Secrets

Lauren the kids and I just spent an awesome week with Aaron and Ravae of Anglers Obsession http://anglersobsession.com in the Florida Keys.

Aaron and I had an incredible day out Tarpon fishing.  Aaron also kindly agreed to take the whole Kerr clan out for a few hours of snapper fishing.  Awesome, lots of fish, birds, sharks and rays,kids jumping off the boat, and then a super, rain pounding squall to help us get off the water.

Many years ago I lived in the keys, and I discovered a few little tricks that helped me land a lot of fish, I figured I would buy some old sneaky gear to see if I could leave some with Aaron.

Turns out some of my trick products are no longer available. .

They weren’t super baits, but if you figured out when where and how to use them it would certainly give you a pretty big edge.

No secret these guys catch a lot of big springers. We still have some spring chinook dates open in June, don’t miss out. Really.

Like so many secrets, most of the folks that figured them out knew enough to keep it under their hats.  The products never gained huge popularity, never sold all that well, and went away.

If you fish or hunt, you learn to keep your mouth shut tight about certain things.  Secret spots, times, fish runs, flies, lures, baits.

Over the years I have been lucky enough to figure out a few, and get handed a few more, that made my fishing infinitely more successful.

I have seen small runs of fish, that offer amazing opportunities, disappear without being noticed by fishermen, or even fisheries managers.

Sometimes a small side channel will form, hold fish every day, then wash away at the next high flow.  A secret spot may be very transitory.  Only there for a few weeks, or maybe a few seasons at a very specific time and water level.

One of my all time favorite spots in the Hoh remained little used for maybe 9 years.  It was just starting to get popular a few years ago when it washed away.

It may be back.  Rivers, beaches and flats don’t stay the same for long.  Secret spots, like secret flies, often come and go, then come back again.

Even those secret runs of fish sometimes pop back, as habitat or fisheries practices change.

There may be a few days of your life spent on the water that will outshine all the others.  If you study your craft , they will be the result of hard work, practice, luck, and probably a couple well kept secrets all coming together at once.

Be sure to share your love of the outdoors, but remember to hold a few things for yourself.

Jim Kerr

Rain Coast Guides

Forks Wa