Adam Clancey enjoys many forms of fishing, but finds success often hinges on one aspect common to nearly all of them…
I like using a wide range of techniques, from spinning and popper fishing to soft-baiting and fly fishing, but in all cases the retrieve plays a critical role: get the retrieve right, and you will hook more fish.
However, good anglers will agree that there is no one type of retrieve that fits all forms of fishing; consistent success comes to those who have mastered the retrieval technique for their particular style of fishing.
Let’s take one very classic scenario as an example. River-mouth salmon anglers line up shoulder to shoulder when the salmon are running. It is the angler who understands the water and regularly gets his lure into the strike zone – and keeps it there – who gets the salmon strikes. Meantime, the other anglers will catch nothing or perhaps a succession of kahawai, perhaps due to a retrieve that’s too slow or too fast.
So the first thing to consider when using any cast-and-retrieve fishing technique is the speed of your retrieve – and not only when fishing with a lure, as some bait-fishing scenarios can benefit in this regard, too. Again, each situation is different, so you will need to consider the situation to come up with the right retrieve.
To set up a good retrieve, you must first make a good cast. For my money a spinning reel is best suited to cast-and-retrieve styles of fishing. They’re easy to use and can cast long distances, even into some headwind. If dealing with really big fish though, make sure you’re using a high-end spinning reel designed to take the kind of punishment strong braid and hard-set drags can dish out.
A good cast is one that positions your bait or lure so it crosses the path of any fish in the nearby vicinity. Casting right on top of fish will either spook them or minimise time in the strike zone. A good way to learn this is by chasing fish that are feeding hard on the surface. First, you need to be prepared to cast at a moment’s notice, putting the cast ahead of the feeding fish. Once the cast lands, start the retrieve.
Fish feeding on the surface usually respond well to a fast-moving lure or bait fished near or on the surface. So, smartly engaging the reel and getting the lure zipping back through the water as soon as possible will often invoke savage strikes. However, the speed of retrieve should still be tailored so the lure or bait action looks attractive. If one retrieve doesn’t work, it pays to experiment until you come up with one that encourages a strike.
The angle of your rod will also have a great effect on the bait/lure’s presentation during the retrieve. Hold the tip high to encourage your lure to break the surface and skip, or at water level to help keep your offering below the surface. Both retrieves can be very effective, depending on how the fish are feeding and what they are feeding on.
When prospecting around fishy areas such as reefs, headlands or other structure, you may need to change the retrieve style, lures and baits dramatically, especially if there are no obvious signs of fish feeding or you’re targeting species that do not surface feed.
Species such as snapper, trevally and kingfish often hunt the washes around reefs and islands. Casting into the wash zone and controlling the depth of your bait or lure as you wind it away from the wash requires some thought, as the water may be only a few metres deep to start with, dropping away quickly to 20-metres plus, but with the predators perhaps hanging in the foamy, oxygenated water around four to six metres deep. To be successful, ensure you are working that zone.
The strategy in this situation often involves the lure or bait being allowed to sink, with retrieves being mostly slow and erratic.
It is amazing how many strikes occur when a twitch-and-hang retrieve is used, even if the predator is not hungry. This involves a short, erratic burst of winding and then a stop, so the lure either sinks or starts floating towards the surface, making it appear as if it is in trouble.
For all types of fishing requiring a retrieve, the weight of your offering is a critical part of the puzzle. Sometimes you will need a more heavily weighted rig for the necessary distance to be achieved or so it gets down to the strike zone, but you will then need a faster retrieve to keep it off the bottom. In other situations, choosing the right weight of lure or bait so it ‘hangs’ for longer in the strike zone as it’s retrieved can be critical. Lures such as bibbed minnows and soft-baits are particularly good for this style of fishing, as is a fly presented on the right sink-rate fly line.
Your choice of outfit and lure will be affected by many natural forces – with wind and current being the most obvious – so allow for them when making your retrieve. For example, too much belly in your line may see you missing bites or being unable to set the hook, so look to maintain the most direct contact possible throughout the retrieve.
Line choice can make a big difference. Try to use a line with minimal stretch and wind resistance – it may also pay to have a line that sinks so the wind can’t put a belly in it. Braid is obviously a good candidate, but premium monos can be better for fishing with bait, where a bit of stretch can actually be a good thing.
As you have just read, the way you retrieve plays a big part in modern sport fishing techniques – so learn a variety of retrieves and you will get more bites.
This article is reproduced with permission of |
Fish galore! Coming off the back of Easter Weekend and with some very nice weather... Read More >
Excellent snapper action There is some excellent autumn snapper fishing straight out and up the... Read More >
Whangarei Harbour fishing well Like the weather, the fishing has been patchy throughout Bream Bay... Read More >
Party time! Inshore fishing and offshore fishing are on now. It’s that perfect time of... Read More >
Comments