MOHAWK - Discovering the Valley of the Crystals Copyright 2003
Chapter 15
Fishing
Through the Years
Fishing Tips and Techniques
Spin
Fishing the Headwaters and Tributaries
4/5/03
Spin fishing is the most popular
way to take fish in Mohawk Valley streams. A spinning rod and reel, loaded
with ultra smooth monofilament line, allows a fisherman to cast lures and
bait great distances . . . and cover more water than any other
method.
While there are
valid arguments for long rods, short rods, ultralight rods and medium-action
rods --- that work best for different fish under different conditions ---a
light-action 5 1/2 to 6 1/2-foot spinning outfit will handle most situations
on the river and tributaries. Loaded with 6-pound test monofilament line
it will provide plenty of action even with a small fish at the end of the
line, yet handle a heavy fish. For clear water, a change to 4-pound test
will produce more fish, while 8-pound test is a good idea if you're after
big fish and the water is cloudy or dirty.
Number 5,7 and
10 snap swivels will connect line to lures. Number 4, 6 and 8 hooks will
hold most bait, and an assortment of split-shot sinkers will take it down
to fish.
A fishing vest
is ideal for carrying tackle while wading, but a belly pack will suffice.
A pair of long nose-pliers and a net are a good idea, as is a wading staff
if you plan to wade the river and larger tributaries. During the colder
months, waders are best for high water; hip boots for low water. Sneakers
or wading shoes are good for warm-water wading.
Lures
That Catch Fish
You can fill many tackle boxes with
the lures that will catch fish in Mohawk Valley streams, but you don't
need that many. Here's a good starter kit.
Gold spoons like the Phoebe: (More stream trout are caught on this minnow-shaped spoon than any other lure.) It's especially good for shallow, clear water because it's not heavy and it flashes like crazy. It will usually take fish on a steady retrieve, but sometimes jerking the rod tip makes it work best.
Gold spinners like Blue Fox
Vibrax, Mepps or Panther Martin - good in cloudy water because they vibrate.
Jerking the rod tip on retrieve sometimes makes it work better.
crayfish imitation plugs and plastic jigs will take a
variety of fish in Mohawk Valley waters.
Floating Imitation Minnow
like the Rapala (gold, rainbow, perch) - good for taking big trout,
bass and walleye Works best if Rapala loop-knot is used to tie line
to lure, and when the rod tip is jerked and reel speed varied on retrieve.
Bigger lure, bigger fish.
Small crankbaits like the Rebel Crawfish and Wee Crawfish (natural) - big-lipped version -- good for taking trout, bass and walleye in rocky pools and runs where they normally feed on crayfish. Works best if it ticks the bottom on the retrieve.
Plastic Jigs (yellow, white, black and chartreuse) - are very effective bass and walleye lures. They look like a variety of fish foods, so a variety of retrieves are in order. Just swimming the jig with a few changes in reel speed can take fish. Jerking the rod tip up, retrieving slack line and then jerking again turns some fish on. Sometimes a slow lift instead of the jerk upward works best.
Cast Above
and Beyond
When fishing from shore or wading,
cast diagonally upstream and slightly beyond where fish are holding. This
allows the lure or bait time to sink before you work it by the fish's nose.
In slower-moving water the same presentation takes fish, however, you also
have the options of casting cross stream, downstream and directly upstream,
depending on water depth and speed, and weight of lure or bait.
Some situations
require special skills and techniques to present lures to feeding fish.
For example a fish haven the size of a small bathtub, requires pin-point
accuracy and an immediate retrieve to get results. Getting a lure to the
fish in a pile of logs or undercut bank, may require allowing the lure
to drift downstream into this type of cover before retrieving it --- much
like fishing bait.
How
to Rig and Fish Bait
Some bait fishermen hook a gob of
worms on a big hook, weight it down with a half-ounce of sinker, cast it
into a big hole and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait. Some of the biggest
fish of the year are caught this way every year, usually early in the season.
Many more fish,
however, are caught throughout the year by drifting or working baits that
look like natural food. The most popular natural foods are worms, minnows
and crayfish. Here's how to rig and fish them.
Start all three of these bait rigs
with enough sinker to take the bait down to the fish and still let it look
as natural as possible. That means as little weight as possible attached
approximately 15 inches up the line from the hook. Trial, error and
experience will determine how much weight works best at different depths
and current flow.
Hook
a minnow up through the lips and fish it like a worm, or retrieve it
with a slow twitching motion of the rod tip. In deeper, slow-moving water
a minnow can be hooked through the back just ahead of the dorsal fin and
fished below a bobber. A Size 6 hook is good for the smaller trout and
bass minnows.
Hook a crayfish up through the tail, about three segments from the tip. After drifting the crayfish through fishy water, let it swing around in the current. Get ready for a hit. If you don't get a hit and the water is deep enough, work the bait toward you with a slow jerking motion. A Size 4 hook will do fine.
Hook a worm or nightcrawler (sometimes half a nightcrawler is plenty) through the middle or the breeding ring. Cast it above fish havens and let it sink to the bottom. Take in slack line, leaving a good bend, and allow the bait to drift downstream. When you feel a hit or see the line tighten or jump, set the hook. Remember, use just enough sinker to take the bait to the bottom. A Size 6 hook is good for most situations, but a Size 8 may take more fish in clear water.
As with lures,
presenting bait is not always as simple as casting, drifting and retrieving.
Sometimes special techniques are required for special places. Some situations
require hand-feeding the line as the bait drifts directly downstream into
a hole or pool. When the bottom is so cluttered with rubble that it "eats"
tackle, bait suspended from a small bobber or a float will take fish.
Where
The Fish Are
Most fish stay out of rapids, preferring
instead to hold just out of fast water where meals are delivered by the
current and minimum energy is required to stay in feeding position. Fish
wait for food at the head and tail of pools; front and back of rocks, logs,
bridge abutments, islands, along undercut banks and in long deep runs.
Those slow-water pools below islands, large rocks and bridge abutments
provide fish havens that can extend downstream for 50 yards or more.
Of course there are
always exceptions. For instance rainbow trout and smallmouths are often
caught right in rapids where they hold in pockets beside underwater rocks
and ledges. And while most fish are caught during the daylight hours, big
browns are more often caught from the biggest pools at night.
During the summer
months, anything that can offer cool water, oxygen and shade will attract
fish, so coldwater springs, stream outlets, pools below rapids, riffles
and waterfalls, and shoreline shade will concentrate fish.
