Nowadays, much of our fishing is in artificial reservoirs with sharply sloping banks that once were hillsides. Of course such steep shorelines are also common along natural lakes. Wherever found they're hotspots for fishing, as most drop-offs are.
In such a spot the productive fishing area is very close to shore. There's no use fishing more than a few yards out, because the water gets too deep too fast. In fact if you're in a boat casting toward shore most of your retrieve will be wasted. The remedy is to move close to the bank and cast parallel to it, preferably with a deep diving lure that will scrape along the drop-off. That way you may dredge out a lunker any time during the retrieve.
In any fishing situation it's productive to vary the speed and action of the retrieve. I'm sure most anglers know this, but few consistently practice it. We all tend to reel at a steady, monotonous pace. You've got to concentrate on working the lure like a live minnow, frog or other bait. Alternate rapid reeling with slow and experiment with rod-tip action until you find a pattern which gets strikes.
Stop-go retrieves are particularly effective with surface lures. Usually it's best to fish these baits slowly and with long pauses. What's most important is to keep the line nearly taut when the lure is at rest. The bait usually drifts toward you, and if slack develops - even a little slack - you won't be able to hook a striking fish. This simple detail explains why anglers miss so many surface hits. By the time the fisherman jerks up the slack, the fish has already spit the bait out.
Perhaps the most common error anglers make is to use old, weak line. "Old" is a relative term. The line you used just yesterday may already be badly worn, particularly if your rod guides are scored and rough, if you've been casting among weeds or rocks that abrade the line, or if you've stretched the line repeatedly while fighting fish or loosening snags.
Monofilament spinning lines, which are commonly used in bait casting, wear very rapidly. By far the strongest part of the monofilament is the thin outer skin, and when this layer is nicked or frayed only a fraction of the original strength remains. Of course it's worn away partly by the action of repeated casting and reeling and by scraping through the line guides.
Monofilaments wear at different rates and in different ways. Some fray; others begin to kink or twist. Still others become covered with a fine white powder, indicating the skin is deteriorating from exposure to air and sun. When a monofilament loses its shine, when the finish takes on a dull, scored appearance, it is usually time to change.
While you're checking line look very closely at the point, barb and bend of your hooks. A snag, a fish, or repeated scraping along the bottom can bend or break the point. Carry an inexpensive hone in your tackle box and touch up your hooks frequently. It's also a good idea to check a new lure and sharpen it before using it. The previous fishing tip could be the difference between the trophy of a lifetime or no fish at all!
D.M. Gardner has been an avid fisherman for 35 years. He has fished extensively throughout the U.S. including Alaska and Canada. Find a ton of fishing tips and tactics at his website TheFishingCabin.com.
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