IT ALL COMES TOGETHER WHEN
A BIG FISH HITS THE LINE. PHOTO: JAY BROOKS
[SCHOOLE D] LEARNING THE ROPES
BY JAY BROOKS IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO LEARN HOW TO FISH
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK After growing up in Texas, the Marine Corps relocated me to Virginia. During my first year, I attempted to use the same tactics that had worked at home. I didn’t have much success. The popping cork and live shrimp that produced big trout in Texas, didn’t work in Virginia. I had never seen a striper before. I didn’t even know what a tautog was. After too many fishless days, I realized that I had to learn a new way. Once I got to know the locals and started taking their advice, I began to see results.
INFO SPONGE Get information anywhere you can. The best resource is the lo- cal kayak fishing club. These guys are going to be your new best friends. Read magazines and newspapers that cover the area. Seek out books written about the type of fishing you want to do. The local tackle shop is another great resource. The guys behind the counter collect reports from fishermen who otherwise sneak under the radar. Spend a morning in a tackle shop drinking coffee and shooting the bull. Of course, kayak fishing blogs and online forums monitor the pulse of the sport. Even though I don’t fish out of a boat, I read on- line fishing reports posted by boaters. It’s even a good idea to join a boater-based fishing club.
MIND YOUR MENTOR
Another way to learn a new area is to approach well-respected fish- ermen. However, the privilege to fish with these legends must often be earned. After one of my local heros saw my truck parked at the launch day after day, he recognized that I was putting in time to learn the area and reached out to me. I now have several fishing mentors. They each have a niche that I aim to learn. These guys have taken my game to a new level. I’ve learned to use a fiddler crab on a single hook bottom rig to catch sheepshead and tog in the rocks and pil- ings of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. I’ve figured out how to catch trophy striper on a live eel. Sometimes all you have to do is call. I dialed up Wilderness Systems pro Chad Hoover and he filled my head with info.
WHAT COMES AROUND…
Sharing information is as important as learning it. The kayak angling community covets a member who reports his own successes and failures. Most of the locals are just as hungry for knowledge and experience. Before you know it, you’ll be an expert, too. After all, a little information can be a dangerous thing to the fish! Improvise, adapt and overcome applies to all aspects of U.S. Ma- rine Jay Brooks’ life. He learns fast and travels light. In his downtime, Brooks runs
VirginaKayakFisherman.com and fishes for the Wilder- ness Systems pro staff.
www.kayakanglermag.com… 29
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