Last week, we posted 'Tips on Drift Fishing' - a technique which requires quite a fair bit of experience to master. Today we shall share with you tips on another common boat fishing method - anchored fishing. As literal as it sounds, anchored fishing simply means fishing on an anchored boat, it is easier to master this technique however there are some tips which can differentiate your catch from other anglers.
1) Search for the Sweet Spot
You may wonder how to search for spots when you are stuck on an anchored boat? There are actually a couple of ways to do it.
- You can cast your bait out, let it sinks to the bottom and slowly 'bounce' your bait back towards the boat. 'Bounce' the bait is a process of lifting the bait up with your rod, retrieve a few meters of line and let the bait sink down to the new spot again. You will be able to cover grounds around the perimeter of the boat within your casting radius.
- Drift the bait is another effective way of searching for fish schools. Drop your line vertically down from the boat until the sinker reaches the seabed. Wait for a couple of minutes and if there is no bite, release more line from the reel and let the bait drift further from the boat. Wait for a couple of minutes for bite to register, if not, repeat the process again. When the line gets too far out, reel in all the line to check if your bait is still there and drop it vertically down again. This can only work when the current is strong enough to sweep your bait away when you release more line.
When you are using either one of the two methods above, at any point of time if there is a bite, take note of the direction that you had cast to or how much line you had let out earlier. This will give you a rough indication of the location of where the fish is feeding, so that you can repeat the same procedures to present your bait to that spot again.
2) Use the Right Rig
There are two common rigs that are used in boat fishing. The Paternostal Rig taught in Beginner Angler's Course and the Bottom Rig taught in Novice Angler's Course. As a general guideline, when the current is weak, use paternostal rig, and when it is strong, use bottom rig. Fish tends to stay closer to the seabed when the current is strong, hence the bottom rig will present the bait at a more effective level for fish to notice. Vice versa for paternostal rig when the current is weak.
An added advantage for bottom rig over the paternostal is that the terminal tackle is far away from the bait. The sensitive and wary big bottom feeders will less likely to be spooked off by this presentation.
3) Whatever you do, Don't do Nothing
Other than having a cold beer in one hand, a rod in the other and chatting with your fellow angler friends, there are several things for you to do on the boat to improve your catch rate. You can try various types of sabiki rigs to target bait fish, or try to catch a squid using squid lure. Bait that are caught at the spot you are fishing at is always the best bait, because they are exactly the reason why those predatory fish choose to hang around there.
Hence it is advisable to bring one heavier rod for targeting big fish and another lighter setup for catching bait while waiting for the big fish.
Other than catching bait, you can also try jigging or luring with the lighter setup. We have experienced ample times that jigs and lures out fish bait. So keep trying different fishing techniques and see which one works best at that moment.
4) Be a Positive Angler
Last but not least, always stay positive. Do not keep complaining about why the fish are not biting, why the sun is so hot, why the angler sitting beside you is not a sexy bikini babe.
Anglers who can accept their situation as it is, and persevere will definitely be rewarded... always. When life gives you a hot sun, be grateful, at least it is not raining.