Rediscovering Old Methods That Still Work

I read a quote recently that goes like this, “Without making mistakes, there won’t be lessons learned. Without getting hurt, there won’t be knowledge gained. The only way we grow is by learning from the past.”

I don’t care how you slice it, there is an awful lot of truth in those words and we all could greatly benefit from them if you think about it. Take for instance the world of fishing, we are so dead set on finding or creating new ways to catch fish that we often stray away from tried-and-true patterns that have been proven over time. As the quote states, the only way we grow is learning from the past, and we should remind ourselves from time to time to rediscover some of the older methods and take advantage of them when possible.

A few days ago I found myself with Capt. Johnny Cormier, going back over some of the old methods and patterns that we, for whatever reason, used religiously back in the day but have drifted away from. Many of these reminded us both of days spent on the water with our good friend Dickie Colburn, who, as hard as it is to believe, passed away a year ago. Talk about time flying by. Two of the older patterns that immediately came to mind were used almost religiously in late summer and fall, making long drifts with rattling corks and live shad or soft plastics (and live Carolina-rigged shad), along the breaks in the river and Intracoastal Canal. Not only were these methods incredibly productive, but also very enjoyable given to the laidback atmosphere and social nature of the approach.

For years we lived and died with the original Mansfield Mauler corks and a glow-colored Queen Cocahoe Minnow sweetened with a dab of Smelly Jelly or any of the then-popular spray-on scent attractants. We caught countless numbers of fish in Coffee Ground Cove, the Old Barrel Channel, and scattered shell around the mouth of the Neches River. For some reason it seems we had way more patience in those days and that it was OK to drift a couple hundred yards without a bite. That patience no doubt grew out of the knowledge that when we eventually found a bite or two there would be plenty.

The same could be said for the live bait program in the Sabine River. It was a given during drier years that you wouldn’t have to leave the protection of the sheltered water and you could catch everything you could imagine from specks to striped bass, all while burning less than ten bucks worth of gas. Over the years we have had some incredibly memorable trips sitting on anchor while probing deep structure with a Carolina rigged shad. At times the redfish would get so thick that our clients would ask to move on and search for another species such as flounder or speckled trout. Another given during those times was the population of solid sand trout that would hang out in the same areas. It was a saltwater version of catching crappie off brush piles, just one fish after another, once you pinned them down.

I don’t really have an explanation as to why we got away from patterns like those mentioned above but I can say happily that I have begun to revisit them, and they still work. Take for instance drifting the rattling cork. Hardly a new concept, and certainly not the sexiest pattern out there, either. For years, when were weren’t on a Mansfield Mauler we used the old school unweighted bowling pin cork with the stick running through the middle of it. Below the cork we had a 1/2 or 3/4-ounce weight above a barrel swivel, with a three-foot leader tied to a kahle or circle hook. That setup was money and I’m convinced the chugging noise of that cork when jerked sharply was an absolute fish magnet.

But, like everything else, methods evolve in an attempt to get better at what we do, and we now have many styles of rattling corks to choose from. My new favorites are those made by Four Horseman Tackle. They have simplified the rigging process so you get an extremely durable setup that produces a fantastic sound and helps catch fish.

On a recent trip over to Calcasieu we tangled with some big redfish, 20-pound class and larger, that were shadowing schools of small, speckled trout and sand trout. Those big redfish wanted nothing to do with our soft plastics until we tied them under three-inch 4 Horseman corks, which they immediately began to destroy. After landing several of the big bruisers and losing a couple of corks in the process, I swapped over to a couple of different styles and let my anglers use the Four Horseman models that we had left. I never got another bite while they continued to catch fish. It's hard to argue with results like that, especially seeing it happen firsthand while fishing side by side.

Our live bait program is still out there and I’m quite sure it will produce again during these drier than normal conditions. We are currently experiencing some quality fishing all the way from the jetties to the IH-10 bridge, several miles up the Sabine River. This fall has felt much more like normal than the last several years and that’s a very welcome change for the better.

Both Sabine and Calcasieu have shown signs of shaking off some less than favorable conditions that have plagued them both since 2017 in one way or another. As the overall numbers of fish increase I am hopeful that we will soon see more and more quality fish show up as well. Perhaps this winter we will start to see some of those highly coveted big trout make an appearance. If you happen to be one of those lucky anglers who finds some of those big trout, please take good care of them and consider releasing them back, to not only spawn again but to also fight again another day. Our little lake is still fragile and anything we can do to help it recover goes a long way.

I hope each of you have a great holiday season and find a way to get on the water as much as possible. Please remember when you do go to bring a kid along and share the experience.