Vertical fishing
This technique is practiced overhanging the boat with the vertical technique presented in a previous available report ICI . It's one of the simplest fishing methods for beginners.
You don't need to have years of practice behind you - there's no casting here! All you have to do is let your line run upstream of the boat and make a continuous retrieve in the elevator. The fact of being heavily weighted is also an advantage in this type of fishing, as there's little bannering and contact with the bottom is clearly perceptible.
Slow recovery!
The key to success lies in the speed of the line recovery! I neglected this parameter for too long! My retrieve was slower than usual, but not slow enough. It's really important to recover your line very slowly. A friend of mine jokingly told me: " the slower you go, the better your chances of catching a Saint-Pierre! "He's not far from the truth.
The first few times, this practice is a little confusing, but it allows your shad to vibrate slowly and the St. Pierre, which, let's not forget, is not the most agile to swim fast and attack the lure.
No shoeing!
Once you've made a few catches, you'll notice that almost all the fish will take to the lures. As we say in our fishing jargon, "they're hooked!
As a result, hooking is almost useless and even risky, because the few times the lure is hooked only on the outside of the mouth, you risk tearing it and losing your catch!
The ascent can be long depending on the fishing depth. You'll have the sensation of reeling in a weighted bite, almost without a headbutt. This is typical of this fish.
If you are taking a sample and using the ikejime technique you'll see the fish completely lose its color and turn white, before recovering it after a few minutes.
My little trick!
As you may have seen from one of the previous photos, I use Illex Nitro Booster attractant which I spread on the lures.
This scented paste spreads easily over the lure. I apply it a few times per trip. If your lure has a ventral slit, I recommend applying it to this.
I have to say that for certain types of fishing, such as vertical fishing for Saint Pierre or pollock, the results seem to be better when using attractant. A forthcoming article will give you a full description of this product, which I use regularly for vertical fishing.
