02-07-2013, 07:26 AM
Captain Jeff Jones newest write up "Which Way To Go" Visit his website at captainonboard.org for information, tips, trips, stories, fish reports, and much more.
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Which Way To Go
Posted on February 4, 2013 by Captain Jeff Jones
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![[Image: 100_1812-886x1024.jpg]](http://captainonboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/100_1812.jpg)
All eyes are on you, and so is the pressure. A group has gathered to join you on a fishing adventure and you are the captain for the trip, so you better find some fish. Whether it be friends from work, your family or your fishing buddies, if you make the right call you might be the hero that day and in stories that are told again and again. Make the wrong call and you may never live it down. The pressure can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips to stack the odds in your favor.
Do your homework. Before finding out where the fish are biting, be sure to look at all the other factors that come into play before making a game plan. Safety first, so assess the skills and limitations of your group and plan accordingly. With a group of beginners or kids, you may not want to plan a trip far offshore or to where heaps of talent and patience are required. Look at the weather, which is easier than ever with all the weather sites available today. Obviously know the vessel you will be in charge of for the trip and don’t get everyone excited for an adventure that exceeds it’s capabilities. After all these things are considered you can now focus on the fun stuff, where the fish are.
There are many types of fishing information and most guys focus too hard on the “what” and the “where”. The answers you are looking for as a captain come when you ask the questions “when” and “how”. What time of day did your target species bite? What was the bait, lure or technique used to catch said target? Simply driving to where some fish were caught yesterday will often make your group into frustrated spectators instead of hard core killers. With a little experience (or maybe luck) you might take the intel that it “was a morning bite” and look at a tide chart. You find that the tide was high when the fish were caught, so it may be the high tide you want to fish and not the morning.
Maybe there wasn’t a bite and you are just planning a trip to a favorite island, which way do you go? This is a question that agonizes captains each and every day of our fishing season, of everyone’s fishing season. Some spots or areas have little or no back-up plan, meaning if your target species is not biting on your trip you will have nothing else to fish for. These are often referred to as “Hail Mary’s”, and good communication with your crew is essential before making such decisions. Be sure to tell your guests that there is a chance they will catch nothing, but if the fish bite it will all be worth it. Overbuilding expectations can sabotage even the best intentions of any captain.
Certain areas are more consistently productive than others, but with that comes crowds that can ruin the fishing, and your trip. When planning on heading to say, the East End of Catalina, do so on a weekday rather that a crowded weekend to avoid the drama. When a weekend trip is planned, look at areas that have had few or no reports in a long time. These areas when left alone may hold the mother lode and finding yourself the captain in a wide open bite, without a boat in sight, will make your group sing praises. The same result can come from sitting in a crowd, wailing on big fish while the rest of the fleet watches.
So now comes the moment of truth, the decision is in your hands. Which way to go? The answer will never be an easy one. You may never second guess another Captain again once you realize how difficult this decision really is.
