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"Well Jim," Buc said, "we've been getting into some fish lately but really had to put our time in a couple of the days. Those winter blackmouth seem to be getting pickier and pickier every year." We got out in the saltwater about four times this past month and only limited the boat twice."
"Details, Buc. Details"
"Jim, if I told you everything then you wouldn't have the fun of learning on your own, now would you? I'll tell you this – stay off the water when there is a Super Bowl going on and the winds are hitting a breezy 50 mph."
After the big storms, when the weather went to clear and cold, bro-in-law Max Grommet and I got a little creative but nearly froze a couple of times. Those early morning runs at 35 mph in 35 degree temps really snap you around. Makes the tears freeze.
We fished Marine Area 8-2 out of Everett and did pretty good one day. Then when Area 9 opened we had another good time. Caught some fish jiggering, caught some fish downriggering. It was fun – even the ones we had to let go. Then later when the rivers cleared up some we did a little fishing on the upper Snohomish system and Skagit. Had a good time there too. It seems that the hatchery fish are becoming fewer as the unmarked fish are showing up. Enjoyed trying out a new rod and reel set up. It's a peach!
The rod is a neat Lamiglas Series 1000 Medium G 1306 T. Medium is for the power but the action is fast. The tip of the upper section is narrow and you can darn near feel the moss on the rocks with this baby. Tried casting some spoons too and you can actually feel them "thump." It's rated for 8-12 pound test and 3/8 to 3/4 ounce lure but what I like the best is the natural graphite blank and smooth Fuji guides. You can really fling your bait out there.
I topped it off with one of those new pretty blue Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 Series reels, the number 5600C4. Like the Lamiglas rod, it too is rated for 12 pound test, over 600 feet of it! It has what they call a "frictionless rotation tolerance of .0002 inch" on the stainless steel ball bearings but what I like is the gear ratio (6.3:1) for retrieving really fast. It also has a thumbar and instant anti-reverse, which for me means less of those dumb birdsnests that explode once in a while. The reel only weighs 9.9 ounces and it's pretty blue...did I mention that already?
With the new boat and some of the new gear this year, I've decided to focus some of my efforts on my presentations, or should I say my poor decisions. In the last couple of years I discovered when I had made a bad decision, I'd get hot about it, and then make a worst decision. Sometimes I'd be fishing too fast. Then I'd fish too slow or not in the right place.
I decided to ask one of my fishing buddies (not Max) to observe and give me a little constructive criticism. Dumb me. He did that alright. Right up to the point of when my fingers went around his throat! I finally settled down and took his critique to heart, leaving out the hysterical laughing part. I decided to focus on my strengths and not the weaknesses. Instead of always fishing the place where the fish should be (where everyone else is,) I now might find a place that looks "fishy" to me and give that a try. If the regular presentation calls for bait but it isn't working, I'll stop using it and try hardware. Didn't used to do it that way.
I also stopped taking to heart the guys at the ramp and on the banks. Lots of those guys are sure they know why the fish are or aren't biting, where to fish or not fish, speed, bait, and so on. I'm trying to avoid the weekend-warriors and listen to the old curmudgeons that I talked about last month in my article. For the most part, these guys have the experience and the knowledge, and if you can get them on your side...
Another place for lessons well learned is the local tackle store. These guys are in the business to make money and if they help you they know it'll come back to them ten-fold. Give 'em a shot, consider the constructive criticism, and listen to yourself. Go back to the basics and force yourself through the thought process of why some things work and some don't. Then go back and figure out what you do well, confine your strengths and weaknesses, and don't lie to yourself.
Let's say you use a specific technique (or lure, or presentation, or...) and you catch 50% of your fish that way. Sounds like something you should continue doing, right? Well, maybe not. If you are using that technique 80% of the time then what the heck are you doing the other 20% of the time to catch the second 50% of the fish? Something much more effective, that's what.
I know, that might be oversimplification, but there are so darn many variables to be effective with particular techniques that you've got to hold on to the basics. It's easy to make dumb mistakes, especially when others are catching fish around you and you're going hitless. I found I was fooling myself into believing that when things were most comfortable it was good. I was lying to myself. I'm not trying to compete here with the big-boys, but I sure want to get the most outta my fishing too.
We have started keeping a journal on everything about a successful (or not so successful) day on the water. I'll list weather conditions, color and sizes of lures used, amount of fish caught and their size, was scent used and what kind, all the variables and small details that are easily forgot before going out again. I've found I have to be careful with my words though. If I say "the only thing that worked was green and white," that might mean a lot of different things. It could mean there were 20 different baits tried for the same amount of time and we caught 12 fish on green and white, nothing on anything else. It could also mean we fished with one green and white lure all day and only had one bite. Talk about things leading to different conclusions! The journal should help a lot.
All-in-all, I found that I'm not near as good a fisherman as had hoped and with the view of criticism and after analyzing myself, now I'm going the right direction for more success this coming season. It's the next best step! 
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