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Flounder Fishing: How To Catch Fish When The Drift Is Slow
Author: Chris Bell
One of the peculiarities of flounder fishing is that you need to cover ground in order to catch them. They are aggressive predators that will chase a bait and they expect a bait to run from them when they approach. When the wind is light and your drift is slow or non-existent, it can become much harder to catch them.
A method you can use to catch these fish under such conditions is the cast and retrieve technique. As the name implies, it is a much more active fishing technique than most flounder fishierman may be accustomed to. Read on and learn more about it.
Preparation.
There is a technique that can be used under these conditions that will allow for catching flounder. It is the cast/retrieve technique, and can be very productive. There are a number of items required to do this. You must be able to cast a good distance with the rod you are using, a spinning reel is best for this. The reel must be spooled with a braided line, as braid is extremely sensitive and will allow you to feel the hits much easier than with monofilament. The rod should be at least 7 feet long, and have a light action to it to help feel the hits. The last consideration is the flounder rig. Instead of using a standard flounder rig, it must be modified for the conditions. Since this rig will be cast and worked, the leader between your sinker snap and the hook will be much shorter, on the order of 12-16" in length and 50 pound test. It is best to use a green monofilament like Berkley Trilene big game line. Your end rig can be rather simple, just one spinner blade and a white bucktail hook, or just a bucktail hook. This shorter rig is necessary to control your casting and because this is a much more active technique then typical flounder fishing, where the longer rig will tangle repeatedly. Typically, you don't want to use more than 2-4 ounce sinkers for this type of fishing.
The Technique.
Now that you have the right gear, onto the actual jigging retrieve. Bait the hook with squid or whatever else works, then cast the rig out as far as you can, and wait until it hits the bottom before closing up and taking in the slack. Reel in the slack until the rod is nearly horizontal, then begin jigging. Jig upward about 18" and go back down until you feel the sinker hit the bottom, then do it again, and again, until the rod reaches a point where it is vertical. Then reel in the slack until the rod is nearly horizontal again, and repeat the pattern. You do this until you feel a hit and hook a fish or the line itself is nearly vertical, then reel it in and cast out again, repeating the method. It should be cast it in at a least a slightly different direction each time, covering new ground. Normally you would cast downdrift or perpendicular to the drift. If the drift speed is exceptionally slow, then casting updrift is also an option.
The Strike Reaction
Be aware of the hits when they come, there may be just a little more resistence than the sinker alone. At this point, most people want to jerk back on the rod to set the hook. This rarely works, as the flounder comes up behind the bait and grabs it at the end, usually not getting the hook but just the end of the bait farthest from the hook. So your reaction should be to immediately lower the rod tip and take the pressure off the line, waiting for a few seconds to give the fish a chance to take the bait in. Then lift the rod tip slowly until you think the fish is hooked. Now reel the fluke in. If the fish is lost on the way up, open the bail and let the line back down to the bottom right away and begin jigging, often a flounder will come back for it. If no hits occur within a minute or two, reel the line in and check to see if the bait is gone. When you lose a fish this way, it's often a good idea to rebait and cast out in the same area again to get a second chance at that fish.
You may notice that this technique also tends to attract larger fish, which are more aggressive and like a more active bait. Also, If this technique fails to catch fish, better move to a different area because there are no fish around the boat.
Best Times to Fish for Fluke
When fishing for flounder the best fishing is normally between 5:30am and 11:00am. This doesn't mean that they won't bite at other times and often they do, but most of the fish will be caught during this time range in any given day. Usually the worst time is from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. On many days there will be a very active bite for one or two hours while the tide is running, and a slow bite during other times.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fishing-articles/flounder-fishing-how-to-catch-fish-when-the-drift-is-slow-795343.html
About the Author
Chris Bell has lived in Rhode Island for 35 years and fished. He is a fishing guide and before that was a writer and PC administrator. Chris now guides flounder fishing charters from Jim's Dock and in the winter writes on various aspects of fishing for flounder and other species.
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96 Mercury 115 Alarm?
Picked up a Bass Tracker pontoon with 96 Mercury 115 on it couple of weeks ago. Started the motor up with ear flaps and everything sounded good when I bought the boat.
Took to the lake last week and put in the water. Boat fired right up ran fine. Alarm came on after just a minute or 2 and will not go off now. Stays on all the time now if the key is turned on.
I know I have good water pressure and motor is not hot.
I am 99% sure that I am getting oil injection, but added oil to the gas just to be safe until get this issue lined out.
What else will set off alarm?
What should I check?
Thanks
How did you determine it’s not overheating? Cylinder head temp can be measured with an infrared temp gun or thermomelt stick (available at ishopmarine.com), should stay below 165º or so.
The alarm is a peizo buzzer in the control box, with 12V coming from the purple accessory wire, and grounded by a tan wire attached to 2 temp switches (one each cylinder head) and the oil sensor. Could be a wiring fault along there shorting the tan wire to ground.
The temp switches are at the end of tan wires near the top of the cylinder heads. By disconnecting these one at a time while the alarm sounds, you can determine which one is malfunctioning.
You can test the switch in a pan of water on the stove with a kitchen thermometer, using a multimeter or test light and 12V power source. Switch should close at around 165º F.
[Note to mary: you misunderstood what your dealer said; oil isn't mixed with gas in a 4-stroke engine]
how to use the features on an eagle fish finder on our bass boat in the usa?
our boat,recently purchased has an eagle fish finder,FISH MARK 320 with various features (functions),one large top button,curcer type,eight buttons,two side by side,top left to right and going down are:ZOUT,ZIN,PAGES,ALARM,MENU,EXIT,ENT,POWER/LIGHT.
Front fishfinder,EAGLE CUDA 168,with MENU UP and MENU DOWN.
any asistance with the operation would be very gratefully recieved,THANK YOU !,in anticipation.
Here’s a site with the Fishmark 320 manual- http://www.eaglenav.com/en/Products/Fishfinders/FishMark-320/Downloads/
Most finders (including the Eagle) are very straight forward in regards to manipulation.
Here is a site with the Eagle Cuda manual- http://www.retrevo.com/support/Eagle-168-manual/id/517ag919/t/2/
Hope this helps ya? Good luck.
Boaters and Fisherman! Please read:?
I have a 16 foot 2000 Bass Tracker with a Mercury 50 horsepower engine from the same year. I just bought the boat two weeks ago and both times I’ve had it on the water an alarm on a console has been going off. From what I gather, a constant beep means that the engine is overheating, but in my case, the engine is not hot to the touch. The marina (where I bought the boat) is working with me, but they don’t seem to know what exactly is wrong. Also, at no time does the engine stop peeing. After some research, myself and the marina staff think that it could be the thermostat because after we put new plugs in and ran it for 6 hours there was carbon build up on the plugs when we came back to dock. We seem to believe that because the thermostat is not working properly, the engine is not running at full operating heat, which may be causing the carbon build up on the plugs so quickly.
Does anyone feel as though we’re on the right track? OR are there any other possibilities as to what could be causing this alarm to sound?
A stuck open thermostat is not triggering your overtemp alarm. I’m not saying the stat is good. Or that you have the right plugs. The alarm sounds in response to cylinder head temp.
Carbon fouling is a symptom of rich mixture. Misadjusted carb needle valves is a likely source.
Find the temp switch at the end of a tan wire on the cylinder head, probably near the top. On the other end of the tan wire is the overtemp horn. The other side of the horn is wired to +12V from the keyswitch (purple wire). When the head reaches a certain temp (probably neighborhood of 163º F), the switch closes, closing the circuit and causing the horn to sound.
Only two things other than an actual overtemp condition can sound the alarm: a wiring fault, in which the tan wire is shorting to ground somewhere along its length, or a malfunctioning temp switch.
To test the switch, find the connector under a rubber sleeve on the tan wire a couple inches back from the head, unplug it, and remove the switch. Connect it to your multimeter set on “continuity test” mode, drop it in a pot of water on the stove with a kitchen thermometer and turn up the heat. Ask your mechanic what temp should turn the switch on.
Toss the thermostat in there, too, and observe the temp at which it opens. Its operating temp should be stamped on it somewhere.
If you can hold your fingers against the cylinder head for several seconds with no permanent scarring, it’s probably not overheating.
How can I tell if my 1982 Johnson 115 Seahorse is overheating?
I just bought an old bass boat with this Johnson 115. The guy said it’s never given him a lick of problems, but when I was running it with the water hose and placed my hands on the cylinders/heads it was almost unbearable. I am getting flow out of the little nipple that comes out under the cowl, but the water coming out of it is cold? The engine runs great, but I don’t want to burn it up the first time out. Since it is older and doesn’t have the loud alarm like the newer engines i am trying to be carefull. Please help!
There is a temperature switch and tag (2 off) listed for this model that appear to mount on the heads. And there is an alarm buzzer fitted to the remote control box.
Make sure the water from the tap is turned on heaps when the engine is running – it is not hard to be slightly starving the engine of water while running.
Heads should be hot enough to just be able to hold your hand against them for a few seconds at a time – don’t expect them to be cold or just warm if the thermostat is fitted and working. Normal temp is somewhere around 70-80 degrees C. If the engine ever gets hot enough to scorch the paint you are in deep sauce though.
The water out the indicator is only a fraction of the water passing through the engine – most of which is dumped out the exhaust and idle pressure relief vent on the leg. The thermostat on this one is behind a cover low down between the ‘V’ – tubes from which feed the heads.
How can I see if my Johnson 115 1982 is overheating?
I just bought an old bass boat with this Johnson 115. The guy said it’s never given him a lick of problems, but when I was running it with the water hose and placed my hands on the cylinders/heads it was almost unbearable. I am getting flow out of the little nipple that comes out under the cowl, but the water coming out of it is cold? The engine runs great, but I don’t want to burn it up the first time out. Since it is older and doesn’t have the loud alarm like the newer engines i am trying to be carefull. Please help!
Old time mechanics sprinkle water on the heads, if it sizzles like grease in the skillet, the engine is to hot. But, if you have concerns, it’s a good practice to replace the water pump impeller every two to three years. Cool water out of the bypass is only an indicator that the water pump is pumping. These are pretty good engines. Be sure to use TCW-3 oil (mixed with the fuel). Also use only fresh fuel and try to use it up, each time out. Don’t leave it sitting in the carbs or tank for over 30 days. This is a change in the last couple years.
EDIT jtexas is correct and knows his outboards. I understand your concerns but I would think that replacing the water-pump, will alleviated any temp. issues. Check with the guy you bought it from and ask when it was last replaced, anything over a year, and you should replace it. There are very few failures of the overheating horn, so I don’t thank your engine is that hot yet, but it might be marginal……..Good luck!