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Some of What You’ve Heard is True!
"So Jay, teach me how to find and catch more fish. And by the way, if you can tell me one thing today that will make me a better fisherman, what would it be?"
Honestly - I can usually look at the type of tackle and the way it is rigged and get this question out of the way before the boat ever pulls away from the dock. I know that sounds awful and maybe cocky but truth is; most people don't take fishing nearly as serious as I do.
I understand that for most folks fishing is an extremely good form of relaxation and a big stress reliever. The same is true for me on the surface but at its core the game changes dramatically. I am a teacher of the how-why-when-where of fishing the middle to lower Texas Coast. I feel I have one of the best fishing clientele on the entire coast. I trust many have learned a lot of what they know from me and some of the other excellent guides as well. It's taken 30 plus years to build such loyalty but it has proven to be worth the effort.
Problem is many of the younger generation of anglers depend too much on the written word instead of real practice. Practice is supposed to be hard so that Friday nights are not. I know a lot of people that talk a really good game of basketball or baseball but don't play the game worth a lick. My advice is to spend more time practicing and less time reading, texting, twitting or face-booking.
After all the years of fishing and teaching people about how to become better anglers I am still daily amazed at how many hear the words but don't heed the message. I have guys that have been to seminars that I have put on that show up with not one single item I recommended. I then see it not working so well for them and have to scratch my head in wonder.
Daily I see rods and reels go in the rod holder with old and too little line on the spool. The line trails from the reel, not strung through the guides. Waders haven't been checked for leaks and clothing inappropriate for the conditions. Who wades in flip flops? C'mon Man!
I remember as a young boy preparing my tackle and laying my cloths out the night before my grandfather was to take me out on Taylor's Bayou near Beaumont. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. Come 5:00 AM I would smell the fried eggs and bacon cooking in the kitchen. Talk of great fishing was had at the table, mostly by me. My grandfather was a man of few words as was my dad, which was good because I talked enough for all of us. Still do!
Fact was, I was ready for the day and I know that pleased my grandfather as he loved to fish and wanted me to love it. Mission accomplished!
In my teenage years sleep became more important so I would drag out of the sack to go fishing with my dad. When unprepared he would simply say, "Not too excited about going are ya?" I use that comment to this day.
I want you to want to be a better fisherman. It is more fun when you're good at something versus just being mediocre. Mediocrity is not something I was taught nor has it been something I have allowed to become ingrained in my children.
I go to great lengths on my website and in emails to try and get this point across. Despite that effort many still don't get the message. For the record, I wade fish almost exclusively. I want you to bring your own tackle.
If you went to take a golf lesson from your area pro you would not show up and ask to play out of his bag. Truth is you would not be able to hit his clubs, and more truth is you might not be familiar enough with my choice of tackle to cast effectively enough to do what I need you to do.
I need to teach you to use what you have because it is what you have. Yes I will suggest the right type of gear and yes I will have extra rods and reels and all the right lures if the need arises. I think plain old laziness is sometimes the reason behind not bringing one's own stuff.
So what is the real purpose of this article?
Well, it's to get you prepared to be more prepared. To get you to decide what direction you want to take with your next fishing adventure. The success of your day depends on your ability to perform. After all, this is what you're paying for if you've booked a guide and what you learn from him or her you'll put to use when on your own. There are a lot of good guides out there that fish in many different ways and you can learn something of value from all of them. Might be that you will never fish with them again but even that is worth the price of admission if you really think about it.
So when you hear the stories, and they're out there, about me turning someone down for a charter or sending a group back to the car after arriving with literally nothing I asked them to bring, you'll know that the reason for my attitude is really simple. I want you to be prepared so I can provide the best possible experience.
Now let's talk about fishing. Spring has arrived here in full force with SE winds gusting over 20 mph most days and still the occasional frontal passages that drops tides and stifles our springtime patterns. Obviously, we still need some more rain as our drought conditions continue. I am in full sand and grass mode on the southern end of the Aransas Bay complex, monitoring bait migrations and looking for the first big trout arrivals to our shorelines.
This time of year I spend a lot of my time marking areas that are holding good submerged grass beds and an abundance of consistently available baitfish. These areas will hold fish in good numbers as water temperatures increase and the trout spawn approaches. It is vital to your success that you check these types of areas numerous times during the day. Big fish eat in small windows but eat with vigor when they do. Paying very close attention to the solunar tables printed conveniently for you in this publication is most important.
Bass Assassin's 5-inch shad will get big time play with me and my clients, as will MirrOlures Top Dog Series surface plugs. Spring is probably the best time of the year to tie on your favorite topwater and give it some real playing time.
In closing I wanted to thank the three young men that fished with their parents and grandparents over the 2013 Spring Break. Oldest was 13, I believe, but all were the most respectful and patient young men I have seen in a long time.
They all caught some fish, they all waded, and I think they all learned a little something more about real fishing. You guys inspire me to continue my quest to teach all that want to know, everything I think I know. In closing we need to make up our mind as to what it is we want out of fishing and get to it, time is growing short.
May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins
Honestly - I can usually look at the type of tackle and the way it is rigged and get this question out of the way before the boat ever pulls away from the dock. I know that sounds awful and maybe cocky but truth is; most people don't take fishing nearly as serious as I do.
I understand that for most folks fishing is an extremely good form of relaxation and a big stress reliever. The same is true for me on the surface but at its core the game changes dramatically. I am a teacher of the how-why-when-where of fishing the middle to lower Texas Coast. I feel I have one of the best fishing clientele on the entire coast. I trust many have learned a lot of what they know from me and some of the other excellent guides as well. It's taken 30 plus years to build such loyalty but it has proven to be worth the effort.
Problem is many of the younger generation of anglers depend too much on the written word instead of real practice. Practice is supposed to be hard so that Friday nights are not. I know a lot of people that talk a really good game of basketball or baseball but don't play the game worth a lick. My advice is to spend more time practicing and less time reading, texting, twitting or face-booking.
After all the years of fishing and teaching people about how to become better anglers I am still daily amazed at how many hear the words but don't heed the message. I have guys that have been to seminars that I have put on that show up with not one single item I recommended. I then see it not working so well for them and have to scratch my head in wonder.
Daily I see rods and reels go in the rod holder with old and too little line on the spool. The line trails from the reel, not strung through the guides. Waders haven't been checked for leaks and clothing inappropriate for the conditions. Who wades in flip flops? C'mon Man!
I remember as a young boy preparing my tackle and laying my cloths out the night before my grandfather was to take me out on Taylor's Bayou near Beaumont. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. Come 5:00 AM I would smell the fried eggs and bacon cooking in the kitchen. Talk of great fishing was had at the table, mostly by me. My grandfather was a man of few words as was my dad, which was good because I talked enough for all of us. Still do!
Fact was, I was ready for the day and I know that pleased my grandfather as he loved to fish and wanted me to love it. Mission accomplished!
In my teenage years sleep became more important so I would drag out of the sack to go fishing with my dad. When unprepared he would simply say, "Not too excited about going are ya?" I use that comment to this day.
I want you to want to be a better fisherman. It is more fun when you're good at something versus just being mediocre. Mediocrity is not something I was taught nor has it been something I have allowed to become ingrained in my children.
I go to great lengths on my website and in emails to try and get this point across. Despite that effort many still don't get the message. For the record, I wade fish almost exclusively. I want you to bring your own tackle.
If you went to take a golf lesson from your area pro you would not show up and ask to play out of his bag. Truth is you would not be able to hit his clubs, and more truth is you might not be familiar enough with my choice of tackle to cast effectively enough to do what I need you to do.
I need to teach you to use what you have because it is what you have. Yes I will suggest the right type of gear and yes I will have extra rods and reels and all the right lures if the need arises. I think plain old laziness is sometimes the reason behind not bringing one's own stuff.
So what is the real purpose of this article?
Well, it's to get you prepared to be more prepared. To get you to decide what direction you want to take with your next fishing adventure. The success of your day depends on your ability to perform. After all, this is what you're paying for if you've booked a guide and what you learn from him or her you'll put to use when on your own. There are a lot of good guides out there that fish in many different ways and you can learn something of value from all of them. Might be that you will never fish with them again but even that is worth the price of admission if you really think about it.
So when you hear the stories, and they're out there, about me turning someone down for a charter or sending a group back to the car after arriving with literally nothing I asked them to bring, you'll know that the reason for my attitude is really simple. I want you to be prepared so I can provide the best possible experience.
Now let's talk about fishing. Spring has arrived here in full force with SE winds gusting over 20 mph most days and still the occasional frontal passages that drops tides and stifles our springtime patterns. Obviously, we still need some more rain as our drought conditions continue. I am in full sand and grass mode on the southern end of the Aransas Bay complex, monitoring bait migrations and looking for the first big trout arrivals to our shorelines.
This time of year I spend a lot of my time marking areas that are holding good submerged grass beds and an abundance of consistently available baitfish. These areas will hold fish in good numbers as water temperatures increase and the trout spawn approaches. It is vital to your success that you check these types of areas numerous times during the day. Big fish eat in small windows but eat with vigor when they do. Paying very close attention to the solunar tables printed conveniently for you in this publication is most important.
Bass Assassin's 5-inch shad will get big time play with me and my clients, as will MirrOlures Top Dog Series surface plugs. Spring is probably the best time of the year to tie on your favorite topwater and give it some real playing time.
In closing I wanted to thank the three young men that fished with their parents and grandparents over the 2013 Spring Break. Oldest was 13, I believe, but all were the most respectful and patient young men I have seen in a long time.
They all caught some fish, they all waded, and I think they all learned a little something more about real fishing. You guys inspire me to continue my quest to teach all that want to know, everything I think I know. In closing we need to make up our mind as to what it is we want out of fishing and get to it, time is growing short.
May your fishing always be catching. -Guide Jay Watkins