Journal of a Minnesota Angler

No matter how experienced of an angler you are, you can always learn something new. That goes for any skill in life really. I attended a community ed class earlier this week about Fishing in the Twin Cities. As part of that class, the instructor, Sybil Smith, gave tips on how and where to find fish in any body of water. Most of the information were things any seasoned angler should know, but I still picked up a few tips. Here is a summary of some of her tips:

• Fish will always look for three things: Food, Security, and Comfort. Find those three things, and you will find fish.
• Find moving water and fish the edges of it. Moving water carries food and the edges provide a perfect place to ambush it.
• At docks, toss a spinnerbait parallel to the dock before stepping foot on it. The vibrations of you walking on the dock will spook any fish underneath it.
• When casting parallel to a dock, pause at the posts. It’s a good ambush spot.
• Docks lower to the water are better than docks higher up off the water. Higher docks don’t provide enough cover.
• If you see a boat with an attached motor tied to a dock, try fishing directly under the motor. The running of the motor can cause a deep spot at the bottom that fish like to sit in.
• Fish weed lines. On cloudy days, fish the inside of the weed line. On sunnier days, fish the outside.
• In current, fish the top side and bottom side of rocks/structure. The current isn’t as strong there and fish like to wait there to ambush any bait that might be carried by.
• Don’t be afraid to walk into the water. Wear an old pair of tennis shoes and shorts so you’re always ready to wade in a little ways.
• Wear polarzied sunglasses to help you see in the water. Look for structure.
• If you hear of a body of water that has a lot of winter kill, check it in a few years for bigger fish. The winter kill will reduce competition for food allowing the surviving fish to thrive.
• Add a colorful piece of yarn to a hook to add a little flare. Pink and chartreuse work well.
• Fish larger lakes in the fall. They are slower to cool down.
• Fish the North or Northwest area of a lake in the fall. They are the warmest part of the lake.

These are, of course, just a few of the tips that can help you catch fish.

I hope Ms. Smith doesn’t mind me providing these tips on-line. If you see a community ed class in the Twin Cities and are interested, I would encourage you to attend. If the instructor is Ms. Smith, I’m sure you’ll pick up another tip or two and you’ll definitely enjoy the stories she has to tell. She’s invited to the Governor’s Fishing Opener every year and she usually outfishes the governor and everyone else on the trip.

If you have any tips to add, please leave a comment. I’m sure novice and experts alike would love to hear them.

[Author’s note: Photo above came from flheritage.com]