For many fishermen, the frosty tang of fall signals the end of another fishing season. Not so if you have an urge for trophy bronzebacks. Fall is perhaps the best season of all to take big, four to six pound fish…if you know how to go about it.

The key to fall smallie action is to think deep. Remember, this fish can be as deep as 40, 50, or even 60 feet down. Start by singling out the structures that held smallmouth during the summer and are adjacent to deep water. Read More of the Story…

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As far back as the oldest old timer can remember, anglers have been looking for the miracle lure that catches fish “beyond belief,” or a virgin lake filled with naive fish. To these people may I say, “Don’t hold your breath.”

Now I will be the first to say that all good fishing is not gone. However, rarely will you have great fishing without plenty of effort and good old fishing savvy, the latter being the most important. Understanding game fish, their habits and biology in general will help you catch more fish than any fishing rod made from the latest space age material or fifty tackle boxes filled with the latest lures.

A number of years ago, a few friends and I decided we were going to go to Lake Superior and take in a little steelhead fishing. None of us had ever fished these overgrown rainbow trout before, but we were willing to learn. I decided the first thing to do was to read up on Great Lakes steelhead fishing. At that time there was very little information available and I ended up ordering a book from Michigan. It was the best thing I ever did.

Several months later, I was in the Brule River along with several other runny-nosed, shivering anglers methodically drifting spawn bags through deep holes. The fishing was as cold as the air; not a single fish moved.

I decided to leave the crowd and do a little exploring upstream. Perhaps there were some undisturbed fish that just might hit. After a few hundred yards the river got shallower-looking more like the rivers referred to in the book I’d read.

“Ah! This looks good.” I said to myself as I slid down the bank.

Slowly, like it was my last chance on earth, I cast toward a spot where fast water dropped into a deep hole. I could feel the imitation spawn sack skip along the bottom. Then it stopped. My first reaction was frustration. Stuck on the bottom again and it was one of my last baits, but just then I remembered a phrase from the book I’d read “…always set the hook when your bait stops. It may be a rock, or it may be a trophy steelhead.”

“What the heck!” I lifted my rod and held tight. For a moment there was a dead weight.  Then it began to move upstream. There attached to my line was the prettiest fish I had ever seen. Through the clear water I could make out it’s olive green back and vivid pink sides. At first the rainbow seemed oblivious to the hook embedded in it’s jaw, but the realization soon set in. With a flip of it’s broad tail, it was into the fast current, with me stumbling after. Three sets of rapids, a borrowed net, and several close calls later, the big fish slid into the net.

Even though I’ve caught several steelhead since, this is still the most memorable fish of all. Why? Because even though I was as green as they come, I was able to take a trophy fish when everyone else caught nothing but colds. I had caught this fish on book learning and the experience of those before me.

Today there is an array of educational fishing material beyond belief; books are written about every specie of sportfish there is, televison shows feature fishing experts imparting their sage wisdom and sportshows tout big name fishing professionals giving instructional seminars. Not to mention the internet, where it all is.

Before you think you already know so much that the experience of others won’t help, think again. I’ve met many of the best anglers in the country and they still study extensively.

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One of the stickiest questions faced by anglers is how to set the hook on a fish. Now I realize no two fish hits are exactly the same, nor do two different species of fish strike in the same fashion. Regardless, there are little things you can to increase your chances of hooking more fish.

Like most young boys, I loved to catch fish, and I still do. In fact, I enjoyed reeling in fish so much I used to occasionally land a fish, give it a chance to rest, rehook it and land it again! While that may seem a little extreme, it was, but I learned something from it. Most fish have incredibly hard mouths. It was difficult enough to push the hook into the fish’s jaw with my hand let alone doing it with a flexible rod and several feet of stretchy line!

Let’s take the northern pike and muskie for examples. These big brutes are perhaps the most difficult to hook because their mouths are made up of hard boney parts with patches of tender flesh and skin between the bones. This means the hook either hits hard bone or easy to tear flesh. No wonder so many big northern pikes and muskies are the “ones that get away.”

Without a doubt, the best way to handle these big fish is with a good stiff rod. It takes real power to drive the hooks home. Many times I’ve hooked a big northern pike while fishing bass with a light rod and I’ll set the hook as hard as the rod can stand without breaking, but generally not one hook will sink home. The proper gear is a major thing to consider.

Secondly, it is important to always keep a tight line on the fish. Many times, when a big northern pike or muskie chomps down on your lure (primarily speaking of wood baits) their teeth will sink right into the lure and there is no way you can slide the lure through their jaws to set the hook. The hooks usually find a hold during the fight sometime when the fish relaxes its jaws enough for the lure to slide. If you don’t keep a tight line, you may miss the only instant you’ll have to set the hook.

Finally, one of the most important things you can do is something I’ll bet many folks have never done. That is to sharpen your hooks.  More big fish owe their lives to dull hooks than to any other reason.

A simple test for sharpness is to drag the point of the hook across your thumbnail. A sharp hook will scribe a fine white line across the nail, while a dull hook will just slide.

To sharpen your hooks, use a jeweler’s file or small sharpening stone. Make the strokes toward the point of the hook, being careful you don’t exert too much pressure and bend the point. Then just use the previously mentioned test to see if the hook is ready.

If you take all the precautions and get prepared for the time when that one big monster finally hits, chances are it’ll be yours, rather than just another “one that got away.”

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