When reading a book you start out by looking at the cover, and the same is true for fishing. In this case, your cover is the weather and whatever conditions surround you. Note the wind speed and direction, where is the sun, what tidal movement is there if any, the temperature and so on. Whether you are going to fish from a boat, kayak or wade fish this information is vital to your success. It can tell you where to fish and what species you are going to target.

Now that the basic decision-making is done, you can head for the water to do some more heavy reading. As you paddle out you see all the early morning activity on the water. There are schools of mullet of all sizes and baby shrimp jumping for their very lives up close to shore. If the bait source is running away, they are being chased by something, so that would be a good place to cast. As you look down, there are crabs scurrying across the bottom. What are they fleeing from? Notice their speed and direction, and use that information to figure out where to cast your lure.

Birds are another great fishing indicator, especially when they are feeding. My favorites to follow are the blue heron, pelicans and gulls. All of this wildlife activity is useful if you know how to read it. Not only can it help to find fish but also give clues as to what they are feeding on.

In addition to wildlife activity, what is beneath the surface matters a lot as well. Look for different structure where you are fishing, like drains. In between islands and sand bars there will be gaps where water flows through. These are high-traffic areas for bait fish, so there are usually predators nearby. I like to sit near the sides of these areas and cast into them, even more so when there is a lot of tidal movement.

I use a bone topwater lure to recon the area. Once fish are located by a strike or a blow-up, I switch to a soft plastic either weightless or not, but always weedless. Then I start working the area probing for that big bite. I section the drain area and work each one with maybe 3 or 4 casts before moving on.

Whether I am fishing for fun, with clients or in a tournament, I generally go with the Sea Devil by Brown Lures. Pink Hologram seems to work best for me, but they make many different colors that can work great for clear or muddy water.

Reading these clues can take time to learn, but the edge you get is worth it. The next time you get on the water look for wildlife movement, tidal changes, and pay attention to weather and structure. Hopefully this will help you to catch more fish the next time you are out there.

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Article Submitted By: Steve Utley
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