Do You Actually Fish... Or Do You Just Watch Rods?

[BaitThrower]

To me, fishing is grabbing a rod, adding tackle, baiting a hook, dropping or casting it, then HOLDING onto the rod and feeling for any nibbles, and then trying to strike at the right time... rarely does the rod go into a holder (except when its lunch time)

I see heaps of blokes on boats who cast a rod and then whack it in a holder and sit back and wait for the fish to bite... Needless to say, when I am anchored up near them, I pull in 10x as many fish as they do, and some have not even caught a thing for hours while I pull in the fish (even though most are undersize I usually get a feed and certainly more than the "rod watchers" do).

So the question is... are you a "REAL" fisherperson, or just a rod watcher?

[Steeler]

Unfortunately for me and mean this literally i am a rod watcher, not through a lack of bloody try'n though.

Steeler

[Peter4]

If you fish plastics rather than bait then you don't have much of a choice.

You will catch fish on a 'dead stick', but much more often you will attract hits if you are actively working the plastic with lifts, jiggles, slow retrieves, burn & kills etc...

I hate being a rod watcher. Generally I use two rods at a time - one worked actively and one a dead stick, though I swap rods every 5 minutes or so...

Keeps you busy....

Regs

Pete

[Marlin_Mike]

Thats a good question Bait Thrower. I think there's something in that for all of us.


Mike

[rids01]

Hrm this completely depends what type of fishing you are doing.
Fishing for pelagics I've never needed to 'feel' for a bite..... mackerel tend to let you know they're there...

[jtpython]

Bottom fishing holding and floating pillies or gar let and wait for the peligics to strike and hook them selves
JT

[MyEscape]

Not a bad qwuestion indeed.

I have to put my name down as a fisherman, as I like to work a lure or plastic, but if I'm not trolling around with the electric, then i'll put a dead bait out on another rod and let it sit there while I'm fishing with a plastic.

But, there's a lot of fish caught on dead baits on rods in holders.

Steve

[PinHead]

and if you are fishing for bream and using chook gut for bait..hanging onto the rod is useless..just makes you feels good having your rod in your hand.
So anyone holding onto the rod in that instance is not really fishing.

Also..I guess by your description that those using outriggers and trolling are not really fishing either.

[Marlin_Mike]

I do neither. More often than not, i am just feeding the fish....LOL......

[Sea-Dog]

If the holder of rods is a real fisherman,
then what is a handliner... an uberfischer?

[finding_time]

What about floating out baits on the bait runner for snapper!! You'll have 4 rods in action all slowly tricking out in the burley trail, those rods are better of in the rod holders i your not going to grab them as quick( a good thing) and 2 if your doing it right your to busy to hold the rods as your keeping the burley up to the fish , your winding in a least on of the rods at any time to start the process again or putting a fish in the box. I reckon that's real fishing!!

Ian

Ps. Trolling aswell( not fishing i guess)

[HeadBanger]

I do both. If the fish are REALLY slow then I'll chuck it in the holder, and maybe put some bells on it or something. However, I'll often chuck it out and put it in the holder when I have to concentrate on other stuff, like collecting firewood or eating lunch.

95% of the time I'll be holding it though. Do I qualify as a fisherman?

Thanks,
Kaidon

[fishn-ads]

Sometimes its hard to hold a beer (just 1 or 2), smoke, rod and drive a boat so I guess it's horses for courses

[charleville]

Not only do I hold the rod but I actively fish with it. I have proven undoubtedly that I miss heaps of opportunities in shallow bay fishing if I just let it sit in a rod holder.

Most of the excitement in fishing for me is in the exercise of the senses in negotiating a relationship with a cautious fish nibbling at a bait. I don't get that unless I am actively fishing with the rod.

However, I also usually have an unweighted pillie floating as far out the back as I can throw the line on an unattended bait-runner. That will regularly pick up tailor or mid depth snapper.



.

[004dam]

I tend to have one just in the rod holder and the other one in my hand. But then sometimes if its a bit dead both will be in the rod holder with a close eye on them looking for obvious bites and then i will play it from there.

i have caught a few good fish on the second rod doing crud all

Been using soft plastics lately so its been swap and starting on both rods!