Unexpected Sight Fish

[hooah212002]

I was fishing my spot today and there was a small bass just hanging out right in front of me and he didn't move the whole time I was there. I figured: "if I can see him, he can see me" so I didn't bother. Over the course of a few hours, I got a few strikes on my frog but missed them, so I wanted to see how this guy would react. I worked the frog over top of him and he eyeballed it. AHA! He's not so shy. I switched rods and ever-so-gently plunked a 7" pumpkin green senko by him (he was under the muck and I dropped it in the opening). I watched him come out from underneath the mat and gobble it up. I was amazed! Shocked! I let him get it in his mouth, then bam! set the hook. I pulled him out and he was covered head to tail in moss. I didn't get a picture because as soon as I took all the crap off him, he shook out of my hand. It was seriously like watching one of those underwater cams of a fish being caught. It was surreal.

 

Fishing crystal clear, heavily fished water is a MAJOR pain in the rear, but can be rewarding when it finally pays off.

[Paul Roberts]

Sight fishing, and fish watching period, is really fun. I’ve learned so much from it. Each fish, and set of conditions, is different. But there are some patterns.

 

-The first line of defense is the startle reflex. If you are calm and fluid, and patient, you may not trip that wire. Fish, and other critters, can get used to your presence, eventually filtering out the startle reflex -called "stimulus extinction".

 

-Lighting and visibility conditions affect things, with bright sun making fish edgier, spookier, and making it MUCH easier for them to see, esp details.

 

-Each fish is an individual and some are simply more cautious than others.

 

Deciding on what to do when you spot a fish is the tricky part.

 

I suppose the thing you DON’T want to do the majority of the time is freak out and make quick movements. I also have a habit, from years of hunting, of averting my eyes, looking obliquely at critters –not staring. With fish this isn’t such an issue, they don’t understand the stare, but they can pick up on the movements you make in getting into a stare posture, quickly bending down toward them to duck glare or concentrate your vision. If you’ve ever shot video of your friends hunting or fishing, it can be a big surprise to them how they ACTUALLY look when reacting to something of great interest, like a sighted bass. Often they’ll wiggle all over or just make subtle adjustments that alarm critters. This is sometimes why people who aren’t trying to sight fish catch them, by ignoring the fish until it ignores them, then casting. It’s a tack I use in both fishing and hunting. Although fish do get jaded toward fishing, more cautious in scrutinizing baits, I often wonder how much is due to their perceptions of our presence. It certainly can matter a lot.

 

Another option is to spot a fish, mark it, and return in 1 to 10 minutes depending on the circumstances. Bass are not often stationary so you often have to cast immediately. Careful motions, casting to one-side and ahead, or “tower casting” way high above and beyond sometimes works. Sometimes dropping it right on them works, although if it’s bright and clear and/or the fish is aware of me or even mildly startled, I’ll almost always cast out and retrieve to the fish.

 

Fun stuff.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

I love sight fishing!  I just posted a pic on my first bass off the bed.  It is great just watching them to see their behaviors and how they move.  :-)

[hooah212002]

I love sight fishing!  I just posted a pic on my first bass off the bed.  It is great just watching them to see their behaviors and how they move.  :-)

 

Yea, it was kinda funny seeing a pack of monster carp roam around and bully the bass. They seriously looked like a pack of wild dogs. Except they were ugly carp and they just made a mess of everything.

[xbacksideslider]

Sometimes I wish I was in a hot air balloon, drifting over shallow water, with just the right angle so there's no glare, just so I could watch what the various fish do.

[hooah212002]

Sometimes I wish I was in a hot air balloon, drifting over shallow water, with just the right angle so there's no glare, just so I could watch what the various fish do.

 

It definitely is fun. Sometimes I stop actually fishing for a bit just to watch the fish.