Fishing Articles
Salmon & Steelhead Angling...All The Time!
Most of the time, even during the dog days of summer
and early fall, waters rarely fluctuate dramatically and
with regularity
thus making most days “fishable”, so just get out there
and FISH!
Timothy Kusherets
There are some many things that can keep a person from fishing. Things
come up that can interfere with getting into the outdoors: for the educated
angler that can mean paying particular attention to the weather outlooks
and rising and falling river levels. It can be a burden to be so refined
an angler that being able to anticipate good and bad fishing conditions
that it can overwhelm the natural sense of adventure that first got
us hooked on the sport of recreational fishing. Sometimes there’s
no such thing as a good or bad day of fishing. It’s all about
getting back to basics of fishing with our gear in hand and eyes on
the prize of a good day of getting to the water without a care in the
world…that’s what makes fishing such a wonderful sport.
There are some things that can be monitored lightly without overly impacting
how a day of fishing turns out. Watch weather patterns of a severe nature,
Keep an eye poised on the hydrograph for dramatic changes in water height,
and make sure that drastic wind increases don’t interfere with
the ability to sense the strikes of hard hitting fish; these things
should augment fishing trips not prevent them. So what if the weather
turns a little fowl. Rivers will rise and fall everyday of the year.
Wind will be at your back and in your faces many times within a single
day. Look at these three things but don’t forget that salmon and
steelhead call for outdoorsmen 365 days a year.
It’s true that fluctuating barometric pressure can put fish off
in a moments notice; but think about it. How many times are we actually
on the water when the barometer falls and rises? It happens all the
time, but do we notice it? Of course we don’t notice small variations
in bright days and overcast clouds. Fluctuating weather is part of the
game of angling. By enlarge, weather does not gravely affect fishing
conditions, but it can, so watch for cold fronts moving in that promise
to “dramatically” change temperature conditions where the
mercury drops several degrees within a day. Severe weather changes like
that can put fish off the bite fast. Fish are cold-blooded and respond
to ambient temperature variations. If the weather changes from warm
to cold with temperatures dropping more than six degrees during the
heart of the day, you can bet fish will respond to it by going off the
bite. Dropping temperatures put fish in a hypnotic state of lethargy.
Even if fish were aware that temperatures could change their metabolic
rates there is nothing they could do about it; it’s completely
out of their control, thus making severe changes in weather worth watching
without becoming so engrossed in it that anglers become gun-shy every
time the barometer falls. “Mild” changes in temperature
and barometric pressure will not stop fish from biting entirely, making
it worth heading out to entice hard, and soft, striking fish.
Since the advent of the Internet, I’ve praised the idea of checking
hydrographs before leaving home. It can give fishermen a good idea of
what to expect “before” getting to the water; this applies
to lake and river fishermen alike. The only time waters ever put fish
off the bite is when they rise at flood stage speed. Stark changes in
water levels shock fish into action where they will seek shelter in
shallow water near the banks and shores where the slowest currents are
found. “Where they gravitate to” differs with ever-changing
levels or rising water making it too difficult for novice anglers to
locate them easily, which is why rising waters almost never have fishermen
on them; however, actual flooding waters are the exception and not the
norm and not the rule. Most of the time, even during the dog days of
summer and early fall, waters rarely fluctuate dramatically with regularity
making most days “fishable”. The prime reason for checking
water levels before leaving the house should be for figuring out how
and where to approach each reach of the river and lake. Take note of
how significantly waters rise within a few hours to generate an idea
of how fast fish “might” go off the bite and then take gear
to match water conditions. Remember, most levels are declining or stable,
so drastic changes are rare so “adjusting” fishing tactics
rather than calling-it-a-day should be protocol. There is just one more
thing to consider before heading out the door.
Wind can have a deleterious effect on the ability to detect strikes.
Strong winds can create bellies in line desensitizing them so that even
expert anglers cannot detect light hits. In many cases, if the wind
is strong enough, even hard hits can go undetected as well, which is
why it’s critical to figure out just how strong and stable winds
are.
Sustained strong winds can severely limit how well the drift of each
hold can be fished. Howling winds stronger than twelve-miles per hour
is sufficient to keep fishermen from detecting strikes, this is predicated
on the stability and regularity of it. Check online wind speeds and
correlate them with temperatures of incoming cold fronts. In many cases,
they go hand-in-hand with each other. Where one influences the other
the combination of them can put fish on and off the bite many times
within the span of a day. When there are days when pressures fluctuate
means that at least half the day will be good fishing, and that’s
the point; some good fishing is better than “none”.
Don’t put too much into reading material meant only to inform
fishermen of conditions. What is seen in the way of weather, hydrographs,
and wind are tools meant to keep fishermen on their toes so they can
figure out fast what it takes to put fish on the bite and to keep them
there; they’re not meant to prevent anglers from hitting the water.
Any veteran angler will tell you that the worst day of fishing beats
the best day at the office, and it’s true. It’s possible
to hook into fish under almost any circumstance by just heading out
the door. This is “not” an endorsement that investigating
the best fishing conditions are a waste of time…too the contrary.
Do everything that can be done to maximize possibilities to hook into
biting fish; however, when there are weeks of poor fishing conditions
due to weather, or anything else for that matter, then it’s best
to pack up all the gear necessary for the species and bolt out the door.
It’s that simple. The funniest thing about heading out the door
at a moments notice are looming thoughts of wondering if everything
has been taken that needs to be. It’s one of the consequences
of racing out the door, which I have done countless times and will continue
to do so on occasion. The way I figure it is, if I can learn something
on a fishing trip that doesn’t produce bites then it wasn’t
a waste of time; but of course I’m always looking for a tasty
fish to bite the hook (ha, ha).
© Timothy Kusherets 2009 Copyrighted
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