Fish fish, not memories

It’s an easy trap to fall into: fishing the same body of water, same time of year, same location, same tactic, year in and year out. Admittedly, the draw of familiarity is a strong one. I could tell you exactly where I will crappie fish on Memorial Day this spring, or what nights around the June full moon I will troll post-spawn walleyes. However, the one constant in fishing is change.

To be successful year in and year out, you must not fall into the trap of only fishing memories — flexibility is key. Adding new techniques to your arsenal each year will pay dividends when conditions and fish locations change at the drop of the hat — a pretty common occurrence anglers face day to day and often hour to hour.

Three techniques have changed the way I approach covering new water and contacting active fish when memories fail me and leave the livewell empty. Over the course of the next three weeks I will detail each of these approaches.

I paid my way through college staring at slip bobbers. Before side-scan technology, the best way to tell if there was fish on a reef or point or flat was to drift a slip bobber across it, a stealth technique that requires time and patience. The presentation puts a lot of quality fish in the boat, if they are there. If they are off a piece of structure, slip bobbering becomes less exciting as the minutes tick by, especially if you’re guiding.

With today’s electronics, powercorking has become a quicker and more aggressive way to suspend live bait in a fish’s strike zone. I will cruise a piece of structure with my eyes glued on my Lowrance graph. My left hand runs my Honda 90 tiller, and my right hand grasps my slip bobber rod.

My powercorking setup is specific to the technique. Traditional slip bobber gear including light hooks, sinkers, and line are replaced with heavier components. I run braided line to a barrel swivel. Above the swivel, I thread a 3/8-ounce egg sinker, slip bobber, bead, and slip bobber knot set to my desired depth. Below the swivel, I run an 8-pound fluorocarbon leader, three feet in length. Finally, I tie a 1/4-ounce long shank jig. The jig is tipped with a jumbo leech, minnow or nightcrawler.

The weight of the system allows the jig to be in my boat one moment and in front of the fish the next. The powercorking occurs the split second I mark a fish. The Honda is popped into neutral and simultaneously I fire off a short cast directly behind the boat. As momentum drifts me away from the bobber, it descends right where I want it, directly on top of the fish I just marked.

Oftentimes the bobber shoots under the same moment the slip bobber knot reaches the top of the bobber. If nothing happens in a minute, up it comes, and off I go looking for the next fish to drop on. Some days, powercorking is magical. The real key is that you are fishing individual fish versus fishing empty locations, or memories of glory days of the past.

Next week I will discuss the equipment and process of trolling with lead core line. I rarely hit the water without my lead core rods. Whereas powercorking allows sniper-like accuracy in targeting individual fish, leadcore allows me to similarly present my bait to multiple fish at any given depth.

Bret Baker is a lifetime resident of Cloquet. He is a proud husband, father, educator and outdoorsman. Bret began guiding fishing trips when he was 16 years old. Today, in his 40s, his passion is to introduce people to the tremendous outdoor adventures available in our region.