HANDS ON! HANDS OFF!

Originally published in Western Outdoor News, the week of July 22, 2008

One of our readers, Larry Wayne, sent me an e-mail recently asking about scent and it’s effects on fishing. Specifically, he wanted to know about sunscreen on his hands. To wit:

“ I have both read and been told that sunblocks have ingredients that are highly repellent to fish, and that if you have sunblock on your hands when you handle lures or bait, it will significantly hurt your chances of getting bit.

Since I am fairly dark skinned to begin with, I have rarely worried much about sunburn, but with what I now know, I have to be careful not to overexpose myself…Do you agree that getting sunblock from your hands onto lures or bait can repel fish, and, if so, what do you advise your clients to do to prevent that problem?”

This is the first time I’ve gotten a written query about the subject, but I’ve been asked about this when doing fishing seminars. So, let’s spread my two cents (scents?) on the subject.

First and foremost, I too am dark-skinned. I never go out on the water without the sunblock on. I used to think that I was immune to the sun as well. I never burned. I got a deep dark tan. Then, I had a little bout with skin cancer and that opened my eyes and I’ve also noticed how many of my own clients and friends are now paying the price for their time under the sun. It’s a serious issue. Don’t let yourself burn.

Secondly, on the subject of scents, I’m a big believer. Fish might have brains the size of a pea, but they have handy-dandy keen senses that keep them alive. Their sense of smell is just one of them. But it’s awfully powerful and a big motivator in getting the fish to eat or not to eat what you’re offering.

Just look at yourself. If the cheeseburger not only looks like a cheeseburger , but also smells like the roasted charbroiled meat, the grilled onions, the sesame bun toasted with butter…well, you get the idea. Are you salivating yet?

By the same token , if it looked like a cheeseburger but all you can smell are your roomate’s smelly gym sneakers he left near the dinner table, that would be a turnoff too!

Same with fish. Just look at the display counters at your local tackle store. Row upon row of lotions, potions, oils and goo to put you your lure, live bait, or other terminal tackle. There’s “stink bait” for catfish. Shrimp scent for rockfish. Anchovy and squid stink for pelagic bluewater species. Crawfish flavor for bass. Trout get garlic. There’s probably a cheeseburger scent in there somewhere too!

Some anglers even swear that stuff like WD-40 lubricant is a powerful scent as well. (But that’s for another column).

The point is, smell does have an effect, both positively and negatively.

Sprays, lotions, chemicals, gasoline and solvents from your boat; your cigarette; wiping sweat off your brow; even (gasp) eating that cheeseburger or burrito on the docks or in your box lunch all have scents and oils. Rub the side of your nose. See that oil on your finger? All can be transferred to your rod, reel, line, lures and bait.

I grew up fishing with my old Japanese, Filipino and Hawaiian uncles and cousins. They were religious about keeping their hands clean. The hand that touched the cigarette or sandwich did NOT touch the baits or gear. That’s how we were brought up, whether fishing for trout or tuna.

Obviously, you can’t go around all day with your hands in gloves so anytime we touched anything, we would wash our hands when possible before touching the gear or baits. But, even soap has scent to it…usually something flowery or antiseptic.

So, after getting the gunk off our hands, we’d grab a piece of dead bait or even a small live one and mash it in our hands. We’d stick them in the ground chum…anything to mask the human oils on our hands or things we had touched. Only then, would we touch our gear.

So, use the sunscreen. Eat the burger. But keep your hands as clean as you can!







That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING - THE OTHER SIDE OF BRAIDED LINE

Originally published the week of July 8, 2008 in Western Outdoor News

Years ago when braided spectra lines first came out I made a trip to down here to Baja. This was in the early 90’s, long before I had moved down here to La Paz.

I had spooled my reels with this new “miracle” line and was on my first trip using the new-fangled stuff. I was anxious to put it to the test and had read up on all the wonders it would accomplish towards my fishing.

As we rolled out to sea that first day, I was setting up my gear there on the deck and I happened to cut off a tag-end piece of spectra. I laid it on the rigging table next to me figuring to throw it away with the rest of my debris when I was done.

The Mexican deckhand came to sit with me and watch me rig up. He absent-mindedly picked up the piece of spectra and started to use it to floss his teeth!

Now, if you’re familiar at all with braided line, you know how abrasive this stuff can be. It’s virtually indestructible and is made of the same stuff they make bullet-proof vests. Saw it back and forth on a piece of wood or metal and you can almost cut through it. You can only imagine what it might do to a set of teeth and gums!

Back in the day, my command of Spanish consisted of being able to place an order at Taco Bell. I did my frantic darndest to explain via hand gestures, grimaces and enough mime technique to make Marcel Marceau proud to the deckhand that this piece of string was “no bueno!”

He looked at the innocent piece of string and me and back at the string. He uttered some profanity about the stuck-up gringo who wouldn’t let him use a simple piece of string to clean his teeth. He got up and walked away.

I felt like an idiot too. But I couldn’t let him saw through his gums and probably into his skull!

Well, in more than a decade of use now, spectra line has become more widespread and can be found universally even to the simplest panga captain. It’s well-known for it’s low stretch, incredible strength and low diameter, allowing anglers to pack on lots of extra yardage into small reels.

However, as more anglers are using it, I see a lot of improper use of it as well down here.
For one, too much of a good thing is a bit wasteful. For instance, packing a trolling reel with 1500 yards of the smaller diameter braided line, just “because you can” is pretty expensive. Besides, how often do you honestly get deeper than say, 200 or 300 yards in any spool?

Further, unless you’re on a party boat, which is rare here in Baja, or a long range San Diego type vessel, most fishing craft can follow or back down on a hard-charging fish. Short of a huge marlin or really giant tuna, the majority of sport-caught fish down here aren’t going that far before you turn them or they finish their runs.

Better to use the braided line as backing then “top-shotting” (splicing) regular monofilament on top of the braid. I see quite a few anglers coming down fishing straight braid with no top shot. East Coast anglers are fond of it. I’ve never heard a definitive reason. But I can give you my two-cent against it.

To begin, if you’re fishing live bait, braided line is a lot more visible than mono. Additionally, the braid, especially when wet, is heavier than mono. If you’re using a small live bait like a Mexican sardine, it won’t fish as well. It won’t swim as well. Your whole bait presentation is off diminishing your fish-catching abilities.

Pragmatically with braid, if the line loops, it has a greater tendency to tangle and get into knots that are ridiculous to untie. This is unlike mono which has a more springy nature to it. Get into a knot with braid and chances are you’ll have to cut that expensive bit of string, which often requires special cutters. Your normal dikes won’t work.

Finally, let’s talk gear and personal safety. Braid cuts! It will saw into the fiberglass or wood gunwale of a boat. It will wear a groove into the guides on your rod. In a bite with everyone bent, your braid line will slice very neatly into your buddy’s mono cutting off his fish and earning you a physical or verbal punch in the nose.

When you or your captain or deckhand tries to grab the line to get a hold of a hot fish or trying to release a fish, tension-filled braided line also cuts very neatly through fingers and hands. It’s a bit like grabbing a moving hack-saw blade.

Admittedly, there are a few applications where straight braided line is recommended. However, in most applications I’ve seen down here, pop a few hundred yards of mono on top of your braid and save the money and frustration.

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.