Comments please

Team Jo-Jo:

Below is Team Jo-Jo’s success / failures n the art of fishing & catching, please review and comment on same.

To find a spot that meets the seven fundamentals or criteria for catching fish, consider the following in detail:

1. WIND AT YOUR BACK:

   
   

   When fishing with lures, it's essential to have the wind at your back. This helps in several ways: it allows for longer casts, gives you better control of the lure, and makes it easier to feel bites. A crosswind can create a bow in your line, making it hard to detect subtle bites and reducing your chances of catching fish. Fishing with the wind blowing behind you improves your ability to keep the line tight and maintain good lure presentation. This also helps when you’re retrieving the lure because the line stays taut, making it easier to feel those important tugs when the fish bite.

2. MOVING WATER:

   
   

   Water movement is critical because it creates feeding opportunities for fish. Whether the tide is coming in or going out, it’s important that there’s some flow. If the water is slack, fish tend to be less active and harder to catch. In these situations, target choke points where water naturally funnels through narrow areas. When the tide is strong, fish the open mouths of bayous where water flows into larger bays. The key is finding spots where water is moving because fish will position themselves in these areas to ambush bait that gets carried by the current.

3. WATER CLARITY:

   
   

   Water clarity can make or break your confidence when fishing. On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is the worst and 7 is the best clarity, aim to fish in water rated between 3 and 7. You can gauge the clarity by how deep you can see your lure.

   • 1: If you lose sight of your lure just ½ inch below the surface, the water is very muddy or sandy looking and difficult to fish in.

   • 2: Losing sight of the lure at 1 inch means the water is still sandy and unclear, not ideal for fishing.

   • 3: If you lose the lure 2-3 inches below the surface, the water is still a bit sandy, but it’s fishable.

   • 4: If you can see your lure 3-4 inches down, the water is clearer with only a slight sandy look, making it easier to fish.

   • 5: With visibility of 5-6 inches, the water is clearer with only a slight murky look, improving fishing conditions.

   • 6: At 6-8 inches, the water is clean and clear with a slight brown tint, making it good for fishing.

   • 7: If you can see the lure 10-12 inches below the surface, the water is clean, clear, and black-looking—ideal conditions for fishing. This is your favorite type of clarity, as fish are more likely to see and strike your lure.

4. HOLDING FISH:

   
   

   Choose your fishing spots wisely, based on your past knowledge and experience, as well as the season. Through trial and error, you’ve learned which areas tend to hold fish at certain times of the year. Certain spots have proven productive repeatedly, making them reliable choices when you’re looking to catch fish. Knowing where the fish are likely to be, and having experience fishing those areas, greatly increases your chances of success.

5. PATIENCE:

   
   

   Patience is one of the most critical skills when fishing. Sometimes, even when conditions seem perfect, the fish won’t bite right away. It’s important to wait them out because there might be a 15-minute window where the fish suddenly become active. Being in the right place at the right time is often the key to catching fish. Knowing when to wait and when to move is part of the patience needed to succeed in fishing.

6. SKILL:

   
   

   You’ve developed a repertoire of proven techniques and presentations that help you catch fish. Here are some of the methods you use:

   • Anchor up and retrieve slowly along the bottom: With a twitch now and then, tight-lining is effective in attracting fish.

   • Drift with the wind cast and retrieve (DWWC&R): Let the wind carry the boat while you cast and retrieve, covering more ground and making your lure presentation more natural.

   • Oak River Troll (ORT): Run upwind, then let the wind and current guide your boat forward while you drop your lure over the side. As the boat moves, bounce the lure along the bottom, letting out just enough line to feel the bottom, and give it the occasional twitch.

   • Reverse Oak River Troll (RORT): Run upwind and cast up current, letting the current or wind bring the lure back to you, bouncing it along the bottom.

   • Oak River Skim (ORS): Use a popping cork and let the wind push your boat, dragging the cork behind and popping it occasionally to attract fish.

   • Cork techniques: Both popping cork and sliding cork methods work well. The sliding cork is especially effective because it moves the lure up and down as you pop it, making the presentation more enticing.

   • Lake P Troll (LPT): Use a ¾ oz jig head with a matrix shad lemon drop, adding two squid trailers spaced about two feet apart with a #4 red hook. Troll at 1.2 to 2 mph, keeping the rig just off the bottom and giving it a solid twitch every now and then.

   • Drop shot: This involves casting out with a sinker on the bottom and the lure suspended 18-24 inches above the sinker. Twitch the line back to you to attract bites.

   • Dead bait and live bait: There are many ways to fish both, depending on the situation.

7. LUCK:

   
   

   All fisherpersons need a bit of luck. Even with the perfect combination of wind, water movement, clarity, patience, and skill, luck often plays a role. Sometimes, no matter how much experience and preparation you bring, it’s just being in the right spot at the right moment that makes the difference.

By combining these seven fundamentals, you can find a fishing spot that maximizes your chances of success.

Good Fishing

Team Jo-Jo & Oneofthepack

P.S.

What other criteria needed to be added for catching success?

Please expand / comment on the seven listed above, agree, disagree, modify?