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Drawing the Line
Have you ever made a cast and had a fish swirl on the bait as soon as it hit the water? Have you ever seen this happen on a windy day, but not been able to set the hook because of all the line that the cross wind pulled off your spool? Have you ever felt a fish spit the bait, but swore that you never felt him inhale it? Have you ever cast across stream to a nice looking eddy, but had the current pull it away from the spot before your jig could touch the bottom? Anglers who analyze their casting angles before they make the cast can dramatically improve their catch rates by keeping the bait in the strike zone longer, feel more of the subtle bites, and avoid objects that a hooked fish can wrap the line around.
The first goal should be to maintain proper line tension. With rapid retrieve lures like spinnerbaits or crankbaits, this is not a problem. With finesse type lures like senkos and tubes, it requires more concentration and thought. Wind and water current can cause a belly in your line. The more of a belly you have in your line, the less likely you are to feel the subtle bite that is common with finesse lures.
Casting across the wind if the wind is even moderate can hinder your strike detection. Feel which direction the wind is coming from, then draw a line down wind of your target area. Position your boat on this down wind line that you drew, and cast to the target. This also works casting into the wind. Although you may not be able to cast as far into the wind, you will have less of a belly in your line if you cast along the same line of the wind direction.
The same concept applies to water current. If your bait is being swept through an area too quickly, position yourself directly up current or directly down current. Sometimes the wind direction and current direction are perpendicular or the wind direction changes constantly. In this situation, consider using heavier weights on bottom bouncing baits, or try a fast retrieve lure.
Maintaining proper tension is also important for the welfare of the fish. Anglers who make the cast, let the line lay coiled across the surface of the water, fuss with their gear, then eventually draw the line taught, will kill fish. In the time it takes you to close the lid on your tackle box, a hungry bass can inhale a tube, and swallow it, most likely resulting in a gut hooked fish that will die. The solution is to not make the cast until you are ready to fully concentrate on the presentation. If you still have to close the lid on your tackle box, please do it before you cast.
Feeling the bite is important. Getting the fish to bite is the first step. By using the right casting angle, you can increase the number of bites you get. If pattern development tells you that the fish are in the shade of submerged logs, you should cast so that during most of the retrieve, the lure is in the log’s shade. If you cast perpendicular to the log, your lure is in the shade of the log for only a small portion of the retrieve. When the bite is tough, try positioning yourself downstream or upstream of the log so that your cast goes into the water at one end of the log and travels the length of the log.
The same concept works for other linear feeding areas. If most of your bites have been on the eddy line, let your casting angle be the same line as the eddy line. Ledge shade lines are also great angles to line your cast up on. It may take more work positioning your boat, but the increased number of bites is well worth the effort.
The next step is setting the hook and fighting the fish. When you decide on the best casting angle, consider what barriers to bringing in the fish are on that line. If you are casting over the log to a shady area on the bank, consider positioning yourself so that your casting angle doesn’t leave you with a hooked fish that has wrapped your line around the log. Sometimes you need to cast across barriers, but if a barrier free angle is available, you should work to position your boat for that angle.
Most experienced successful anglers take relatively few casts, but are constantly analyzing target locations and casting angles. Slow down, look for the best casting angle, and draw your line taught.
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