| The Only Thing You CAN Control. |
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| Written by Mike Cork | |
| Wednesday, 21 September 2005 | |
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Once you have hooked a bass all the questions, all the what if’s are answered, all the thought process that went into finding a pattern has paid off. You feel like you are on top of the world as you are fighting that bass to you. All of the sudden you line breaks or your knot comes undone or she jumps and spits the hook back at you, and you are back to the drawing board, trying to come up with a game plan to hook that next fish.
Why let all that work and excitement end in disappointment. There are several things between you and that fish, but once you figured out how to get her to strike, there are still many things that can go wrong. Of all the things in bass fishing, there is one thing you have complete control over, you can’t control the weather, you can’t control the current flow from the damn, you can’t control other fisherman, but you can control your tackle. You can make sure it is in top working order!!! There are many things you can do to make sure that once you have that fish hooked, that she ends up in your weigh in bag or posing for a memorable moment captured on film. I have learned quite a few things in my fishing years that will help make sure the next time I will get her! First is my hooks, it doesn’t matter if it is a crank bait, top water, jig or worm hook. Check them often for sharpness. Through use, by beating them off of objects or getting them hung up or even after catching a few fish your hooks will dull. This will equal less or no penetration when you set the hook; in turn the first time that fish jumps and shakes her head your bait is going to go flying. After every snag, after every fish, and periodically threw out the day check the sharpness of your hooks. I like to drag the hook point over the surface of my fingernail, if it sticks then I am good but if it drags across and only leaves a scratch without sticking then I like to hit it with a sharpener. You can use the battery operated ones from your local tackle store, or like me, use a pen file that I keep in the top of my tackle box; just a few seconds and I am back in business. The next thing you have complete control over its your rods, check them every trip make sure that the reel seat is still tight and check the eyelets for burrs. I have seen way to often someone loose a good fish because there was a burr or crack in one of the eyelets of their rod. This will break your line faster than you can set the hook. Talking about line? Periodically check your line for nicks and fraying. I like to check the first couple feet from the bait; after every encounter with a bush or rock pile and again after every fish I catch. No matter how big or small I always check my line after I catch a fish. Even not very big bass do have teeth and they are very hard on fishing line. Also as you are fighting your fish and it is jumping around, your line can be damaged by the fins. So no matter how big the fish is always check your line, the next fish maybe a trophy of a lifetime and you don’t want to loose her because of a nick! Your Knot. You should always start the day with a fresh knot. I like to sit in the boat the night before I go fishing and retie all my baits, this is a very relaxed time and I am not in a hurry so I can make sure every knot is perfect. If you wait until you get on the water you will more than likely rush because of the excitement of fishing and settle for a knot that didn’t quite tightened up right. Always take your time when retying. If everything is perfect your knot will always be the weakest of all links, which is just the nature of the beast if you will. Fishing line will cut into it’s self when you cinch the knot down and make it weak. I like to always add a little saliva to my line before I cinch the knot tight. This gives it some lubrication and prevents damage as you pull it tight. If after you pull your knot tight you see a twist in the line right above the knot, you need to cut it off and retie, that twist means there was excessive friction when you pulled it tight and you line will be very weak at this point. Terminal Tackle, take a few minutes before each trip and make sure your terminal tackle is working properly. Check split rings and make sure they are not sprung and loose, check bullet weights (especially led) for nicks or burs in the openings. You also should check your baits for cracks or chipping paint and repair as needed. Finally make sure you take care of your reels. There is nothing that will ruin a great fishing trip faster than a reel that malfunctions especially when it happens during a fight with a good fish. Before each trip make sure the drag is working properly and set correctly for your line weight. Check the line guide for any damage that might hurt your line. Make sure your reel handle and reel seat are tight and working properly. I highly recommend that you have your reels cleaned at least twice a year, whether you do it yourself or pay to have some one do it. If you have never cleaned your own reel, you can save a lot of money by first investing in the reel cleaning video that Connie Kilpatrick put together. Check out the Ultimate Bass Forum for more information and to read what others have had to say about this video. http://ultimatebass.com/lbf/index.php/board,244.0.html Don’t let a malfunction or a condition that you have control over ruin your fishing trip; with just a few minutes before every trip you can make sure that if you come home empty handed you can blame it on uncontrollable conditions. Don’t loose the fish of a lifetime because of something you could have prevented. After reading this article I am sure you can think of a few more things that you can control, take the time to stay on top of it and you can be confident that when you set the hook, that baby is getting in the boat! Mike Cork |
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