STEALTH
How many times have you heard or personally said the remark when looking out across the still morning or evening waters of a wilderness lake these words....."It's so peaceful".........

Actually, all is not as it appears. Just under that still facade there is a brutal violent world taking place where creatures are biting and ripping and killing and eating each other. This happens 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. It is the world they live in. As a result, most creatures including fish, have developed a heightened sense of awareness. Make no mistake, fish are attuned to their surroundings in a way most people can't quite comprehend IMO. I also believe that the larger the fish the more refined this awareness has developed.

When I fish stealth is my watchword. I try and target large fish. Consequently I try and be as quiet as possible. Lets examine our mode of travel first and then apply the same principle to our tackle. Talking is not our problem.......vibrations transmitted through our boat is. These must be minimized or preferably eliminated completely. Fortunately all it takes is a little planning and creativity.

Say your paddling along the shore in the evening and you set your paddle down to cast. Are you setting on something that will absorb vibration like some closed cell foam (pipe insulation works nicely) or just trying your best by laying it on the gunnels or bottom of your boat? What about your tackle trays. Do you slide those along the bottom of your boat as well or do you have something to set them on? The worse offenders are dropped pliers or dropped fish grippers......"BOOM" >:(
What I love about canoe country fishing is the absolute stealth I am able to achieve. No electric motors and no hull slap from waves........just me and Mr. Big ;).

But not only do fish pick up vibrations via their lateral line......they also have eyes. I try and blend in with my surroundings as much as possible as per my clothing choices. When I take someone new here in Florida backcountry fishing the first thing I tell them is no "here I am" clothing. No white hat.....no bright orange shirt. The same goes for canoe country. If I'm fishing shallow waters you can bet I will be unobtrusive.  

You can also apply stealth to your fishing tackle. That usually means downsizing. It could be your line, your lure, perhaps making a longer cast. Last summer I had to drop down to 4lb line to get the bigger smallys to eat on a clear, still, middle of the day lake. They refused all my other offerings. (*please do not under tackle when Lake trout fishing as they will not survive an extended fight).

There are mitigating factors that apply to "stealth" fishing. For example, if it is windy and wavy the sounds of the waves will do a lot for you in disguising your presence. The same with rain. As for tackle there are also ways to compensate. Topwater lures may not be subject to the same amount of scrutiny as subsurface presentations and thus can be fished with heavier line. Large fish can often be fooled via surface lures. You can also go the opposite direction and chuck a big gaudy lure where the savagery of the kill overwhelms initial cautiousness. As in "what the heck is that....I think I want to kill it" ;D. One last thought, I also avoid "here I am fishing line" in canoe country. I am not a fan of any braids or worse any type of flourescent mono line. But again, my mindset is always in pursuit of the larger fish.......you will still catch plenty of smaller ones along the way in any event.

Still not convinced? You might be thinking "I catch plenty of fish without going through any additional precautions". My response is....."How do you know what would of happened had you been quiet"? You don't. Instead of catching several 2 lb walleyes you might have ended up with that 30". And how cool would that be 8-).