Articles I Like

After you've read 30 years worth of magazine articles, everything from Field & Stream to Bassmasters, In-Fisherman, Fishing Facts and countless others, you start to develop some preferences in fishing articles. Lots of stuff is the same old rehashed material. Some is just flat boring. Lots of others that are just 'OK' or perhaps even 'interesting'. Everybody has a style of writing or a specific bit of info that makes an article particularly salient to them. In my case, I really like profile articles that give lots of specifics, like exact rod and reel model numbers, specific line makes and sizes, baits and weights, what percentage of time an angler spends doing specific things, etc. - Detail and numbers!

I just came across such an article this weekend on Shinichi Fukae and thought I'd share the link. Perhaps you'll enjoy the article as much as I did.

Meet Shinichi Fukae Wizard of Finesse

Comments

[RS]

You're right. Good article. One thing I would like to know, though. Just how does one follow the contour of the bottom with a small jig, as illustrated, staying 1-2 ft above the bottom w/o ever touching the bottom? That would be a special skill for sure.

[Big Indiana Bass]

To quote David Fritts in a seminar he gave here in Indy at the BS&T Show while talking up on the front deck of the half Ranger at the hawg trough...

"That's why I'm up here and you're down there."

:)

[richard ziert]

Good stuff.

Knowing the layout/general parameters of bottom contours, (regardless of what "they say"), making contact with the bottom is essential. Watching your depth finder, making contact at least once on the initial drop but also at intervals to make sure you know where your bait is in relationship to the bottom. Measure the distance to the bottom, know how many feet of line comes back when you turn your reel handle, raising and lowering your rod tip when needed, and lowering your rod tip on purpose every now and then for confirmation. No secret involved, just concentration. The article proves concentration works. Folks say they fish for fun first. That’s great. But don't think you'll ever be in a class with the top pros unless you "think differently".

[RS]

“Fukae’s Unique Retrieve - The essence of his retrieve is keeping the jigworm from touching bottom. If it touches, Fukae rues the mistake. Throughout the retrieve, he tries to slowly swim it a foot or two above bottom. At times, he prefers it to be as much as 3 feet off bottom, depending on the depth he’s fishing and the position of the bass.”

I like to think that I concentrate while fishing. But in a conversation I once had with Kevin Wirth, I realized my level of concentration is nothing in comparison. There is definitely a reason they are up there and I am down here. I agree, top pros do “think differently”. Not many can be the Tiger Woods, Micheal Jordan or KVD of bass fishing.

[Paul Roberts]

The specific tackle details are more important with something technical. I tend to gloss over the details of such stuff in most articles, except to note things that might illuminate depth. speed, or action. Otherwise it reads like a mindless sponsorship plug.

[Paul Roberts]

It always struck me...that the fish want to eat. We want to feed 'em. So...where's the hitch? Control. Take up fly-fishing (or to a lesser extreme extent -jig fishing), and it'll change the way you view what’s right and what’s wrong in a presentation and how you get there.

As a nymph fisherman (essentially jig fishing with fly tackle), I rate my effectiveness on the water by keeping track of the number of “good” presentations I manage to pull off. In a good spot I can predict which casts (as they unfold) will yield fish and which will not. A novice, without the control, understanding of it, or even sense that’s its required and how precise it can be, will be mindlessly casting until they realize they aren’t getting bit! Then the frustration rolls in. With my experience (and I’m really not on an ego trip here), I at least know when and what to be frustrated with! I get the opportunity to be frustrated on every cast lol! I also know where the blame lies, and it’s not always with me! Water is a difficult medium to send a tethered object down into, and have control of. The problems are magnified in moving water, and the deeper we go. Then there’s the weather, and the fish…

My point is –the bottom line –control of presentation is first. Without it, the rest is a lot of mush –or more luck than is good for us if we want some semblance of relatively consistent success. Control is what Buck Perry and his spoonplugging was all about. Without it, he’d have been just another sometimes lucky, oft-times frustrated, angler.

Depth and speed control are first, then action, then .... can't think of much else. Oh yes, size matters. Color -more rarely, but more in terms of overall visibility then anything else, in my experience.

In jig fishing, depth control is about knowing what a given jig (weight and design) / line (diameter and material) combination will do, coupled with retrieve speed. It takes time to develop that. It'll take forever with a chuck-n-wind approach.

It's easiest to learn I think with a swimming retrieve. Adding hops, drops, rips, etc... adds more complexity to the basic controls. At least that's the way I did it. I still swim my jigs a lot of the time –rock solid; if something changed, it wasn’t me. That’s the start.

[richard ziert]

You are on the ball, Paul.

[Paul Roberts]

Thanks, Richard. It takes one to know one. :)

[Big Indiana Bass]

>>The specific tackle details are more important with something technical. I tend to gloss over the details of such stuff in most articles, except to note things that might illuminate depth. speed, or action. Otherwise it reads like a mindless sponsorship plug.<<

In most articles I do too because most just talk generally. Plus, some techniques are much more "forgiving" than others. If all they give is a med-hvy 7' such-and-such rod with a Team This reel, I agree, sponsor plug and largely worthless. But to me, with a very specific techinque being described, along with exact model numbers for each along with line specs, I can get a much better idea of the system involved in the delivery and presentation.

There are no universal standards for rod actions or powers among manufacturers. There are large differences in spool widths and retrieve speeds among most reels. Line has an incredibly wide variance of diameter among manufacturers for a stated pound test rating, not to mention the differences in handling characteristics between manufacturers and even specific types of line. Give me the specific names and model numbers for all these components, and I now have a standard for basis of comparison or replication should I want to try and learn said technique. If my setup doesn't seem right, or I'm having problems with hooksetting or line coiling or some other aspect, I now have a defined model I can compare to to figure out where my setup is failing me. I could just use whatever I have that seems to generically fit the situation, but why not try and best match my system and equipment to some pro who has spent countless more hours than I ever will defining and refining optimal technique setup? His livelihood depends on it - I just want to catch more fish :)

[Paul Roberts]

Great thread.

Brian, you always manage to bring in really great material to jump off from.