Match the Hatch

Fishing the mouth of the tidal river in the Northeast for striped bass it was the spring of 2007. This was the perfect catching season. In fact, stripers of up to 25 pounds could be caught in shallow water on artificial lures. However, one interesting day it was if somebody had changed everything around, and the fish seem to be almost nonexistent.

As the day proceeded in the sun got higher, the water became easier to see through it was simple to see fish moving along in small groups. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried to catch of fish they were simply not interested in any of my lures. It was almost as if they were distracted by something that I could not see.

As it turned out, this was persuasively what was happening. I tried and tried, and after landing a small specimen I discovered it had been feeding on tiny translucent crabs. I found this out after a coughed up his breakfast on the deck of the boat and his secret was out. This was definitely a case that unless you wanted to go home fishless you would have to use the smallest presentation lure possible.

These are precisely the situations we you can steal a lesson from the fly fishing world. It is called “match the hatch” and in essence what it means is that you need to find the bait that is similar to what the fish are feeding on. Not only does the size have to match, but the appearance has to be close. It has often been noted that some fish neglect any offerings that are not similar in nature to the current insect hatch. Saltwater species also share this trait. They get fixated on a certain size and type of bait and nothing else will attract them.

This does seem to be more prevalent in the Northeast, especially for those who favor salt ponds and estuaries. For example, the worm hatch that occurs in the salt ponds will tend to distract the fish and unless your bait closely mimics these worms, you’ll find little success. This is typically not problematic for fly fishermen, since tiny worm imitations of 2 to 3 inches long are not a problem for them. However, those who favor spinning rods are likely to find themselves in quite a predicament. For those anglers, they not only have to scale down the lure but also their tackle.

Spinning rods using 10 pound test braided line is a great way to cast with these offerings. The advantage is they can still snag a large fish in a salt pond. Some anglers find that The Lunker City Slug-O in the 3” size using an offset worm hook makes a reasonable substitution for the cinder worm. There are certainly other soft plastic lures that will work well; it is more a matter of finding the size and color that works best.

Long known as one of the least discriminatory fishes in the ocean, the bluefish will from time to time focus on tiny baitfish and regardless of what you offer them, they simply refused to strike. This is especially common is the season grows longer and the baitfish invade the shallow waters. Fishermen will find the tackle box stocked with small spoons and soft plastics allow them to still have a great fishing day. The secret to this is to keep an eye on what the fish coughed up on the boat deck. That will help you determine what size, shape, and color they are really after.

Saltwater anglers almost always will run into the situation at one time or another. It just happens that if you are well-prepared you will have the available tools to ensure that you still have a successful fishing day. Always make sure that you have exactly what you need on hand to effectively “match the hatch”.

When you are out saltwater fishing it is important to make sure you have the right supplies. Some of the most popular brands include Shimano Reels, Penn Saltwater Reels, and Daiwa Fishing Reels.