Fishing patterns are cyclical in nature.  The best way to identify fishing patterns is to keep a fishing journal.  On a recent kayak fishing trip for largemouth bass, I identified a pattern from my fishing journal that was not obvious during my fishing trip.  During my fishing trip I was focused on casting to as many fishy structures with a variety of baits to quickly identify what bait the fish fancied that day. The bait that got the first fish was the Gary Yamamoto 5” D-Shad in Blue Pearl.

The bait that got the last fish was the Gary Yamamoto 5″ D-Shad in Green Pumpkin.

Clearly the Gary Yamamoto 5” D-Shad was the top performer on my fishing trip.  But, this is not the fishing pattern that emerged from my fishing journal.  The first and last fish were caught at the same cut in the river bank, which provided the fish a break from the current and the ability to ambush passing bait.  I caught the first fish at the start of my fishing trip as I paddled up the river.  I caught the last fish at the end of my fishing trip as I paddled down the river.

Hence forth I will cast my fish seducing Gary Yamamoto D-Shad baits into fishy structures at different times during my fishing trips.  Fish swim in and out of structures as the day progresses.

I went Skishing for the first time today. As I was walking backwards into the water, an angler in waders approached me. With a look of astonishment on his face he asked: “Are you going to swim out there and fish?” I was puzzled by the question. What else am I going to do with a Neosport X-Span 5 mm wetsuit, dive knife, AquaSkinz E.H.P.S. gear (Cobra bag, belt, plyers sheath, and gloves), Hansom pliers, Dragon Tails Lanyards, compass, pealess whistle. rod lease, Rapala Lock ‘N Load IGFA certified scale/griper, Tusa X-Pert Zoom Z3 Split Fins, and a 10 foot surf rod mated to a ZeeBass reel? After a 60 second silence, I responded: “Yes” and continued to negotiated my way through the boulder field behind me. He kept talking, but the sound of the surf was deafening. He shouted his final words: “You are BRAVE!”

There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Skishing without the proper gear is stupid. A great resource on skishing gear is Jacob Freeman’s Skishing Gear & Safety article.

Casting a surf rod while bobbing around in the ocean was more challenging than I thought. My “best” casts were when I was “sitting” in an invisible chair as I bobbed around. My 10 foot surf rod propelled my lure a respectable distance. But, the length of the rod butt is more optimal for Surfcasting than Skishing. Time for a custom Skishing rod! 😉

Proper gear and determination got me beyond the surf zone and into my first skish. But, a knowledge of the area and it’s surrounding currents got me back safely. ;-).

Skishing is a fishing method. But, the experience of Skishing is unlike any other method. First, Skishing is the most physically and mentally challenging fishing method. Second, it’s an experience all its own. Having personally experienced Skishing, I should now be able to describe it. But, alas the English language fails me! The words that do come to mind are: excitement, adrenaline, fear, and OMG!. I think Paul Melnyk, the founder of Skishing, said it best: Invigorating! Bottom line, to know Skishing is to experience your first skish. It’s the experience that has the tide washing in an increasing number of skishers each season.