VOL . 40 • ISS . 14 |
How To ... |
July 23 , 2021 |
5 |
The KFBK OUTDOOR SHOW
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1 Rated Outdoor Radio Show for 26 years !
Off Season Preparation
^ Fishing rods are like golf clubs . Every fishing rod has its purpose .
Make sure you are equipped correctly for the target species .
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At times you have to sacrifice a passenger and the front seat when you are unsure of what rods to take and you have too many ! with your host Bob Simms
Fishing • Hunting • Destinations Conservation • History Dedicated to the Northern California Outdoorsman
BOB SIMMS
4005
Listen Every Saturday Morning from 5 am to 8am
CALIFORNIA ’ S LONGEST RUNNING OUTDOOR TALK SHOW !
Rod Choice Can Make The Difference Between Disappointment and a Hook Up
I t all started when I was just a kid and I have my father to blame . My Dad use to build his own rods and he built one that we named the “ fun pole .” The “ fun pole ” was a really light casting rod that had a ton of action and because it was so light it really resembled a fly fishing rod . This rod was perfect for drifting live shiners or mudsuckers for striped bass . When you hooked a fish there was no doubt that you had one on because that thing would barrel over like no other . Only a few were allowed to use this rod because you really had to know how to fight a fish , otherwise , chances were it would snap in two or more pieces . The “ fun pole ” shaped on how I liked to fish and my rod choices . Let ’ s just say you will never see me using a rod that has the action of a broom stick and I definitely choose the lightest rod that I can get away with . If you looked in my garage you would find a plethora of rods and some ask , “ why do you have so many ?” My typical answer is fishing rods are like golf clubs , you have one for a specific purpose . Like most anglers , I have a different fishing rod for each species and for each technique . A lighter fishing rod has always been my choice but it isn ’ t always the right choice . Let me give you a couple of examples . Recently , I was on a fishing trip in search of yellowtail and white sea bass . We were fishing the Channel Islands and found some yellowtail breaking the surface on some bait . I was on the bow of the boat casting irons for these fish while using an 8ft medium heavy fishing rod that has parabolic action . It wasn ’ t long before my iron got slammed and my rod loaded up . I mean that fish tried to pull that rod right out of my hands ! Fish On ! Well , only for a second and then it came off . Darn it ! I thought that is the way it goes sometimes . After several more casts another yellowtail slammed my lure ! Yes ! Fish On ! Rod loaded up and then nothing . Disappointment number two . This time I was a little more frustrated because the other five anglers on the boat were landing their fish and having a great time on the back of the boat . I thought to myself , keep casting and you will get your chance . I did get another chance . This time the fish absolutely smoked the lure . My rod loaded up and I felt a couple of head shakes and then nothing ! Third disappointment of the trip ! Now , I had to analyze what I was doing wrong . I had sharp hooks , I had braided line with a fluorocarbon leader , and a M / H fishing rod .
By Ernie Marlan
I figured using the braid line would allow for a better hookset because there is no stretch in the line . Therefore , I thought this would allow me to use a lighter rod than I normally would . I quickly learned , well maybe not so quickly , that the rod was the problem . The rod was too soft to get a good hookset and the hook would not penetrate the mouth of the fish . A tough learning experience but it was a great learning experience and made me a better angler . Striped bass fishing on the delta is probably what I do most and I love casting a variety of lures for them . Topwater , spoons , glide baits , and lipless crankbaits are some of the lures that I often use . One of my favorite rods is a M / H with a 8-17lb line rating . I thought that this was the best all-around rod that I could find . I often had four or five of them on the boat with a different lure tied to each of them . I used this rod with a 200 or 300 sized reel teamed up with braided line and often a fluorocarbon leader . It is the perfect rod when fishing with topwater baits . It is amazing when spooning for stripers . However , when I was throwing a lipless crankbait and my bait would get crushed I would set the hook just as hard as the striper hit my lure . It seems like my natural tendency is the harder the fish hits the harder I set the hook . These hard hooksets pull the bait right out of the mouth of the fish . I catch many of them but I have lost enough this way to realize what was happening . Once I realized what was happening I moved to a lighter and more parabolic rod designed for casting crankbaits . My hook up ratio has went up and I don ’ t seem to be yanking the bait out of the fishes mouth any longer . Remember earlier when I said that I love to use really light rods and the “ fun pole ” was a lot of fun when fighting big fish . When you hook a decent sized striper on this rod the fight is so much fun . Well , this new lighter rod that I was using for crankbaits created a new problem for me . The problem , I wanted to use it for everything . Especially , when I got on a huge school of stripers and I was able to fish a spoon . I quickly learned that this is not the rod to use when using a spoon . If you are spooning correctly , you are allowing your bait to naturally fall without having a bunch of extra slack line . You want just enough slack line so you don ’ t alter the action of the lure . This will allow you to feel the bite better and get a
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