Letters

Planer Problem

Dear FishTalk,

Relative newbie here, I’ve only been fishing the Bay by boat for four years, and I really love all your information and videos, they have been a great help. I trolled a bit for Spanish macs and blues this summer with planers but have been losing a ton of fish before they hit the boat. The planers pop off and as we reel in, they skip and sometimes trigger, resulting in the fish bouncing around and causing slack in the line. More than half the time this results in a lost fish. Any pointers on how to reduce this?

- Paul W., via email

Dear Paul, Yep — it happens. That’s certainly one of the downsides to trolling with planers. It will help if you pull back on the throttles and slow the boat down to idle while bringing them in, but the flip side to doing so is that once you pull the throttles back the chances of a multiple hookup drop accordingly. When I’m in a red-hot bite I don’t slow down, but when it’s a slow pick I always pull back to idle to try to focus on getting that specific fish into the boat. Also, to prevent the planers from re-tripping be sure to keep your rod tip up high and be cautious about pumping the rod. Doing so may allow slack to get into the line (while dropping the tip and cranking down), which can cause it to dig in again.

Send your fish photos, questions, and comments to lenny@fishtalkmag.com

Politics, Politics

Dear FishTalk,

Ireviewed your thoughts on the state of decline of the fisheries and the political overlay. It went way over my head. The way I see it: Policy is a double edge sword. There is the top of the blade and the bottom of the blade. What I did notice is the advertisement on the facing page, and on page 82 in the September PropTalk, for electronics systems. The rise in the use of electronic devices amounts to basically shooting fish in a barrel. The Chesapeake has become a carnival. The art of fishing has become the art of certainty. “Step right up and land your child a pink teddy bear!”

It seems that targeting politicians and the voting population addresses only half the blade. Sure, there is the turf war between commercial and private catch limits. This topic is always just below the surface. And so are the fish... what’s left of them. If anyone gets edgy reading my thoughts, please don’t. There is nothing worse than an edgy blade handed down before the next battle begins. But the promotion of technology is a serious game-changer upon the balance of the resource. The art of battle means nothing if the art is removed.

I’m not sure if I’m top casting, mid-column trolling, or bouncing the bottom. However, I can say this: I can find the wreck without GPS.

-David N., via email

Dear David, On some levels we agree with you, while recognizing that tech is something we all use in our own ways to advance our goals and/or better our lives. You can make the same argument about advancements in boats, fishing tackle, etc... So, where does one draw the line? We don’t know. One thing we can say for sure, however, is that as long as the water quality in the Bay is such that large swaths of it can’t support life, all of these arguments become somewhat academic — fish stocks can’t recover regardless of how many fish we do, or do not, catch.