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The Art of Presentation
by DW Harris

You've already got the lowdown on a hot stretch of river that's been producing numerous good-sized smallies for a friend and now it's your turn. He even told you THE bait to throw for guaranteed success, but after it's all over your results where no better than average. What happened? Did the fish just cool off? Maybe, but I've experienced this scenario all too often from both sides of the story and I believe the difference, after considering all the factors (location, timing, weather, and bait choice), is usually very simple. What is probably the single most important factor in fishing? Presentation. This one word has many little variables that are all so important regardless of chosen bait. Location, or where to be before even casting, casting accuracy, and retrieve location. In the distance you spot a piece of structure that has "Honey Hole" written all over it. Where do you go to make the best cast and what is the best route to get there?

Approach
Being a wade fisherman I have found just how important these two questions are, but when I float fish, boat control is just as important. Blow either or both and you may never know just what a good spot it really was. On some spots the best location can be a rather large area, but on many rivers, just because you got into position for a strike producing cast, doesn't mean you have a possibility to land the fish without him breaking you off due to rock formations or other objects that must be fished around. This must be considered beforehand, not after you're standing and crying from losing a Hawg! After determining where best to be, how best to get there without spooking fish is the next variable that must often be considered. As a general rule wading upstream or across and upstream is usually the best approach. You should do this as quietly as possible, although when fishing shallow, fast water, noise becomes less a factor and being able to get very close is usually possible. On the other hand, when fishing slow-moving, shallow water, noise becomes a very important factor and whenever possible I will stay in water that is between my mid-thighs to waist deep, finding myself much lighter on my feet and therefore, quieter.

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"I'm a firm believer that when it comes to big fish the first presentation to him is most often the only productive one."

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When fishing new or unfamiliar water, location and wading tactics are important factors for success. When fishing water you are familiar with you probably already know the best locations and how best to approach the area, but don't get caught in the trap of always fishing your favored spots the same way. Sometimes it pays to experiment with your favored spots, especially during different seasons. Changes in current speed or direction due to low or high water will produce better when fished from a certain angle. As good a piece of advice as I've heard for fishing came from Cap'n Chuck Duggins. When we are fishing we should think about everything we're doing and why we're doing it. I'm sure the Cap'n meant this for any aspect of fishing, wading tactics included. Fish the water like a cat hunts the field and a more productive fisherman you will become.

Casting Accuracy
I'm a firm believer that when it comes to big fish the first presentation to him is most often the only productive one. Yes, repeated casts can payoff, especially when using baits that agitate (a buzzbait for example), but accurate casting will pay off more often than not with bigger and more fish day after day. The vast majority of river smallies are going to be caught near an object that is most likely be used as a current break and the closer we put a bait to these objects the better our chance of putting it close to fish. Very simple, but very true.

Whatever type of equipment you choose, whether it be baitcasting or spinning, practice to become as accurate as possible. Baitcasting is considered to be more accurate because of the control you have over the spool, but for my style of river fishing I use spinning gear 100% of the time. Precision casting can be had with spinning gear by feathering the line with the index finger of your casting hand to slow the bait as it nears the target. I go with an underhand wrist roll or sidearm cast for all my short presentations. Use wading skills to put you as close as possible so a short accurate cast can be made. When fishing certain types of structure such as slow-moving water where fish can detect your presence from a long distance, long casts are the rule, but after gaining confidence in your ability, being able to hit where you aim will not even be a factor to consider and this kind of accuracy will pay off.

Retrieves
No, I'm not going into detail on this because of all the different types of baits available. Retrieves is an almost endless subject and you probably already know the importance of experimenting here and keying on what works on different days. The reason I fish a curlytail grub so much is because there is no wrong way to fish it and on most any day I'm confident I will find a pattern retrieve that will produce. I do this rather than constantly changing baits. After finding fish, then it may pay you to change to a different bait and retrieve. When you already know where, that is the time to experiment with what. Again, remember the words of Cap'n Chuck, think about what you you're doing and why you're doing it. When you gain confidence to go along with this thought, well, success will surely come. Make all the variables of your presentation a habit. It's the smallest of details in fishing that make the largest difference and these details may go unnoticed if you're not looking for them.