Help the fishless

[Perfect Drift]

Please help the fishless. I know I'm not alone. I can catch these things, I have in the past. FishinMission saw me get two of the six last fall. I have put in my time, 17 trips. Most years I out fish my bubbies, why is it I can't even touch a springer this year. I have read this board and feel I understand the technics but just can't get the first fish. Is there truth to the true skunk? Oh I could go with a guide but I wanta do this in my boat, with my gear. I know I have used and tried it all this spring. Lemon Joy, K's w/sardines, herring- cut and not cut, spinners, prawns, spin n glos, sandshrimp, scents, move 3 4 5 times each trip, shallow, mid and deep, find the structure, move into the spot after they limit out, whatever it is I got it.
Any other fishless stories?

[Thumper]

Some of us are just ****-poor fishermen. I place myself in that category. We are doomed to a life of trying.

We never got the good-looking girl in high school either.

[ 05-14-2002, 11:33 AM: Message edited by: Thumper ]

[wiser]

Some of us aren't good liars either.

[FishinMission]

Sometimes the best thing you can do is just stick it out and put in a dreadfully long day.

As I mentioned to you in an earlier E-Mail...sometimes it's just a matter of finding when "the bite" is gonna happen. I was expecting to do the majority of my springer fishing on the Columbia, but once the water started flowing, it just wasn't happening. So I/We focused on the Willamette, which, by the way had been a steady producer even BEFORE the Columbia started kic
king out fish. After some fishless days on the Columbia, and some REPEATED cell phone calls from a friend who was whackin' 'em good on the Willamette, I made the decision to focus on the Willamette only, with maybe a few.. one and only "exploratory trips out to the Columbia to see what's going on.

All too often, we observed folks leaving an hour or two before the "bite".

When salmon fishing...ya gotta put in your time...for sure. It's hard sometimes to stick it
out...but usually you're rewarded if you do.

Oh....and another thing that helps....don't pay so much attention to your rod. Seems if you stare at it, nuthin' happens, but the minute you're NOT paying attention...down it goes!!

Mark

[chromer]

Sounds like you're fishing from a boat - and that could part of your problem. I had an 1991 Willie Predator with a hot hull. It was a forward helm and when it was rigged they grounded everything to the hull. Not a good thing. I had excllent success prior to purchasing the new Predator and just wrote off my first year's down turn to getting used to the new rig. Second year I was scratching my head (caught a couple but nothing like years previous to the Predator). Year three I was bald from pulling my hair out. Then Clancy Holt solved the problem after hearing my woes - "your hull is hot". Checked it sure enough. Re-wired taking grounds back to the battery - instant success. the week after re-wiring I spent 3 days on Rogue Bay in July and put on a clinic. Night and day! Had great success from then on.

If the boat isn't an issue - I agree with Theperchmaster - pick a spot and method and become a master at it. Running from spot to spot and trying every method know to man will only add to your frustration. As the P master said "its in the details."

Hang in there. Like I always say "somedays you're the bug and the next the windshield." Your day(s) as the windshield will come.

[WaterDog]

Kaus,

There is no substitute for time on the water. To me that is the biggest difference from those that catch and those that don’t. Folks that get out there often and spend lots of hours are the folks doin’ the catchin. The bite can come on anytime. You take fishchaser who dosent work , FishinMission who has great hours :smile: , there’s a reason they catch. Yeah they good fishers but they got lots of “on the water” time.

Putting in a couple of hours in the morning doesnt get you much. Ask BOE. :tongue:

Picking an area and really learning it is also key. And last, going back to the basics is important. Whatever you’ve done in the past to put fish in the boat consistently, that is what you need to do.

Then again it is fishing. And no matter what you do sometimes it just aint happening. I know the feeling. Are there really sturgeon in the Columbia? [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

My $1’s worth.

[David Johnson]

Be in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing.....

[Mr.Kitch'nPass]

Kaus, Im with you, [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] every time I take someone with me they catch fish :whazzup: I take my wife she catches fish. I take my dad my friends etc. They catch fish [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] hey maybe you should go with me ?? [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img] Seems to work for everyone else. :grin: :grin:

[Perfect Drift]

Wow, a really big thank you, all of you!!
Guess I can wipe the tears and put together a game plan for the Lewis since the Col. closes tomorrow.
Here's what I learned-
go early, stay late
wear gloves
stay with one bait
work only one area and learn it
use the whole bottle of scent
use the cell phone and network
follow DJ around and tip him
use a bell and nap a whole bunch
eat bananas
Man and I thought fishin was fun :smile: :smile:
Thanks you guys !!!

[Small Fry]

I'm one that understands that 10% of the fisherman catch 90% of the fish.

The rest of us catch the other 10%.

[David Johnson]

Kaus, You've got it!!!!

But on that fishing in just one spot, that doesn't mean park in one hole, choose a section (Oregon City, Selwood, Freds, Lewis from Happa to the hatchery, Clackamas Barton to Carver......)

It does pay to cover a lot of water unless you are into fish. If you're into fish fallow my rule of never leaving fish to find fish. (biting fish that is)

[Chris Nordling]

Sometimes it helps to put another good fisherman in your boat, this takes the pressure off of having to catch all the fish alone. Another thing this accomplishes is netting a few, getting the dirty dues paid, before someone gets to net one for you. Have to agree with FM also, stop staring at the rod. Make breakfast, read, heck listen to a ball game, but stop looking. It will go down the first 10 minutes you don't look at it :shocked:

Another thing that happens is people sometimes are afraid to experiment. Yesterday my brother slid down a rig that I initially bought as a joke. 10 minutes after it was wet for the first time, bam - fish on ! Earlier it was hard for me to convince my buddies where we should be fishing, and using methods that almost shouldn't work. The results were 10x as many hook-ups as before, and a lot less rod hours to get them. Sometimes it pays to be different. But it also pays to be confident, and that could be tough after a rough start to the season.

Hang in there, the fishing is about to kick into high gear !

Chris

[David Johnson]

FWF1, that confidence is a big factor.

When I am experementing in a new location I have confidence in what I'm doing so I try a spot and often it pays off. I'll see a new area and think, "how can I fish this?" Then I put into practice what I know and go to it. Some times it takes a little fine tuning but it usually works if it looks "fishy".

And as far as putting another good fisherman in the boat, many of my best days happen because I had someone (or better yet more than one person)who could fish. A lot of times the artist is only as good as his materals.

[Chris Nordling]

Hey Dave,

Does that make you the Picasso of fishing then :grin: ? Or the aritst formerly known as a FISHERMAND ?
I'm just teasing, man you catch A LOT of fish, I always see happy students with you :grin:

Yup, I always enjoy rowing or fishing with those guys that seem to be up on their game. Like you said, sometimes that can make or break the day ( lack of rookie mistakes), but even the good one's mess up once in awhile. I guess that's why we're there to save the day. Or at least that's what we tell the guests. :tongue:

Good fishing,

Chris

[ 05-14-2002, 11:22 PM: Message edited by: FWF1 ]

[crabbait]

Ok, I'm stumped. Try some of these:

Change to a different rod/reel combo. May have some strange fish skunk scent on the old one.

Turn off the fish finder.

Soak your bait in scent, especially prawns. Leave them in an old butter/cottage cheese carton in scent oil. Buy several scents in bulk and use it like its going bad.

If you've been trolling, anchor. If you've been anchored, troll.

Go someplace that you have no idea how to fish, then use proven techniques.

Find a boat with a telephone number on the side and follow it around. Do whatever he does. Tip him if you have a good day.

Do a fish juju dance.

And my Dad's favorite: "Ya gotta hold your mouth right."

Good luck. :grin:

[fishchaser]

I went eight years without a Springer on the Willamette. This was before the Columbia ever opened to Springer fishing. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] Than they open the Columbia for Spring Salmon a few years back, and now I can catch Salmon in the Willamette. :shocked: GO FIGURE :whazzup:
This year I have exceptionaly well on springers too.

[BottomFeeder]

Kaus,

Try scent management using some surgical or cleanroom gloves whenever you touch anything that will be in the water fishing. I had a skunk for the first part of Fall season last year because I was handling boatgas, 2-cycle oil, etc. and then using those same hands to rig up my line, bait-up, etc. After watching my passengers, including my wife boat fish I broke down and tried using gloves, it worked almost immediatley.

You might be "chasing the gauges" too, i.e. master one proven method, like achoring with Kwickfish and stick to it for a spell. Salmon fishing is all in the details.

TPM

[fishguy]

I went springer fishing 22 days out of 42 and did not catch one until Thursday. Put two in the boat and missed another bite. When it rains it pours.

[Pete]

Fun to see what we were talking about 4 years ago and who was doing the talking! Some things just don't change! :smile:

[Jennie@ifish]

Eh hem... Pete? There is some pretty sensitive secret info in this post... Not sure, em.... Eh hem.. Pete?



Wow. Tips like these... you wouldn't find them, but on the ifish archives!

Jen

[Jennie@ifish]

go early, stay late
wear gloves
stay with one bait
work only one area and learn it
use the whole bottle of scent
use the cell phone and network
follow DJ around and tip him
use a bell and nap a whole bunch
eat bananas

There are a couple other tips, here... but that's a pretty good cover!

[Pete]

Nanners? No way!!!!! :shocked: