I like getting away from the crowd when I fish, but it’s not always possible. Crowded spots are often crowded for a reason. If there are a lot of people fishing somewhere it’s often because the fishing is good there! The flip side of this coin is that the fish in these areas can get a lot of pressure and become very tricky to catch. When I find myself in a busy fishing area, I try to change my approach, both mentally and in terms of fishing strategy.
First of all, I try to lower my fishing expectations. Fishing in a busy spot is a little like fishing on a family vacation. If you make it all about catching fish, you will likely walk away frustrated. Instead, try to find other ways to enjoy the day. Spend some time on the beach, or pack a nice picnic lunch to break up the day.
Second, when there are a lot of other anglers on the water I often just walk wherever no one else is fishing. Usually, these are spots that I would not choose to fish if no one else was around. It might be a little harder to see, or a bit deep to wade, or maybe there just aren’t usually many fish there. Sometimes this approach is a dud, but other times it seems like the fish are also avoiding everyone and I find a bunch of them feeding happily.
Another approach I sometimes take is to try something different. If it’s low tide, I might walk down the road to a shallow spot on the reef and fish for weke or trigger fish. In areas with mangroves or lots of baitfish, it can be fun to fish for barracuda. If I can access a deep drop off or get out to the surf zone, I might tie on a streamer and fish for papio. When all else fails, I might just tie on an orange squimp and blind cast for bonefish.
On one busy weekend day, after getting some rejections that made me think the bonefish were way too stressed out by all of the anglers in the water, I suggested to Tara that we walk back to the car and each lunch on the beach. As we made our way through the shallows I spotted a big silver tail pop out of the water just a few feet off the beach. There were people talking and sunbathing on the sand, and kids playing along the shoreline. Naturally, no one was fishing in the area because we all assumed that the fish would be scared by all the beach goers. Apparently this fish had figured out that it was perfectly safe to hang out by the beach!
The fish was feeding happily, but moving away from us, so we slowed down and patiently stalked it along the shoreline. A few times I thought it was turning towards us and got ready to make a cast, but the fish didn’t look like it was at all nervous so each time I decided to wait and see if I could get a better shot. Once, a cloud blew over and I lost sight of the fish completely. We stood still for several minutes and I thought for sure I had missed my chance, but then Tara pointed, “there!” The fish was tailing again, even further down the beach. As we got closer, I spotted a second fish with the first. They were swimming in a sand pocket, separated from us by a line of large rocks that extended straight out from shore. Assessing the situation, I decided that the fish would probably leave the spot in one of two directions. Quietly, we positioned ourselves so that I could cast to either exit. The pair of fish milled around lazily for a bit until they were joined by a third fish! The trio then turned and swam along the line of rocks. I cast my little brown crab out just past the last rock and waited for the fish to approach. I made two slow strips and the lead fish accelerated and tipped down to eat my fly.
I think the beach goers enjoyed watching the ensuing fight, and they seemed a bit surprised that such a big fish had been so close without them knowing. Tara snapped a couple of pics and, after sending the fish back out onto the flat, we walked the rest of the way to the car and enjoyed our lunch on the beach.
The Fishing Dojo 