The great Mike Tyson coined the famous phrase about getting into the ring with him.
“Everyone has a plan,” the former heavyweight boxing champ of the world once said.
“Until they get hit.”
And when you take a right from Iron Mike you know you’ve been hit.
Prize-fighting appears at first sight to be a long way from angling. But there are also many similarities. Especially when it comes to executing “The Plan.” Because heading out to our rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds and reservoirs, without first giving it some forethought and anticipation, can be a formula for failure. While something can be said about one of those gonzo fishing trips to the foothills, not having a consistent strategy – especially if you are on a limited time window – can lead to frustration and failure. Or worse – few or maybe even no fish.
Here is a check list of five secrets to success on the water.
1- Fine Tune Your Strategy – There are far too many angling options out there to simply head out and hope for the best. Even if it’s a short trip to a familiar local stocked trout pond or nearby river, you still need to drill down on the task ahead. Especially if it’s new water or a fishery that you haven’t visited for a while, some prep work is a vital component.
If it’s a wildland stream, be familiar with your route to and from the fishing - either with old school forestry maps or on-line apps like Google Earth.
Stillwater fisheries provide additional challenges. Selecting your preferred boat launch ahead of time can save a lot of time and confusion. Being familiar with the bottom contours of the lake or reservoir – revealing underwater structure like rock piles, drop-offs or reefs - can help zero-in on fish holding water. Particularly when targeting walleye which love hanging out near defined water depth changes. There are several sources of topo maps – either paper or on line.
2- Keep It Simple – By this I mean, don’t overreach, stay in your own lane and don’t over-complicate your angling. This should not only apply to the angler, but also to mentors – experienced anglers who take entry level fishers out to show them the rhythms of the river.
For instance, exposing a newbie to one of those iconic central Alberta spring creeks is likely a formula for failure. Sure these streams harbor some incredible brown trout. But low-gradient creeks that meander over silt beds and between willow-lined banks with prolific and often confusing mayfly hatches require a grad school angling education and an overabundance of patience to have a successful day.
But a bubbling freestone a little higher up in the Eastern Slopes, where the trout are more naïve and accommodating, is a more likely source for success.
Pick a couple or so destinations and stick to it. But that also required some serious pre-planning. River flows can change from water-shed to water-shed and weather patterns in the boreal north and the mountains can be quite different than out on the flat land. Pay attention to future forecasts. Satellite weather maps and computer projections offered by on-line services like the Weather Channel can give you a pretty accurate projection of what’s coming at you. Another invaluable tool in drawing up a plan is check the stream flow gauging stations available on government environment department websites.
These are real-time read-outs with accompanying graphs so you can compare historic stream flow levels. The last thing you want to happen is to arrive at your fishery of choice to find it blown out.
But like Mike Tyson said, sometimes you get hit.
Therefore have a second or even third destination in mind before your hit the road. As mentioned above, having access to a good mentor – whether it’s a wily old family member or neighbor who have caught a fish or two in their lives – to show you the ropes is a helpful asset. I suppose a professional fishing guide also fulfills the mentor role. But, of course, you have to pay for his companionship. Fishing mentors can also be found by joining a conservation club like a Freshwater Conservation Canada (formerly Trout Unlimited Canada) chapter or Alberta Fish and Game Association (now Alberta Wildlife Federation) club. Participating on outdoors internet chat rooms is also a useful source of angling information. But remember, it is the internet where some information is not necessarily good information.
3– Prep the Gear – To succeed at angling you first must be able to successfully execute.
And that means your tackle should be available and in good working condition when you need it. Waders hanging on a hook back in your tackle room or a fly reel that doesn’t match the line-weight of the rod you packed is clearly not anyone’s idea of a winning formula. Before you pack your fishing rig get out all the tackle you anticipate you will need, inspect it thoroughly and replace any worn or damaged components. Tippet material, whether braided metal “shock” tippets for toothy pike or ultra-fine leader for finicky trout, require special attention. Fly-fishing can complicate prep time exponentially. Trying to anticipate what a trout or grayling may be feeding on a couple hours’ drive away is not a lot different than going to a casino.
You take your chances.
But the odds can be shortened a little by consulting hatch charts that have been developed over the years for many popular waterbodies – both flowing and stillwaters. Several tackle shops also highlight anticipated insect hatches on their websites. Anglers like to hit the water with a good selection of flies – both floating and sub-surface.
If you are into tying your own, part of the pleasure of the planning process is to go through your fly boxes, get out the vice and replenish any of the diminished rows. Similarly pike and walleye anglers should also do a pre-trip gear check to determine if they have enough lures and jigs on hand. A quick trip to the Fishin’ Hole may be required. Laying all your gear out, then packing it securely in an angling bag, tackle box or duffel is also a good idea. Also expect that there may be a weather change. More than likely for the worst. Pack wet-weather gear, layering garments for cooler weather and sunscreen, polarized fishing glasses and a hat with a sun-shade brim. Because in Alberta, if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. If may only get worse.
4- Focus Your Technique – Also known as keeping your eye on the prize. Fishing has numerous and diverse divisions, prongs and technologies. Mind-blowing may not be too strong a word.
And if you tried to master and employ all of them when you leave your residence on a weekend angling trip that’s supposed to be simple and satisfying, you would likely return home frustrated, frazzled and exasperated. So don’t do it.
If you want to go flyfishing go flyfishing. Same goes for gear angling – whether it be lures or bait. Then focus on what you are doing. The flow of the river, the bugs in the air or around the rocks, the activity of the birds, signs of active fish, interaction of clouds with the sun. All the variables that can make or break a fishing trip. Some would call it, dancin’ with the one what brung ya. Keeping in mind that you are likely going to have to change it up more than a couple of times through the day as the run of the river and whims of the fish are in a constant state of change.
5- Plan to Change Plans – Or as Mike Tyson said above, no matter how well you anticipate, analyze or evaluate sooner or later you’re going to get hit. Maybe more than once. Robbie Burns the Scots poet once put it “the best laid plans of mice or men oft go awry.” Awry is never a good thing on a fishing trip.
The fog of battle, whether the adversary is a trout, pike, grayling, whitefish or walleye, often requires a mid-trip change of plans. Dirty water, heavy flows, insect hatches that don’t materialize, fish for reasons only known to them that aren’t biting, all can require a course correction. Time to change it up. Whether it’s a new drainage, water body, taking off the dry flies and re-rigging to bottom-bouncing nymphs under a strike indicator or maybe going back to the truck, eating a sandwich and waiting the fish out.
Change can also be a good thing.
If there was ever a sport whose basic instinct is built on uncertainty and chance, it’s angling. When you put a fishing rod in your hand – unlike a tennis racket or golf club - there’s no guarantee that you will succeed in your task.
And even if you don’t the gorgeous, blissful surroundings where fishing mostly takes place is still worth the tank of gas it took you to get there. But having your trout in a row, so to speak, before venturing out will clearly tilt the playing field in your favor. Whether it a short trip to your local fishing hole, Or a fly-in, once-in-a-lifetime adventure to a wilderness lodge or exotic overseas destination.
Even if you get hit by Mike Tyson.
