Those Hard to Reach Places

Much of fishing success depends on access. Having the right boat can help. Sometimes a jet boat may get you there, other times floating quietly in a kayak is the ticket. When fishing from shore, hip boots or waders can help you reach deeper water and get past shoreline vegetation.

But sometimes, locations are a little tricky. And like casting, not only do you have to get there, but to have a memorable fishing trip for the right reasons, you also have to return.

Keith Sutton, author of “Out There Fishing,” used a tree to help fish a location in a flooded jungle in Brazil. It worked great except that his guide thought it was amusing to drive the boat out of sight and leave him up there for a while.

I’m not much for heights or rappelling but always carry a rope in the truck for scaling steep river banks. If the fish are there, I need to be there too.

When exploring those hard to reach places, stay safe. Go slowly, wear a life jacket, and always have a fishing buddy. Make sure that the adrenaline rush and excitement is due to the fishing only.

Andy Whitcomb

Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.