, be on your toes. As suddenly as a room lights when you flip on a switch, they’ll move and start hitting. Action is furious, On a bright day, it might last as little as 15 minutes; on a cloudy day, it can go on for hours. But when it happens, you’ll set all your personal fishing records.

Fish Always Follow The Same Route

The migration from sanctuary to feeding grounds always take the same route until the school hits what we call the "scatterpoint", This is usually in 8 to 10 feet of water. Here, if conditions are perfect, they spread out into the shallows, but only if the conditions are perfect. Even then, the majority of the big fish do not go into the shallows. Instead, the school stops and spreads out along the bar or reef that constitutes the migration route from deep water, If you are going to catch fish consistently, here’s where you’ll do it. Of course, your success will depend on your ability to locate the migration route.
Migration routes are as plain to fish as streets are to us. They are always some kind of “structure” that leads from relatively shallow water into deep water’ —bars, reefs, underwater points, and the like. In a strange lake, merely looking at the contours on your map will locate potential migration routes for you. On a lake you fish often, the careful notes you keep will soon lead you to them.
If you’re content with 10 percent action, keep your conventional mental picture of the lunker lying beside the log or under the lily pad. But if that hasn’t been filling your boat with big fish, then start thinking deep and fishing deep— right along the bottom, where fish are dying of old age every day.

Want to know about Buck’s teachings? Go to www.buckperry.com and order some of his educational materials.

Hope you’re not content with fishing for STRAGGLERS!

[JRL]

Even though this looks like a shameless plug.....

I cant agree more about the schooling bass and the depths.
On my lake the large schools of bass tend to hang out in 20' to 25'. We locate them on the depth finder and then set up on an adjacent flat.

We sit well back in the flat, 20 or 30 feet from the drop and cast towards the deep water, and parallel to the drop. Most of our big fish come from the flat, or, parallel sections. Our smaller fish (4lbs and under) are from the deeper water.

One section in perticluar is a flat that is dead in between two 20' ledges. We call it "big fish teritory" (as we have a name for every location on the lake).

[islandflyfisher]

Very intereseting. I love reading things that give me new ideas about where and how to fish my home lakes.
Thanks for sharing.

[Plugger]

It may look like a simple plug but it's really not. I came across this article that was written in 1964 about Buck and Spoonplugging. There aren't too many people that will take to Buck's ideas. I used to be a bank beater like so many people on this forum until I got one of Buck's books as a birthday present. It changed my whole fishing life. I don't work for www.buckperry.com but I know them really well. I just want other fishermen to know that it's not about what color or what lure that catches fish but it's the where that catches fish. Bank beaters must realize that the bank serves no purpose other than to hold the water in the lake. The only reason you catch fish on any given shoreline is because the fish had a route to follow(migration route) that lead them from the deep water to that particular area of shoreline.

I see a lot of younger fishermen on this forum. I'm hear to tell you, don't get caught up in the industries beliefs about buying their secret lure. If you do that you will spend a lifetime trying to find it. It's like anything else in life, I you want to become successful and become a better fishermen you are going to have to put forth some effort and studying. Do yourself a favor order the "Green Book".

[JRL]

Thats cool. Never heard of Buck, Ill have to read up.

Your bank fishing comments are so right. I watch other boaters hug the bank and circumnavigate the entire lake that way. They catch 1 fish and move on. Its almost as if they think there is one fish per spot.....and where I fish it common to see 4 or 5 followers.....but not if your fishing the bank.

I had some success vertical jigging lately (not so sure many FL guys do it). When there not hitting ANYTHING, vertical jigging a little george seems to produce.

[Plugger]

It's amazing that the bank beaters catch only a couple of fish and they go home saying that the fish weren't biting. How do they know they weren't biting? They only checked one section of the lake - the shallow water.

Jason,

If you're catching 'em deep you're already ahead of the game. Buy the book and you'll be amazed how many more fish you'll catch. I'll have to check to see if there are any Spoonpluggers in your area, maybe you can hook up with one and see what it's all about.

[brushhog]

Plugger, I agree with your info, 100%. However, three posts and three buy the books is a little much for this forum - put the website in your signature and be domne with it. My tone is friendly, you never can tell in e-mail...

[Plugger]

Brushhog,

No problem,