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The Struggling Fishing Industry |
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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Saturday, 15 August 2009 10:04 |
The Struggling Fishing Industry
As we appear to be in the thick of the tough times, I thought I would try to help those of you who are frustrated with fishing industry understand as I see it what the fishing industry is going through.
Never in the history of the rapid growth of this industry has the customer seen such a drastic change in an industry. We have gone from times of easy credit to buy boats, available spending money to buy tackle to an industry full of closing companies and no credit available to purchase the boat of our dreams.
My assessment is simple: companies were started in the past with very little capital needed be successful, sales were easy and credit was there for anyone who wanted it. Today these companies that thought this business was simple, build and they will buy, did not manage the important things during the growth. Inventory being the biggest of the poorly managed companies, Ranger boats and others had inventory loaded at its dealers, tackle stores loaded the shelves with baits, poor inventory systems and plat-formed costs that they could never have paid with a drastic change to the industry.
This however has changed, now the businesses have to be conscience of every related charge and manage it. Pro’s are fishing out of their own boats, poorly run boat companies are closing, tackle companies are creating a new brand of Pro-Staffers that will actually help the company, and costs are being managed. You the consumer will and are experiencing differences from a year ago. The good news is the companies that emerge from the changing times will be stronger, better businesses and provide a service that will be in line with the cost of doing business.
The last point I will make is to ask you to be patient with the industry; it has to emerge from what it was to be better, stronger and more sustainable over time. The best will survive, and we the consumer will be the beneficiary of it. You the customer will always be first, as you have to be for the fishing industry to continue to survive.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email:
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256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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Some Keys to Crank Bait Fishing on Guntersville |
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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Saturday, 01 August 2009 09:59 |
Some Keys to Crank Bait Fishing
With the deep cranking bite in full swing, and the fall crank bait bite just around the corner; I thought I would give you some ideas on making a crank-bait work. It seems I have had several people in the boat lately that talk about crank-bait fishing but really don’t understand the factors that make the bait work for you.
Let’s first discuss, how to locate fish that will win tournaments. To me this is a big task but one you can accomplish with some patience. It is illegal to troll in a tournament, but not illegal to troll during practice. I generally hang a deep running crank bait over the side and troll the edges and points of the grass lines until I find fish that would win. When I find them I stop trolling find a few more in the same area, mark the spot on my GPS and start trolling again. When I have found about 4 spots I move on.
The key now is to get them to bite again in a tournament, most bass will react to a crank-bait by having the bait deflect or bounce off of the cover. The key to this is getting your bait down deep enough in the area to cause the crank-bait to hit the bottom or structure and deflect. A bass is more apt to hit something that moves erratically, and by getting your bait to the bottom you are putting the crank-bait in the strike zone. The depth is irrelevant, if you have found the fish in 10 feet or 25 feet of water it doesn’t matter, the bait you select must deflect off what ever structure is down there.
Lastly angle’s make a difference sometimes you can be cranking a spot and never get a bite, but with a little change to the angle you are working a crank-bait can make the difference. Point being; work the area thoroughly from several angles before moving on. The fish could be positioned so you just need to work them from a different vantage point and you could catch them.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email:
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256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Sunday, 26 July 2009 10:17 |
Stroking a Jig
Over the past several years there is a technique that has developed from the use of spinner baits, spoons and the like, that has become known as stroking! I have for several years used similar presentations not maybe quite as erratic but very close to the new stroking technique.
The presentation is very easy to do, you just basically throw your jig out and rip it upward as hard as you can then let it fall, and you keep repeating it until the jig gets back to your boat. If you think about it this creates that erratic movement and quick jerk that many of us are doing with Spinner baits and jigging spoons. The key is if a bass is looking at it, that quick move and then slower fall to the bottom will create a reaction bite. If you’re around cover or grass or wood that movement then causes the jig to fall and deflect off the cover on its way to the bottom. It’s a very deadly presentation, and will catch fish when they seem to be sluggish. The bite generally occurs when the jig is falling so keep good contact with your line as the jig retreats to the bottom.
My version of this is slightly different, I have a tendency to shake my jig as I am retrieving it out of cover like grass. I then combine the stroking action with some shaking of the jig to give it even more movement than just the stroking technique. I have found that the two movements together is something the bass haven’t seen as regularly as a person who is dragging or hopping a jig. This presentation has become real popular on Kentucky Lake and I believe and have experienced it catching tournament fish on Guntersville.
Stroking a jig could be just what you need to getting your next tournament win!
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvileguideservice.com
Email:
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256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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A Look at Fall Fishing on Guntersville |
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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Saturday, 18 July 2009 12:07 |
A Look at Fall Fishing on Guntersville
As the month of August closes in, the first thing I think about is fall fishing on Guntersville. It might be hard to believe but the number of fish caught in my boat in the September through October time frame is generally higher than any time of the year. I actually believe that the activity in the fall with the bass feeding up for the up-coming winter is the most active time of the year. The schools of baitfish are enormous and the bass seem to be pushing and feeding on them all over the lake and in all depths of water.
Unless this year is different for some reason I expect much of the same. The thing that makes the fall different for me is the fact that the newly hatched fish from the spring spawn are all over the lake. There is just thousands of fish from 6 to 10 inches feeding and chasing bait fish from one end of the lake to the other. They just absolutely eat your bait and the ability to catch hundreds of fish a day is knocking on your door.
The good news is not only are the little fish active but so are the big ones and if you keep chucking and casting your baits about every 5th or so fish is going to be a good one. The other great news is for those of you who like frog fishing the dying grass are offering some great possibilities for the traditional rat bite. As the grass turns icky and dies on top the rat bite becomes a great way to catch a 25 lb. stringer and win a tournament.
The fall good times are right around the corner, Guntersville is primed for a great fall. Come let me help you enjoy some great fall fishing on Guntersville.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email:
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256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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The Difference in Flipping and Pitching |
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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Saturday, 11 July 2009 15:44 |
The Difference in Pitching and Flipping
I often get asked to explain the difference in flipping and pitching and when these presentations seem to be the most productive, and what type of skill set is required to do both.
Let me first state that each if these presentations are used in generally different situations. When you are trying to put a jig in an exact hole in the grass or along the edge of a boathouse post you are generally flipping. Your presentation is exact, you want that bait in a very distinct hole or edge, and you are trying to be very accurate and generally are not spooling out any line. Flipping requires you to have the line in your hand and release the bait from your hand toward your target.
Pitching however is an underhand presentation, almost an underhand cast toward a specific area. Pitching allows you to spool off line and hit a general target some fair distance away. I generally pitch a jig or tube when fishing grass lines from 10 to 15 feet away, targeting and edge and allowing the line to free spool down the grass line when being exact is not a real issue.
Being a productive fisherman around boathouses requires you to put your bait exactly where you need it so you can get a bass to hit it as they are hiding from the sun. This skill is flipping, you coil up some line in your hand flip the bait to the dock post or corner and catch fish with very exact location of your bait. Lay down trees are an ideal opportunity to tone up your flipping skills, those tree limb Y’s or up against the trunk of the tree requires and exact flip and to target those type of structure you must be able to put that jig where you want it.
So flipping and pitching have some very distinct differences and require some different skill sets to be effective. If your not skilled in both, it is time to practice, both of these skills are vital for summer time fishing on Guntersville. Having these skills could be the difference maker for you in a tournament!
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email:
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256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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