ver many years of fishing I’ve discovered that the secret to consistent catches of just about any species usually comes down to one thing. The best tackle? A well organised boat? The best lures money can buy? Good braid and leader? Time on the water? No, no, no and no again. You can spend all the time on the water you like with the best gear and sharpest hooks but you’ll catch very little unless you actually find the fish to start with. I’m not a mathematician or numbers man but I reckon 70 or 80% of good fish hooked and landed by sportfishers are usually caught by 20% of anglers. Some anglers just consistently get results. Yes, they fish hard and they are very talented anglers who know what they are doing, but you’ll usually find that they catch fish because they can find them. We’ve all done it and I’m as guilty as some. Head out for the day with high expectations and go searching. Find bait or what you consider to be “fishy” or “fish holding” water and flog it death with every lure in the tackle box and return home empty handed. A negative result is easy for most of us to explain away as the fish not being around or playing the game.
