We asked some SoCal BTBFF guides: "What's the most common thing clients need to work on before they go out Beyond The Breakwater?" We were surprised by the most common answer:

The Need for Patience. While there are lots of times when fishing is absolutely wide-open, those windows of opportunity may be highly dependent on tidal or current conditions, and they may not last that long. Fishing might be dead for some period of time during the day, then suddenly break open when the current, tide or other conditions come together. You need to be patient, stay alert, and be ready to fish when the fish go off. Captain Bowman notes: "A lot of clients who have not fished much in salt water see TV shows where there's non-stop action for what seems like hours. They forget those shows are heavily edited, so they come to the docks with unrealistic expectations. If the best bite occurs in the late afternoon, they get discouraged when things are slow in the morning, and they're not ready when the big bite comes."

The second most common issue was (no surprise): casting skills. Captain Webb notes: "People should practice casting before their trips, especially if they are not used to throwing sinking shooting heads. We do a lot of blind casting, so the ability to cast smoothly and with minimal effort makes for easier fishing." Captain Cooper agreed, noting "The double haul is an important part of being able to fish in wind, or when a little extra distance is needed".

Other things to think about:

• Learn how to fight fish effectively - how to use rod angles, reeling down to the fish, short stroke pumping, and keeping the pressure on all the time (this will be a future BTBFF article).
  
  
• Remember to strip strike rather than rod strike – a two handed strip helps
  
  
• Be sure to ask the captain about the techniques and tackle to be used.
  
  
• Go over with the captain or the mate what the game plan and procedures should be – know what is expected

OK...Now what do you need to work on?