This is a question that haunts many fisherman. If you had waited five minutes longer – would you have caught that fish? Invariably, the instant you move from position a fish will pop out of the water behind you and this is probably the most frustrating aspect about fishing. However, there are a few good rules of thumb that you can follow to help you determine how long you should be sitting around waiting, and when to take action.
Patience is more than just a virtue when it comes to fishing. It is vital and for many of us, it is also nearly impossible. You can wait for hours and come up with nothing, or some days, you’ll get nibbles immediately. You can choose to sit there with the same bait, or try something new, but how do you know when to give up and make the switch?
First, it is important to make sure that you have the right bait for the right fish. If you’re not using the right bait, then it won’t matter how long you wait – the fish just aren’t going to be interested. However, if you are using bait that is tried and tested, or that has worked for you in the past, it may just mean that for that particular day it won’t work and you need to try something else.
You can figure out when to switch by taking a look around. If there are visible fish and they are simply not interested, switching is the best idea. If there are no fish that are visible, they may simply be lower than your bait and you’re not drawing them upward. If you can’t see any fish, give it about fifteen minutes. If you still don’t have anything, it’s time to try something else, or possibly change your location. For visible fish, ten minutes without a nibble generally means that something is off, so switching is best after about that amount of time.
Other factors will determine how long you should stay in one location. For example, the same fish that you are getting in the morning won’t be in that same spot in the afternoon. Some fish prefer to go deep when it gets hot out, others will head for vegetation or an outcropping. Study the habits of the fish you are after and make adjustments as necessary as the day goes on.
The weather can also have a big impact on your success rates and how long you should stay in one specific area. On cloudy days, there will usually be more fish near the surface, while on sunny days, you may need to go deeper. The best method is to target the fish you’re after, learn about their habits and keep a log of the time you spend and how fruitful it is.
There is no one answer to this problem, but by employing the above techniques you can stop wasting time and start catching fish – on your schedule.
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Bait, Fishing, Tips and Tricks
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fifteen minutes, fish, fisherman, Fishing, five minutes, nibble, patience, rules of thumb, virtue
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2 comments ↓
Patience has never been one of my virtues. Although I do like fishing just for the pleasure of being out on the water and enjoying the scenery. Catching fish is secondary, at least sometimes.
Excellent post here. I believe one of the secrets to being successful fishing is to have a plan or an idea of what you are doing and why. Your reference to giving some thought to the type of fish and what type of water your fishing makes total sense to me. I just love doing more “research” on this thing called fishing!
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