Cam Fishing - Pro Tips

Casting for success

One of the most important factors in fishing for bass in shallow water is casting accuracy. Missing your target not only results in an empty livewell but can be one of the biggest factors in destroying confidence as an angler.
There is no substitute for practice.

Gain confidence at home, in the backyard, by picking out a target and casting until you can hit it consistently. Do this without even thinking of the fundamentals of casting and you will become a much more successful angler.
Remember, don’t always cast right on top of the targeted spot. Learn to cast beyond this target and pull your bait to the spot. This prevents spooking the fish that lurk there.

Changing Conditions

OK you’ve gone on a weekend fishing trip. Saturday was overcast, with a little breeze, moderate temperature and you caught lots of fish while establishing a working pattern. On Sunday, good old Mother Nature throws a curve ball, it becomes a bright sunny day, the wind kicks up, the temperature drops and a front has passed and the barometer is rising. The pattern you caught them on yesterday shuts off. An adjustment is in order. Chances are, the fish have not migrated a long way from yesterday’s pattern.

Slow down, read your electronics carefully. The front has them tighter on the nearest structure. Go to the lighter line, smaller baits and a much more deliberate presentation. Bites will be lighter, so be on your toes. And, you might have to even go a little deeper than on the previous day.

Being an Alert Angler

Nothing is more frustrating than losing a fish due to mechanical failure.
Anytime you catch a big fish or snag up your lure in heavy cover, be sure to inspect your line, lure and hook points.
Rocks, wood, weeds, and even a fish’s bony mouth can cause defects in your equipment.

An alert angler checks his equipment for problems throughout the angling day.
Remember you equipment is only as strong as its weakest link.

Selecting the right eyewear

The advantages of wearing quality sunglasses not only saves your eyes from harsh glare but can assist you in seeing things that other anglers don’t see. Show me an angler who doesn’t wear protective eyewear and I’ll show you and angler who know what their doing on the water. In addition, long exposure to bright sunshine and glare can be harmful unless quality eyewear is used.
Good quality sunglasses “not the cheap copies” serve many purposes to the angler.

I personally wouldn’t even consider going fishing without my Carve Eyewear from Liquid Culture. I own several pairs and keep a set in my car, in my boat and even one in my tackle bag just in case.
I use them because they save my eyesight from the suns harmful ultraviolet rays that can cause serious headaches and do even more permanent damage to your future eyesight.

Also, they help me see what’s going on beneath the surface by cutting out surface glare. I spend a lot of time during summer in really shallow, clear water in search of bass and my polarized sunglasses help me spot roaming fish, small isolated weedbeds, timber rocks bars and all kinds of fish-holding cover that many other anglers miss.

Ask any experienced lure fisherman how many fish they saw strike their lure before they even felt any strike. As for lens colours or tones, my recommendation is to use grey and amber lenses during normal conditions and high contrast yellow lenses during overcast conditions. Quality eyewear is as important as your rod, line and hooks for increasing your overall fishing success.

Organised Angler

Every minute you’re not fishing, you’re not catching fish. It’s that simple.
So get organized by positioning your high confidence lures in an easy to reach spot. Have extra hooks, lures and pliers in easy to find locations.

Pick up some clear storage containers and store your stuff in such a way that you always know where a certain piece of equipment is when you need it. It’s the same thing with storing lures, jigs or hooks. Separate the sizes, styles and colours. It makes it easy to locate the right lure or hook size you’re looking for.

Nothing is more frustrating than wasting time looking for something you can’t find, and that’s when frustration can ruin your concentration and in the end your game plan. Keeping organized allows you to keep focused, and most importantly, keeps you catching fish!

Fishing Wharves and Pontoons

I don’t know how many times I’ve shared a boat with another angler and stood back and watched how they approached a potential bream holding pontoon. Some like to travel at warp speed – maybe because they want to see just how much power their 12 volt trolling motor has – or they spent way too much time on a pontoon that had little potential for a bigger than average bream. Some guys looked as though they never pitched a jig in their life, or made a quick cast to the outer edges and started to move to the next spot as the “monster” lurking at the back of the pontoon started to show it’s head. Sure, a lot of floating structure has the potential to hold small bream…but who wants them?

I’ve spent many hours catching and releasing my share of monster bream living under pontoons and one thing I can tell you from my years of experience – you never stop learning about shallow water bream behaviour. Just when you think you might know it all…..Mr Bream teaches you something new about habitat, strike mood or structure positioning in an ever changing variety of conditions.
When approaching a pontoon that looks like it has potential for a big bream, take your time, approach it wit the trolling motor on low speed, angle the boat so you glide past the dock if you have to ( a lot of times bream will come out after a jig while you retrieve the lure ) and if your boat is gliding towards or on top of the fish he can spook and you’ll have tougher time getting it to bite.
But, if your boat is back away from the dock and the fish has the time to come out slowly and inspect it, there is a good chance they will grab it.

If you truly believe a certain location is harbouring a brute of a bream or if you have caught numerous big bream off a certain dock – fish it with confidence. That means cast or flick to all high percentage spots first, then cast to the hidden spots other anglers might miss – then try a secondary lure like a slower falling plastic grub or minnow. Sometimes big bream have to be teased.

Tip 1

You can change line on bait casting reels more often without spending a lot of extra money be leaving some of the old line on the spool as backing. To do this simply remove half of the existing line from the reel. Then by connecting the new line with the old line with a smile blood knot, you can wind 100-150 metres of fresh new line onto your reel. This is more than enough line for bass and natives and a 300 metre spool will allow you to fill two reels that will in the end give months and months of trouble free casting and fishing.

Tip 2

Use flavoured lures when fish aren’t striking aggressively. Scented soft plastic baits, salted lures and fish attractants WILL NOT attract fish fish from great distances, but will cause fish to hold onto your lure longer giving you greater opportunity for positive hook-sets.

Tip 3

Pay attention to the retrieve speed and cadence used by a fishing partner who is catching more fish that you are. Although your lures may be the same, you and your buddy could be imparting slightly different actions to lures as you reel.

Tip 4

Don’t blow that fish of a lifetime over a simple mistake. Replace rusty, broken or bent hooks. Check your line frequently for frayed or nicked spots and carefully retie lures with reliable knots.

Tip 5

The sensitivity of braided line makes it and excellent choice for teaching the art of worm fishing. An inexperienced angler can feel subtle bites and more easily track the bait bouncing along the bottom. Braided line also reduces the power required for solid hook sets.

Tip 6

In autumn, key in on the greenest liveliest weeds. Shorter days and cooler water trigger vegetation die-off, because there’s less oxygen in water around withered weeds. It’s an undesirable environment for baitfish and game fish.

Tip 7

During the heat of a summer day, bass seek cooler water, such as under malted vegetation. Swim a spoon or weedless snag proof frog or rat imitation over the top of the cover. Be prepared for an explosion. If the bass misses, quickly cast a plastic worm or craw into the same spot.

Tip 8

Moody bass that aren’t in a chasing mood are suckers for a weightless worm rigged wacky style. Hook a straight-tail worm through its centre so the two ends dangle. Cast, then twitch the rod tip gently after the bait sinks out of sight.

Tip 9

If you want to fish a tandem spinnerbait fast, yet well beneath the surface, reduce the blade sizes on a ¼ oz lure to a size3, a 3/8oz lure to size 4. Smaller blades provide less lift during a fast retrieve, but still produce adequate flash to keep fish interested.

Tip 10

When following other anglers along a shoreline or bank, observe their trial and error processes to help eliminate unsuccessful patterns. Take note of which lures they are using, and choose something else. Cast to less obvious targets or spots they neglected.

Tip 11

To reduce the chances of hanging up a crankbait when fishing in heavier cover, cut te leading point off each treble hook. Removing the point significantly reduces snagging and the remaining two points should be sufficient for hooking fish.

Tip 12

When following other anglers along a section of shoreline, observe their approach and eliminate any unsuccessful patterns they may be using. Take note of which lures they are using and choose something different. If they are throwing spinnerbait try a crankbait. If they are throwing a surface lure maybe try a plastic. The key to fishing water that has seen a lot of traffic is to look at subtle differences that offer fish something new and less conspicious…Also cast to less obvious targets that they may have overlooked and above all casting accuracy is most important.

Tip 13

Line size and casting distance play key roles in how deep a crankbait dives during retrieve. By dropping down a size in line you can gain nearly a foot of running depth and the further you cast, the deeper it wil run.

Tip 14

You can avoid spooking fish with your trolling motor by operating it at a slow, steady speed instead of rapid on-off bursts at high sppeds. The sudden intrusion of the propeller noise and thrust of water can startle fish holding in nearby cover.

Tip 15

Match jigs to the line size your using. If flipping with heavy line, a jig with a sturdy hook is necessary to withstand the force of a power hook set. When fishing light line, wire hooks are better because they penetrate more easily under a less forceful hook set.

Tip 16

Fishing blades of a spinnerbait cranked slowly through a school or suspended bass or golden perch can trigger inactive fish into a feeding frenzy. Cast the lure beyond the school, count down to the appropriate depth, and then begin a steady retrieve.

Tip 17

Increase your success during cold weather by being choosy about when you go out. Try a warmer day that follows a few days of stable weather. A partly cloudy day with a gentle southerly breeze is another good choice. And remember, that fish tend to be more active in the afternoon.

Tip 18

When fishing the points along a lake or creek channel, the most productive ones probably will be those that extend into the channels. Bass use the points as migration routes to ad from deep water. Any cover on those points likely will hold fish.

Tip 19

Monofilament and braided lines wear out during normal fishing practices. To keep them at their peak ensure you store them away from harmful UV rays, chemicals, sunscreen, petrol or outboard oils. Change your line frequently especially if you fish regularly or in highly abrasive conditions. An outfit that is used regularly should have a line change every 4-6 months, while a lesser-used outfit can be changed every 8-12 months. A good practice to maintain after each fishing outing is to inspect your line for any nicks or abrasions that may cause a weakness or break during fishing. Most experienced anglers will remove the last 3 or 4 feet of line and re-tie with a new leader and knot before each outing. The basic checklist will enable you trouble free fishing when you’re on the water.

Tip 20

Are you a tackle rat? Do you buy every colour or every lure that becomes available? Do you really use every colour of every lure you purchase? The key to successful fishing is gaining confidence in your abilities and practicing presentations that you are comfortable with. Find your grove and strong points and keep learning. Those are the keys to successful fishing.
Let’s get serious, trying to perfect every single type of lure in every single fishing condition will only make you a master of NONE!