# Sat. 11/8: everything right, but no bite



## July_Johnson (Nov 10, 2014)

I took my son surf fishing on Bolivar this weekend expecting to run into some really good action, but wound up getting shut out except for a few catfish. I'm new to this, so help me, veterans, determine what was missing or wrong. 

Cooler weather has arrived
Fished for several hours on an incoming tide
Surf was calm
Water reasonably clear
Used live fingerling mullet
Tried catching bait, but no luck
Placed the bait in the second cut
Performed the fish dance periodically to gain favor with the fish gods

I understand that some things about fishing are relatively unknowable, but also suspect that something was out of sorts that I didn't account for. Thanks in advance for your wisdom and creativity.


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## Mustad7731 (May 23, 2004)

*Diamonds or Stones*

July...

To quote John Denver....

"Some days are Diamonds', Some Days are Stones"....

Sometimes it just doesn't come together....If anyone tells
you it doesn't happen to them....They are bigger Lairs than
politicians!!!

Keep after it and you WILL catch some big fish...

My $0.02
Mustad7731
Jack


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

You can't win all the time, but here's a few tips for next time. First off, the barometric pressure was high this weekend and that makes for slow fishing. Second is bait, live finger mullet is probably the last thing I would use in the surf this time of the year, give crab or jumbo shrimp a try in the fall and winter months. Third, location, location, location. Did you just pull up to a random spot on the beach and start fishing? Did you notice any breaks in the waves where there could be a cross cut? Any structure in the water? Any heavy shell or clay on the beach to let you know what kind of bottom you were fishing? Did you only try to fish in the second gut? Try to place your rods in different spots until you locate the fish. Don't give up, it will all come together one day.


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## [email protected] (Jan 14, 2005)

sharkchum said:


> You can't win all the time, but here's a few tips for next time. First off, the barometric pressure was high this weekend and that makes for slow fishing. Second is bait, live finger mullet is probably the last thing I would use in the surf this time of the year, give crab or jumbo shrimp a try in the fall and winter months. Third, location, location, location. Did you just pull up to a random spot on the beach and start fishing? Did you notice any breaks in the waves where there could be a cross cut? Any structure in the water? Any heavy shell or clay on the beach to let you know what kind of bottom you were fishing? Did you only try to fish in the second gut? Try to place your rods in different spots until you locate the fish. Don't give up, it will all come together one day.


2X what he said or the fish just were not there.


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## July_Johnson (Nov 10, 2014)

Thanks for the ideas, Sharkchum. I understand that my bait choice was likely poor and that I didn't spend much time selecting a good spot. I'm confused, however, about the idea that high pressure is a bad thing. 

According to what I've read about the effect of barometric pressure on fish: "low means slow"; following a front, even a weak cold front like we had midweek, there should be higher pressure a few days later, and thus hungry fish. It sounds like your experience is the exact opposite.


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## Matt L. (Aug 24, 2011)

July_Johnson said:


> Thanks for the ideas, Sharkchum. I understand that my bait choice was likely poor and that I didn't spend much time selecting a good spot. I'm confused, however, about the idea that high pressure is a bad thing.
> 
> According to what I've read about the effect of barometric pressure on fish: "low means slow"; following a front, even a weak cold front like we had midweek, there should be higher pressure a few days later, and thus hungry fish. It sounds like your experience is the exact opposite.


I also fished Bolivar side on Saturday with a couple of buddies. We caught a few nice bull reds in the afternoon, when the tide was rising, but they were all on baits we kayaked out a couple hundred yards. The ones that we put in the second gut never got hit.

So they were apparently a little farther out that day.


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## [email protected] (Jan 14, 2005)

We landed 12 on saturday all on casted baits. I was fishing a bit of structure on E McFaddin beach. I think we could ahve caught more if the water was not so clean.


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## July_Johnson (Nov 10, 2014)

[email protected] said:


> We landed 12 on saturday all on casted baits. I was fishing a bit of structure on E McFaddin beach. I think we could ahve caught more if the water was not so clean.


Oscar, those are beautiful fish. What does "a bit of structure" mean on the beach front and how do you know it's there?


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## [email protected] (Jan 14, 2005)

sharkchum said:


> Third, location, location, location. Did you just pull up to a random spot on the beach and start fishing? Did you notice any breaks in the waves where there could be a cross cut? Any structure in the water? Any heavy shell or *clay* on the beach to let you know what kind of bottom you were fishing?


Yes those were good looking fish!
Thanks!


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

July_Johnson said:


> Thanks for the ideas, Sharkchum. I understand that my bait choice was likely poor and that I didn't spend much time selecting a good spot. I'm confused, however, about the idea that high pressure is a bad thing.
> 
> According to what I've read about the effect of barometric pressure on fish: "low means slow"; following a front, even a weak cold front like we had midweek, there should be higher pressure a few days later, and thus hungry fish. It sounds like your experience is the exact opposite.


I'll try to explain. The "low means slow" is wrong. I don't know where you read that, but whoever wrote it must be smoking crack. Barometric pressure is simply " the weight of air". Imagine if you will a 300lb bean bag strapped to you body, you could still move around, you could still eat, but you wouldn't feel like doing anything because you would be so uncomfortable. The fish feel the same way when the pressure is high. A high or rising barometer puts pressure on the fish's swim bladder making them uncomfortable and instead of feeding they spend there time trying laying around. Right before a front hits the pressure drops the lowest and the fish are actively feeding, after a front the pressure remains high for 3 or 4 days and the fish become lethargic, when the pressure returns to normal the fish become active again.


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## Shark_Reeler (Aug 16, 2014)

Exactly right but sometimes the pressure drops quick and the bite can be on in less than 2 days after a high pressure front. On top of that, the water is usally calmer and more bait gather in the shallows which draws the predators in as well.


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## Big Guns 1971 (Nov 7, 2013)

I agree with chum except for the mullet thing. I have caught hundreds and I mean hundreds of Bull Reds on cut or finger mullet in the surf this time of year. As the water gets colder and the mullet are gone crab or jumbo shrimp seem to work well.


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## Big Guns 1971 (Nov 7, 2013)

One other thing you said was that the surf was calm. Bull reads like the surf rough. It seems like the rougher the better. Look at all of the bull red post where people have caught them and posted pictures. The surf was not calm. Keep going you will get em. I like to use the freshest bait I can get. Whiting, mullet and croaker are all good fresh cut bait. 

I'm not saying they won't bite when the surf is calm.


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## bingorocks (Oct 30, 2014)

Glad I'm learning about the barometrics.


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## [email protected] (Jan 14, 2005)

Go when and as often as you can. Just make sure you learn something everytime you get out.


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