The Lazy Thumb.......and other fishing stories

[Kent]

Awesome stuff Kent!

..Pleasure...

[Lofty]

what's happening mr Kent...?When can we expect the next instalment..?

[Kent]

what's happening mr Kent...?When can we expect the next instalment..?

..Lofty , have got two more to post , will do so this evening ...been busy at work with the start of the new year...BUT yes ...will be posting the next bit of the journey shortly.....

[CRANKMAN]

what's happening mr Kent...?When can we expect the next instalment..?

..Lofty , have got two more to post , will do so this evening ...been busy at work with the start of the new year...BUT yes ...will be posting the next bit of the journey shortly.....

[colin]

 

[Kent]

  Part  9 and the journey continues..... 
 
As  we continue along this path of enlightenment , we strive to find that  ONE THING that will tell us ...NOW is the time to go gooi those  spoons for kobbies!!

 
Well  , let me share with you , there is NO one thing BUT we all still look  for that one THING that will , some how , put us onto the fish of a  life time OR where we , in a session , klap the fish , so to speak  …..Well Folks that ONE thing , and IF , you could call it that ONE  thing , is not really a ONE thing ...Its all about TIMING...and  timing it right when ALL the indicators/conditions are aligned and  THIS THEN tells you ...JUST GO FISH!!!!

 
I  remember a time awhile back , and Ive mentioned this before , when I  was starting out on this quest , that I threw my spoons at EVERY  opportunity and free moment I got!!...Come hail , rain or  shine...east , west , south OR north winds and anything  inbetween!!!...Big seas ...grubby seas and icy seas....I threw my  arms off!!!

 
Now  most of us , have a working life and have to do our bit for the  economy and most of us then only really get to fish on weekends and  then there are some of us who live inland and ONLY get to the sea  perhaps once a year!!!...Soo , I soon realised that for this journey  of mine , hunting kobbies on spoon specifically and only , would  require some form of record keeping and finding out WHAT , for my  areas and spots , would make the kob come in and feed …

 
Once  this data I started collecting started showing a trend , I then could  TIME my sessions where most , if not all the most favourable  conditions lined up nicely...Once this was on , then it would mean  getting the timing right at the right spot at the right tide , this  then made for more record keeping of spots/areas and what type of  tides they were good on. Of course in the beginning I found myself  consumed by all the data I was accumulating... I even went off and  visited the local kob farm here to find out what temp their kob like  to eat and what temp they like to spawn etc etc....and one thing that  seemed to intrigue me was that the kob seemed “happier” in clean  water than grubby water and seemed to feed more readly in clean  water....

 
NOW  of course this got me thinking and this then become one of my FIRST  general conditions I looked out for when on a session.....Then I also  got info that they like a rising baro and when it tops out at around  the 1021hpk mark they tend to be pretty hungry and active and  responsive to lures etc etc...this then became my number TWO general  condition.....

 
While  I was at the farm I also asked about water temp and then also found  out the kob were VERY sluggish in water from 14 to 18...BUT fro 19 to  21 were extremely mobile and avtive....Here then was number THREE  general condition , and believe me , over the years Ive found the  water temp to be a VERY crucial “timing” thingy.....

 
These  then were my THREE general conditions/indicators I look for when  planning and timing a session.....IF I have these three … I JUST GO  FISH!!!!...

 
Then  there are two more , BUT they are really my personal prefrence as to  certain spots I throw at , an outgoing tide and I ALWAYS get excited  when I see Jonnies diving at my spot when I arrive for a session...

 
Lets  assume these indicators are spot on for when you want to go , now is  the crucial thing to TIME the tide and the time of the day , Its  always been of the firm belief that most fish , and more so with kob  is that they feed best at pre dawn and last light … For myself , I  prefer pre dawn as I like fishing from dark into light as opposed to  from light into dark. This too , is not to say you wont get during  the day , but these times are the OPTIMUM times to throw spoon for  kobbies....

 
A  little side note here , and forgive me IF Ive mentioned it  before...IF you like throwing pre dawn , be as quiet as possible when  you arrive at your spot and also DO NOT use any form of artificial  lighting. VERY often in the pre dawn hour the kobbies sit right close  on the shore line and sound travels from land to water quite  easly...believe ...dont believe it...and as to the  light.....well....Ive proved it ...I NEVER fish with a light...ALWAYS  , as I arrive at my spot I never start throwing immediately , I stand  OR sit for at least 15 minutes and listen and watch. Get ones eyes  accustomed to the pre dawn darkness and also the sea will quickly  tell you what its doing OR not doing...Folks these things ALL count  up to having a productive session OR not and once you start  practising this modus operandi , it becomes second nature and before  you know it , you doing it automatically...

 
By  going about this way before a session , you are narrowing that timing  window to such an intense point that all it might take is ONE throw  and you land a PB kob!!!...Imagine....ONE throw and you back home  before the household is even THINKING of getting up!!!

 
Some  of you might be thinking...GEEZ...why all this mumbo jumbo...just  clip on a spoon and go gooi???...Jip...you can do that ...BUT..its so  much better when youve worked out a “code” for YOUR spots/area  and on that “code” you catch and when that code presents its self  again you catch again!!...To me ...NOW THATS fishing optimumly!!!

 
Then  of course , you might have your code and time it right and come away  with a blank , well , that could also mean that just maybe they were  not there at that time....Ive often got to my spot with ALL the  indicators lit up in green and NADDA...NOTHING!!!....Then I walk away  and come back in an hour and all hell breaks loose!!!...Maybe I did  not time it the first time BUT IF that water talks to you the second  time on the same session...DO NOT ignore that whisper!!!

 
Folks  I will say this again and again....10 minutes of watching...not  looking...but watching the sea , will tell you a multitude of  things....

 

 
Soooo...with  ALL this babbling of timing this and timing that , one should be 100%  succesfull every time???....hee hee...think again....BUT ...what it  does do , cuts down the luck factor and gives you a bit of “control”  as to your success rate . AND , of course it also gives you MORE  excuses when you blank!!!

 
Well  Folks thats all for this week and next time I want to spend some time  on weather patterns and conditions as to the journey with spoon for  kob...

 
KEEP  IT CLEAN
and
JUST  GO FISH!!!

[andrewpalang]

Fantastic stuff Kent! What an informative series you had going there! Big respect for taking the time and sharing your observations and experience with us!

[Kent]

Fantastic stuff Kent! What an informative series you had going there! Big respect for taking the time and sharing your observations and experience with us!

  Only a pleasure...

[WalkersKiller]

Yeah, great reading Kent!!!! 

[Kent]

Yeah, great reading Kent!!!! 

  Pleasure Gareth....

[Kent]

  Part  ten and the journey continues...... 
 
Every  fisherman out there worth his salt is an expert when it comes to the  “RIGHT” weather conditions , when to go and CATCH fish ...not  just to go fishing. So , you all think Im being sarcastic ??.. Well ,  no , in fact I am being dead serious!!! On the one side you will have  that fraternity who love fishing for sharks , skates etc etc and then  you have the fraternity that likes to fish for scaly fish and yet  still you will get that fraternity who fish exclusively in rivers and  estuarine systems.....

 
NOW...all  these fraternities have different weather thoeries and maybe the word  theory is the wrong word , cause to most their way is the only way  and let me tell you , they are NOT wrong!!!...Over the years Ive met  fisherman who poo poo the barometer , some poo poo tides , some  refute wind and some even say water colour is not important BUT  almost all will say the weather is critical!!!

 
How  severe does the weather affect fishing???...Well , in my experiences  over the years weather is THE factor that can turn a session into a  success or a blank AND If you do NOT take cognisance of the weather  and at least have a slight idea as to how it affects your areas and  how it affects the fish species in your areas .., well then I am  afraid , you will have to be one lucky fisherman , otherwise you will  be blanking a lot....

 
Lets  back up a second to the weekend of 5/6 March 2016 and I got it  horrible wrong as opposed to the weather and a trippie we did on our  local Jikeleza coast line...the two vicious looking coastal lows  lurking to our west was predicted by me to slip off into the deep  blue being pushed there by a rather serious high pressure hanging  over the coast lying areas....Well , that high did very little to  stay the pace of the two coastals and they came through on the  Saturday evening with a vengeance...Prior to this , 9 hours to be  exact the barometer dropped over 20 points ...NOW , a rapid falling  glass is almost never conducive to good fishing , especially in kobs  case , once that glass has hit its bottom of around 998hpk , its  gonna take at least another 8 hour period for that glass to rise  steadly and get those kob to come onto a feeding pattern again. Once  again I am NOT saying you wont catch in adverse conditions BUT you  will catch more readly in the “right” weather conditions...But  now herein lay your dilema...

 
Not  ALL fish will come into a feeding pattern on the same weather systems  BUT there is a certain mantra that a lot of fisherman generally  follow....”Go fish just before a low pressure(cold front) enters  your area ,,,Go fish just as a high pressure(warm front)  approaches...”

 
Now  , if you are an occasional fisherman and , say live not too close to  the coast , you can use this mantra with a certain amount of  success...BUT , should you be fortunate to live pretty close to the  sea , then you can start to watch the weather patterns/system a lot  more closely . One does not have to get too technical BUT watch wind  and what it does to the water , then get to know what system brings  that wind and if that certain wind brings you fish , you can then be  on point to be ready and GO FISH!!!.

 
Number  of fisherman get frustrated with lack of catching and eventually pack  it in and only had they just paid a bit of interest to only , say the  wind and tide water phases , their session would have been so much  more succesfull.

 
One  must remember Folks , fishing is a journey and the actual fish on the  end of your line is a blessing bonus!!!

 
Sooo...you  want a simple method OR system to keep to so as to “tell” you  when to go fish optimumly …..Pick your spot(s) and have no more  than three...Then decide what you want to catch , lets say you  hunting kob , cracker and piggies(steenbra)....Now you need to start  and take a day that “looks” good and note the wind and what the  sea looks like ….whne you catch...highlight the note you made in  your note book...and so you go on and very soon you will see a  trend...FISH the trend and it WILL be your friend!!!

 
To  throw a spanner in the works you will get the fisherman that refutes  ALL this and fishes for certain species at certain times of the  year...I know a ole man on our coast that fishes exactly like this  and water weather conditions are secondary...Lets refer to him as  Yoda...

 
Now  master Yoda knows his stuff and can tell you a helluva lot by just  watching the water for ten minutes BUT the water and what to look for  is for another part of this journey....

 
RIGHT>>>>>after  all this mumbo jumbo lets get back to kob on spoon and WHAT wheather  trends/patterns are we looking for here???....First of all get that  ginger beer water colour outta of your head .. The MOST succesful Ive  been with kob on spoon is as that barometer is rising on its way up  to 1021hpk and the west is still puffing slightly and the water is 19  and clear/clean....

 
Sooo...HOW  do we get to this scenario or what do we look for during the week  approaching the weekend when we can go fish???

 
What  you want is a low preassure lurking off our coast on a Thursday night  , then hit us on Friday and by Saturday AM the baro has turned and  its rising steadly with the west still puffing and then Sunday AM you  still have a slight west and changing to east late AM...

 
This  is a perfect system for getting these silver/copper beauties on  spoon!!!..BUT , we all know that we cannot actually ORDER the weather  and hence the reason I say during the week keep one wary eye on the  systems coming up the coast...and how you say we do this???...The  most effective way is to get to read a synoptic chart and see one  attached with this part of our journey. On the synoptic you will see  two fronts licking our coast and the high ridging in behind...The  chart is dated 8/3/2016...So, 9/10/March/2016 would be two good  fishing days , especially for kob on spoon in particular  ..

 
Now  one doesnt have to know how to read the synoptic BUT a simple phone  call to your local airport will give you the info you see here...

 

 
You  can ask them what system is coming along the coast and what is the  baro doing OR ask them for the flying weather systems for the next  three days...this will be the MOST accurate reporting you will get IF  you do not have a barometer . Its way more accurate way of knowing  whats coming than most IF not all the weather apps/sites on the  interweb!!!

 
There  is also the modus operandi that ...to heck with weather ...JUST GO  FISH!!!...Oh yes you can follow this method BUT wouldnt it be lekker  to “know” what the weather system will do and then be forewarned  is forearmed AND then you land your fish!!!

 
Please  remember Folks , watching weather systems and what they do to fishing  can differ as close as 50km away from each other...So what works for  this area might not work 50kms away...just a thought...

 
Also  when the systems approach and they look like they will be spot on for  when you can get a line in the water..THEN its all the so much  sweeter when you do get your fish!!!

 
On  my FB page Jikeleza Fishing 365 , I give a pre weekend report every  Friday AM before the weekends fishing and at times I get the wind a  bit late OR early , but this is due to HOW fast OR HOW slow systems  travel up the coast..BUT for the most part you have a 85% idea as  what to expect and then plan your attack accordingly!!!

 
One  thing is for sure , and this we know for FACT...That weather systems  affect how fish react and behave in our waters off our beautiful  coast line. Wind to a large extent also plays a huge part in the  temperature of our sea , and especially inshore where we get our  casted baits too.

 
Well  Folks this is all for this time and next time we will look at WHAT  water we need to look for when going for kob with spoons.

 
Keep  it clean  
and   
JUST  GO FISH!!!

 

 

 

[WalkersKiller]

Nice Kent!

[Zak-e-Boy]

Well done Kent, another interesting and informative article !!

[Kent]

Nice Kent!

..Its a pleasure

[Kent]

Well done Kent, another interesting and informative article !!

..Its a pleasure...

[andrewpalang]

Thanks Kent! VEry informative once again!

[Kent]

Thanks Kent! VEry informative once again!

..Pleasure Andrew...

[Kent]

  Good day Folks , thought I would share some of my stats with you , for those that like to crunch numbers....



2014---  I did 42 sessions....of the 42 I did 18 at my local spot 300m from my front door....2 NOT on the Jikeleza and the other 22 all along the Jikeleza..
I hooked and landed 23 kob...7 shad...2 poensies...The poensies I got at my local spot and 14 kob...the shad I got at a spot along the Jikeleza.....0f the 23 kob hooked and landed , 11 were kept and enjoyed by myself and family.....during this time , I also "dropped/lost" a further 12 kob , although one of these dropped I still say was a piggy ....Spoons lost for the year is 10.....4 tin...2 stainless steel ...1 brass and 3 commercial spoons...The 2 sessions not on the Jikeleza i did not catch.....Of the 42 sessions 3 of the sessions I caught two or more fish.....Average time on a session was 2 hours....out of the 1008 hours in those 42 , 24 hour periods I spent 84 hours fishing.....Most spoons were lost during the winter months...




2015....I did 48 sessions...of the 48 I did 39 at my local spot and 9 along the Jikeleza......I hooked and landed 25 kob...4 shad and 1 poensie....Once again the poensie at my local spot...the 4 shad along the Jikeleza and of the 25 kob ONLY 1 along the Jikeleza and the 24 at my local spot....Of the 25 kob hooked and landed 10 were kept and enjoyed by myself and family.....I also "dropped/lost" a further 9 kob and two of these could have been poensies......Spoons lost for the year was 9...3 tin...3 stainless steel...2 brass and 1 commercial....Of the 48 sessions 4 of the sessions I caught two or more fish.....Once again average time on a session was 2 hours....Out of the 1152 hours in those 48 , 24 hour periods I spent 96 hours fishing and that equates to 3,84 hours per fish....Of the 9 spoons lost 6 were lost in winter.....


  ..Sooo...deductions....the winter cold affects concentration as to losing spoons...

[WalkersKiller]

Very interesting stats Kent!

[Kent]

Very interesting stats Kent!

..Jip....what it does do and show ....EFFORT equals RESULTS!!!...more EFFORT more results...BUT ...one also has to put those efforts to use AT the right conditions .....so its all relevant to HOW you learn what works in your areas/spots....