Episode 573: Five Lessons Learned From ALF Podcast Guests

Lesson #1: Being Methodical Pays Dividends

• Regardless of the target species, top anglers seem to have a bunch of lures that they fish in sequence when they hit a likely location of piece of structure.
• It’s normal for tournament anglers and guides to have multiple rods rigged with different lures and to start fishing the most subtle lure first, working through to the noisiest, flashiest lure.
• They’ll often start by casting a little short of where the fish might be, then casting further and further on successive casts. They’ll also often make 4-5 casts working the lure at a particular depth or a particular retrieve style, then 4-5 working the lure faster or slower, and so on.
• The trick is to eliminate different options and to be aware of what you’re doing when the fish finally does take your lure.

Lesson #2: Being Part Of A Network Flattens The Curve

• Top anglers are usually part of a network of like-minded individuals who encourage each other, bounce ideas and share intel. They are usually not working everything out for themselves, they work together.
• Tournament anglers are a great example. They’re constantly pushing the envelope and looking for anything that can help them improve their success. The tend to share their knowledge with each other and it eventually filters through to the general fishing community over time.
• It doesn’t make sense to learn purely by trial and error. Learn from others and then experiment to push your own envelope and take things to the next level. Make sure you start with good info though, there’s a lot of rubbish info out there!

Lesson #3: The Difference Between Scents And Attractants

• It turns out that applying the wrong scent to your lures can actually do more harm than good. And that applying too much scent is like putting too much chilli on your food……it turns the fish off.
• A lot of the compounds available for scenting up lures will either not attract fish, and even worse, some will actually repel fish.
• Do some research and test a few products for the species that you’re targeting until you find what works for you.

 Lesson #4: You Don’t Need Every Lure Under The Sun

• We all like to have a large selection of lures to choose from, but ultimately it’s more important to have a small selection that covers most situations, that you know how to use and that give you confidence.
• For example, there are numerous paddletail plastics that could be used for barra fishing and they all have their own set of characteristics. But as long as you have a couple of options you’ll be able to make things work.
• Obviously, on the really tough days is when it helps to have some extras to choose from!

 Lesson #5: A Thousand One Percenters Is Never Enough!

• Something that separates the weekend angler from the hardcore lure tosser is the extent to which the serious guys look for every possible thing that might give them an edge, an insight or an opportunity.
• Top tournament guys and sportfishing guides are constantly testing and measuring, researching, experimenting, upgrading and learning. Nothing is too much trouble if it might get them one percent better results!