It's Good to Be Shallow

There's two things that make a good angler: knowledge and physical skill. The first is fundamental: it gives a fisherman the wherewithal to locate big fish and to know which baits to use in a given situation. And when I say physical skill, I mean the ability to detect bites, set the hook, and land fish. On a lake like Simcoe, unless you have a bigger boat, it doesn't matter how many spots you think might hold fish if you don't have the means to get there - for instance, if you're in a canoe. But there's no reason to pout. Catching smaller bass is still a good way to hone your physical skills.

I only went out for a few hours this weekend on Saturday afternoon. Here's my story:

It’s sunny and hot, and I’ve put away the baitcasters in favour of some lighter spinning gear – 10 lb. braid with a fluorocarbon leader, at the end of which I tie on a white jig-head. I have pearl white and pumpkin grubs in front of me, and I decide the use the former. The northern crayfish I've seen swimming around the bay are a mixture of brown, white and blue. I try to at least somewhat match the forage.

I'm working rocks instead of weeds. Starting in deeper water, around 20 feet or so, I gradually move shallower. I work the shoreline a bit, and then move near a floating dock in 4-5 feet of water. I pitch my grub, and watch the line intently. Wham! I set the hook, and have a fish on my line. It's a little guy, but a perfect hook-set, right through the top of the mouth.

Daytime fishing on the canoe #Simcoe http://t.co/N447z7G436
— Greg Cholkan (@gregcholkan) July 12, 2014

The wind picks up, so I move to a bay, sticking to rocks in shallow water. Only a few feet from shore, and in what I'm sure is only about a foot of water, I see an area shaded by a tree. I cast there, bounce the jig a couple of times, and once again jerk my rod. This isn't a giant by any stretch of the imagination, but it's bigger than the first one - and, importantly, another good hook-set.

A little bigger. Pearl white grub on a jig head, sitting really shallow under shade of a tree #smallmouth http://t.co/uPd69bNVgd
— Greg Cholkan (@gregcholkan) July 12, 2014

Two important lessons can be gleaned from this weekend: first, it never hurts to get out there and practise the physical skill aspect of the sport - perfect your hook-sets, and when you're finding bigger ones you won't make as many mistakes when it really counts; second, don't steadfastly believe that fish are deep in the middle of a hot, sunny day. Sometimes they are, but other times they're close to shore, holding close to some kind of cover or structure.

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