Many folks have a difficult time figuring out how to fish a D.O.A. Shrimp. Mark Nichols' plastic creations are among the best saltwater lures found anywhere.
They are extremely productive, but you've got to know how to use them. My advice to those new to D.O.A. is to fish them as slowly as you can. I fish them just like I'd fish a live shrimp.
When asked how to fish the shrimp, Nichols always tells anglers, "Fish it as slowly as you can and when you're fishing it slow, slow down some more."
I've found SLOW to be the key to fishing success. I discovered on a bonefishing trip to Grand Cayman that the slower I fished, the better results I had.
For example, I waded out on a turtle-grass flat and simply stood and observed for at least a half hour. That's when I saw a pair of bonefish swim off the grass and over the sand. They had no clue I was there. I was so close that when I made a cast, the leader wasn't even totally out of the rod tip!
If you cover a flat quickly, you've likely spooked every fish on that flat. I take two or three steps, then stop. I'll stand there for 10 minutes or more before taking another couple of steps. This pattern helped me immensely. It even helped on days when I didn't catch fish. It at least allowed me to get shots at bonefish.
While waded the lush turtle flats off Barkers, I encountered several schools of tailing bonefish just by standing in place and allowing them to come to me.
Patience, it is said, is the key to fishing success. However, patience in itself is not the key. It's the ability to sense when you're in an area holding fish. If you are, then you just stand pat and wait for the fish to reveal themselves. Then, patience is a virtue.
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