Fishing Tips
If you are a Registered Maine Guide and you have a Fishing Tip you would like to post here (no charge!...keep'm short), send me an e-mail at:. I'll include your name with the tip that you provide.
- Weather
- Time of Day
- Ice Fishing - Keeping the Same Bait Depth
- Underwater Features
- How to pull in a hooked fish thats hiding in the branches of a submerged tree
- Weather
Its certainly great when you can pick a nice weather day to go fishing, but some of my most productive fishing trips have been on a rain day! I'm not talking about a day with tunderstorms threatening, I'm talking about a day where there is a blanket of clouds overhead all day with a steady light rain. A lot of folks see these as dreary days with nothing to do. I see them as great opportunities to see what fish are biting throughout the whole day, that would normally be hiding from the sun!
Most fish try to stay out of direct sunlight. Even sunfish will prefer to be under a dock on a sunny day. On a rainy day, there is no direct sunshine to send fish to the depths or under features. Granted, in the warmer months, cold water species such as salmon and togue (lake trout) will stay in the depths to stay in cold water, but warm water fish such as smallmouth and largemouth bass will be all around throughout the whole day, not hiding in the shadows like they would on a sunny day.
Try it out. Pick a light rain day with no thunderstorms or wind in the forcast, get on some reasonable rain gear (some times just a decent poncho will due), and try fishing a day in the rain. You'll probably find your success rate better than average!This Fishing Tip provided by Stoney's Guide Service.
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- Time Of Day
A rule of thumb for most freshwater fish, the best fishing occurs at sunrise and sunset. In addition to being two beautiful times of day to be on the water, fish are particularly active during these dark/light and light/dark transition times. Quite often there are hatches occuring during these times which are what the fish are feeding on. But with all rules there are exceptions. I have caught a lot of bass and an occasional brown trout at noon on a bright sunny day. So, although sunrise and sunset are the best times of day to fish, sometimes you can latch on to a keeper at mid-day. A thought on fishing mid-day though... this is when I'll be fishing around underwater features where fish tend to hide from the direct sun.
This Fishing Tip provided by Stoney's Guide Service.
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- Ice Fishing - Keeping the Same Bait Depth
A great way to keep your bait at the same level (right off the bottom for example) is to use a medium sized button on your line as a locator. To do this, before you tie your hook on, thread your line in one button hole and back out another and slide the button up the line a ways. After sounding the bottom, let out enough line to put the bait at the depth you want, and as you are letting out the line, slide the bottom up the line until it is at your reel. With this done, if you check your bait or catch a fish, you can return the fresh bait to the same depth by letting out your line until the button appears at the reel. Simple enough.
This Fishing Tip provided by Stoney's Guide Service.
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- Underwater Features
More times than not, fish hang out aroung underwater features. Whether it is a sudden change in depth (a drop off), an underwater ledge, a submerged tree, an underwater rock pile, or an island, fish hang out around features such as these for shade and a break from the current (if you're on a river). When you are looking for where the fish are hanging out, look for features. Check for drop offs with a depth map or a depth finder. If you're on a lake, fish around rock piles or an island. If you're on a river, fish in the eddies downstream of the rock pile or island. Underwater trees provide shade, a break from the current, and a hiding place for fish.
This Fishing Tip provided by Stoney's Guide Service.
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- How to pull in a hooked fish thats hiding in the branches of a submerged tree.
One place that fish love to hang out is in the braches of a submerged tree. Whether the bank of a lake or a river, submerged trees happen all over and make a great "feature" (see above) to fish around. I've found that dropping a lure near the edge of underwater branches can be used to tease a fish out of hiding. With bass, this can bring about some exciting rises if your using a surface lure! The challenge is that as soon as the fish is hooked, where does it want to go?... back into the branches! Once a fish wraps the line around a few branch tips, you pretty much have to cut line and take the loss. But, I have had success with one method that can be done from a boat (if you do this from shore, I'd like to hear the story!). Slowly (so you don't spook the fish) move your boat toward the place where your line goes into the water, keeping a hefty tension on the line so the fish doesn't get to weave a web in the tree branches before you can get to it. Continue to reel in, but instead of pulling the fish toward you, move your rod tip underwater toward the fish that is hiding deep in the branches. You can only go so far with this method... you may get to the point where your whole rod is underwater (make sure you hold onto it !!). Hopefully, you will get to the point where your rod tip will meet up with your lure, and the fish is still attached. At this point, you can slooowly pull your rod back, weaving the fish from within the maze of branches into open water, giving you a chance to land your fish. Try it! and let me know if you have success with this one. The suspense while trying this method can a lot of fun!!
This Fishing Tip provided by Stoney's Guide Service.
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