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Well, after my first (unsuccessful) foray out into the Tar/Pamlico, I decided to stop beating my head against the proverbial wall and hire a guide to show me the ropes. I got lucky and found Mitch Blake from FishIBX charters available for a Sunday afternoon trip, and he quickly agreed to make the trip an education.
Folks, I think I just got a doctorate in 6 hours. If you are frustrated, confused, intimidated by all that water, and ready to give up, give him a call. I have fished with guides before who will be glad to put you on fish, but are tight lipped on why, how, and where to look for them on your own. Mitch literally spent 6 hours taking me from spot to spot, explaining why it was productive, when to fish there, when not to, what to use, how to retrieve it, and all the "whys" behind it. We never stayed at a spot for more than 30 minutes. Once we caught a few fish and he explained the pattern, off we went to the next spot/next pattern.
We caught fish at just about every spot we stopped at!
We started off in a local creek and he talked me through when and where to look, punctuating his comments with regular strikes and hook ups. Nothing drives a point home like having your rod nearly ripped out of your hand when you cast where the guy tells you.
After the creek, we headed out to bigger water and fished structure, points, docks, and other patterns. Our best fish of the day was 24.5, but there is no doubt that we could have easily found bigger if I'd asked him. We left spots with the fish still biting and he was as eager to show me something new as I was to learn it.
If you are still debating on shelling out the cost of a half day trip, consider this - At the back half of the day, we fished some of the same exact spots I had fished last weekend. What had been a frustrating day without a single bite last weekend suddenly morphed into constant action under his guidance and coaching.
This guy makes a living on his advice and his service, so I won't share everything he taught me, but here were a few "key" learnings I'd pass along:
- Target deep holes in creeks, often found on the outside bend. Find adjacent or included structure in the hole and things can get exciting . . . quickly
- SLOW DOWN your retrieve . . . but don't be afraid to vary it periodically.
- Steady retrieves are a better imitation of a shad moving up for its spawning run
- THE FISH ARE THERE - and there are more than you think. Don't give up just because the first 10-15 casts don't produce.
- Last - I have to recommend the lures he helped design. Rigged in a particularly clever way he showed me, they flat out produce!
Here's a video for those who are interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZSrjBn5okM
BTW, at my request, Mitch agreed to let me use my boat for the trip and to mark some of the spots on my GPS. If you are in the same "boat" I was in, I'd strongly recommend this!
Folks, I think I just got a doctorate in 6 hours. If you are frustrated, confused, intimidated by all that water, and ready to give up, give him a call. I have fished with guides before who will be glad to put you on fish, but are tight lipped on why, how, and where to look for them on your own. Mitch literally spent 6 hours taking me from spot to spot, explaining why it was productive, when to fish there, when not to, what to use, how to retrieve it, and all the "whys" behind it. We never stayed at a spot for more than 30 minutes. Once we caught a few fish and he explained the pattern, off we went to the next spot/next pattern.
We caught fish at just about every spot we stopped at!
We started off in a local creek and he talked me through when and where to look, punctuating his comments with regular strikes and hook ups. Nothing drives a point home like having your rod nearly ripped out of your hand when you cast where the guy tells you.
After the creek, we headed out to bigger water and fished structure, points, docks, and other patterns. Our best fish of the day was 24.5, but there is no doubt that we could have easily found bigger if I'd asked him. We left spots with the fish still biting and he was as eager to show me something new as I was to learn it.
If you are still debating on shelling out the cost of a half day trip, consider this - At the back half of the day, we fished some of the same exact spots I had fished last weekend. What had been a frustrating day without a single bite last weekend suddenly morphed into constant action under his guidance and coaching.
This guy makes a living on his advice and his service, so I won't share everything he taught me, but here were a few "key" learnings I'd pass along:
- Target deep holes in creeks, often found on the outside bend. Find adjacent or included structure in the hole and things can get exciting . . . quickly
- SLOW DOWN your retrieve . . . but don't be afraid to vary it periodically.
- Steady retrieves are a better imitation of a shad moving up for its spawning run
- THE FISH ARE THERE - and there are more than you think. Don't give up just because the first 10-15 casts don't produce.
- Last - I have to recommend the lures he helped design. Rigged in a particularly clever way he showed me, they flat out produce!
Here's a video for those who are interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZSrjBn5okM
BTW, at my request, Mitch agreed to let me use my boat for the trip and to mark some of the spots on my GPS. If you are in the same "boat" I was in, I'd strongly recommend this!
