Growing up my dad was fond of saying, “if you see an old guy fishing in a boat by himself, pay attention because he probably knows how to catch fish”. Over the years this statement is holding true. I was out a week ago fishing an area that we spent many Saturday mornings fishing and there he was. The old man in the boat with his dog puttering along the edge of the marsh and catching trout as he trolled along. He caught two or three in a rather quick time span and turned the boat around and headed back up the bank to troll back down.
I did not stick around long, as I was not catching any fish on the bank I thought would be productive, but I did wonder if it was location or technique. Part of me wanted to go and ask him what he was fishing with, but another part of me realized he was on the water, with is dog, for some peace and solitude and I did not want to intrude. I did end up moving and finding a few fish in other places, but in the back of my mind I kept wondering why he had chosen that bank. Was it an area he always went and just happened to catch fish when I saw him? Was it an area he chose because of weather conditions or tide? There were a million questions I would have loved to ask just to get some little nugget of knowledge that would help me become a better angler.
The Lowcountry has an abundance of these types of fishermen. People that have spent their entire life here and have forgotten more about fishing than most of us will ever know. If you run across one of them on the water pay attention and you just may learn something. If you ever have an opportunity to hear one of them give a seminar at one of our local tackle shops, make a point to go and take notes. Pay close enough attention and who knows, you may end up being that old guy that everyone wants to glean a little information from.
Andy Pickett
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