Bird Fishing Helpfull Hints
 

Here is a set of basic tips and rules of thumb for everyone to read over on bird fishing!

Tips:

When you locate a group of birds , don't just run up to them. There are a few things you need to know 1st about that group to be successful
- Look to see which way the wind is blowing, this is the first key factor to your success for bird fishing
- Once you have determined watch way the wind is blowing you want to go up wind of the birds,
- Once your a good ways upwind point your boat nose straight on to the set, and drive up slowly until your 400-500 yards away from set, shut your big motor down
- Now once your trolling up to the group of birds you need to determined which way the fish or group is moving...this is very important to know how you will set up on the fish.
- with light wind you should be able to place the boat in a good position to cast into the set or where you see fish popping
- If winds are high and its rough you will have to work the trolling motor more than fish....You will have to try to get your guys or gals in the best position to cast into the group while you maintain the boat from blowing into them....

Never approach a group of birds trolling upwind! This will spook the fish and shut the bite off quickly, always let the wind drift you to them! if calm let the tide push you or troll softly over

Rule of thumb is 2 boats are plenty on a group of birds and if its real windy or rough you will only be able to fish one boat per set

Awareness is key also.... You should approach a set of birds to get the most number of fish out of them. Don't worry about other groups or your next move, as this is where lots mess up on fish! Take your time and fish them ! Remember if you know which way the birds are moving you know which way the fish are moving. So when the birds fly away your able to still produce fish! Trout don't fly so there still in the area.... I have produced tons of fish by staying after the birds leave.... ;)

System.... If you do join someone on a group of birds allow the person there to be the leader! Allow them the best angle on the group and you fill in the gap... More then likely if you crowd them they will get pushy and blow the group out!

Have courtesy for all anglers and respect, you can learn a lot also by watching others fish.

Good Luck


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that ol hr and g guide taught ya that? otr did he force ya to post this up? lol great info for those who dont know

What the heck?

Theres rules on fishing birds? Who enforces these rules? I dont want to get caught by the "eagle eye police"

i thought you were a junior game warden??;)

No bashing....This is for those who may not have the experience to fish a lot

Good info, W. Why don't you add that article to the wiki under the topic "Fishing the Birds"?

http://www.gcoutdoors.com/w/index.ph...edit&redlink=1

I agree. W do you have a theory on how to fish the birds when dealing with a GUIDE??????

that is some good info. i needed that i have never fished birds before.

Was going to say the same thing - this is something everyone should read.

On really windy days I have also caught trout under sitting birds on numerous occasions. Watched the birds do this on Big Lake a few weeks ago when the wind was awful - they would feed for a few minutes and then land. You could watch em fly about 100/200 hundred yards and then land again - right with the school.

A guide on Sabine taught me to fish sitting birds under rough conditions.

Don't know if anyone else has ever seen this, but it has worked for me.

Today the wind was blowing us so hard into them... I had the trolling motor wide open point into the wind and let Brian and Darren get on the back and slam em.... We only fished a few sets to produce our 45...... Had a few throw backs..

This is a good post......very informative on potlicking the birds.....i mean fishing the birds

Good post W.
I really like reading this kind of post. Good information.

Good Info
 

Good job there W. It is good to read info that will make better fisherman. This should help alot of people catch more fish and be more courteous.:cheers:

May I add something to the list for waders?



Fishing birds works well while wading aswell..Just ask bruce




good list W.

birds
 

That's good info to have. I haven't fished birds so it's helpful information to me and I appreciate it.

Caught many under sitting birds.

Good post W

Nice tip about fishing sitting birds on windy days. Makes sense - they're tired or full - and want to stay near their spot.

I'd also add - don't run your trolling motor higher than 50% close to the set. I think the noise/vibration scares 'em off.

thanks for posting.

this is what I normally try to do. The only problem down here is when you shut your big motor off 4-500 yds away and start drifting with the wind, before you can get to the school, you have 5 boats that run up to the birds 20 yards away and catch their 2 fish,and the school scatters before you can get close. pshshshhhshhhhhh

why u think i put a 109 36v tm on my 20 ft boat!!;)

:amen:

I got a 101 lb. trolling motor too,but that still doesnt outrun an outboard. These guys down here have an all in one motion when fishing birds. they will run right up to the birds,shut their outboard off,run to the front of the boat and be picking up their rod with one hand and letting down the trolling motor with the other. they are totally content on catching 1-2 fish before they scare the crap out of the school.

sounds like a school you dont wanna mess with regardless if you get there first or the jerk offs do they r gonna ruin it anyways. thats what they reallt make topwater baits for not for catching fish nut catching other fishermen who are always on yo spot!!!

yeah,really, Usually hafta end up going to a whole new area,because the idiots will ruin every pile of birds they can see. I guess thats when the crackers on the water would make a good decoy move.

i forgot about that i REA<LLY wanna do that a video tape it !! it would be even better when all the other boats pull up just set yer rod down and start blasyin em with a paint ball gun

also, to weed better fish out of the birds use a mirrolure, twitch/jerkbait, or topwater. if it is a weekday, hang back away from the birds and use a long casting lure to reach them, they will work a lot longer.

ask Mallardfish how I did it one day with him :grinpimp:

A lot of this is the same but........ Here is a little more information on the fishing the "Birds".


Locating Birds......there are several things to learn in doing this. First
is to spot the birds from long distances [up to a mile away] and then
identify them. Seagulls are what you are looking for-----not the "TERNS"
which look very similar and there are a lot of them out there. Watching the
birds behavior can tell you if it is feeding or what I call just "Picking"
....picking up something every now and then.
Seagulls will usually be calling out when they are feed and you will hear
the noise. Finding seagulls sitting on the water can be very good sign
that there are fish in the area----but just not chasing bait right now.

Approaching feeding Birds.......I find it best to always approach a flock of
birds from up wind or ahead of the direction the birds are working. This is
done by staying 200+ yards away and making a circle. If the wind is blowing
say 10+ mph.....be careful to not get directly up wind so that the boat
drifts straight towards where the fish are feeding. Have the anchor ready,
so it can slowly be lowered into the water, if needed. Never---Never----drop
the anchor into the water. The noise can spook the fish. Same for noise in
the boat....don't jump or bang on the boat.

Fishing under Birds........this is where many many people make mistakes that
can ruin a good opportunity to catch some fish. Oh, when fishing under birds
it is usually Speckled trout, but could be Red fish or both. Speckled trout
can be scared off very easily. You can NOT-----let me say that again----you
can NOT approach a flock of birds with the engine running. I always try the get on the up-wind side and let the wind help push the boat towards the birds. But be sure that you are not in a direct line to pass right through the flock of birds [and fish]. As a
rule......slow down when you are 200 yards away to a slow idle speed. At
about 125-150 yards cut off the engine and use the trolling motor. When you
get within 75 yards of where the nearest birds are feeding, stop and start
casting. The fish could be scattered out over a fairly large area or if the
school is moving there could be some stragglers. Also.....usually [sometimes
?] the larger trout will not be in the middle where the birds are diving but
farther away, so always cast a few times away from the center of action it
could have BIG results.

Approaching the birds slowly is a must. If you come in too fast the birds
will sometimes leave....making it hard to locate just where the fish are.

Fish etiquette.........This unfortunately is not followed by a lot of
fishermen and can result in no one catch very many fish. If one boat does
not use the above guide lines.....it can ruin it for anyone else fishing
that spot. If you are luck enough to be out on the lake on a calm day, there
should be several places where birds are feeding......so don't try to crowd
in where someone is fishing especially if you can see another flock of birds
and nobody fishing them. I usually fish during the week to avoid the crowds
on the weekends. If this is the only birds working and there is room for
you to move in closer and not be in the way of the other boat(s).....it
should be ok....but do it slowly and don't get too close. I have seen where
4 or 5 boats are fishing is the same area and everyone is keeping a good
distance [casting distance] away from each other. When you are ready to
leave.....i.e. not catching any fish....but there is still another boat
nearby, use the trolling motor to get 125+ yards away before starting the
engine and then idle the engine to get farther away.

No Birds...But fish chasing shrimp-------this does happen sometimes and you
usually hear the noise before seeing them. Shrimp make a "clicking" sound
when jumping along the surface of the water to get away from a fish that is
trying to catch it. Also another noise that can be heard is a fish [usually
a trout] chasing or catching a shrimp or bait fish on the surface. Both of
these noises are what a fisherman is trying to imitate when using a cork to
fish with. The corks are designed to make the same noise to attract a Trout.

This is all some very good information!

This should be posted at all the launches....probly still wouldn't help some off the idiots that just run up wide open

That's the one thing keeping me from being an all out trout fisherman. IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!

Good post 'W'. You taught me well. When I shut the big motor down, I've have a buddy or two say that I'm too far away, but this is the time to study the movement. Then I've also have other boats just cut in and take me out.

did the same with mine and guess what it broke again i'm telling yall my trolling motor is a lemon... gives me about four trips

Thanks for the info guys!!!!!!

Shadman demoted me from Jr. Moderator in Training back to Expert Potlicker.

ha ha expert potlicker back back gimme 50 feet lmao:rotfl:

i would like to add 1 boat per set of birds!! find your own

terns or liar birds
 

Gearld mentioned the terns or what most of us refer to as liar birds. If they are staying in the same place and hitting the water, I would not pass them up. Also, pelicans can point the way to some fish if they are feeding in one location. The pelicans are usually feeding on mullet or some type of finfish and the trout there may be larger.

Please keep this to yourselves as I don't want to give up all my secrets

Weapon of Mass Destruction
 

When fishing birds it is always good to bring the Weapon of Mass Destruction with you. Just messing around one day with sand trout and began tying on more baits after every cast. Tied on 5 baits and caught 5 fish.

Potlicking
 

I have potlicked someone at your wading hole by that big round thang. But I stayed on the souf side of the ditch, let them have their space.

Today's Chronicle Article on fishing under the birds
 

great article

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
How do yall come up with all this stuff.

:*****::*****::*****::*****::*****::*****::*****:: *****:

It took a minute to put it together but it was definitely worth it!

That is awesome

a friend taught me this, pop-corn also works well:D

Best I've seen yet.

Back Back.......Stay off my BIRDS:pissed::pissed:

I have got way too much free time out here!