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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ Ways to Improve Your Catch - Part I of II
April 5, 2009
Since there are many occasions when anglers lose fish after hooking them, I will mention a few things that might improve your bite-to-catch ratio.
Line: Broken line is the number one reason that fish are lost. Inspect the line on the reel before each trip. Look for nicks, rough spots, and abrasions. Cut off any damaged line. Also, check the terminal end of the line after each fish is unhooked. To be certain, cut off any questionable sections and retie after every catch. If the line appears to be opaque, or breaks easily when a knot is tied, replace it. Use the appropriate line strength for conditions. Ten pound test might be fine in open water, while twenty pound test will work best in heavy cover. If the fish you are after have teeth, use wire leader.
Knots: Carefully tie a hook or lure to your line. The clinch, improved clinch, Palomar, and loop knots are all popular. When properly tied, these knots will withstand the strain of a lunker fish. To prevent unraveling, cinch the line tightly when tying the knot.
Hooks: For a solid hook set, the hook must be sharp. Today's premium hooks are laser sharpened and do not need to be honed before use. Hooks should be small enough for a fish to inhale, but have a wide enough gap (distance between the point and shank) to encompass the jawbone.. The size of the hook should match the size of the bait. A bait too large will not appear natural, and one too small is difficult with a hook up. When fishing for big fish, use baits large enough to look natural when attached to a large hook. Small laser sharp hooks should be used with ultra-light tackle.
Drag: A reel’s drag allows line to be pulled from the spool before it stretches to its breaking point. The drag should be tested and set before use, and then reset during the course of a fishing trip. As a rule, set the drag at thirty to fifty percent of the line’s breaking strength. Line drag can be tested with a pull scale, but most anglers pull line off the reel and adjust the desired drag tension. When in doubt, it’s better to begin with a light drag and tighten, if necessary.
Hook Set: A lot of bites are missed because the angler hasn't developed hook set techniques. Knowing when and how hard to set the hook comes with time and practice. Circle hooks are becoming more and more popular with anglers who use live and cut bait. The circle hook does not require a hook set. Crank, don't yank circle hooks.
With artificial baits, the right amount of timing and force for a good hook set varies with the conditions and the type of lure you’re using. One thing for certain, most of the "power" hook sets as seen on TV fishing programs, are only for show. If you try to jerk the lips off a fish, something is going to break or somebody might get hurt.
To be continued next week…
Tips from Capt. Gus:
Don't tighten the drag when a fish is near the boat. The shorter the length of line between the rod and fish, the less stretch the line will have.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, April 9, 2009, Lighthouse Marine Service will conduct a refresher course entitled “Introduction to Safe Boating.” This two hour session begins at 6:30 p.m. at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, Mooresville, NC. To register and pre-pay the $24.99 fee, visit www.lmservice.org or call Capt. Scott Spivey 704 587 0325.
Saturday, April 11, 2009, Light House Marine Services will offer a Boater Safety and PWC Class. Registration fee is $49.00 for this eight hour session beginning at 9:00 a.m. The class will be held at The Peninsula Yacht Club, in Cornelius, NC To register, or for more information, call Capt. Scott Spivey – 704 587 0325 or visit www.lmservice.org.
Monday, April 13th 2009 - 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - The Lake Norman Marine Commission will hold its monthly meeting (NOTE CHANGE IN LOCATION) at the East Lincoln Community Center, 8160 Optimist Club Rd., Denver, NC. For additional information, call 704 564 6333 or visit www.lnmc.org.
The Lake Norman Striper Swipers’ 28th Annual Spring Classic Tournament will be on April 18th & 19th, 2009 For more information, visit www.lnss.us.
A free seminar on “How to Select and use a Rod & Reel” will be held at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The seminar will be especially helpful for those deciding which outfit to buy for fishing the shoreline, the coast, or from a dock or boat. I will conduct the two hour session, along with custom rod builder Fran Park, from Good Fortune Custom Rods. This informative class is ideal for the entire family. For additional information, call 704 658 0822.
The Hot Spots of the Week:
Bass are bedding in back coves and banks with a southern exposure to the sun. Crappie are hitting jigs and minnows around docks with brush, and stripers are biting live bait on both ends of the lake. The water level is currently 2.1' below full pond and the surface temperature is in the fifties and low sixties.
Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is licensed by the US Coast Guard, a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, and is an outdoor columnist and a full time professional fishing guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' With Gus! at www.FishingWithGus.com or call 704.617.6812.
For additional information e-mail Gus at Gus@LakeNorman.com
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