Hey everyone...I NEED HELP!!!!

I've logged 65 hours on my new boat (not including the kicker time!!!) and have only gotten 2 silvers and a blackmouth so far!!! I'm talking 8-12 hours a day, 4-6 days a WEEK!!!!! And I'm NOT pleasure boating! I have my hooks in the water!

I guess the guy I bought the boat from wasn't a very prolific fisherman, and I was wondering if any of you thought boats could have bad luck or bad fish spirits or.......Sheesh...I am so freakin' FRUSTRATED!!!!!!!!!

ONE HUGE fish on and lost jigging ...trolling...a few nips and nothing! It's depressing! Last week I was ready to throw my gear in the water and sell the boat for $300.00!

The ONE thing that HAS helped me with perspective is that many of the "old-timers" are getting skunked too!!! They say there just aren't that many fish here yet, but c'mon...not ONE CHINOOK on my hooks??? It's CRAZY!!!!! SOMETHING HAS TO BE UP!!!!

I am open to ANYTHING at this point!

PLEASE reply with any advice on kickin' the skunk off my boat!!! I appreciate it!!!

Hoping YOUR luck's been better than MINE!

L

[This message has been edited by Fishin Farmgirl (edited 08-18-2000).]

Well some times it takes awhile to get the stink off a boat. Keep trying as soon as you get some fish blood in the boat your luck will change. Come down and fish the columbia its hot right now. You are sure to get a fish. Need a good anchor system.
Keep The Rivers Clean!!!

------------------
dank

I'm not sure if you've run across John Keizer on the water yet, but I can tell you he knows that South Sound fishery better than anyone. If you spent just one day with John I'm sure you'd pick up enough tricks to be productive in your own boat, or at least get pointed in the right direction.
http://www.eskimo.com/~bpentium/pssc/

Farmgirl:
I'm no expert on the "skunkiness" of one boat compared to another, but when I first started this BB, Bob turned me on to the banana problem! Since I haven't hook a steelie in my driftboat for some time, I turned the thing inside and out to make sure there were no peel remnants! You might try the same

gee, for that price, i'll buy the boat and i will gladly take the tackle if your jus gonna pitch it overboard...hehe **schitzo**

BELIEVE ME...I've talked with John Keizer...see him nearly every day at the shop...he's booked until DECEMBER!!!!! He said we all have our dry spells, and they're hard to go through! WhatEVER!!!

Have found nary a banana peel onboard! I DO munch fruit when I'm out, but since reading on the BB about the banana thing have avoided them!!!

I am tryning and TRYING to get some fresh fish blood on to the boat...I couldn't agree more with that comment! I have felt like if I can just get ONE...then things will get back to normal...BUT...AAaarrregggghhhhh!!!!

Anyone else have ideas??? A good fish chant??? Maybe some secret formula I can rub on the boat???

L

------------------
"Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds!" Albert Einstein

Fishing Farmgirl, Here’s an idea. Go to this web site “ http://www.scottyusa.com/blackbox.html ” and read “Testing your boat to see if you attract or repel fish.” Maybe you have a short or something.

Hey FF,
Now I know why you didn't e mail me back the week before last. The lack o' fish depression is settin' in. One thing you might check is the grounding of your boat. If you have a short from your battery it will put a hot charge into the water driving the fish away. Check out www.scottyusa.com and follow the links to the Black Box section. Did ya try the hooches and the anise scented herring strips I told ya about???
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff
PS, If your out Sunday I'll be there with my Son and my Dad, white Harbercraft. Say hi if ya see me. I'll look for ya.

Keizers booked til December...at least he's getting the most out of my old charter permit. The grounding of your boat wouldn't have effected your jigging, but definitely would've effected your trolling if you were using downriggers. Where's Bob D when you need him? Bob D's another good'n from down there. Hope you get outa your funk soon.

I almost thought you were having problems with smelly skunks. So I was going to offer 12 gauge. But for fish try these chants. Fishy fishy in the river come and be my frigging dinner. Or, fishy fishy in the lake come and eat my frigging bait. Or, fishy fishy in the bay, please come make my day! I also have had luck when two people cast close together and toss a penny in between the lines. Don't ask me, just seemed to work a few times. You could try the ohms law chant, but that gets a little weird. Good Luck.

------------------
Just because I look big, dumb, and ugly, doesn't mean I am. It means I can stomp you for calling me it!

Fishin Farmgirl;
I too have been CHINOOKPROOF. We fished Elliot Bay three days with zippo. Also Trolled for three days south of vancouver island out of Sooke - zippo.
The black box thing could certainly help. May be worth the $.
Chants are good. Also try dipping your net in the water. We sometimes throw coins, like a dime for a 10#, a quarter for 25#, etc.
It may take a sacrifice to the fishing gods. Perhaps losing a downrigger over the side, or running over your favorite fishing pole to break whatever horrible curse may have befallen you.
The most important thing is to keep trying!
Good Luck!
Jeff

------------------
I Wish I were standing in a River,
In the Rain,
Catching Steelhead.

FFgal, The only thing I know for sure is that you can't get em all the time but if you go all the time you'll get'em. Simple as that just keep pushing the edge stick and stay make it pay!

This electrical stuff makes a lot of sense! I'd heard something about that a bit ago and figured it was voodoo or something!

The interesting thing is, as I read the Scotty site info...my bilge pump isn't functional right now, and never was for the guy I bought the boat from! Since HE didn't catch many fish, and I haven't, since buying the boat, I think there may be something to this electical leak concept!

Does anyone know where I would even START to trace the leaks of electric I might have on the boat??? I read the Scotty stuff and it short circuited my BRAIN, let alone the BOAT!!! Yikes...I'm HANDY, but an electonics expert I ain't! Although I DID just install my new Lowrance, all by my girly self, and it turned out GREAT!!! Are there people that can be hired to check all the circuits on the boat??? Where would I find them???

I'm sure the guys at the Marina will think I'm crazy if I ask them! But, hey...I think it's worth looking into! I ALSO like the idea of tossing money into the sound! Not too keen on the sacrificing of equipment though! Can't afford to run over my Lamiglas rod with the car! THEN I'd REALLY be skunked!!!!!

If anyone has any ideas on where to get someone to check out this stuff, let me know! OR if someone else has some incantations or ideas...I'm still open! I've TRIED the be there, be there, be there idea...each day going out optimistic and with a good attitude and fresh herring, but it doesn't seem to be producing!

Thanks again for the info guys!

Goin' to bed! Gotta be in at the Tackle shop at 5:00 A.M.!!! ('nite!)

L

------------------
"Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds!" Albert Einstein

sorry I don't know of any secret scents for getting rid of the skunkies. I do have some skunkie scent incase you wanted to give it a try. If I find one, some day I'll let you know. I to have not been doing so well with the fish the last few trips. nothing in the boat. but I don't have any electrical. although one day I did find out that some one braught a banana that day. I told them it was their fault that we didn't get anything. now I gotta wait for that banana curse to go away.


dcrzfitter

[This message has been edited by dcrzfitter (edited 08-18-2000).]

did you not say that you had cut your electric cords awhile back start there. If it was nat you try my sons chant it works for him. ( there used to be a geni with a ten foot wenni and the lady next door thought it was a snake so she cut it with a rake now its only three foot four) Belive it or not this works for him. Please take no offence to this he really sings this when we fish together.And he gets fish. Mayby just humm it can't hurt.
Keep The Rivers Clean!!!

FF-
I too have been skunked since the purchase of my new boat. I recently had 4 on and lost all 4. Those are the only steelhead I have even had hooked since October. I was told the same thing about electrical issues so I tried a race car part. I installed a master disconnect (moroso...$16.00 shucks) on the positive battery lead and it made no difference. The unit effectively disconnects the battery completely so unless there is some sort of galvanic charge being generated by the combination of metals in my craft the possibility of electrical charge is absolutely ZERO. I have considered removing the zinc anodes from the pump and the kicker as their only purpose is to generate galvanic corrosion of the anode in the saltwater but I would not suggest this tactic for a salt fisherman like yourself. I think you and I suffer from the same problem (in this case at least) in that we don't have the right bait, presentation and position at the right time. The 4 hooks and losses all happened on the same day for me and I expect more soon but I won't be using my battery disconnect switch. Since I placed my fathers ashes into a river with his favorite fish (steelhead) I blame him for keeping the fish away from me. I guess he doesn't think I have paid my dues yet.
regards,
Lance

Are your hands washed after you run your motors before baiting line? Gas is a definite no no on your hands or near your bait. Sharp hooks will help when the big one gets a hold.
Spray your hands with wd 40 to mask your scent if you don't have latex bait gloves.
And the most important thing is to fish were the fish are. If everybody around you is catching fish you need to do something different with your tackle.(fish deeper, shallower, faster ,slower or more erratically) If nobody around you is catching fish you need to do something about your location.
Don't worry about bananas if your hands are clean and hooks are sharp
Tight Lines

------------------
Marty
Steelheader.net marty@steelheader.net

Okay, here is another chant/fishcall. This one should work. To the tune "Rawhide" - loudly sing

"Trollin, trollin, trollin, keep those herring rollin, Rawfish, get'em down, bring'em up ...."

Jeff

I may be new to the posting but am willing to share how I shook the skunk from my boat. I too have a new drift boat and tried EVERYTHING with not much luck at all. Then I got smart and took the 14 year old son of a friend of mine with me.....couldn't keep fish out of the boat ! Right now he has an open invitation to come back anytime, especially since he returned all the fish to the river for another day....his choice I might add. Good luck and keep tryin' It WILL happen.

Hey farmgirl sorry to hear of you're lack of success,I feel the reponses have been way too technical,since you are a married woman simly tell mr. Fishing Farm girl you need his help with this ...quite simply you need to have a little romance on you're boat
Hey even if the fish aren't biting at least you got something
It's a lot easier than on a cataraft

------------------
Row Quietly and fish a Cataraft }<<(('>----<'))>>{
Release all Wild Fish