Match The Hatch
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Spring in New England offers a variety of options for fishing for striped bass. During the spring of 2007, it was a great season and stripers up to 25 pounds in shallow water were not that difficult to catch using artificial lures. One particular day it seemed like there was a shortage. The fish were all but nonexistent.
It was interesting; as the water became more transparent (as the sun was getting higher) you could see fish moving along in small pods. It seemed like the stealthier I became, when approaching these fish the harder I was working to intercept them. Regardless of the type of floor the fish simply would not take a second look. It was almost as if they were focused on something particular small that I could not see.
As it turned out, this was persuasively what was happening. I tried and tried, and after landing a small specimen I discovered it had been feeding on tiny translucent crabs. I found this out after a coughed up his breakfast on the deck of the boat and his secret was out. This was definitely a case that unless you wanted to go home fishless you would have to use the smallest presentation lure possible.
This becomes a case of needing to “match the hatch” a term very familiar in the fly fishing world. The basic theory is that you need to mimic the bait that the fish are interested in. This means that it must be matched in both size and appearance. Every angler has discovered that trout will neglect any offering that does not look like the prevalent insects and saltwater species tend to get keyed into a certain size and type of bait. For whatever reason, they turn their noses up at anything that fails to have a proper appearance.
In the Northeast especially in shallow water, this is fairly common. It is even more common in salt ponds and estuaries. For instance, when the sun to warm patches in the salt ponds, fish will almost always strike at presentations that imitate the worms. They tend to ignore almost everything else. Fly fishermen typically do pretty well in this type of environment. They generally will present tiny worms that it 2 to 3 inches long. Spinning anglers, find this a little bit more difficult because lures that tiny can be difficult. The best bet is to scale down your tackle and not just the lure.
10 pound test braid line and a medium action spinning rod will allow you to use these smaller offerings and still allow you to catch a fairly large fish.The Lunker City Slug-O usually the 3” size, preferably rigged with an offset worm is a fairly good substitute. You will have to experiment with bold colors and sizes to find out which ones will work best.
Long known as one of the least discriminatory fishes in the ocean, the bluefish will from time to time focus on tiny baitfish and regardless of what you offer them, they simply refused to strike. This is especially common is the season grows longer and the baitfish invade the shallow waters. Fishermen will find the tackle box stocked with small spoons and soft plastics allow them to still have a great fishing day. The secret to this is to keep an eye on what the fish coughed up on the boat deck. That will help you determine what size, shape, and color they are really after.
Saltwater anglers almost always will run into the situation at one time or another. It just happens that if you are well-prepared you will have the available tools to ensure that you still have a successful fishing day. Always make sure that you have exactly what you need on hand to effectively “match the hatch”.
When you are out saltwater fishing it is important to make sure you have the right supplies. Some of the most popular brands include Shimano Saltwater Reels, Penn Saltwater Reels, and Daiwa Fishing Reels.
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