Catch More Fish

71. SWITCH OFF Suspended bass that are graphed near bait schools often won't bite, but they can indicate other active fish close by. Leave those exciting sonar signals and head to cover that's closer to shore, where bigger fish might well be on the prowl even though you can't see them on electronics.

72. TOUCHY, FEELY

Though rocky shores, points and bars are favored by smallmouths and spotted bass, don't waste time methodically fishing the entire structure.

Concentrate on transition areas—places where rock sizes change drastically or where rocky areas shift to sand, shale or gravel, for example. What you see along the shoreline can provide clues to what's underwater.

When you're working a submerged point or hump, however, you'll have to learn to feel bottom change. A line with less stretch, such as a braid or fused line, will help, as will a fairly stiff rod and a decent amount of weight on your bottom rig.

73. HIT THE DITCHES Though bass sometimes spawn on old submerged roadbeds in an impoundment, often it's the drainage ditches or culverts on either side of the old road that attract more fish. If your sonar shows a quick dip on either side of the bed, don't fail to fish it before moving on.

74. ENOUGH ANCHOR When anchoring in moving water, it might be necessary to position the boat precisely to fish an eddy or current seam. The proper weight of an anchor depends on the size of the boat. A 20-pound anchor is usually sufficient for boats up to 16 feet long, but an 18-footer requires at least a 28-pounder. As a rule, you'll need 4 feet of rope for every foot of water depth, more if the current is swift. Using more rope reduces the angle of pull, making it more likely that the flukes will catch.

75. BASS ACKWARD Big plastic tubes and heavily salt-impregnated tentacle-tail grubs such as Yamamoto's Fat Ika are deadly rigged backward. Depending on what you rig them with, the tubes might need to have some weight stuffed into their heads. The Ika usually is heavy enough by itself. Rig it Texas-style with a wide-gap jerkbait hook, with the hook eye toward the tentacles. Drop the bait in weed pockets and let it drop; then twitch it off bottom a few times until you get a strike or decide no bass are home.

#76 Tributary Tricks One of the best spots for steelheads is the first good holding water down-current from the junction of two tributaries. When fishing upstream in the two tributaries that have joined, look for the first holding water in the smallest fork. Even if the stream doesn't look like much, it could give you a pleasant surprise.

77. NO-SAG PLASTICS The tear-resistant "super plastic" baits made by CyberFlexxx are best rigged on standard offset J-hooks rather than the ultra wide-gap hooks typically used for tubes and soft jerkbaits. These lures are so soft they tend to sag or cave inward when rigged on big-gap hooks.

78. SPOOL LESS LINE Heavier monofilament in the 15- to 17-pound-test class tends to spring off a filled spinning reel spool when you don't want it to. Try putting less line on the spool. You won't get horizon-busting casts, but you don't need to when you're fishing tight quarters such as underneath docks or bank cover where heavier, abrasion-resistant line is needed. Alternately, try using braid or fused line of the appropriate test for your spinning outfit.

#79 Anticipate Your Casts When you work standing cover or a shoreline with crankbaits or spinnerbaits, think ahead. As you retrieve the lure, let your eyes sweep the area for such bass magnets as root wads or weed cover, a creek mouth, rocks or places where there are abrupt changes in the bottom configuration. In other words, don't just fish blindly but choose casting targets.

80. RATTLES TO GO Make up a batch of rattling tubes to use when water conditions require some sound effects to help fish find your lure. Slide a washer of about the same diameter as the inside of the tube up into the head so that the head takes on a slightly flattened configuration. The purpose of the tube's flattened forend is to cause it to glide downward rather than just fall. After the washer goes in, put a small glass rattle into the body. Seal the butt end using super glue and a piece of plastic worm.

#81 Timberrr! WHEN FISHING THROUGH dead standing timber, concentrate on trees that have fallen or whose large limbs have broken off and toppled into the water. Submerged horizontal cover amid all that vertical timber can be dynamite to fish because bass are attracted to such changes in the norm.

82. RAISE A RUCKUS

Dingy water or water kicked up by wind might not seem ideal for the use of topwater lures, but bass, pike and muskies will often crush surface lures under such conditions. The trick is to use the noisiest, largest surface plugs you have. Big propeller stickbaits and chuggers that spew water work well. Fish them over likely cover and structure.

Buzzbaits can be effective for covering an area faster, though fish often miss them in low-visibility conditions. When that happens, throw a topwater plug back to the spot. Fish where wind has pushed forage fish close to points or the windward side of coves.

83. PLUG PATIENCE Years ago, surface lures were packaged with instructions telling fishermen to cast the baits to prime areas and then wait for the ripples to die away before moving the artificial. Even in this age of run-and-gun fishing, it's still good advice to pause between touchdown and retrieve. When fishing with a Zara Spook or any stickbait, let it sit as long as 20 to 30 seconds after a cast. When you do begin a walk-the-dog retrieve, start with a hard tug and hang on.

#84 Upward Mobility Mini tubes rigged on 1/32-ounce jigheads are one of the best baits for crappies. The fish usually respond better to a steady swimming action than to sharp snaps, and crappies will more often hit jigs shaken through brush on the way up than on the drop. After the lures have reached bottom, raise them slowly and gently shake them loose if they become stuck on a limb.

85. STOP-AND-GO FAST JIGS White jigs are especially popular among largemouth bass anglers. Many are dressed with white chicken feathers, ripple-action plastic tails or synthetic skirts, but natural bucktail at least 6 inches long might be the best material of all. To use such a jig effectively, let it reach bottom before retrieving it. Then, instead of hopping the lure along a feeding flat near a drop, speed-crank the reel five times before letting the lure settle again. Repeat.

86. NYMPHING 'EYES On Wisconsin's Lake Winnebago, walleye anglers have always keyed on mud flats that produce mayfly hatches in the spring. The same approach is successful anywhere such hatches occur. The walleye spinner rig, slightly modified, works fine. It consists of a small spinner blade on a clevis, followed by three or four faceted beads (try different colors) and then the hook. This rig rides on about 18 inches of leader, which is tied to a small barrel swivel. The 12-pound-test clear mono fishing line is passed through a cone sinker, then tied to the other end of the swivel. Fish this outfit as you would a Carolina rig. Tip the hook with a bit of night crawler. Cast and retrieve or drift-fish, keeping the rig near bottom.

87. SPOONING DOWN SOUTH The Arkansas rig is a 1/2-ounce weedless spoon with a No. 3 Hildebrandt in-line spinner ahead of it. Besides being fairly weed-free, the rig produces two distinctly beneficial actions. It normally runs fairly straight, but you can pump it through the water in a more erratic presentation. Make a similar Southern favorite by attaching a small Colorado spinner to the rear of a standard Johnson spoon.

Attach the spinner by first slipping it onto the split ring of a ball-bearing swivel. Then hook the other end of the swivel over the spoon's hook. Use a piece of plastic worm or similar keeper to position it in place. The spinner will not only spin but swing wildly during stop-go, up-down spoon movements. It's virtually weed-free.

88. BROWNIE BONANZAS Most anglers know that pre-dawn, dusk and night are prime times to fish for big brown trout in rivers. The fish are also vulnerable when major insect hatches are happening and during fall spawn runs. One other period can be wonderful, too: After a heavy summer storm has raised and cooled the water as well as muddied it, try medium-size minnowbaits, in-line spinners and natural crawlers (sometimes on the spinner hooks).

89. TAPPING SMALL WATERS Some of the best, least disturbed trout fishing is in small, mostly non-wadeable creeks. The main reasons they don't see much fishing is because brush, brambles, blowdowns and thickets make their banks accessible in very few spots and perhaps because they also have too many deep runs to wade. To fish them effectively, use a float tube with a brush anchor. (A battery jumper cable clamp works well.) Work slowly downstream, clipping yourself to shore flora occasionally so you can fish the best holes before moving on.

90. STAYING PUT Anchoring and waiting fish out can work for many species, but it's largemouths for which Southern California anglers Dan Kadota and Bob Crupi (No. 2 bass record holder) have fine-tuned a park-and-sit system. First they drop a marker buoy where they want the boat anchored (an easy perpendicular cast away from the target area). Next they circle out and around and drop a stern anchor 50 feet or so below the target area but in line with the buoy. Using their electric motor, they ease toward the buoy and pass it by another 50 feet while paying out stern anchor line. Then they lower the bow anchor. Finally they pull in the stern anchor line, moving the boat back so that it's next to the buoy and both lines are tight. The marker is brought in and they go to work, meticulously inching various lures and baits along the bottom.

#91 Work the Wind Plan to fish when the wind blows; a steady breeze is good. Unless it's so strong that fishing is impossible, wind-blown surface chop makes fish less spooky. Slightly discolored shallow water often turns bass on, and wind that blows onto cover and structure stacks up bait that bass want to eat.

92. COLORIZE THE BAIT Though catfish feed more by scent than by sight, it doesn't hurt to add color to a bait. Soak worms in red pickled beet juice to make them more attractive to bullheads. This also toughens the worms' skins, making it harder for catfish or other nibblers to steal them off the hook.

#93 Long-Distance Steering If you run solo in a lightweight boat with a tiller outboard, odds are you're constantly struggling to see over the bow as the weight aft makes the boat squat. Get a tiller handle extension and move your seat amidships. The better-balanced boat will ride flatter and will also be less squirrelly in steering.

94. SHED WATER, DON'T COLLECT IT A plastic tarp makes an inexpensive cover for a johnboat, but you need a bowed frame to keep it from collecting rainwater. Build the frame of 3/4-inch thin-wall PVC tubing. Mount 3/4-inch end caps just below the gunwales with stainless steel bolts and nuts; then fit the bowed PVC into the caps to create an arched frame for the tarp. Spread the tarp over the frame and tie it down securely. The boat is then protected from rain, sun and falling leaves.

95. SLOW DRIFT Drift-fishing a live minnow is a great way to nab crappies, walleyes and bass that will be going deep as summer draws on, but you might find the wind too strong for a nice, slow drift that lets the bait get deep without a lot of weight. One way to slow the boat is to trail a "drift sock," or sea anchor—sort of an underwater parachute. For a 15- to 16-foot boat, you'll probably want a sea anchor with a 20-inch diameter. Move up to a 22-inch model if your boat measures 17 to 20 feet. The nylon socks, which sell for $25 to $35, fold for compact storage.

#96 Trolling in Place Side-planer trolling boards can be used from an anchored boat to work crankbaits across wing dams. Anchor 150 feet above a dam face. Let a diving crankbait out about 40 feet, attach the planer board and send the rig downstream. When the bait reaches the dam, engage the reel. The board will swim the lure across the dam face. Reposition to cover a new area.

#97 Snagproof Casting To fish a fallen tree sticking out at right angles to the bank, move out about half a cast past the point where the treetop disappears into deeper water. Begin casting a lure to where you think the tree ends, then cast progressively farther up the trunk into the branches. To avoid snags, cast and retrieve in the direction most branches are angled. Move closer as necessary.

98. TIME FOR A CHANGE? When you're fishing clear water and notice that bass follow your lure but won't take it, it might be because the lure color contrasts too much with the surroundings. Or it could be that the lure is too large or too small, is moving too slow or too fast, or is running too shallow or too deep. To make the lure more attractive, try the opposite of what you're doing.

99. LIVER RIG A small treble hook attached to your line with a snap swivel works well when you're using chicken livers to catch catfish. Unsnap the swivel, remove the hook, push the eye of the hook through the liver so it's impaled on the three barbs and reattach the hook to the swivel. The liver is now less likely to fly off when you cast it out.

100. LEVEL BOATING Though standard equipment on big-water boats, trim tabs are rare on bass boats, but they shouldn't be. Tabs can be useful for leveling a bass boat from beam to beam—for example, if your 300-pound brother-in-law goes fishing with you sometime. You can also use tabs to tilt up the windward gunwale when you're making a rough crossing across a wind-blown lake. (This in effect gives you more freeboard, so you stay drier.) The right tabs for most fiberglass bass boats, with a span of around 18 inches and a chord (or width) of 9 inches, cost about $650, plus installation. If you're handy with tools, you can install them yourself. (954-427-1400; bennett trimtabs.com)

101. WATCH THE WORM Anglers miss a lot of bass when using Texas-rigged plastic worms because they expect to feel a strike rather than a subtle take. Concentration is a must. Focus on what the lure feels like as you crawl it or hop it across the bottom. When it somehow feels different, it might be because a bass has inhaled the worm and is simply swimming with it toward you. Keep your eyes glued to the line, too. Any change in lure feel or line tension is a signal to set the hook.

102. LATE SNACKERS When daytime fishing is lousy, try fishing after dark. Keep in mind that in the absence of light bass feed mostly by sound. Use topwater plugs you can hear sounding off, spinnerbaits with big blades that can be "bulged" just under the surface or diving lures with actions that really make the rod tip dance. Keep them coming at a steady pace so bass can track the lures and attack them.

103. HUG BOTTOM When fishing fast-running streams or rivers, use lures that will stay on or near the bottom, such as crankbaits with big bills. Bass tend to hold close to the bottom in current.

104. STRAIGHTENING THINGS OUT When a pet crankbait begins to run off center, remember that the line-tie is like the steering wheel on your car. If the lure runs left, use a pair of needle-nose pliers to bend the line-tie right until it runs on a true line. Bend to the left if the plug runs right.

105. LINES WITH EXTRA MUSCLE If you fish waters with lots of snags, consider using a superbraid line on your reel. On average, a 30-pound-test superline has about the same diameter as 8-pound-test monofilament. If your lure's hooks snag on a log, chances are you can get directly above the snag and pull up to straighten the hook enough to free it.

106. SPEED SETS Many big bass are lost because the hook isn't set properly. Rearing back and setting the hook with all your might isn't the answer. Speed at the rod tip is what's needed to drive the point home effectively. When you feel a bite, lower the rod tip, reel in most of the slack and then use both hands and wrists to sweep the rod tip over your shoulder with maximum speed.

#107 Which Ditch to Fish? Though the main channel beneath a bridge is usually near the span's middle, often there are secondary channels in shallower water that hold fish. Sometimes such a ditch will swing in close to one of the banks; if so, concentrate on the area between the ditch and the bank. If a secondary channel runs near a bridge support or piling, focus on the spot between the drop-off and the nearest support, especially when it has trapped cover against its base.

108. PATTERN FISH

Most fishermen practice "hole" fishing, but the more successful anglers practice "pattern fishing."

Tournament superstar Roland Martin defines "patterns" as the exact set of weather, water and cover conditions that attract bass to that spot and other similar spots simultaneously throughout a lake.

Those elements might include water clarity, depth, temperature, proximity of structure or cover, light conditions, wind direction and barometric pressure.

By pinpointing a combination of these elements in different spots, a fisherman can duplicate his success throughout the lake that day and any other time the same elements prevail.

#109 Harness a Crayfish Bait INSTEAD OF HOOKING A CRAYFISH through the crown or tail fin, slip a small rubber band around its midsection and push the fishing hook under the band. Not only will the rigged crayfish stay alive and frisky, but hooksets will be improved as well.

110. SPIT ON THIS Some anglers spit on a pet lure for good luck, but there might be more to it than superstition. Bass have a keen sense of smell, and human saliva contains a substance called ptyalin, an acid neutralizer. Spitting on a lure could possibly mask the human odor that repels sensitive bass.

111. A JIGHEAD FOR ALL SEASONS To limit the amount of tackle he hauls in his boat, Arkansas pro Mark Rose takes remarkable advantage of a 1/16-ounce ball-shaped jighead. "With this little jighead, I'm able to fish a wacky worm, a Texas-rigged worm, a shaking worm and a worm with an exposed hook," he says. "It's just so versatile. I can try all of those techniques with one jighead and plastics to match."

112. A DAB WILL DO A tiny drop of super glue or similar quick-drying glue designed specifically for soft-plastics will keep grubs, worms and other "critter baits" securely in place on a hook or jighead.

113. A BACKLASH FIX

Nothing is more vexing than a backlash. But Florida bass pro Shaw Grigsby has a neat trick for quickly resolving a bird's nest in a bait-caster.

Rather than try to pick it out, Grigsby first tightens his drag to the maximum setting to lock the spool. Then, while applying firm pressure with his thumb on the tangled mess, he turns the reel handle several times. "This tightens the loops that were formed by the spool overrun and pulls the loose line in the right direction to reverse the backlash itself," he says. "Usually, this frees the line and removes enough of the loops on the spool to let you find the one or two key loops that are creating the whole problem. Then you can pick out the backlash and resume fishing."

114. BUGGING THE WEEDS

Later this spring, when you're fly-casting popping bugs to small openings in moss or weed beds for bluegills, try this trick: Replace the conventional fly line on a reel with mid-weight monofilament or fluorocarbon, such as 17-pound-test. Then position a small pinch of a plastic worm on the popping bug's hook just above the bend.

Because there is less drag on the monofilament line, you won't move the popping bug far when you animate it with the rod tip. The piece of plastic worm will also help keep it anchored in place. As you twitch it in place the popper will look more like a real insect. You won't cast the monofilament nearly as far as you could fly line, but bream are often reckless when there's a lot of cover around, so you can get closer to them.

#115 Buoyed by a Bite Keep a single fishing buoy handy as you fish underwater structure such as a point or hump. When you get a bite, pitch out the buoy to mark the sweet spot. Once you're done fishing, sweep the area thoroughly with a sonar to determine what's holding the fish. If you're a techy angler, enter the spot as a waypoint on a GPS. Otherwise, line up a few shoreline markers and remember the coordinates for future reference.

116. SHELLCRACKER FOOLERS Redear perch prefer natural bait, but spawning redears are sometimes susceptible to wet flies such as Black Gnats. Small spinnerbaits such as Beetle Spins will also attract them when water in a river or lake is rising. Redears feed mainly on aquatic snails (hence the nickname "shellcrackers") and migrate to emergent vegetation such as cattails during high water. A rising river or lake makes the snails more accessible and the shellcrackers more aggressive.

117. DON'T GET STUCK Avoid the sharp pectoral and dorsal fin spines of a catfish; a poke can make you sick. If you get stung, old-timers recommend swiping the fish's belly across the wound to neutralize the stinging sensation. Household ammonia daubed on the wound has the same effect. It doesn't hurt to carry a small bottle of ammonia in your tackle box, just in case.

#118 Poling for Trout USE A 10- TO 12-FOOT fiberglass bream pole to fish small runs. Dab a spinner, small minnow plug or bait into pockets and runs. The great length of the pole lets you cover a surprisong amount of water with little or no movement. And it lets you work the offering in a variety of ways until you hit upon that trout want.

119. DROP-SHOT BREAM To make a drop-shot rig for panfish, first tie a 3/4- or 1-ounce bell or bank sinker to the end of the line. Using a Palomar knot, tie a pre-hooked imitation cricket, grasshopper or other terrestrial to the line above the sinker. Cast the sinker to the bank and give the line enough slack so that the imitation insect dabbles at the water's surface. If the sinker is cast into the water, you might need to wait a few minutes to let the fish settle down before animating the fake bug. The beauty of this rig is that you can keep the bait in one place for several minutes if necessary.

120. NIGHT BITES Bullhead catfish feed around the clock, but the night is usually the best time to fish for them. Bullheads avoid current. Zero in on deep holes in creeks; river backwaters; weed-bed edges in ponds and swamps; and boat docks, long points and underwater humps in lakes.

WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

April 1939 "Catching Frogs at Night" Put a candle in the middle of a square board, tie a string to the board, and float it on the pond. When the frogs climb aboard, pull it back, and take them off. The frogs appear hypnotized by the candlelight and rarely budge before you can touch them.

WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

May 1931 "Locust as Lures" Capture a locust and run a hook completely through the body. Secure the locust on the hook with waterproof glue. When this has set, soak the hook and insect in a solution of 1 part formalin, dissolved in 8 to 10 parts distilled water, for about 48 hours. Take out and dry, and then coat with any good clear varnish.

WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

April 1932 "Catching Night Crawlers" Two tablespoons of dry mustard mixed with a pint of water make any night crawler come to the surface, if you pour the mixture into the hole.