Dock Talk
To Listen Or Not To Listen?
That Is The Question!
March 20, 2009
If you’re into the tournament scene at all, you’ve witnessed or been party to the chattering that goes on at the boat ramp, the local tackle store or the motel parking lot the night before a tournament. Fish are on the first break and biting watermelon/red Senkos rigged wacky style, or, they’re in the bushes hitting a twin tailed grub on a ¼ oz jig or whatever. Get two or more guys together and there’s gonna be dock talk! But should we listen?
Depending on what circuit, trail or division you’re fishing, the rules vary when it comes to the “sharing” of information and we all must take those rules seriously. By the way, it never hurts to read over those rules now and again to make sure you’re up to snuff. But there are times when the pro you’re traveling with wants to share some information with you – should you listen or not?
When It Hasn’t Worked
A couple of years ago I was fishing a two-day championship tournament on Sam Rayburn. I stunk it up on day one pretty badly; a little over twelve pounds and I was nearly sixteen pounds out of the lead. A “friend” and fellow pro staffer was sitting in second place and against my better judgment I went over to see how he had caught them. He was more than willing to share info with me since we both fished for the same team and he revealed an area where he was catching them on topwater baits. He even went so far as to go to his boat and get one for me. The next morning at blast off I went straight to the spot because after all, he caught a limit there in thirty minutes yesterday and left them still biting! You can guess the rest of the story; he came in with another 24 pounds and won the tournament! Me? I came in with another twelve pound sack and finished out of the money. And yeah, I caught zero fish from “the spot”.
In my experience, the best practice is to not listen to dock talk at all, but sometimes we get stumped and start grasping at straws and before we know it we’re caught up in what we’ll later come to regret. The worst part of dock talk is that some guys may actually be telling the truth but perhaps they leave out some subtle differences. I have very, very few “fishing buddies” I will listen to and share with, but for the most part I’ll listen and dismiss most all of what is said unless it comes from a reliable source or just makes sense, and even then I’ll go and try to prove it to myself before derby day.
When It Has Worked
Four or five years ago I was fishing a tourney on Toledo Bend. During pre-fish, I located some fish on a long point that ran out to the river channel right at the edge of a boat lane. There was a submerged tree and a couple of stumps on the point and the fish were just stacked in there. The day before the tournament I ran back to check them and they were gone! I couldn’t get a bite! After scrambling the rest of the day and not coming up with anything I could count on, I began the tournament basically already beaten with a total lack of confidence.
On my way back to the motel I stopped at the local Yamamoto Pro Shop in Hemphill, Texas to talk to my old buddy Jim Alphin. When I shared my sob story with him he asked where I was fishing. He asked if the point came off an island and if it was in a certain creek. I admitted reluctantly it did, hating to give up a spot that he obviously already knew about. “Wait a minute,” he said and went in the back of the store. Returning he tossed me a couple packs of worms that I hadn’t seen before and told me to fish them wacky style behind the island. He could tell by the look on my face that I wasn’t buying it but he laughed and told me again to just try it. I did what all good fishermen do: threw them in the storage compartment of my boat and promptly forgot all about them.
The next morning when my number was called, I took off for my point. On the third or fourth cast I caught a 14” fish. A few minutes later I caught another about the same, then nothing. Ten o’clock and nothing and I was starting to sweat! As I was contemplating my next move I looked over at the island and remembered what Jim had said. “What the heck,” I thought to myself. “It can’t get any worse!” So I sat down, rigged up my wacky rig, put on the funny looking worm Jim had given me the night before and behind the island I went.
On my first cast I started to twitch my worm and noticed it going sideways. I reared back on it and in short order I landed a three pounder! Dang! Probably just luck, I thought, but let’s give it another chance. A couple of more casts and another three pounder and then a four pounder on top of that! In twenty minutes I had a little over ten pounds on a day when I thought I was beaten before I even started. Lesson learned!
After weigh-in I stopped to thank Jim for helping me secure a second place finish and for introducing me to the Yamamoto Kut Tail worm. I have since called him on more than one occasion hoping he’d either stay open late, open up earlier, or give my wife some of the Kut Tail worms in my favorite color because I was out and I couldn’t possibly fish without them! Luckily Jim is always willing to help and talk fishing.
I’ve since been using the Kut Tail on a weighted hook as a soft jerk bait, as well as on a Carolina Rig. If you haven’t tried them, you need to give them a look. They have certainly earned a place in my “go to” box, and I’m sure they will in yours too!
There’s always going to be dock talk, and you’ll usually hear guys telling you not to listen. Listening to and acting on dock talk are two different things. You’ll always have more confidence in the fish you’ve found yourself. But sometimes it pays to listen, even if it’s just with half an ear!