The 10 yard swath system.
THE FIRST STEP in this system is to locate productive water in the first place. Knowledge of your quarry and where they live in all seasons of the year is vital in this starting point. Making a plan before you even step out the door of your house is THE SECOND STEP. After all, we are there to catch fish and not waste valuable time! Knowing a river intimately will help you locate fish faster than the weekend, or recreational angler. Even if you are a recreational angler, or weekend angler, this system will work for you. The next downloadable articles will be ‘where to find the fish in all four seasons of the year’! Once we arrive at the river WITH A PLAN, we then begin to break the river down in 10 yard increments.
Starting at the top of a pool for example, we spend 10 minutes in that 10 yard area of river. If the fish are there and they are feeding, you will most likely hook into one within the first 10 minutes of fishing. Let’s say you do not have even a bite, or do not land a fish within that 10 minute window, why would you stay in that location for any longer? Are you wasting precious time waiting for the fish to come to you, or are you going to the fish?
BE THE HUNTER!
No bites and no fished hooked we move down the river, into the next 10 yard swath of river. Now we are fishing an untouched, virgin section of river. Perhaps the fish are down further in the pool or run, how we find this out is we move to the fish, WE HUNT! Now our lure or spinner is entering into fresh water, perhaps there is underwater cover here such as weeds, or large boulders, where they are not present at the top of the pool. All of a sudden we get a bite, or we actually hook one. We have moved into where the fish are living in the pool. We reel said fish in and let him go to be caught another day. On the next few casts we manage to catch another one, followed by another one several casts later. Then all goes quiet again. We make several more casts and come up empty.
WHAT HAPPENED????
We know that there were fish there and we hooked and landed 3 already. Then we spooked the school, where did they go, WHAT HAPPENED? The fish moved somewhere! They just saw three of their school mates get caught and they left the playground, BUT WHERE DID THEY GO? You just spooked the school and they went one of three places.
- Up the river to find shelter and get away from you.
- They went down river to find a safe place to hide, again to get away from the playground (your 10 yard swath of water).
- They went to the other side of the river to run and hide.
WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
There are a few things we can do now once this happens. We can move down the river and present our lure or spinner into the new 10 yard section of untouched river, locating the fish again after they have moved out of the previous 10 yard swath. If we again hook and land fish in the new 10 yard area, we proceed to keep casting and catching.
If we don’t find active fish in the new 10 yard area of river, we can sit down and admire our beautiful surroundings, giving the fish a chance to forget about the three or more fish they just saw you catch 5 minutes earlier. I like to give the fish at least a five minute break when I do this, that way they forget about their 3 friends that were down there in the school with them getting caught. During this time we can keep a look out for active fish rising, or feeding, further down the pool, or back at the top of the pool where we started. We can also CHANGE LURES, offering the fish something new during this 5 minute breather. REMEMBER, the fish may have went across the pool to the other side, so we may want to choose a lure or spinner that is heavier at this time, that way we can reach those active fish that have moved further across. If you are fishing a narrow stream, the chances that they went across the stream are next to none. They will ONLY move up or down. If you are fishing a wide river, then this tactic will come into play. Switch the lure or spinner to a heavier model and proceed to cast further across the river, maximizing every inch the river has to offer you, AND catching as many fish in the area that are feeding.
LET’S MOVE ALONG
Moving down again after this resting period will set you into a new 10 yard chunk of real-estate, and again into new untouched water. Using the same methods and tactics that have landed you fish that day; work this new 10 yard swath over and catch more fish. Sometimes you will notice that the smaller fish will live at the top of the school and the larger fish will be at the middle of the school, or at the bottom of the school. The BIG FISH are dominant and will battle for better position within the school. The big boys will have the best hiding spots as they are the kings of the castle. We need to keep moving in 10 yard increments to find those trophy fish within the area. I don’t mind catching those smaller fish, but after you become a more advanced angler, you will look for those massive fish each and every outing. You will find these BIG FISH once you start employing the 10 yard system, and keep on the constant move to locate those said BIG FISH. The process of elimination becomes easier and you will find yourself on BIG FISH more often, and more frequently with less wasted time. Once you have fished the entire pool or run, head back up the river and repeat this proven process. You have given the top portion of the pool a 30-40 minute rest and may now catch many more fish where you started.
Keep working the entire pool in these 10 yard sections and you will put more fish in your net every single outing. If you find you are not catching any more fish in the stretch of river you are fishing, it’s now time to pack up and move to a new location of the river. Repeat the 10 yard swath technique and soon you will be the talk of the local tackle shops.
Tight lines,
Mike
