Deep Sea Fishing Tips

Deep sea fishing is a wonderful and extremely enjoyable activity. Here are some tips that will make your salt water fishing adventure even better.


1. Watch the signs

If you see birds e.g. Seagulls that are feasting on small bait-type fishes, there are probably larger game-type fish below the surface of the water. Also, look for floating wood or debris. In most cases when you chance upon a large piece of floating wood, you will find a large game fish in the area.


2. Stop, Snook and Listen

Fishing for Snook is quite similar to fishing for Bass. Snook like to be around ledges, posts, rocks, and under docks. Snook feed in the early morning and early evening hours... sun-up and sun-down in other words.

3. Crabs for full moon

During a full moon use soft crab imitations as bait. That's the time when crabs shed their shells and Stripers (Striped Bass) come looking for them.


4. If you're looking for tunas, find the dolphins

Yellowfin tuna are usually found schooling with dolphins. So if you see a group of dolphins, chances are there are some tuna in the area.


5. Cut and Burn

If you have trouble cutting through a spiderwire braid, try using a lighter or a match.



6. Good Reef

The best place to fish is near reefs since big game fish feed on fish that live on reefs.


7. The Circle Hook

Use a circle hook if you would like a higher hook up ratio. These hooks guarantees more catch, because of the minute gap, and the reverse point. They are generally better for the fish since they do not hook in the gut just the lip.


8. Don’t have sea legs

Watch the horizon and stay on deck. These would generally help you if you're having trouble with sea sickness: Stay away from the boat fumes, breathing it only exacerbates the problem. Take along a box or bag of gingersnap cookies. Ginger is a natural nausea cure.


9. Anchors away

When your anchor is stuck at the bottom, try attaching a float to it. Return after the tide has changed in direction. This should be enough to loosen the anchor.


10. Fish where the fish are

A lot of fisherman have the idea that they should be catching their live baits over the reefs before going to deep waters. If the live baits are not in the area you're planning to catch the larger game, then why would you come up with the idea that the large fish are there. Wouldn't they be in the area where the bait fish are?


How To Get Free Fishing Baits

Fishing - Just the Basics by Jack Phillips

I've been fishing for over 50 years and even more frequently in the last 10 years; during this time I have learned a lot of countless things about fishing in general. The most important is that you can never know it all. Even a novice can show an old timer a trick or two.

Over the years I've seen hundreds of anglers come to the areas I fish full of enthusiasm and determination and they end up leaving frustrated and confused. With just a little advice this could have made for a better experience and more than likely created another fishing addict like myself. It may take some time to turn you into that pro, but the enjoyment of the sport would be more easily realised.

When starting out the very first thing you want is just basic information on where and when to fish. Sounds easy and generally just ask other anglers, lodge owners, bait store owners, heck just ask.

Now for the fishing equipment, the rod and reel. Sounds simple enough, but maybe not. As in most other sports, cheap or poor equipment will result in poor results. As an example I met a fellow from southern Ontario (Toronto) while fishing here at home for Northern pike and asked him how the fishing was. His remark was that he was going to rent a boat and give it a try. So I asked him if he would like to go out with me that evening and he accepted. I met him at the dock and told him to load his gear in the boat and offered him a life jacket and away we went. I did not notice what he had loaded at first except he had a nice big new tackle box, as we moved away I asked where is your rod and reel. He went on to open his new tackle box and proceeded to pull out one of those pocket fisherman rigs. Of course I had a hard time from not laughing out loud, but went on to offer him one of my other rigs already in the boat.

Once we hit the area I intended to troll he went on to politely say he wanted to use his own rod but asked what one of his lures he should use for northern pike. He had one large red and white spoon and I told him to use that and made sure he let out enough line for what we were doing. I believe I was praying for him to get the first strike and sure enough he did after about 15 minutes or so and the fun began.

Now this pike he had on was I guessed about 15 pounds, not that big but the struggle with that little, short toy he had was hilarious to watch. I did not believe he would get the fish to the boat but he did although to fast, I had the net and told him to slow down, he did not hear me as I leaned over to net the fish he had it reeled up to about 2 feet from the tip of that little rod, all that pike did was lean on the line and he was gone.

I must add here that he also had no leader on that rig. After that he was so excited and of course wanted to keep fishing, but asked if he could use one of my other rods which was fine because I wanted to see him really hook and land a nice fish. To shorten this story he did land 2 more northerns and a small walleye. Oh yes I did catch a fish, one walleye and one pike, but we had a new fishing addict here. The next day he went into town to the Canadian Tire store and got properly equipped.

I imagine that young man from southern Ontario had some great tall tales to tell when he got home. I wonder how big that one that got away is Now!

A light action graphite spinning rod and reel will handle most fish you will want to catch, plus it is light enough for the beginner to feel even the light hit of those walleye.

So just get out there relax, take your time. Bring some coffee or lunch or even better catch your lunch and cook on one of the many small islands all over these northern lakes. Mostly just enjoy it all the fresh air, wildlife and scenery. Enjoy it all while your watching that loon, deer or even a moose feeding, a big walleye might just swim up and inhale your bait sending that twitch up your line through your rod to your fingers. Set the hook and there's lunch!

Well that's enough from me time for supper and a 5 minute stroll down to the river and make a few casts and see what happens.


Ice Fishing: THE QUEST FOR PIKE

This Carp Fishing Season What Can You Do To Make It Your Best Ever ...

Do you feel you are taking too long in achieving your carp fishing goals? If so, how can you ensure you achieve all the success you dream of for less effort and time and what do very many big name anglers do that makes it look so easy? Shave years off and speed things up by reading on!

There is a vital pivotal point that is central to maximising your results in carp fishing that most anglers over-look in their rush for the most fashionable new rod or reel or latest bait. I will reveal this secret in a moment because it seems that far too many anglers on the bank misunderstand this! But possibly the first point to state is that everyone can catch the kind fish they dream of catching. It may well be that not really believing this is the first barrier. When you truly believe you can – you will because you will find yourself doing the right things at the right time in the right places! The subconscious mind works wonders when correctly programmed and Kevin Maddocks was spot-on when he said a positive mental attitude is of paramount importance (in this case when referring winter carp fishing in particular, but the principle applies all year!)

Very many carp anglers see the high profile anglers catching big fish and feel intimidated, feeling that these anglers are a cut above the rest and somehow have a bubble of huge advantages at their disposal that an average carp angler cannot match. It is certainly true that such guys have competitive advantages but it is also true that many of them have paid the price for these in advance by putting in far more effort and applied dedication to becoming much better in their sport than the average occasional or week-end carp angler!

The anglers you meet who seem to catch all the fish will generally have one thing in common and it is very simple. They are confident and they think confidently! This is their greatest competitive edge in many ways because unconsciously their minds are therefore fully open to receiving all input of every kind from every source that will lead inevitably towards further success. The fact that they might have more time, or money or bait or tackle or connections to get onto waters etc are meaningless if they do not think like a winner to begin with!

It is no secret that thousands of anglers every week fish with lots of bait, the newest tackle and on renowned big fish waters and yet really fail to succeed in comparison to other anglers around them. The fact is that carp fishing is about thinking. Only those anglers with the most open minds are flexible enough to be able to constantly change not only ho the think but the actions their thoughts produce so in turn keeping them ahead of the game in terms of the carp and their competitors.

There are creative innovations that we take for granted completely now but which have seriously boosted catches all around the world to the degree that carp fishing may well not have become the cult sport it is today without such ingenuity!

These creations include the following: the hair rig, hard over-flavoured instant boilies used with bolt rigs, long-term high nutrition boilies, polyvinyl acetate water soluble bait products, electric bite indicators and adjustable swinger indicators, use of high line capacity big sea fishing reels teamed with long–range customised rods for large water fishing, the application of sweetcorn, Robin Red, L030 fish protein and Minamino to carp fishing baits and so on. How many more can you think of?

Just think about it. Like-minded groups of disparate individuals as well as actual individuals and friends have evolved these or brought them into the carp fishing world. Each of these innovation applications were the result of belief in conquering a problem and were applied to over-coming them. But without the correct positive mind-set then many of these would simply be missed and never have been spotted or tried in carp fishing.

Many of these have made house-hold names of the originators or claimed originators of these things and applications. Sometimes there are periods when some of these kinds of special advantages you might say, are evolved or developed by numerous people at the same time without them knowing anything about the other. This can be seen in various areas such as the development of the hair rig, or the true inventors of our worlds electricity systems, the telephone, radio, TV and so on.

I was using a hook with line attached with a bait on in the Seventies originally for bass fishing and other anglers applied exactly the same thinking of improving hooking and bait presentation at the same time and long before this time to develop hair rigs for carp and other fish independently of any individual claimants of any particular rig origination. But carp fishing used to be a serious world of secrets. Just a few decades ago carp fishing secrets that are very well known now were simply not discussed unless you happened to be in the right clique or circle or group because everyone knew just how much effort goes into these things and wished to exploit them to maximum effect before the herd gets wind of them.

Now the point here is that you too can create your own innovative competitive edges and the problems that face in your fishing provide the very solutions you may be seeking. The trick is not even to event something new but to use something that already exists in new ways. You can do things just 10 percent differently and get a huge multiplication your success. For instance, being able to cast 5 yards further, being able to identify feeding spots just 10 percent better than most anglers, being able to choose and apply baits 10 percent better than other anglers.

You might think about the different characteristics of individual high profile anglers that make them that bit more successful. It might be excellent watercraft skill. It might be incredible casting acuity and acumen. It might be the ability to adapt rigs and tactics in response to changing carp behaviours and habits. It might be the willingness to move focus upon identifying finding fish and being totally willing to move swims at 3 or 4 in the morning. Some anglers may have a bottomless bait supply and through long practice know exactly how and when to apply various baits to maximum effect.

Some of these things may not seem like a big deal. But this is probably because some of these at least are easily within everyones reach. The difference between many of the higher profile carp anglers and the casual carper is that many casual carp anglers just do not seem to realise this sport and passion begins with the fish themselves and not with all the paraphernalia associated with it. In fact pretty much all the commercial oriented products do is exploit everything about the fish without actually making it very obvious that this is the key!

Success is a formula, a recipe of combining the right refinements together at the right times, consistently. Because fishing for big carp is a skill and an art that can be learned and developed this means all carp anglers with strong intention can become the kind of angler who is consistently successful and this really means always having an open mind! Remember when you were a beginner, when everything seemed magical and exciting and mysterious?

All the possibilities in terms of where to fish, what tackle to use, what bait to use; all these things with a positive mind set equal the fastest learning of all. Now I focus on the learning bit here because just a small bit of information can transform your catches completely and this goes on over and over again all the time for anglers with an open mind! But all too often the average carp angler gets caught up in a rut of thinking in ways that are out of date!

This is the biggest danger of getting too attached to what is new, what your mates are buying, what their opinions on what the best reel, or rod or bivvy or bite alarm or bait are. Do you see where this is leading? The starting point must always be the fish. They provide all the solutions you need because you and your fellow carp anglers are training them and conditioning them dynamically be everything you do and use while fishing and even your very presence on the bank trains them.

If you want most success and wish to achieve all your carp fishing dreams faster than your ever imagined, it all begins with studying your fish. As the saying goes, know your enemy better than yourself! The top anglers are doing things all the time that exploit weaknesses in carp defences that they have evolved and are constantly adapting in order to avoid getting hooked. This is the right mind set in action and is best described as thinking like a carp!

Many aspects of fishing for carp fishing are easily available to everyone including all the big fish carp waters and all the tackle and baits now available plus loads of magazines and websites on fishing. What really matters is how your mind sees all this stuff – because everyone is in a world of their own as each and every individuals perspective of reality and the big picture of things is unique to himself alone! Next time you go on a new lake and some of the locals or regular anglers say it is hard it is very often in their own minds. Beginners get much more luck because they are often employing different tactics, use of different swims, different baiting methods and tackle and rigs and a different mindset in general to those of anglers already entrenched on a water.

It is like Jim Shelley who went and fished Conningbrook for the British Record carp. The regulars had told him that using lots of bait is a bad idea. Lots of anglers these days just use PVA netting and pellets for instance. Maybe they know Jim Shelley often uses loads of bait, far more than average anglers might imagine. Either way, he fished for just a few days, baited up heavily in right in the weed I believe, and he caught the British record fish! You have to consider that here is a guy who is a pretty much full-time angler who is so in-tune and refined in his fishing he can unravel very many variables in terms of fishing pressure, fishing tactics to use and baiting levels etc based on what he has heard and seen on such a water that has seen many very good anglers over the decades.

Basically he knows how fish behave in response to anglers baits, lines, and tactics and he knows that being different even in what seems like minor ways makes all the difference; the fish themselves provide the clues. Many anglers hate fishing directly into weed, but carp can clear weed fast when feeding hard by regular baiting. Jim has been a regular at so many heavily weeds big fish water because in so many ways big fish and rich waters go inevitably together!

Some of the biggest breakthroughs in carp baits came anglers with open minds. And it is noticeable that Einstein had a way of questioning that helped constantly question conventional thinking so enabling further progress and advancements to be made.

How you noticed how you can go for long periods of time thinking something was absolutely right but finding this a limiting factor in your success? Then you might have thought to yourself, what if I consider that thing to be wrong – would this remove the limit to my thinking so I can see the light and find answers and solutions I never saw before? Imagine if you will if the boilie or hair-rig or pop-up bait had not been invented and you still had to think for yourself. (How would your mind reach the end result of the HNV or balanced profile protein bait, or pop-up baits, flavour over-dosed instant baits and so on?)

So picture this: when you have located your fish feeding in front of you, and you have a sharp hook on, what is it that will catch those carp that prevents a blank? The answer ultimately is it is the thing that delivers your hook into the mouth of the carp. It does not matter if this happens even for a fraction of a second - just long enough to enable the hook to penetrate and result in a carp self-hooking itself so deeply it cannot get off the hook before all the added pressure of lines, leads, back leads, indicators, clips, reel clutches etc kick in.

I have over the last year been testing really heavy rigs with eighteen pound monofilament line hook links and big size 4 hooks to remove any refinements. The tests were with paste on the hooks directly. In doing this I was replicating how most carp fishing was done prior to the hair rig in the immediately preceding years and this is a set-up that often produces fewer fish actually hooked even though baits may be held between the lips, pulled, and even mouthed. My tests were based around experiments with various fish feeding triggers and other things that enhance bait palatability and stimulate different aspects of the sensory systems of carp internally and externally.

Of course, when you have a really obviously heavy rig your bait has to work that much harder in convincing carp to keep trying to mouth the bait because they want it so much that they by repetition almost end up hooking themselves. The tests proved without a shadow of any doubt that the baits containing the most stimulating natural feeding triggers resulted in the hooking of the biggest fish most frequently after the fake baits and instant over-flavoured baits had been associated with danger and produced very few hooked fish by comparison.

Of course heavier leads were used with such pre-hair rig set-ups and often acted like bolt rigs, but problems still were apparent in terms of hooking and converting enough fish compared to the number of bites experienced. This was a problem the hair rig provided a solution to as the bait would enter the mouth will far less suspicion as the weight of the hook would not be noticed anywhere near so much as often the hair was 2 inches or more long.

Anglers came up with the length of hair on the original hair rig (off the hook bend) of 2 or 3 inches anglers. This distance is what they believed to be the correct length from the lips to the throat teeth that represented a safe distance of bait ingestion before a risk of bait and hook bite-offs. (But this distance can be much is longer than this.) Anyway, the long-hairs used that produced the effect of separating the bait from the hook (and so negating the weight and feel of the hook) was a huge step in getting more bites!

Equally important was density of baits, and floating baits applied on the bottom such as floating pastes became a huge advantage. Added to the development of great flavours designed purposely for carp the application of the pop-up bait made a huge difference to numbers of carp caught by individuals using them on so many waters for the very first time!

When you examine the details of why plastic sweetcorn or rubber hemp works as baits this reveals a lot of priceless secrets about carp senses and behaviours and how these work and can dynamically adapt and change over time. When you examine why balanced or high nutritional design boilies keep catching the same big fish over the years, carp senses and conditioned behaviours are implicit in this success. Far too many angler miss great competitive edges even if they are just using readymade baits by not knowing about the carp themselves! All kinds of known and yet to be discovered details of carp themselves are certainly many of the greatest secrets to successful carp fishing today they always have been and always will be!

Carp themselves provide the greatest challenges in carp fishing and but in studying them they provide the solutions to better catches!

High nutrition boilies have caught more big carp than any other form of bait over the decades. But they can cost much more than many anglers can afford to pay today. Making your own economical and unique homemade baits (and applying them in your own personal unique ways) is a leveller par excellence against anglers with more skill, experience, time, money etc!

The best starting point is not these but in studying the carp first! The British carp Study Group is a body that is a collection of highly experienced carp anglers who have proven in their own ways that they know something about carp and often then some, but most of all appreciate the fish themselves. Again, the fish provide the solution when you are designing baits because ultimately you are trying to maximise and use their own natural senses, instincts and behaviours against them in your own favour. Most carp anglers appear to make the biggest mistake of starting out with ingredients and flavours and not what will actually best exploit fish senses in ways that will give them more competitive edges over competing baits!

It took me a long time to realise that when you think of each and every carp as a unique personality and a unique genetic creation you will catch many more fish! Each fish has its own tiny or large differences in feeding behaviours, bait flavour and taste preferences or mineral needs or may have an enhanced ability to avoid certain rigs or areas of a lake or swim. Added to the fact that carp waters vary enormously you need to be able to more fully understand carp themselves in order to catch many more fish.

It is not an understatement to suggest that the majority of carp anglers on the banks today know more about the specifications of their rods, reels, bite alarms and bivvies than that of the fish sensory systems or baits meant to exploit them! So how can you get to know most about carp in the fastest way possible and exploit or even create weaknesses in carp defenses that this knowledge reveals to you that you can exploit to seriously multiply your success?  Simple, as mentioned above, KNOW YOUR TARGET.  Whether it be carp, bass, catfish, trout, salmon, or any other fish - they all have habits and individual sensitivities to baits.  Armed with knowledge of your target, you're sure to catch more of them.

By Tim Richardson.

Fishing Tips For Beginners

There are many kinds of fishing equipment in stores, numerous fishing methods in books, and fishing advice online. To make it all simple, here are the basic things you need to know for your first time fishing adventure.

1) How to fish with bait

* Tackle. To plunk the bait, you should purchase lead weights. The weight of the lead would vary depending on the current of the environment. Anglers commonly use and recommend bank sinkers with a number-two hook.

To avoid sinkers to slide, you would need a swivel to act as a stop. To protect the knot, you could use plastic beads between the swivel and weight. Using two appropriate swivels could allow you to rig the sliding sinkers.

* Bait. The commonly used bait for all kinds of fish is worms. Another popular bait is chicken liver. Remember to buy fresh bait and keep them cold to avoid them from getting soft and allowing the bait to stay on your hooks.

Some of the commonly used baits are cut-baits which include skin from fried chicken, fish entrails, grasshoppers, salmon eggs, shrimp, and crayfish tails.

2) How to fish – There are three basic methods for fishing.

* Plunking – It is the most common method used. Use a suitable amount of weight for you to be able to take hold of the bait in a position which is against any current. An option in plunking is to use minimal weight for the bait to move along with the water current.

* Back bouncing – It is done by lifting the bait off the bottom and raising the tip of the rod for one to two feet. Allowing the bait to walk with the current, you should free the back reel or spool. Repeat the steps when the lure settles down on the bottom. Back bouncing is effective in deeper water like fishing from a boat.

* Drift-fishing – It is a simple method wherein you cast upstream or downstream. This may vary depending on the current's amount. You should count the appropriate depth and start reeling.

3) How to fish from a boat – It is important to determine in which location you would perform your fishing. Deeper water needs heavier jigheads compared to fishing from shore.

* With heavy weight which keeps your bait near the bottom of the water and the line straight down from your boat, you are able to drift the boat along with any current. A good technique of fishing on boats is trolling slowly with a fishing device called bottom-walker.

Fishing is easy as long as you’re enjoying the trip. Bring some of your family and friends along and make your first time fishing a memorable one.


Bait Box tackle box

Trout Fishing With Berkley Power Bait

There are many varieties of Berkley Power Bait.  Each type has it's own benefits and rig requirements.  In order for you to use this bait successfully to catch trout, I suggest that you follow these easy guidelines.

Trout Bait/Power Bait/Gulp

Berkley bait comes in several different colors, scents, and forms.  In its dough form, it is best fished formed into a small ball around a treble hook. The treble hook allows the dough bait to retain its shape.  Use the smallest treble hook suitable for the target of your fishing adventure. The Gulp nuggets work best fished on a small single size 8 hook or a salmon egg hook.

Rig your line with a slip sinker above a swivel then attach a leader to the swivel.  Your leader length will vary by the depth and current that you're fishing in but generally for most streams I find that about 16 inches works well. Berkley Power Bait is a floating bait so using a slip sinker allows your bait to float naturally to the surface or near-surface.  Or, in the case of lake fishing, a slip sinker allows your bait to float above the structure on the bottom of the lake.

Berkley Trout Bait also works well to catch bass, crappie, bluegill, and even catfish.  Although, catfish do prefer the garlic scented doughs.  Speaking of the garlic scented doughs...use these for trout when fishing streams muddied by recent rain.  You'll have more hook-ups because the trout will still find your bait even though they may not be able to see it clearly.

I've been using Berkley's Rainbow Glitter Trout Power Bait for over 20 years now and I've never had a bad day trout fishing.  This is one that you'll want to keep in your tackle box - in original scent and garlic scent.  There are MANY different colors and scent combos of Berkley Power Bait.  I have most of them in my tackle box.  They all work well in their optimum conditions - water color, temperature, stream size, trout type, time of year - these all play a part in which color/scent will work the best.  Until you get to know "what works best when" my advice is to try a few casts of each.  I've fished many a trout stream and had a "good" fishing day, but then changed my color/scent choice and turned it into a "great" fishing day! 

Good luck and happy fishing! JD

How To Make Easy Carp And Catfish Baits With Cheap Ingredients

I'm always messing about with baits it's so creative and fun; I even make my own flapjacks too! Making instant carp and catfish baits that really work can be very easy and simple without the need for too much technical know-how! Fishermen go on about 'nutritional attraction baits' versus 'flavoured attractor baits' versus 'fake and plastic baits' and so on and the difference in the prices of these baits can be enormous. But who cares what you use as long as it's safe, does the fish no harm and really catches you fish! Here's a few 'alternative' tit-bits on making baits that will catch you fish.



Your local stores can provide all you need but you can use specialist fishing additives and attractor ingredients too. Very easy baits for carp and catfish of many species and sub-species often utilise the same ingredients to stimulate the fish which makes things simple.



(You can make yourself some flapjacks, brownies or cinnamon scones while you're at it if so inclined, all the ingredients you need for these are eggs, self raising flour, sugar, salt, margarine and a raising agent like bicarbonate of soda.) Making these things is a great fun way to practice making good palatable baits for starters! As a side note, have you noticed how addictive 'Marmite' or 'Vegemite' (yeast extract spread) on toast with lashings of butter' is? Unfortunately it makes your feel dehydrated and maybe keen to have a drink, preferably a caffeine, milk and sugar containing coffee or tea to wash it down?



This is just to remind you how easy it is to get our body and mind in a particular state just by eating a simple snack or a 'simple' beverage. In fact these foods and drinks are popular because they are literally addictive. Once you've been having these for long enough, giving them up is something your body and mind can have trouble with and even give you withdrawal symptoms!



From the monosodium glutamate and salt in the 'Marmite,' to the opiates in the wheat flour, butter and milk, these foods have strong impacts on your body and mind. Even the fat in the butter and milk, the powerful effects of the caffeine in the beverages and even the sugar and its powerful taste enhancing effects leave you wanting more...



You really want your catfish and carp baits to be like this and it is easily achievable, especially by exploiting the high-tech refined specialist bait ingredients available today. However much more simple baits can offer a level of this effect too using ingredients from your average kitchen.



You can make a wide range of successful baits by using soya powder or meal and semolina as the basic dry powder mixture, but corn flour and wheat flour can be used too as base ingredients to make paste or dough baits or even boilies, but be sure to use 'plain flour' rather than the 'self-raising' types. Your base mix powder may not be very 'nutritionally attractive' at this point but this is easily remedied as you will see... Your baits do not have to be high protein wonder baits to catch big fish. Even these marvels can 'blow' and become less effective after fish have been caught on them enough times. In fact very simple carbohydrate type baits with a couple of added special ingredients to effect the fish in powerful ways are often enough to tempt the biggest fish. But you need to know what ingredients affect fish the way you want...



Can you imagine what adding an alcohol flavour does to you bait and how it affects the fish? What about garlic; what's really going on there? Why is liver and blood so effective? What about the effects of betaine, green lip mussel extract, or honey, molasses or brown sugar? Knowing about these type of effects on the fish might seem irrelevant, or are they?



For pastes or dough baits, just add water, or eggs to help binding and bait durability. The usual number of eggs used per pound of dry mixture is 4 per pound of dry mix to 6 per kilogram of dry mix. Added eggs will enable you to make skinned steamed or boiled baits too if preferred.



Baits with added eggs will have a higher protein level than those with water and when rolled into balls can be boiled in water or steamed in a pan to make them form a resistant coagulated skin which makes the baits last longer. You will discover that experimentation is the key to making baits and recording the amounts and ingredients you use will really pay you back especially when you want to re-make that 'bagging bait' and have forgotten what it contained!



You can do a short-cut by buying prepared cooking pastry mix. This is attractive because of its sugar salt, fat and wheat content, all of which can be pretty addictive and it can work well on carp, but needs more ingredients to get the catfish biting.

You can make it that much better by rolling it out and liberally spreading peanut butter and yeast extract, like 'Marmite' or 'Vegemite' onto it, but the list you can add is endless. Liquidized chicken liver or pork liver are classic examples as are shad guts and chicken blood from a friendly butcher. However, Blood powder, liver powder and squid powder, fermented shrimp powder, shrimp and krill meal,



It may sound simplistic, but for example, yeast extract contains lots of attractive salts with those used in its production, enzymes, such as trypsin (the protein digesting enzyme,) soluble proteins, amino acids, peptides, minerals, trace elements, vitamins like B6 and B12, carnitine, chitin, yeast extract is also a major source of the infamous food enhancer monosodium glutamate for the food industry. It is also water-attracting being hygroscopic (like honey and malt extract and peptones interestingly,) and is highly soluble a digestible. Peanut butter has much going for it too including sugar, salt, high fat content, tasty oils and great palatability and even its own highly fish attractive enzymes. There are very good reasons why even the 'simplest' kitchen ingredient works.



The attractiveness of peanuts and peanut products is so well known, but fewer fishermen realise that crushed peanuts make great ground bait and cook-up well absorbing all kinds of added attractors like sugars, salts, flavours, spices, essential oils, colours and so on. Peanut oil is another great attractor too, while de-fatted roasted peanut meals can have a protein content above that of many fishmeals and are very well consistently proven fish catchers.



Getting back to your easy simple bait, a generous amount of molasses or brown sugar will really help. Many fishes love sweet smells and tastes and a quick energy 'hit' from the sugars is appreciated too. In fact 'polysaccharides' play a big part in wild fishes natural diet and are derived from ingesting mussels and shrimps and other shelled organisms.



It's a good idea to add a bit of protein to your simple flours baits. Fish can are very drawn to attractive proteins, amino acids, polypeptides and this has been consistently proven with catfish and carp etc. In fact, often the baits meant for carp or catfish end up catching other big specimens of other species including bass, big pike and tench, pickerels, eels and so on. Adding liver powder or mashed-up tinned fish, ground trout pellet powder, or any of a range of fish meals and meat meals, shellfish meals and milk powders will all make a big difference to your simple bait's effectiveness. You can even add ground-up sinking pond pellets if you want to really ensure your fish get a guaranteed 'balanced meal' if you're so inclined.



You could mix in large amounts of flaked cold-water fish food which is a very effective edge in making a very 'alternative' bait. These are high in things like spirulina, carotenes, complex sugars and daphnia. (All good stuff.) Incorporating casein and whey protein body-building powders into your simple flour or pastry mix really is an edge adding much recommended 'free amino acids' among a huge list of other beneficial attractors.



Many fishermen feel they need a boost of extra confidence by adding a flavour to their bait. While there are a handful of 'giants' than really shine through in the world of fishing flavours, just a few drops of butyric acid will do the trick. Even adding fresh juice from red or blue fruits like strawberry, mulberry, blueberry, acai berry etc adds great flavour and very powerful fish attracting acids, enzymes, flavours, sugars etc.



Even adding flavours at levels we cannot detect ourselves will work. E.g. half a teaspoonful per kilogram of bait. It is also a fact that many baits have proven to work without any added flavours at all. The best flavours are probably better called 'fish detection tools' or even 'fish mood and activity changers.' This is a far cry from the simple cake flavours many beginners start off using. The proven catches difference between using a simple alcohol based vanilla flavour compared to a fishing bait proprietary brand flavour proven for decades like 'Scopex' or 'Tutti Fruitti' or 'Monster crab' is gigantic.



Experiment kneading the mixture together into a dough. Until you have a practical bait and put into marked and dated bags, but many of these baits can quickly be made on the bank or boat which is really useful. Baits can be round shapes, square, triangles, pellets or just random shapes. You can use these baits fresh or store them temporarily in the fridge or freeze them. By noting what ingredients you add and the amounts used you will be able to make any bait in the future and associate with it any interesting results apart from personal best captures. Just putting bait into the margins where fish can browse on your baits is a very valuable thing to do to help assess their response.



Personally I'd do this with any batch of bait before bothering to fish. Watching fish feeding on your bait is fantastic. (And often the biggest fish are caught on a new bait they have never experienced before.) Testing different batches of bait like this will certainly show you the winners and dramatically increase your confidence in your new baits. You will find that some of your homemade baits will out-perform those expensive shop-bought baits and by making your own baits you will learn practical ways to enhance or alter those shop baits that are 'in' too in order to 'top' them. Although there is far more to making and enhancing baits this will get you on your way!



This fishing bait secrets books author has many more fishing and bait 'edges.' Just one could impact on your catches!



By Tim Richardson.



For the unique acclaimed expert bait making and secrets 'bibles' ebooks / books:



"BIG Catfish AND Carp BAIT SECRETS!"

AND "BIG Carp BAIT SECRETS!" And " BIG FLAVORS, FEEDING TRIGGERS AND CHEMORECEPTION EXPLOITATION SECRETS!" SEE:



http://www.baitbigfish.com



Tim is a highly experienced homemade bait maker big carp and catfish angler of 30 years. His bait enhancing books / ebooks now help anglers in 43 countries improve their results. See this bait and fishing secrets website now!



How to make Catfish/eel bait

Choosing The Proper Fly Fishing Leader and Tippet

Selecting the correct tapered leader and tippet for the type of fishing you are about to do is crucial. Nothing can spook fish quicker than an oversized tippet for the particular situation. On the other hand, and undersized tippet can result in the fly fisher losing their trophy before they even get a photo opportunity. We will start at the very basic of leader and tippet selection and then get more specific, and hopefully conclude with enough information so we’ll always have the proper leader and tippet for all upcoming fishing scenarios.


What is leader and tippet

Leader and tippet is the final connection between the fly fisher and their fly. It is the section of line after the fly line and before the fly. It’s purpose is to transfer energy from the fly line down to the fly, allow for natural presentation of the fly, and then be strong enough for the fly fisher to retrieve any fish that might strike at the naturally presented fly. Sounds simple enough, but this is fly fishing, and fly fishers have been around a long time. And as a group we seem to think about everything related to our sport a lot, and therefore probably have over complicated things a tad.

The leader in fly fishing is tapered. It is thicker at the butt section, then at the tippet section. It is usually divided into three sections, the butt is tied directly to the fly line, and is the longest portion of the leader, about 60%. The mid-section is next and its purpose is to taper down to the tippet without losing a lot of strength. The final section is the tippet, it is the actual section that is tied to the fly. It is the thinnest section, it needs to be strong, yet allow for a natural drift, without alarming the fish that your offering is connected to a person that will pull back.

Commercial leaders by and large achieve all this in one smooth product. Although there are still knotted leaders out there, by and large knotless leaders are the choice. It is possible to construct you own leaders and many people do. But that is the topic of another article. A fly fisher does, however need to know how to attach new tippet portion to the fly line, I prefer the double surgeon’s knot, but the blood knot is also popular. Learn how to tie these knots before fighting that monster! A poorly tied knot will reveal itself at the most opportune times.


X factor

Now comes the fun part. A new set of numbers to learn. Different numbers then choosing flies or fly rods. Fly fishing is overwrought with numbering systems, and unfortunately leaders and tippets you are just going to need to learn. They are sized on the X numbering system. So when you hear someone say they are switching to a 6X, you now know they are talking about their tippet. X measures the diameter of the leader minus .011. So a 6X would measure .005. A 0X would actually measure .011. One really only needs to remember the HIGER the X, the smaller the diameter. The other number worth noting the test, or breaking factor, a 4lb test leader will break when more than 4lbs pressure are applied. This is worth noting, and many a trophy are lost when violating that #.

There are many variable to consider when selecting the right X, but the two most common are the size of fish you are going after, and the size of fly you are using when going after them. A quick guide is as follows:

X Fly
0 2-6
1 4-8
2 4-10
3 6-12
4 6-14
5 12-16
6 16-20
7 20-24
8 24 and smaller


Length

One must also think about the length of the leader itself. Leaders are sold these days anywhere from 4 feet to 15 feet. There are many things to consider when deciding on length, some are variable like wind and water clarity. Other variable are static like size of fish, current, etc.

Typically the easier it is to spook a fish, the longer the leader you will need to use. So

The industry seems to have settled on 91/2 feet as a good all-around length. For everything from trout to steelhead to tarpon. It is a good length to handle for all levels of fly casters, and it gives enough distance between the splash down of the fly line and the fly as to not spook most fish under most circumstances.

From this standard we can then begin to think of reasons we might need to adjust. Spring creeks or spring fed lakes will probably require 15 feet of leader. Whereas sinking tip lines used in spring run off will use as leaders as short as 4 feet. A weed choked largemouth bass pond will require a shorter, stouter leader, and therefore you will be able to muscle your fish away from snags. But a trout caught in a spring creek will have the advantage because your leader will easily break off due to its lightness. Windy days might require one to shorten up a bit to ease in casting. When switching from nymphing to dry flies one might need to lengthen a bit.


Summary

I hope this has clarified and not complicated things a bit. What all this means is one must carry a good assortment of tapered leaders and even more importantly tippets with them at all times. There are many times I switch sizes in the same day. If I am fighting fish deep in faster current during the day, I might go down one X factor, and then in the evening if I am dry fly fishing in shallow slow water, I’ll go up two X factors.

Not having the correct tippet can handicap one’s ability to land fish, either by breaking off if too small, or spooking them if too large. It is a nominal expense compared to the rest of your equipment, and a bad place to start watching that fly fishing budget. So make sure you’re well stocked for every imaginable situation before you hit the water. I guarantee you at some point you will be glad you are.