Backup Plan

For years I was guilty of making a major mistake each time I went fishing that really made me miss out on catching a variety of different species of fish. Once I figured this out my fishing went to another level...

Almost every time I was planning a trip out, the night before I would prep my gear with only one species in mind. It might have been Whiting on poppers or maybe vibing for Flathead for example. I would head out and sometimes the fish were on and I had a successful trip but the days the particular target species were scarce I simply packed up and went home.

On a particular day fishing St Georges Basin in NSW chasing Bream on surface lures I just couldn’t get them to eat but rather than give up for the day out of frustration, I decided to flick a few soft plastics around in deeper water to see if I could find a Flathead for a feed. Well, what unfolded was a hectic session on legal-size Flathead that went for almost 2 hours!

I was so focused on the day being all about big Bream but it turned into something very different and the lesson was learned. I realised I needed to stop being so one-eyed when prepping for a day on the water.

It might sound a little basic to suggest but reading every situation and being well-prepared is the key to better overall success. I still think preparing for a certain species is the way to go but having a smaller variety of lures and outfits that suit other species you may find in your fishing destination is easy to do and simply makes you a more versatile fisho. A small collection of plastics in various sizes, perhaps a few vibes and a handful of poppers will cover just about everything.

So if you have exhausted all options on a target species and they just won’t eat have a good look around you, think about what the tide is doing and go to your backup plan to perhaps save the day.

Tight Lines, Bergie 

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