According to Mike Iaconelli, “Junk Fishing, is throwing everything but the kitchen sink to catch fish that are not on any given pattern”. I have to agree with him on that interpretation.
I have narrowed down the process in which anyone can make “Junk Fishing” somewhat predictable. You will still have to diversify your offering, sometimes between every fish, but staying in the same hole can be achieved by following some or all of my tips.
The first step I take is determining whether or not the fish are suspended or relating to structure. In most cases the fish that are relating to offshore structure or cover are going to be much easier to catch than those that are in mid depth suspension. These “drifters” as I like to call them don’t relate too much of anything and are not readily tempted by artificial lures. It is the suspended fish that will take “Junk Fishing” to its literal meaning.
Junk fishing is a term used when individual fish are being caught on a singular lure, requiring that a new lure or presentation be used to coax another strike from another fish, in the same location and position as the last. No one can explain with any certainty why this occurs, but I have my own theory.
Basically in a nutshell, I believe if I am sitting on a park bench with my buddy, and all of a sudden his bacon double cheese burger begins dragging him off by the lips that it’s a given that should another double bacon cheeseburger show up in my lap… I am passing. Now, if a chicken sandwich shows up I might be willing to take a chance on it.
It is a long analogy but you get the point.
When I resort to junk fishing I have 5 rods at the ready. Each rod is rigged with something different, but that will work at the depth in which I feel the fish will be most likely to react.
Billed crank bait, a stick worm such as a Senko, ½ oz spinner bait with trimmed skirt and downsized willow leaf blades, lipless crank bait, and as of lately chatter baits are all kept handy for quick firing. I have installed a vertical, six rod holder in my boat for just this type of fishing. Having the rods at the ready for rotation is necessary when you have finicky fish in a location, but will only hit every other offering. Another thing to remember is that your boat will look as if a bomb went off in it by the end of the day. Know that it takes a steady rotation of lures to get a string of fish employing this method of fishing, but the results can be very well worth it.
Using your electronics is the single most important tool to finding offshore fish. Learn to triangulate your position on the water to keep your boat in position. This allows you to keep your boat positioned without the risk of spooking suspended fish. Turnin off your sonar and sounding devices can also increase your chances of catching skittish offshore fish. The low decibel clicking of sonar can sometimes be a tip off to fish in open water that not all is well in their environment.
