Match the Hatch

Imagine fishing at the mouth of a tidal river for striped bass. If it has been a great season, chances are you catching stripers of up to 25 pounds in shallow water using little more than an artificial lure. Then stop and think what happens if someone flips a switch and the fish suddenly disappear.

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 exactly what was happening. After much frustration and changing the floors down to smaller tackle, I finally caught a small fish. When I got him into the boat, he coughed up his breakfast. Then I saw it - the culprit turned out to be tiny translucent crabs.

This becomes a case of needing to "match the hatch" a term very familiar in the fly fishing world. The basic theory is that you need to mimic the bait that the fish are interested in. This means that it must be matched in both size and appearance. Every angler has discovered that trout will neglect any offering that does not look like the prevalent insects and saltwater species tend to get keyed into a certain size and type of bait. For whatever reason, they turn their noses up at anything that fails to have a proper appearance.

In shallow waters like salt ponds and estuaries, this is pretty common. For example, assume the worm hatch occurs in many of these small ponds. The fish that inhabit these areas tend to only go after bait that is similar. Fly fishermen are very adept at handling this type of change. They are able to take tiny worm imitations that are typically 2 to 3 inches long and not have a problem. However, spinning anglers have a little bit more difficulty. They not only have to worry about scaling down below, 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.

Known as one of the least discriminatory fishes, the bluefish can even get focused on baitfish. Once this happens, regardless of what you are offering they simply turn away from it. This is fairly typical as the season winds on and baitfish migrate to shallow areas. At those times, a tackle box that is stocked with small spoons and small soft plastic lures allow the angler to match the preferred diet of these fish. It is not all that difficult to determine what you need in terms of size, shape, and color, just keep an eye on what the fish regurgitates onto your boat deck.

The situations are not unique, and nearly every saltwater angler will run into them at one time or another. For whatever reason, fish will be particular at times however, are prepared fishermen will likely have the resources to still get the job done. These fishermen will almost always have the tools 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 Fishing Reels, Penn Fishing Reels, and Team Daiwa Reels.