Tight line and slow ( real slow ) retrieve in Florida lakes for crackers and gills .
This method was taught to me back in the late 70's. It still works. In April around the full moon in 1979 i was fishing lake woodruff out of Hall's Lodge at Astor. I had been catching copper heads in the mud lakes off the ST.Johns with my set up 45 degree angle method and decided to head out to Woodruff and try that method there. When I entered the lake from Dexter I could see the flotilla. I instantly became part of it and proceeded to try my " set up method " but the water was to deep for my 5'6 rod and I could not cast very well after setting the cork around 7'. After a little frustration I started observing the '' the flotilla" and only a couple of the boats were constantly catching fish. These 2 boats were not close to each other but I did notice their boats were being held stationary by 2 long sticks of PVC poles. So I eased over towards the one closest to me and started spying. The guy on the bow sees me staring and not fishing for about an hr. and finally says, " you b giving up " and I say " no sir just admiring your technique " I ask him what the PVC poles are for and he says " we uses dem to sound and anchor " They kept the boat perfectly still and I noticed one was cleated off the right bow and the other left stern. They had stuck them down in the mud and cleated off. This part was evident, so I ask him about "sounding" and he says " we sound for shell and you can feel and hear it through the PVC." This is where it becomes interesting. I watched him catch several and it was as it turns out so very simple. I ask him why he was cranking the red wiggler so slow and he says," two reasons first off dat bream knows a red wiggler moves very slow when he is moving and second off I be sounding too" OK please tell me what you mean. He was using a graphite rod (fairly new back then) and a big split shot tied to a xlong shank Aberdeen hook. He said he cranks slowly to imitate the wiggler and watches the tip of his rod just slightly bow as he cranks the shot through the muck ( VERY IMPORTANT ) as soon as the shot comes across the newly swept shell his GRAPHITE tip sorta viberates and almost instantly the wiggler is inhaled. That's where the xlong shank hook comes in handy. Always keep a Phillips head screw driver on your boat especially during spawning season. When the bream swallows the hook just hold your line with one hand and poke the Phillips down his throat and "spin him around" your hook will spin right out. Hope this helps my forum friends.
Reeltrick
" The prettiest sight in the world is the ripple on the water where the cork just was"
