“You never want to attempt to drag a lure from
the tail of a fish to his head. Predators usually
come from behind and such an approach rarely
provokes a strike. If you make a bad cast, wait
for the fish to move or ease the bait away from
him as this will allow you another shot without
spooking him into the next pond.”
Try to wear soft-soled shoes
to minimize deck noise. I usually
fish in socks or bare feet if the
weather permits. The main thing
is not to take any big steps, but to
make small, quiet moves.
Try not to lay rods down on
decks, but put them in holders if
possible. Rods and reels scraping
across a non-skid deck can have
the same effect as the splashing
angler. The same goes for tackle
boxes. Have a place for them out
of the way, as tripping over a
tackle bag is a sure lead to an
embarrassing moment.
Allowing a hatch cover or ice
chest lid to drop is a major taboo
among the shallow water crowd.
It takes but little effort to gently
lower a hatch cover, and it certainly keeps the peace among
your crew. Too many dropped
hatches and they may elect you
to become the splashing angler.
The key to having a stealth
boat is preparation. Take the
time to prepare before you get to
the fish.
30
February 2016 www.marshandbayou.com
We have the boat ready,
we’re in a pond that has cruising
fish, and we’re ready to start
catching. So what’s the best approach? Again, slow down and
make no sudden moves.
Before you just shoot a cast towards a fish, you need to take
into consideration if the fish is
moving, how fast, and in what direction. Keep in mind that if you
can see a fish that is facing you,
then he can probably see you
too. The hardest fish to catch
sight casting is one that is facing
you or moving towards you.
If you start flailing away to make a
cast to a fish that is moving to
you, then I can almost guarantee
that you will spook that fish.
Learn to make a cast with minimal
motion, preferably from the side
arm position and using mostly
wrist action.
Try to place your cast a bit
ahead of the intended target as a
lure dropped on his head will usually invoke the splashing angler
effect. Having the lure prop