Iam a fisheries scientist so I’m not superstitious. I am also a kayak angler, so I believe a banana isn’t tasty enough to risk a brush with bad luck. As a scientist, however, I would make an exception if the banana was covered in chocolate. Still, there’s no denying the power of fortune in fishing. Over the years I have collected anecdotal evidence that unorthodox angler behaviors seem to positively influence fickle fish to bite.
When All Else Fails? Try an Unconventional Generator of Hits
Behind the Back
River angler Dave Sherman was fly fishing in his kayak on the Allegheny River when he began having some line issues. To buy a little time and clear the giant pile of line at his feet, Sherman blindly flipped his Clouser Minnow over his shoulder. After straightening out his line, Sherman lifted the rod to make a cast. He discovered he was hooked into his personal best smallmouth bass. Sherman admitted, “Normally, I wouldn’t fish a Clouser deep and slow.” The 21-inch smallmouth had a different opinion.
No Look
Another experienced river angler, Paul Murray, had hit-and-miss issues. Every time a giant muskie attacked his lure, Murray would strike the fish too soon and miss the bite. After several heartbreaking losses, Murray began forcing himself to look away when a muskie would attack. Waiting to feel the muskie strike before setting the hook cured his buck fever.
Cold Call
TV fishing personality Mark Zona has honed his technique for winter jerkbait fishing. In cold water, the pause between twitches can be so painfully long he recommends: “Send a text message between jerks.” My first experiment with the tactic resulted in my frozen fingers dropping my cell phone in the water. Now I use a plastic play phone and the fish have yet to catch on to my ruse.
Might I Suggest…
When my son is stubbornly casting his beloved buzzbait and refuses to switch to the lure I’m using, I attempt to talk him into trying a different lure. “Obviously your lure is not working,” I plead. With startling regularity, I lose all bargaining power when a massive surface explosion wrecks his buzzbait.
Fall to Pieces
My daughter made a long cast and the tip section of her rod flew several feet through the air and plunked into the water. When she brought the malfunction to my attention, I told her to reel in her bait to retrieve the rod tip. She reclaimed her rod and caught the biggest bluegill of the trip. To this day, when we are experiencing a dry spell, she will loosen her rod tip.
Rock On
Pro angler Tommy Biffle likes to look for fish around a “big ol’ rock”. When I’m looking for fish, I actually hook a rock. I once fished a Colorado lake where the trout would only bite after my grub-tipped heavy spoon snagged a rock on the bottom. I’ve also noticed smallmouth bass cannot resist a snagged lure darting from under a rock. This tactic requires a commitment–either it works or I lose my lure.
On my last pike fishing trip, I struggled to get hits. No matter what I tried, the big pike would chase my lure, strike short and disappear. On the drive home, I mulled over the cause of my bad luck. It wasn’t until I hopped on the riding mower that I remembered: fish bite better after the lawn is mowed.
Andy Whitcomb is an award-winning outdoor writer from Western Pennsylvania. The self-professed “stress-out dad” chills out by chasing pike and smallmouth on local waters.
When the fishing is tough, we say “U.G.H.” | Feature illustration: Lorenzo Del Bianco
