WILD BLOG: Who wants to be a millionaire? Or, tell me someting, a**hole!!
POSTED June 14, 2009 / 8:30 p.m.

Whenever I go to seminars, outdoor shows, etc, anywhere we meet anglers, inevitably I get the same question: “How do I get to be an expert angler?” 

So many variables, my standard answer - even though it sounds like a cop-out - really isn’t. I tell them it’s nothing that 20-plus years of hard work driven by a single-minded purpose won’t do. But if you truly want to be in the elite groupings of the Buzz Ramseys of our little world, then heed this one and only tip: Find anglers more successful than you and ask questions until they walk away or want to hit you. Then write it down in a journal.

That’s it? The true secret to being an open division angler, I mean, that’s it? Ask questions?  Write it down?

You bet.

Allow me to elaborate a bit, and by the end of this you will recognize a pattern that I’m sure you’ve experienced a bit too much, or may just be guilty of yourself.

Tell me something, a**hole!: Most recent case in point. I’m very interested in the June saltwater sockeye fishery up in Port Alberni Inlet on Vancouver Island. What could be better? The chromest of chrome sockeye for fight and table fare? Hell yeah!

So I’ve been asking anglers that fished this area for sockeye, and my answers - from perhaps a dozen guys -  have been close to the following:

How deep are the salmon?
“Well, I’m not sure, 20 feet, no, wait, 50.”

Which lures work best?
“I think little orange, no, pink spoons. Wait, were we using pink squid? Yeah, pink squid. I think.”

How fast were you trolling?
“Pretty fast. No, really slow. Kinda slow.”

Exactly how fast?
“I dunno. We were catchin’ them, though."

Flashers or dodgers, and what color?
“I’m pretty sure flashers. Wait, the lures were just swinging slow, so dodgers. Green ones. No, red”

What leader length?
“Eighteen, no, wait, 30 inches. I think, I’m not sure.”

When did you go?
“Early June. No, end of July. I can’t remember, exactly.”

You get the picture. The same puzzled, fishing-for-answers mumbling I get from questions on Rufus Woods triploids, Drano Lake springers, Lake Roosevelt trophy kokanee, Sekiu summer kings ... I have an impressive list of wishy-washy info from a hundred places. Think of how many times you've been placed in the same scenario, frustrated by the lack of information from someone who has fished an area you want to go, yet amazingly has really no clue about any detail from their trip.  

What the h-e-l-l?!?

This is just one example of the aggravation I suffer through literally dozens of fishermen when asked specifics about any fishery. I don’t believe they are trying to be coy, they simply don’t pay attention to the all important details. Doesn’t matter the species - steelhead, king salmon, kokanee - the malady spreads faster than swine flu. These non-information-giving anglers all suffer from the same virus: that is you can bet they never ask questions to successful fishermen on the water. 

And this is what keeps the majority of fishermen from being successful on a consistent basis.

My huevos are your huevos: Here’s how it works in Bill’s World. Say I’m trolling for kokanee in local American Lake and someone pulls along side my boat to ask questions, usually why he can’t buy a strike while my boat is experiencing doubles. I’m always more that happy to answer in detail any question this brave soul wants to ask. That’s the proper and ethical way to do it. I figure, if he has the huevos to ask, I’ll help if I can. By doing my homework and paying attention to the fine details, I can give a straight and helpful answer.

Now let’s say I see a guy catch a fish, and I’m struggling on that particular body of water. If I can do it without disturbing his water or getting in his way (there will be a time, either during fishing or at the ramp), I’ll position my boat within talking distance or simply walk up to him. A quick friendly greeting, then ask what he was using to get the conversation started. Right away you can tell if the angler is going to be helpful.

If h's willing to share any information, keep firing questions until you sense he doesn’t want to talk anymore. Most guys, thankfully (especially the guys who did well) are more than receptive and here’s where you get your golden information for future trips. This is the stuff you mentally download that eventually makes you a great angler. 

Nothing beats on-the-water info from someone who has taken the time to figure out a fishery. And when I get home, I write it all down, as much detail as I can recall.

You know who you are ...: On the other hand, there are the “water weasels”, the guys who speak to no-one and smugly tell you in so many words to go have self-relations. I realize there are some guides who must protect some true secret techniques to keep the upper hand, especially on a crowded river. You guys get a pass. For the most part, if you fall into the “I never ask, and I never tell” category, well, you will never grow as an angler and you are doing others a great non-service.

Ask guides. Ask the guys floating by in the drift boat. Ask the dudes trolling within earshot. Even ask the lone bankie who seemingly knows nothing, he may surprise you with an observance that you or very few anglers have noticed. There is usually something to be gleaned from every angler.

My personal favorite “targets” are the old guys trolling alone. I promise you, these guys are so happy to have someone to rap with they will be more than glib. To the point they are hard to get away from. These are the anglers who have spent a lifetime on that piece of water and know it better than anyone.

Ears open, mouth shut.

The info train: Keep a journal. Giving the benefit of the doubt to these fishermen who are “not really sure” what, where, when, etc, they were relying strictly on memory. Memory has a way of twisting fact. Write it down, that’s how you know next June12 in Port Alberni Inlet to target sockeye in 50 feet of water on an incoming tide at 1.5 mph with a hot pink mini squid, two tandem #1 red Gamakatsu hooks on 13 inches of 12 pound Maxima Ultragreen behind a #000 nickel/red reflective tape dodger tied to 12 pound mainline, 20 feet behind the ball.

Ask the questions! This is how you become Buzz Ramsey.

By all means read articles, books and the like. Listen to the radio, especially (insert shameless plug here) the killer freak super pimps on the Number One outdoor show in America, Northwest Wild Country, every Saturday morning from 6 to 8 am on Sportsradio 950, KJR-AM Seattle. Joel Shangle is awesome, Mike Perusse is an information guru, but that Herzog, man, he pisses me off…

The Internet can also be helpful, BUT ONLY TO A POINT. Try looking up “techniques for Rufus Woods triploids” and see the uncountable variables in terminal tackle alone. Don’t be fooled by the radio, TV or the magazine. These are only starting points. First and foremost, go to that body of water and spend some time quizzing the folks in the know. 

So next time I ask you a fishing question, be ready. And yes, as a matter of fact, I am going to Vancouver Island,  The Edgar in tow, targeting those Port Alberni saltwater sockeye. With ultra light kokanee gear. Father’s Day weekend. Stay tuned, report to follow.

Metal To The End,

-Billy H.

“Out there is a fortune, waiting to be had.
You think I’ll let it go, you’re mad…
You got another thing comin’.”