Thread: Pawpaw knew when the fish were biting??

Here is a topic to discuss How did Pawpaw always know when the fish would be biting? It never failed Pawpaw would always say boy we are going fishing tomorrow the fish will be biting and we always came back with enough fish to feed everyone in the neighborhood . Now that he is gone I never seem to be able to catch as many fish. So can anyone tell me why the old timers always seemed to know when the fish were biting good? Because, I sure would like to know since I was not smart enough as a kid to ask my wise Pawpaw...

My grandpa would never go fishing if the cows were laying down. He said that there wasn't any point to it since the fish wouldn't be biting. I've noticed through the years (when I've been near cows and fishing) that he seemed to be right. Guess if you don't live near any cows you may be at a disadvantage!

Forgot to mention this. He also taught me to spit on my bait or lure. Years later, reading a book about fishing it said that human saliva was a mild fish attractant but even more importantly worked better as a masking agent for scents that might otherwise repel fish (i.e. the oil in our skin).

LOL..Dave that sounds so familiar my Grandmother said never fish on Sunday because you would grow to the rock you are sitting on and you would never find her fishing on Sunday but she would tear it up the other 6 days.

Part of it has to do with losing touch with nature. Our forefathers communed with nature every day and over a few dozen generations they learned a lot of associations regarding fish and game activitiy that have been lost in the last couple of generations. I remember a couple my grand daddy taught me. Pine pollen on the water and the moon high in the sky during the day would guarantee a mess of white perch. He also was a firm believer in spitting on his bait. Or, rising barometer after a low and no wind and you better have your bottom end sitting in a deer stand. Same with a falling barometer - in the woods or on the water cause the game is moving and the fish are biting.

Since this is an opinion question.....

If a person is generally proficient at fishing, then I would say the most important things are the weather/water conditions and the habits of the fish you intend to catch. If its springtime and the crappie are shallow, I could predict with fair certainty that I'm going to have a good day on a clear reservoir if there's some cloud cover and some wind. If it's a river system, then sunlight and gradually falling, clearing water tells me the same thing. If its post frontal and a bluebird sky, I know the fishing is going to be slower, deeper, and we probably won't catch as many. With the cost of gas, I try to maximize my chances by going when they are "on." A good forum or a few buddies who know their stuff doesn't hurt, either. Not to mention a few well-placed crappie beds.

If your pawpaw lived near the water he took you fishing in, a lot of times all it took was a look at the water conditions for him to know he could catch fish. All good fishermen are observers. It is the most important skill of all.

Things like cows feeding, solunar tables, and other "signs" may give you more confidence, and if so, you may fish harder and more attentively. But if a guy who brings fish in by the ice chest full tells you that you need to go fishing tomorrow because they will be biting, I would go if I can, "signs" or not. JohnG, for example. I've driven 9 hours before because he said they would be biting the next day.

They were.

i heard a old fella talkin about the cow layn down thing too

Radio Fishing report comes on some station tmrw NOON. Heard them say that for inshore specks (when it the right time of year for them) consult the Lunar tables.... the Hi activity time.

As far as the cows go, I think that there might be some truth in it when it comes to the bad heat of summer, mid-day fishing and etc. especially considering that my grandpa mostly only did freshwater fishing. Early morning and late afternoons in the middle of summer in the Deep South is usually better, not to mention easier on the fisherman!

Here's a couple of more thoughts:
My Grandmother died a week before her 101st birthday and she used to say that every day a man fishes adds another day to the length of his life. (I like this one.)
Her husband used to say the man that catches a lot of fish is the man that keeps a hook in the water a lot of the time. (I also like this one.)
Both of these are why I try to fish at least 200 days of the year, somewhere.
That is also why it is 90 feet from my front door step to my dock on Lay Lake on the Coosa river.
Another favorite is "a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work".