Week of 02-25-01 through 03-03-01– Another month has passed as we ease toward spring and summer. The water temps have begun to rise a bit, and the fish are getting friskier with the longer days. I think the fishermen are feeling friskier also because we are seeing more cars and trailers at the landings now than even a few weeks ago. If the weather favors us and stays warm, the water should get up over 60 and stabilize soon. When it does, the fishing will get much better since the fish won’t be constantly confused as to whether it’s spring or not. Once the water gets back around 65, we should start seeing the small male trout here in good numbers. They usually appear around mid March.
We ran two trips early this week. There was a bit of wind, but at least it wasn’t as cold as it has been being. The fish are still bunched up pretty tight but they are getting more aggressive and willing to chase a bait. We caught several on weedless spoons and the fish really attacked the bait just like they do in the warmer months. I take that as a good sign! The other bait that has been doing well are the crank baits. We’ve caught some really good fish with them on recent trips. Just remember that it’s real easy to pull one too fast, but it’s hard to pull one too slow for a red. This time of year you have to be willing to change baits and techniques often in order to find what the fish really want. What you want to use has nothing to do with catching fish. Always try to find what they want and give it to them!
I have always said that perseverance catches more fish than anything else. We, and I’m sure a lot of other guides, occasionally have clients that come here with the expectation of having a trip like the ones they read about in the fly fishing magazines. But, if their “dream trip” turns into something else, they are disappointed and go back to golf or some other sport where they feel they have more control over the outcome. That is where you separate the “fishermen” from the guys that just like to go fishing. To be a real fisherman, you have to have some inner strength or mental toughness that allows you to view a poor trip as simply a lost battle, but not a lost war. You simply step back, review the day, try to figure what went wrong, or what didn’t go right, and make plans for the next attempt. As with any game or sport, if you take winning seriously, the more you play the game, the better you will get. When you learn from a defeat, you still have won! And, always remember that success will occur when opportunity meets preparation.
Nature provides the opportunity and you must be prepared to take dvantage of it. And, as Calvin Coolidge once said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.”
Our total for the week was 13 reds with 6 of them over 7# each and two over 10#. The others were mostly around the 3 to 5 pound size.
Thanks,
Gene Dickson
Delta Guide Service
www.deltaguideservice.com
