with Captains Dale Gilbert & Jim Muzynoski
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By DALE GILBERT
Montana walleye pro
Part 2: Pre-Trip Planning
For most of us with a limited amount of time to go fishing, some pre-trip planning is essential. Whether you are taking a family vacation, or fishing a tournament in all cases it can help a bunch to find out as much as you can before you ever leave home. This can make the difference between a great trip and/or a waste of your time and money.
For those willing to do some homework, a lot of information can be obtained about any given system for any given time you plan to go. In fact if you are simply taking a family vacation and want to catch some fish to eat, it may help you to decide on where to actually go or what time of the year is best.
For me, I generally start planning a fishing trip to new waters months before I actually go. I will look for articles in magazines, past tournament reports or videos, maybe make some telephone calls to resorts or bait shops in the area to find out as much as I can about the system, normal seasonal migrations, primary forage, etc. I will also look to find the best maps of the area I can. In some cases, maps like the Fishing Hot Spot maps, which provide tips on suggested locations and presentations as well as the lake contours give a person a good place to start. When I can, I would get the maps before making personal contacts so that when visiting about the area I can make notes on the map.
With a good map, you can look for areas that are in the general area you plan to fish that would merit checking out once you get on the water. I would look for the main structure such as major points, sunken islands, creek arms, bays, and/or weeds. I try to find the areas that have the most features that I think a walleye would want. Again keeping in mind the 4 basic elements – food, safety, comfort, and reproduction. I would look for areas with food shelves with deeper water or cover nearby. If through your contacts you hear walleyes are relating to a certain type of structure or cover, then look for similar locations on your maps. I particularly like to look for what I would call a “sleeper”, which would be a secondary point or structure close to some major structure or community hole that may not receive the same pressure as the main structure and produce some good fish.
For some folks, contacting and hiring a local guide for a day can be well worth the expense. At the very least they can acquaint you with the area and presentations that are generally proven. (Recognize that some tournaments do not allow paying for information within certain timeframes before a tournament)
Fishing Hot Spot Maps over 500 maps
www.fishinghotspots.com 1-800-All-Maps
LakeMaster
www.lakemap.com
Navionics HotMaps
www.navionics.com/HMPaperCatalog.asp
In many cases local bait shops will have information on the best maps available for the system you are planning to fish.
Once you arrive at the area you plan to fish, try to talk to other fishermen coming off the water at the boat ramp or fish cleaning station and see what success they had. Ask some pertinent questions to narrow down your search as much as you can. Often times you can eliminate areas or presentations by learning that there wasn’t much happening from someone who has been out or on the other hand if they did well, they may be willing in most cases to give you some general information about area, depth, type of bait, type of presentation, etc. which they had success.
Questions and Answers
- Why does it pay to do your homework? Generally, you can save a lot of time and money by doing some homework and having some ideas of where to start once you get on the water.
- What types of contacts can you make to find out where and when to go? Contact the local bait shops or sporting good stores in the area. You can also contact resorts or guides in the area since they can also be a good source of information.
- Where is the best place to find the best maps of an area you plan to fish? There are several sources of maps available including Fishing Hot Spots Maps, Fishing Buddy Maps, LakeMaster Maps, etc., but the best place to start is to ask the local bait shops for where to find the best maps.
- What would you consider pertinent questions to ask someone at a fish cleaning station? How did you do? What area were you fishing? How deep? What type of presentation were you using – jigs, spinners, cranks, or rigging? What type of bait were you using? Did you notice any color preference?
- What is a “sleeper”? A “sleeper” to me, is a piece of structure that is not the main structure but a secondary point or cup or smaller hump or area that is often times overlooked by most fisherman. It is in the area of a community hotspot or hole, but a little off the beaten track.
- What is the benefit of hiring a local guide? A guide can bring you up to date with what is going on in an area quicker than most other information sources. Obviously, they are in business to make a living so the information isn’t always free. They are generally in tune with the current conditions and bite and will generally provide some information. Hiring a good guide for a day can be very well worth the money.
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Walleye University located at: Dave Truett Sportfishing Promotions, Inc. 1702 Pine Creek Rd. Valparaiso, IN 46383 |
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