Truly Learning an Area

Not long ago I was asked to be a guest speaker for a new chapter of Salt Strong in our area. I quickly agreed because I knew that the club was formed to share fishing information and help people that are getting into the sport. Urging and wanting others to get involved in the fishing world can be nothing but a good thing. That and a little bit of general knowledge of a water body can go a long ways.

When preparing for my talk I compiled a list of all the things that comprise my normal day of fishing. Some of these things were what lures to use, areas I target, and what to look for when I stop to fish. All of these are important aspects but I feel that my closing remarks were the most important. I told the group that if you want to be a better fisherman, you should pick a spot or two and fish them repeatedly for the rest of the year. You should make special efforts to fish these areas during the spring, summer, fall, and winter. On days with high tide, low tide, windy days, overcast and sunny days. Also, along with fishing in pretty much every possible weather and water condition, you should try to fish every square inch to fully understand every structural feature. By doing this you can learn where every oyster patch, hump, deep hole, and drain lies and how fish are attracted to each individual feature.

Perhaps the single most important thing I have learned over the years is that not every spot in a body of water will hold fish on a consistent basis; there is a lot more dead or unproductive water that one would think. Sure you might catch a fish or two in a certain area but that does not mean that it is an area that fish tend to seek out. For example, in our area we have Texas Bayou which is a large bayou that runs through the marsh. It’s course is carved through the land with a few different paths an angler can take. This area is a great place because no matter what, I can go there and manage to salvage an otherwise slow day of fishing. No matter the time of the year, there are always fish to be caught there. There are, however, many of what I term “fishless” areas within the bayou.

There is a secret though to finding fish in the bayou and that is to know where the oyster reefs are located. I had brought this up in my talk and the question then came up of where or how do you find these reefs. I tried my best to answer without sounding like a jerk but my reply is to tie on a 1/2-ounce jighead and throw it until you get hung up. That might not be the answer they were looking for but that is exactly how I found every reef in that area. I guess you could say I practically found them by mistake. Once figuring out where the reefs are, I knew to work my lure a little faster and this is when I began to catch fish. When it comes to fishing the bayou and the dozens of days spent on it, I have fished nearly every stretch of it. By now, I go straight to the oyster clumps and bypass every other stretch of bayou along the way. I know the areas that tend to be dead and do not waste time on them. It took me a long time to figure that out but knowing the area helped me get to this point.

Another place that I have come to learn was a stretch of shoreline on the main lakes in our area. I would paddle down and of course beat up the bank until I hit a smaller pond. My routine was to spend all morning fishing my way there and then making a beeline straight back to the truck, which was about a one mile paddle. The straightest and quickest way back was a hundred yards or so off the bank in what seemed to be a no man’s land. Since I always just paddled straight back, I decided to cast back and troll a Gulp shrimp behind me, just to see what might happen. Along the way there was about a 500 yard stretch where I began to get hung up on oyster clumps. However, in between hang ups, I began to catch redfish. I must have caught a dozen within this stretch. I found this because it was the only place I haven’t fished in that area.

A few winters back, my buddy and I decided to go out and fish something new. We knew the area fairly well but have never fished it during winter. Upon arrival, we noticed the water was low but it was still enough to be fishable. We began down a shoreline and then noticed that out towards the main body of water there was a hump. We worked our way toward it on the trolling motor and it looked to be a large sand hump that was the size of a large pickup truck. Now knowing that it is there, I always stop by that area and it is good for a few fish. We would have never found that spot if we didn’t go out on that low tide day.

These are a few of the reasons that it is important to truly know an area when fishing it. There are certain aspects to our lake and bayous that fish tend to hang around. The only way to find these places is basically time on the water and a lot of casting. Once you figure out an area properly though, pick somewhere else the next year and then repeat in another unknown location during the various seasons and water conditions. Within a few short years you will have an arsenal of go-to spots that you know where and how to fish in any condition.