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Outdoors

It pays to be sneaky

An early start and quiet fishing tactics are pivotal to avoiding the quarry's detection and enjoying shallow-water success.

By DAVID A. BROWN
Published April 16, 2005

Ever see a guy running down a crowded street or through a mall?

What do others do?

They move out of the way and look around to see where he is running or what he's running from.

Fish are not so different.

They communicate, directly or indirectly, about various dangers - from diving ospreys, to marauding dolphins, to approaching anglers.

Spooking a single redfish or snook may not seem like a big deal, but they know that survival depends on minding their environment. If something is dangerous enough to threaten a neighbor, it probably is dangerous enough to get them too.

Much like hunting, shallow-water fishing success often hinges on an angler's ability to avoid the quarry's detection.

Stealthy, sly or sneaky - you can call it what you want. But if you want to call your day productive, you will need to play by the rules.

If you can see the fish, it is a good bet that they have spotted you. A fish may tolerate your presence, but even the most forgiving opponent has its limits.

You can't simply disappear, but you can make yourself less intrusive in the world of the fish.

First, try to get an early start. As the sun rises, it illuminates the land and water.

The higher the sun, the steeper its angle, the more light penetrates the shallows, and the more you are in the spotlight. Add it all up, and it means midday hours typically find anglers most visible to fish (in clear conditions).

For an hour or two after daybreak, you will have the advantage of waxing light that has not started working against you.

Trout, particularly, are susceptible to top-water tactics at sunrise. They can just make out the form of something that looks edible but can't see clearly enough to recognize an impostor.

As light increases, shadows can be the angler's worst enemy. Fish are good at detecting abrupt changes in their surroundings, and a sudden, dark cloud hits the panic button.

Unfortunately, early morning and late afternoon prime fishing periods see low sun angles, which produce the longest shadows, so factor this into your approach.

Any time of day, the sun at your back affords the best view of fish in your path, but your shadow arrives before you. Sun in your face impairs visibility, but you have no shadow concerns. Wide brim hats and sunglasses with side panels help in both scenarios.

The one thing that puts fish on high alert in any light conditions is human noise. The sea is not silent, but fish know what belongs and what does not.

Sounds resonate like kettledrums below the surface, so keep movements brief, footsteps light and, for goodness sake, don't drop anything on the deck.

Fish can put up with a consistent sound, such as a trolling motor. But erratic noise announces a change, and that spells potential danger to them.

Shut down the boat 50-100 yards from your spot, then drift, push pole or run the trolling motor into position. With the latter, keep the motor on one speed as much as possible. Switching on and off or up and down varies the sound pattern and tips off the fish.

Moreover, when utilizing a push pole for stealthy locomotion, avoid noisy contact with shells, rocks and other solid objects. The crunch and scraping tells your quarry that something is amiss, and the poling effort can vaporize into wasted opportunities in a matter of seconds.

Another push-pole point to ponder is that the asset can quickly become a liability, as the poling platform puts you on display for wary fish.

Ducking low or poling from the deck helps hide your profile. When you must stand, keep movements low and subdued. And when you need to stop, slip the anchor over the side as silently as possible.

Between uses, lay a bathroom mat or a thick towel at the stern and set the anchor on this noise buffer. Another option is a wooden dowel or PVC pipe tethered to a rope. To anchor the boat, just stick the shaft into the bottom and pull it free to release.

When two sight-fishing anglers work in tandem, consider that the poler has a different field of vision than a partner on the bow. A forward-facing angler can't see what the poler is pointing at, so the two must establish a method for clear communication.

For quiet efficiency, use clock-face directions and standardized distances right off the bat.

Two individuals might perceive 20 yards differently, so pick an inanimate object - rock or stump. Agree on its distance, then use this as a reference for future directions.

When in doubt as to the location of fish, the angler should point the rod tip where he or she thinks the cast should be and adjust accordingly to the poler's directions. A low profile and sidearm cast attracts less attention than an overhead movement. Plus, the bait enters the water more smoothly.

Shallow-water fishing requires considerable attention to an angler's impact on his or her surroundings.

It is kind of like a grade school library with a super strict librarian. But instead of saying Shhhhh, spooked fish simply will go bye-bye.

[Last modified April 16, 2005, 02:45:13]