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

[CRANKMAN]

I think what is does show is "you spend a helluva lot of time fishing." 
Lucky bugger!

[Kent]

I think what is does show is "you spend a helluva lot of time fishing." 
Lucky bugger!

....and according to my Missus AND not enough fish to show for it and when I try and explain I am using specifically spoons ONLY....I get the ... ...speak to the hand reply....

[JacquesdW]

We're not worthy! We're not worthy!

Thank you very much for posting and sharing! There is some great info here, and even if its not applicable to my section of the coast it has definetly got me thinking.

Have you ever tried assist hooks on the back of your spoon? Spoke to a very knowledgeable slow jig fisherman and he reconned that they would be great for a sucking feeder like cob.

[John F]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU and    for taking the time to do the write up and sharing the quality info, Kent!

[Kent]

We're not worthy! We're not worthy!

Thank you very much for posting and sharing! There is some great info here, and even if its not applicable to my section of the coast it has definetly got me thinking.

Have you ever tried assist hooks on the back of your spoon? Spoke to a very knowledgeable slow jig fisherman and he reconned that they would be great for a sucking feeder like cob.

..Its a pleasure Jacques.....jip...Ive dabbled with assist type hooks BUT for the specific way Im throwing spoon for kob amongst  the bricks , Ive found that assist hook set up , firstly affects the way the spoon swims AND it likes to snag on red bait and the bricks themselves ...Sooo...I stick with the tried and tested short shank 4/0 to 8/0 live bait hooks...

[Kent]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU and  for taking the time to do the write up and sharing the quality info, Kent!

Its only a pleasure...thanks for taking the time to read it....

[JacquesdW]

One thing that that really interested me was you saying the cob always got hooked in the lips on spoon. That is definitly my experience! Compared to cob I have caught on a surface lure and vibe style lures in the estuaries which all swallowed them deep.
My last session I had 5 strikes in 30 min, only one stuck. The biggest fish actually managed to hold on the vinyl backing of a 60g Toby preventing the hook from sticking. Felt the weight and then the fish was off with the vinyl having some big teeth marks in it. And it was not even the heaviest/thickest vinyl I have seen on spoons. Definitely another lesson!

[Kent]

One thing that that really interested me was you saying the cob always got hooked in the lips on spoon. That is definitly my experience! Compared to cob I have caught on a surface lure and vibe style lures in the estuaries which all swallowed them deep.
My last session I had 5 strikes in 30 min, only one stuck. The biggest fish actually managed to hold on the vinyl backing of a 60g Toby preventing the hook from sticking. Felt the weight and then the fish was off with the vinyl having some big teeth marks in it. And it was not even the heaviest/thickest vinyl I have seen on spoons. Definitely another lesson!

Hi Jacques...jip....99% of the time it will be in the lip and one always HOPES for the corner as this is where its most of the sinew.....one thing of note the short shank hook keeps the spoon closer to the kobs mouth so the weight of the spoon does not smash the lip to pieces    also better for the fish should you want to release...

[WJ]

Chaps old Kent knows a thing or 2 about spooning, to all the okes that want to learn.....read this piece of his carefully. He is a master. I have learned a lot from him, maybe not about the lazy thumb....but the places he catches kob I generally fish for bait....goes to show.

[Kent]

Chaps old Kent knows a thing or 2 about spooning, to all the okes that want to learn.....read this piece of his carefully. He is a master. I have learned a lot from him, maybe not about the lazy thumb....but the places he catches kob I generally fish for bait....goes to show.

...Ja chomma....you certainly DO NOT have a Lazy thumb!!!...AND I still owe you a spoon or two....

[Kent]

  Mornings Folks , well its almost a year ago since posting the next episode in this journey ....this week I will be putting up the next chapter and its the one on water , so , stay tuned for those that are interested .....

[WalkersKiller]

Looking forward to it bru!

[Kent]

Chapter eleven and this journey  continues……
One hears of fisherman talking and  going on about that the water is just not right , you wont get fish here today.  AND , believe you me , especially if they old school fisherman , they will be  spot on!!....
Often as a youngster we would go on  outings for overnighters along our local coast , with my toppie and we would ,  say get to the spot in the mid afternoon and as youngsters we all excited to  get our baits and lures in the water . We would be off the buggy get all the  stuff unpacked and the ole man would say WOAH boys ..slow down , we would stop  and he would stand and watch the water for about 10 to 15 minutes and suddenly  say …NOPE…we not gonna catch a fish here today…..WELL…that was enough to stem  our excitement and he would suggest we pitch the tarp against the buggy and get  all the kit under cover as we had a long arvie ahead of us…..
It is only NOW after spending time  myself and watching the water and making notes that Ive come to understand at  his alien like “knowing” that when the fish will come onto the bite….EVERY  fisherman worth his salt has this ability to a larger or lesser degree…some say  its experience and comes with many years of catching…others say it’s a an ole  sea dog SIXTH sense , BUT , in factual , realistic and non mythical terms it s  a plain simple dogged understanding of the water and sea as a whole. The oceans  and seas and ALL its inhabitants is and always will be a complex world BUT its  cyclic rate OR “motion” is pretty simple , once you take the time to watch and  not just look….AND when you watch and you really are interested , then its an  understanding that is so simple in its form of nature as a whole….
Why do you think its called an  underwater HABITAT??...Well , that’s coz its creatures are , mostly , habitual  in their movements and feeding…yes , yes , you get the unpredictable , like the  infamous Zambezi BUT that’s in any habitat , on the most part , most  inhabitants are habitual , in feeding , in breeding etc etc and why??..well that’s  partly due to seasons and hence the weather following those seasons…Soooo…ALL  this then gets funnelled into a precise timing scenario and you WILL increase  you catching ratio as opposed to your session ratio…..making a bit of sense???
Hehe…I hear the odd person out there  saying…”GEEZ..all I want to do is JUST GO FISH…”….Jip..you can do just that ,  my ramblings and findings over the years are/is for those fisherman who want  just that teeny weeny edge and to make OPTIMUM usage of their precious little  time that is spent at the waters edge. Its so satisfying when one has done a  bit of “homework” and when you get to to actually do the “test” and you ace it  90% …well then , its just that much better , for yourself that is….
Back to the water and what to look  for , the arvie would drag on and us youngsters would be in the pools netting  mullet , collect periwinkles and some cockles for the pot later in the evening  and as that sun would be setting , although still light , we would hear a sharp  whistle and the ole man would be telling us to come on…
As we got back to the buggy and  dumped the livies in the buckets , he would be a lot more urgent now and say  come boys , bait up the kob are on the bite…well , this always blew me away and  I think one time I did say …”Geez dad , earlier on you said the water was not  good , it still looks the same to me?...well I would get a tap on the head and  he would say …the water NEVER stays the same!!!...You must learn to watch it!!!
Well , I must say I tried hard as a  youngster to “watch it” BUT we were always too busy with other activities at  the beach and rocks…heheh
Back to this particular day and as  that first livie hit the water the ole man was on and then the second rod would  go vas and my boet would handle that and for the next 4 hours it was kob  mayhem!!!....
After all the excitement we sat down  later that evening around the fire and I asked the toppie …”Soo…what “told” you  that the kob were there…he replied …the tide AND as the tide pushed it brought  the slightly warmer and cleaner water inshore AND the surging had stopped and  the swell dropped off slightly ….Interesting I said…
YEARS later these words would stick  in my head and today they still hold truth and MUCH value….
One must remember , that kob are not  weak swimmers BUT lazy swimmers and ambush is VERY high up in their modus  operandi …Sooo…they like clean working water and yes they will bite in that  ginger beer water BUT very seldom on spoon more on a very fresh pillie and  chokka mix grill….
Surging and heavy sidewashes is not  where you will find kob and especially if you using spoon to hunt them. A surge  is never a good sign for a session on spoon …nice even working water and clean  and at around that 18 to 20 degree water temp mark , although PE and Western  Cape areas the temp story might tend to be a tad colder , those kob tend to  have pullovers on…hehehe…
Should you find yourself at a nice  gutter and the water looks good and its working lekker , a tip that I picked up  from a blues fisherman… watch the sets of waves coming and always try anmd time  you throw behins the last breaking wave in a particular set…this then gives you  lotsa white water to work your spoon through and keep it in the strike zone a  lot longer . Ive often been hit as the spoon lands at the back of the breaking  wave…
 
Tide , water and how the water is  behaving all go hand in hand . I prefer an outgoing tide , lets say three hours  to dead low , as this also aids your spoon in its swimming action and you often  can stop retrieving and just “hold” the spoon in place and let the outgoing  wave and tide work it , keeping it even longer in the strike zone. Remember ,  don’t curse those pinnacles and rocks sticking out , yes , I know losing a  spoon is not on BUT those very pinnacles are where the kob will be sitting and  sometimes you can just “hold” your spoon next to them , this does take some  practise and getting to know your spot thoroughly . NOW , while there may be  many of you reading this , who know what Im talking about , but this also then  acts as a reminder to keep these pointers uppermost in your mind as it could be  the sliver between catching OR blanking….
Ive often been asked…BUT…what makes a  spot a good spot for hunting kob on spoon??...Well , to be honest , any  spot/area will hold kob , especially if you get specific and hunt them in and  around the bricks , but I will cover SPOTS/AREAS in a following chapter of this  journey. For now , watching and looking for that “perfect” working water is  what is pretty important.
One more thing when it comes to water  and kob on spoon , kob like structure and often fisherman looking for deep  water with structure. This is also a fallacy , most of my kob on spoon have  been hooked in about 3 foot of water and probably not deeper than 6 foot of  water. Kob are not scared of the shallow if they know that they will get  trapped. When lloking for areas spots look for gutters/gulleys with entrances  and clean exits , but I will cover this at a later stage….
 
Well Folks , that’s all for now and  remember , 10 minutes of watching will go a helluva long way to MORE successes  than blanks…till next time and thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings…
Keep it clean
Just go fish!!!
 

[colin]

    great that you are back 

[Kent]

  great that you are back 

lekker Colin...thanks for taking the time to read...

[Zberg]

Lekker Kent, great stuff!
Reading that brought back loads of memories of fishing with my old man as a lightie.

[Kent]

Lekker Kent, great stuff!
Reading that brought back loads of memories of fishing with my old man as a lightie.

..lekker..thanks for reading ...ja ..no look...those ole school toppies knew a thing or two and landed moerse fish with basic basic tackle...

[Kent]

Well..well and WOW!!!!...Just received a parcel from Clone lures Donovan Pautz...and I am SPEECHLESS!!

These spoons will be tested to melting point!!!!....the shape is SPOT ON and pretty much the TOP pressed spoon ive seen to date...as soon as the rain clears here will give a pre swim test in my pool....
THEN....this weekend they will be USED extensively....allready I have noted which will be pulled through what gutter/gulley

MANY THANKS...Donovan!!!

[Kent]

[size=0pt]Chapter twelve and the journey  continues……[/size][/b]
Fishermans  areas/spots can and will always be a very ‘secretive’ subject that gets  discussed around braais and whenever fisherman get together and we almost  always hear stories of …”Geez , Bud…you should have been here yesterday , we  klapped the fish…”…OR…”  Man…you should  see this ‘new’ spot I have…..” and so on and so on….hehehe
I bumped  into a fisherman years ago as I was getting off from my ‘secret’ spot and he  tunes me …”My man , have you ever caught a fish here before?...”…Not today I  haven’t BUT yesterday , yes I did….He shoots back saying ..and you happy to  tell me that???...I chuckle and say….”let me tell you a story as life is all  about stories………………..
IF you are  like me and watch and watch and note down what makes a spot produce and what  makes it not produce under what conditions and should you be targeting a  certain species specifically , then its not too often you will bump into many  fisherman at that hour…BUT…should you be a moer n soek fisherman then you might  just bump into fisherman all the time….I for one like early AM and outgoing  tides and yet another fisherman will like late late afternoon into evening . We  all , or most of us , know that best times for fishing is early AM or late  arvie as the sun sets and midday fishing is not that productive BUT not to say  you will not catch….
NOW….To go  about finding the ‘right’ spot , and let me tell you straight away , that there  is NO right spot…
First of all  , ear mark an area of coast line that you want to frequent and steadly start  doing your reconnaissance of the area. Remember we talking kob on spoon here.  You need to be looking for spots that do not look like your typical  what-the-experts-say for kob spots must look like. It also depends how  “comfortable” you want to be and also how wet/dry you prefer , BUT , here too  you can make yourself comfortable by investing in wet/dry clothing AND throwing  spoon for kob should be , absolutely , no longer than a thre hour session at  its max. Actually , should you come up with not a touch after two hours , it is  suffice to say the kobbies are not around at that time…..
When looking  for spots amongst the bricks you want to find gutters/gulleys that have clean  entrances and exits . Ones that have barriers that are submerged about 100m out  and which damper the incoming swells and then break into a fairly shallowish  area. A very important to note when watching out for spots in your area , is  Jonny Dykers(Cormorants) diving for bait fish and seeing actual bait fish  yourself in the shallows. Seeing these two indicators should make you VERY  excited about a spot. Spots that hold bait fish are a sure sign that kob WILL  be in and around there.
Whenthrowing  spoon for kob amongst the bricks , you want the water to be working nicely and  must be clean and not surging in and out of the gutters and gulleys…

Something I  always do is make sure I check prospective spots on a spring low tide and  preferably not on a big sea. After doing that I always make a sketch of the  proposed spot and if time allows OR I make time I also swim the retrieve area I  want to throw in. Always nice to know whats under the surface where you will be  pulling your spoons through. I always , at a newish spot that I am doing a  reccie at , I throw an old spoon with a small hook tied on , so if I snag I  lose a cheapie and not one of my favourites.
I remember ,  years ago when I started checking out Bulugha point and one ole toppie that is  a legend at that point , spoke to me the first time , he tuned me ,,,,don’t  throw your favourite spoon here , you WILL lose it….I thought ..ppffftt…ole  codger id just tryna scare me off …next throw …one of my fave spoons  gone!!!...I watched in amazement at how he threw throw after throw and didn’t  get snagged once!!...A coupla weekends later I was out there again and by  myself , I quickly put on my goggles and swam the spot….Aaaahhh…HUH…found three  underwater pinnacles that needed avoiding and next time he was there I stood  shoulder to shoulder catching shad with him and I did not snag ONCE!!
IF…we are  prepared to take the time , and its enjoyable , to do the reccie , I am telling  you ..YOU WILL be rewarded !!!
I found two  spots the one day very close and about 150m away from one of my fave spots , by  pure accident as it turned out. I had been throwing at my spot for about 2  hours and nothing…I saw two laaities mucking about in the shallows to my left  and walked over to see what they were doing. I noticed they were catching  smallish mullet in a V shaped channel in the rocks that widen out to sea with a  little submerged barrier running across I about 50 odd m out and the water  broke over and around this barrier and white washed nicely into this open V…
It was a  pushing tide and almost 3 hours to high….
The next day  I popped down to the spot and water conditions were almost the same and I proceded  to throw one of my testers in to see what was what and after 3 throws got a  VERY serious enquiry…..To date I have pulled at least 10 kobbies out of that  spot and when the water conditions are spot on will pull more!!!

My point…not  all that glitters is always silver and gold …some spots that look absolutely  k*K for putting a spoon into , could probably be the BEST spot where you will  get kob and these then my dear friends will become your “secret” uncrowded  spots…Granted they might take a bit of time to crack the code BUT when you do  …its GAME ON!!!
Using this  spring low tide reccie method and REALLY working out a spot , you will  eventually come up with 3 to 4 very good producing spots that you can visit on  an outgoing , pushing tide and depending on the wind too…
This then ,  hoping , gives you some insight in to how I go about finding a new spot that  could be right under your nose all the time and possibly cut out traveling time  to those so called “famous” areas spots….
Now that we  have an idea on what to look for for a good spot we need to know in detail  …what is the “bite” like and CAN we tell whether that single hook is in the top  of the lip , in the corner OR just just in the skin of the lip…
Till next  time…
Keep it  clean
JUST GO  FISH!!!

[colin]

Local knowledge rules