Night Fishing For Catfish -Enticing Trophy Catfish Into A Feeding Frenzy!

Night fishing For Catifsh Article

Equipment you will need:
Boat
Boat Anchors
Separate 12v Battery To run lights
Night Lights
Submerged Lighting
Live Bait Keeper
Chum bag
Rod Holders
Heavy Bait Casting Or Spinning Rig
Insect Repellent

Night fishing for catfish can be a very rewarding fishing trip. Trust me If you do it Correctly you will catch fish, not only will you catch fish but some will be lunkers! Catfish feed at night and are very active, and when they get into a feeding frenzy fishing action can be incredible! Catfish are attracted to submerged lighting And have a very keen sense of smell. So If you can locate their nightly haunts you can entice them on to your hook with some simple methods I will explain here. But first you must be setup and prepared for night fishing it is totally different at night then in the day. Things you take for granted during the day, don't apply at night.

Boat Setup for night fishing

Before you even think about going night fishing for catfish you need to have the following items:, lights for inside the boat, either battery or Coleman fuel type lanterns with two mantles. Set up your lights so they distribute light evenly inside the boat. I personally fish from a 20 foot pontoon and I have 3 halogen battery powered lights hung 2in the front, left and right and one hanging from my canopy in the rear. (I have used my Coleman Lanterns but they attract a huge amount of insects)

You also will need a secondary light on your person. This light is used for re-rigging your fishing poles. Trust me, no matter how prepared you are before your trip you will loose some tackle, from line crossovers, or snags, or fish snapping your line. (you can limit this by using heavy tackle and making sure your line is fresh) I personally use a led light that clips to the visor on my ball cap.

You also will need a light to illuminate the water surface I recommend 12v halogen light that can be directed outside the boat. Mount it on the side of your boat, in the center. I personally use and adjustable halogen that I can clip to the railing on my pontoon. Direct the light at a 60 degree angle from boat to water. This will illuminate the surface.

You will need a submerged light source. You are probably asking your self right now why do I need submerged lighting? The submerged lights will generate plankton swirls that will attract bait fish. Once the bait fish start schooling The big cats will come. attract schools Submerged lighting rigs come in a variety of sizes and shapes, the one I use is 36" long about 4" in diameter. Center the submerged light in the illumination pattern of the surface water lighting you just set up. Anchor your submerged lighting about 12 " off the bottom, (without an anchor they will float on top of the water).. make sure the light completely submerged under the water. I recommend you use a 5lb weight as an anchor. If possible, anchor the submerged light about 2 to 3 ft from the boat.

You will need a secondary power source for the submerged light, the water illumination light and to operate your aerator pump for your live bait or live well. "do not use your boats power source" This will drain your battery. "you don't want to get stuck on the lake at night right? If you take a well charged 12v marine battery as your second source it will last through the night.

You will need all Your poles pre-rigged If you have the rigs I would set up 3 poles, per person in advance of getting on the water. The reason I suggest this is because it's real pain the "blank" To re-rig at night. You will end up doing it anyway, but if you have spare poles already set up, use them first before you have waist valuable time with poles out of the water.

Locating the cat's nightly haunts

It has been my experience the bigger cat's roam the shore lines or back waters in search of food at night. Every body of water will be different. I highly recommend you do some research on the body of water you intend to night fish for catfish on. At Minimum Get a topographical map of the area before you attempt your trip. These can be attained at any of the local bait and tackle shops in the area. (I recommend you visit one of these shops to get the local scoop anyway, if you dig deep enough these guys can pin point on the map Where to start fishing. This will save you lots of time. )

Enticing the Cats to your boat.

Once you have your water surface lights and your submerged lights set up and ready to go you don't even need to do the next step, you are ready to start fishing. The submerged lighting will get the schools of bait fish coming, but I take it step one step further because if you play on the catfish's extra sensitive sense of smell you can drive the Big cats into a feeding frenzy! Ok You say how?

Well the answer is by introducing "chumming". Chumming releases a slick of dead fish smells and fish guts that the small bait fish and catfish feed on. There are many commercial chumming systems you can purchase and they work very well, but I use a simple very inexpensive method that anyone can set up. First you will need a nylon netted bag that you can close tight. (a good example would the netted bags that you put golf balls in that have a string closure adjustment) This is what I use, works perfect, very inexpensive. Next, get some good size freezer bags, 3 should do for one nights trip. Next, Purchase about 2 dozen good size chubs and cut them in 1" to 2" slices, make sure you do this in a pan that will not drain all the juices. Fill the freezer bags pieces and juice all together, and let them sit outside in the sun all day long. Yes it will stink to high heaven by the end of the day, but that is what you want! Now stick the freezer bag in side the meshed bag that can close. Close the bag tight and tie a line at the bottom of the bag about 2 feet long. Attach about a 2lb anchor to get the bag to the bottom. Now tie a line at the top of the bag with enough lead line to get the bag on the bottom. Now before you lower the chum bag to the bottom take an ice pick, or something sharp that will puncture the bag, but not tear the plastic. Punch the freezer bag numerous times, then lower to the bottom an tie it off on the side of the boat.

Now its time to fish! But before we go there lets re-visit Your catfish rigs. There are many catfish rigs you can use, and they all work in situations they are designed for. When you are fishing at night and you have submerged a lighting setup, you want get your line about 2 ft away from the light source, approximated on the outer edges of the source's beam. You will be fishing only a short distance from the boat, so your rigs need to be set up to fish in close proximity to the boat. You could fish tight line with a basic catfish hook and a small sinker. Or use a slip bobber system. I prefer to use the slip bobber system. I use the single hook rig. But both single and multiple hook rigs work fine. I just have preference for the single hook rig. I do use the double hook rig when fishing for other types of fish. I use all heavy duty, open face, and spin cast rod and reels with 30lb test. When you do get a lunker on your line you want the tackle set up to handle the fight. You miss some smaller cats, but it's well worth it when you catch your first 10lb plus catfish.

Baits To Use

Both Channel and Blue catfish will eat just about any small fish like Suckers, small shad, or bluegills both live or dead. I use both live bait and dead "cut bait" I will normally set one pole up with a small live gill no more that 3 inches in length. My other poles will be baited with cut bait, normally LARGE suckers 6" or longer cut in 1" to 2" chunks.

Now Bait your rigs, Get Your Boat Setup and get ready for an exciting Night fishing for Catfish Trip! Once you catch a lunker 10 pounder You will be Hooked for life! So have fun and good luck! Get Your free copy of "78 fishing Discoveries Unleashed" Here--oldfishinghole. com

Fact of Fishing #8 Changing Spots

6 Things You Must Do If You Want To Have The Secret To Catching More Trout

It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming. ~John Steinbeck

1. How Fish Think

When you hunt for deer, and any other animal for that matter, there are some set rules you have to follow if you are going to catch some very wary Brook and Brown trout.

Will the rules for hunting somehow help with Trout fishing.

2. Study and Research

Understanding how a trout thinks, will increase your chances of success. You could go to a local bookstore as well as the library. Within a week you will know more about Trout than 99. 9% of the world's population.

3. Trout Tips

Trout have monocular vision. This means that each eye can focus on an object independently of the other eye, giving them an all-around panoramic field of vision. Research has confirmed that fish, to some extent, can see color, above and beyond some practical uses of color. The fact that most strikingly colored species use their pigmentation for attracting mates; or they use color to hide from and scare off would be predators.

4. Hearing

Sound travels more than four times faster through water than it does through air. Trout can hear sound through the vibrations in the water, through a porous lateral line along the sides of its body. As it picks up water vibrations, the fish becomes aware of feeding frenzies or other fish fleeing that happens nearby.

5. Touch

There are many species that have taste receptors on the skin, which send food messages to the brain, and prompts the fish to go towards the source of the food taste. There are also fish that have receptors on their heads, mouths, lips, and on, barbels like that of a catfish.

6. Smell

Many species of fish have nostrils with which to smell odors coming from food and mating partners. Their nostrils have sensors that detect the odors from the water and send signals to their brain.

To understand how Trout think, what spooks them, what excites them, when they feed, when they travel, and a number of other factors really is very important if you want to fill your creels full of fish consistently. Luckily for you, theres a man who has captured the essence of fishing and put his expertise into a Book, which is titled “How To Catch A Trout Every Time – When Spinner fishing Your Favorite Stream Or River. ”

This book is quite literally the bible of Trout fishing. If you' re new to fishing or semi-experienced, you' ll immediately improve your chances of catching fish each time you go after reading the book. The authors name is Nick Anikijenko.

Fishing Bait

Nymph Fishing Techniques

Small stream nymphing is a very productive form of fly fishing. At times, you will not rise a fish to a dry fly. Yet there are fish feeding actively below the surface. So , you put the fly (nymph) to the fish.

Nymph fishing is probably the most challenging of all fly fishing techniques. Since the fly is underwater and is often extremely small , nymph fishing can test the abilities of any angler, and often leaves the beginner angler extremely frustrated. Yet, the ability of having a good nymph fishing technique is essential for productive trout fishing. The reason for this is simple – most trout have a diet that consists primarily of sub-surface insects (nymphs). An angler who does not know how to nymph fish will be greatly limited on where they can fish and what they use.

This ebook will hopefully provide some information for any angler who is in search of how to improve their nymph fishing abilities while fly fishing.

While this book provides more information than any other resource on the Internet about fly fishing with nymphs, ultimately, the only way to learn this technique is to go out and do it. From initial frustrations will come mastery over time.

What exactly is Nymph fishing?

Let’s start at the basics. Nymphs are, as defined by the Meriam-Webster dictionary: “any of various immature insects; especially: a larva of an insect (as a grasshopper, true bug, or mayfly) with incomplete metamorphosis that differs from the imago especially in size and in its incompletely developed wings and genitalia”

In everyday terms, nymphs are aquatic insects that are still in their underwater stage, as in not yet having reached their adult, or flying stage of life. One thing worth remembering is that, if you enjoy dry fly fishing, all the flies you see on the water are adult insects. These insects have “grown up” from their underwater stage and have taken to the air for their mating rituals. In essence, dry fly fishing involves using fly imitations that involve imitations of the adult aquatic insect (such as a mayfly, caddis fly or stonefly). By contrast, when nymph fly fishing, the angler attempts to imitate the younger, underwater stage of these exact same flies.

To read the full article, and more like this, please visit:
fishing-secrets.com" target=new> http://www.fly-fishing-secrets.com

Summer Carp And Catfish Baits Made Cheaply From High Protein Sausage Meats!

If you want to make your own unique carp bait that is different and will hook big fish this summer, why not now use these decades-proven cheap homemade protein based bait recipes and ideas (but with a modern twist?! )

Making homemade sausage meat boilies (and now pellets) are nothing new but few carp anglers think of exploiting them these days in their rush to buy expensive fashionable readymade baits. But just this week I reminded myself of the success I have had over the years on many versions of a simple bait recipe I have used in so many situations for big fish with great success. Having spotted some cheap sausage meat in the local supermarket at well under 2 pounds a kilogram last week stimulated memories of many past successes using this bait and led to this article; so read on!

I have carp fished for over 30 years and the early baits for carp when I began were named specials. This was probably because it was unusual to make a bait just for one species and such bait contained an unusual range of ingredients centred on a protein bulk ingredient. Sausage meat baits are probably taken for granted today by most carp anglers of my generation and older but new generations of anglers will them find extremely useful, productive unique and cheap!

This bait came to my attention while fishing a small club lake called Kennel Lane in Billericay Essex around 1976. I was only 10 years old but I was a very keen carp angler even then. To put things into perspective, the average fish in this lake was a mere 4 pounds and the biggest was around 14 pounds. Such weights were very typical of the vast majority of carp waters in the UK at the time even though such waters are stuffed with thirties and even forties and bigger today!

The era of night fishing for carp for most young carp anglers like me was yet to come and much of the thrill of fishing was making new creative baits the night before fishing and the anticipation of the catches to come! These days with readymade baits, this thrill and anticipation and the incredible satisfaction of catching new personal best fish on your own homemade bait is a huge chunk of the experience that is lost!

If all you use is readymade boilies and pellets etc, it is impossible to imagine my feelings on the first occasion I banked a common carp over forty four pounds; the same weight as that legendary Richard Walker Redmire carp that was the UK record for so many years. Unhooking it and seeing my homemade baits there in its mouth was such a high that no readymade bait has ever or will ever match!

It might seem odd but quite a number of mine and my friends hook baits in the Seventies and early Eighties were often made from ground bait mixes. Many carp bait buffs today seem to belittle baits with lower protein contents and based on bread crumb but this does not stop them catching fish; how many method mixes have caught fifty pound fish and above! My catfish fishing started much later only after Kevin Maddocks turned his attentions to catfish at waters around the Bedfordshire area for example , but all this carp fishing bait experience was to prove extremely useful for catching loads of very big catfish and I have now lost count of the number of thirty-pluses I have caught.

Method mixes were basically what we were using in the Seventies and I for one would add more or less wheat flour and bread crumbs or more or less particles to make them stick together or fall apart as we wanted. The practice of free-lining a particle bait inside a big ball of ground bait was a standard tactic of mine as a kid and it seems some people think this kind of method is new today?! (The forty pound koi in Furnace Roman Lake fell to such a simple tactic quite recently. )

When I started carp fishing me and my friends were all kids we would make our baits as cheaply as possible, and even take the powders to the lake side and mix baits there as we needed them. To make the ground baits we would put some lake water into a bucket and add ground bait powders gradually until a nice dough formed. This would be fed into the swim on a little and often basis and this would produce very good catch results all day long.

Sometimes when I had the money I would buy bread crumb ground bait from Woolworths and this had a distinctive yeasty aroma that the carp really loved! The carp paste mixes from the fishing shops were mostly out of my price range although I experimented with some I did not catch any more carp (nor bigger carp) than I was already catching; so I decided not to waste my money!

I would find that the most often the ground bait I introduced the more fish I caught and strangely more often that not, the size of fish would get bigger and bigger. This culminated in the knowledge (based on many experiences) that I needed to be prepared for the very biggest fish during the last hour or so of the trip as dusk approached and as the sun dipped towards the horizon and darkness approached. Summer was obviously my favourite time as the carp would be so easy to locate and the sheer enjoyment of fishing in summer for carp is unmatched especially as the tranquil lakes I fished were not the crowded circuses you find all over the UK today with bivvies crammed into every swim.

Our ground baits were traditionally based on bread crumbs and local supplies of stale bread were highly valued and you could make 3 buckets of ground bait for literally pennies when you timed it right for stock turnovers in the shops. But of course bread was not the only thing we used as ground bait and many other things were added mostly by simply dropping straight into the bread crumbs and kneading.

All kinds of things you find in the kitchen cupboard were added, from cheap caster sugar, sunflower oil, dog foods and cat foods, tomato source, curry powder, herbs and spices, condiments like black pepper and salt, Oxo cubes and gravy granules and of course cake baking flavours. I used to make loads of baits based on the very cheapest white wheat flour and Marmite. Luncheon meat, spam and sweetcorn were very cheap and popular too of course. Pearl barley and other lesser used particles were used and I caught loads of tench on this so it was a favourite of mine. Aniseed oil was easy to obtain and we all seemed to know about this back in the mid-Seventies and we soaked trout pellets and cooked wild bird food mixtures in it.

The meat protein baits made from sausage meat were a simple extension of all this. A pound of sausage meat was placed in a big bowl along with 2 eggs and then the rest of the bait was basically a chuck it in and see procedure which meant putting a bit of anything I could borrow from the kitchen cupboard as well as with my very limited pocket money which was probably 50 pence or a pound a week! (You could buy a loaf for 10 or 20 pence back then and a kilogram of wheat flour was one of my most used staple bait binders alongside stale bread crumb. )

So with the sausage meat and eggs you might add wheat flour and black pepper, maybe some aniseed oil, milk powders, sweetcorn juice, sugar, salt, Marmite and Oxo cubes and away you went. This mix would be for a days fishing trip and would be fished direct on the hook as paste although some might go out as extra ground bait. We float-fished on one rod and ledgered on another and this was often not the rod that hooked the better fish. The practice of fishing for carp up in the water with buoyant baits and using Zig Rigs is only duplicating the skills of float fishing really as carp are not only bottom suction-feeders but filter-feed on plankton and on fry and so on in the upper layers of the water to.

Going into the early Eighties my generation were still float fishing but hooking fish over 25 pounds instead of the single figure fish of previous years! One of my friends used to take just 5 milk protein boilies for a days float fishing for carp and invariable landed big carp to mid-twenty pounds by float fishing while those ledgering around him often blanked or caught smaller fish fishing on the bottom. I went through various phases in later years of fishing for carp using a very long hook link coiled using water-soluble PVA string to fish buoyant baits at long range and these produced many bigger fish that fishing on the bottom did not seem to be able to hook.

My very early ground baits would be based mainly on bread and wheat flour, a little meat and fish of various kinds and bulked up with particles like sweetcorn, oats, cornflakes, hemp and pearl barley and maybe finely chopped luncheon meat and sausage meat. I and my friends fished for the small carp and rarely used lots of bait and what we did use was as cheap as we could get it - yet we all caught fish consistently well!

Over the decades you can imagine I used this ground bait and hook bait experience and developed and refined it much more in catching many carp and catfish from well over 100 UK carp waters to date with UK carp to 47 pounds and UK catfish to 110 pounds and hooking carp to over 80 pounds in France. This fishing has so often involved adapting much of this basic bait and ground bait experience from the past, frequently super-boosting these baits with even more nutritionally-stimulating substances! I hope this article has given you a few ideas for cheap baits for modern catfish and carp fishing. I hope this article has given you a few ideas for cheap baits for modern catfish and carp fishing. For far more free information and my unique bait ebooks see my bait secrets website Baitbigfish right now!

By Tim Richardson.

Catch and Release Fishing - The Next Bite - Hot Topics - Season 1

Gordon Ramsay : Shark Bait - Long line fishing

Gordon Ramsay : Shark Bait - Long line fishing

click here for more information

Kingfish Fishing Bait

Kingfish is a beautiful fish and on the list of many fishermen as their favorite. Kingfish are also known as whiting or sea mullet. These are fish that swim in surf making fishing a totally extraordinary experience. They live and move in schools of thousands and of course if you caught one, then you are in the middle of it.

Kingfish are small fish with even smaller mouths. They love clams, worms and crabs – mostly things that are found on shores. The angler can use any of these things as baits, but should always keep in mind that it should not be lowered too much so that other fish or crab steal the bait. Spinner hooks work very well for catching these fish. So are Styrofoam floats adapted on rigs with shank hooks, or Sea Striker gold hooks.

The best bait, the bait which the kingfish simply cannot resist are expensive and almost royal, i. e. the bloodworm. The angler can use one or two worms alone on the hook or in combination with some other bait like strip of pork, mullet or even squid. If you cannot have the bloodworm, you can use its closest substitute, the night-crawler. Though nothing can really give the results the bloodworm gives, a good combination with night-crawler and strips or squares of squid work pretty well. Do not let the night-crawler get washed out however; the kingfish will not touch it.

The baits should be smallish since the kingfish are small biters and do not really go for any big chunks, even if they look wounded and tasty. Use happily spot, mackerel, squid, mullet or any combination of these if you do not have bloodworms. Kingfish are also very attracted to fillets – so if you like to use mullet, use de-scaled finger type fillets. It is a little known fact that sand flies make just as good effective baits for these fish and with a little patience and free time, the angler can get them for free (catch them themselves).

Keep the bait on the move as the kingfish are attracted to on-the-move type of bait. However , move it slowly and tantalizing just as in cat-and-mouse game for best results. The mostly swim around the shore so the angler should best concentrate his efforts there. Kingfish cannot resist baby clams – though it is not easy to get them, these bait are sure-fire ways to catch kingfish.

In the sea the kingfish always tends to swim towards the shore – so that is the best way to position yourself to catch them. In lakes/ oceans the best time to fish for kingfish is early in the morning till about 10. 00 am and late evening after 6. 00 pm.

Sea fishing and How to catch more sea fish with squid as bait

Excellent Fishing Rods For That Perfect Fishing Experience

Today’s fishing rods have incorporated modern features that are not typical of the more primitive cane pole. Modern fishing rods contain reels, which aid in the retrieval of fish caught in its bait.

A much-sophisticated feature is the spinning rod where the entire shaft of the rod except the handle can move around on its axis to allow flexibility when fish caught on snare bait struggles through the water.

Like the classic cane fishing rods, the fishing gadget is thick at the handle (bottom) and is tapered and thinner at the tip. This very basic design allows handling stability and flexible movement of the entire length of the shaft.

Types of fishing Rods and Specifications

A typical fishing rod measures 6 and 16 feet (2 and 5 m) and vary in capability to tolerate strain in fishing activity. The length has a lot to do with withstanding force exerted by the fish to the pole and determines for the most part the performance of rods used for angling.

Cane Poles

Cane poles are one of the smallest and less sophisticated gadgets in fishing. It is usually made of bamboo or other flexible wood material with the most basic fly line attached to it.

Unlike other more sophisticated fishing rods, cane poles do not usually contain reels or its equivalent to be used for reeling in or retrieving fish caught on bait. This very same action is known as angling.

Spinning Rods

These types of rods are the most popular today. They can be used either for heavyweight or lightweight fish although they were proven best for trout, walleye and bass fish. They vary in measurements from 5 and 7 feet (1. 5 and 2 . 5 m).

Spinning poles are commonly used in bass fishing competition accounting for their flexibility and tolerance to stress. They accommodate bigger and tougher fly lines and stabilize them to avoid line tangles during uncoiling of float lines.

Jigging Rods

These rods are best for heavy lures and baits especially when reaching around 180 to 200 feet under the ocean’s surface. They are made of fine, solid materials which accounts to their heaviness. The use of jigging rods is specifically due to alternating currents during the fishing activity.

Some oceans have erratic undersea current. That is why the bait and fly lines should be kept in place. Lures are also disturbed and cause confusion among fish if the lines are not long and heavy enough to withstand and tolerate water currents under the sea.

These rods are best for target fishes usually found dwelling at the bottom of the sea such as halibut and cods.

Knowing the bass advantage factor helps catch more fish

Sea Fishing Tackle Evaluation: The Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500C Tormentor Sea Fishing Reel

When you are devoted to fishing like I am, you are likely also devoted to keeping your gear in great working condition. There is not anything more disappointing than when your rod or reel stop working efficiently in the middle of a struggle. Due to the fact that I absolutely adore sea fishing, I have purchase a sizeable collection of tackle through the years. Sea fishing tackle has to be more strong and hard-wearing than other forms, and typically you need to maintain it more carefully. One brand I'm quite partial to is Abu Garcia's Ambassadeur range. This is a short report on a fishing reel I employ quite a lot: the 6500C Tormentor sea fishing model.

Sea fishing Tackle: Major Facets of the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500C Tormentor Reel

If I'm on a barren beachfront or out in boat being shifted back and forth, I can see that that this 6500C Tormentor can stand up to the test. It is a steadfast piece of fishing equipment with an extremely hard-wearing structure offering the ultimate performing ability for bait as well as lure angling. This fishing reel's line capacity is 255m of 0. 30mm line; it retrieves 77cm of line with each twist of the handle. It has weight of 383g an has a gear ratio of 6. 3: 1 . One aspect I really welcome is the ADS spool concept. ADS refers to "anti distortion spool, " and it is helpful in lowering distortion a spool under serious weight. This is accomplished by putting the spool bearings on the outer part of the spool, thus enabling tighter tolerances amid the frame and spool of the reel. The outcome? A noteworthy decrease in spool distortion. Lastly, ADS aids in the prevention of a reel binding while a big fish is biting.

Sea fishing Tackle: Additional Details on the 6500C Tormentor Sea fishing Reel

This 6500C fishing reel is among my most well liked pieces of sea fishing tackle. The reel has got decomposition defiant ball bearings in the spool for smooth casting and also retrieves, a chromed brass frame, as well as robust brass gears. The spool shaft on the reel has a coating called Ever Slik; this highly advanced coating is thermally cured and epoxy based. Ever-Slik provides superior corrosion resistance in a wide variety of environments, and is impervious to solvents and harsh chemicals. Additional aspects of the 6500C entail a four-pin adaptable centrifugal brake, as well as a carbon matrix drag. The reel is designed with dual anti reverse and also has a gear ratio of 6. 3: 1 .

Sea fishing Tackle: In Reference to Ambassadeur Range and Abu

The very first Ambassadeur fishing reel was created in the year 1952: it is an essential part of the product series of Abu Garcia. The truth is, a lot of the previously-built Ambassadeur fishing reel are still being used currently. This Abu Garcia Company got its start in the country of Sweden in Svangsta in the year 1921; the city is located near the Morrum River. This business initially was a watch manufacturing company; after that, it switched its focus to the planning, developing, and creating of precisely accurate fishing reels in the latter part of the 1930 decade.

This Abu Ambassadeur 6500C Tormentor fishing reel is a terrific piece of sea fishing tackle that would be a worthy addition to any angler's tackle box.

Jigging Deep Reefs with Jigs

Cincinnati catfishing Bait

Some of the baits I have used for used for CATfishing here on the Ohio River are, chicken liver, minnows, shrimp, Spam, French Fries and more.

Fresh chicken liver works better than frozen liver that has thawed out. It does get bites however , cats peck at it so by the time you pick up the rod they have cleaned the bait off the hook. My experience is the fish swallows the bait more often than getting hooked. The biggest drawback is keeping the bait on the hook when casting from the bank. Trying to get a long cast with chicken liver is very difficult. It seems like half the time the liver will just fly off the hook with any forceful cast. This is no problem if you are fishing from a boat, just flip it out and feed it line so the current can take it away from the boat for you.

Spam does get bites but is even harder to cast from the bank. three out of four cast can see the bait go flying in the air before the line hits the water.

Shrimp works well for it does have a scent to it and stays on the hook when casting from the bank. You normally have to get the shrimp when it is on sale and freeze it. Then get it out the night before you fish to let it thaw out.

Minnows are good for there are so many fish that will feed on them beside catfish. So even if the cats are not biting you could get a perch, largemouth bass, stripper or a white bass.

Yes! I did say French Fries as bait! I have caught channel cats up river and right in the downtown Cincinnati area on FRENCH FRIES. I did read posting from a guy that caught a large Flathead on fries by one of the restaurants on the river in Newport Ky. Any fast food place that sells fries works. If possible pick some up when heading to your spot so they are on the warm side. That allows the grease to get into the water to make a scent trail easier.

I had great success in February 2004 using chunks of steak for bait. I caught 8 bluecats with it, largest being 13 pounds. It did not matter if it was raw or grilled with seasoning. So if you have some scrapes left over from a cookout just put it in a small freezer bag. If you have a friend that works in a restaurant that has steak, ask them to make up doggie bag of scraps for you. It stays on the hook very well when casting and the fish have a hard time just pecking it off the hook. All of those eight fish were hooked, none swallowed it. So I was able to released them to grow bigger for the next season.

This past summer I was able to use a casting net to get some gizzard and thinfin shad for bait. These fish die very quickly. So I just cut them up for bait. Skipjack is a great bait if you can get them. Around Cincinnati they can be caught on a rod and reel in the Fall. Other than that the only place I know for skipjack year round is the power plant at Aberdeen Ohio. I have some frozen cut skipjack from last Fall to start off this season.

July 19 2003 I caught two Channel Cats around 2 1/2 lbs. using the skin from fried chicken. It says on the hook for casting O. K. Had 3 other bites but they stripped off the bait. I'm not sure if large cats bite on it. Just started using it today. So when your family is done eating their chicken dinner put the scraps of skin in a small zip lock bag in the freezer till you go fishing.

ALso learnd in July 2003 from another Catfisherman about Chicken nuggets for bait. He had been telling me about it a couple time this summer. The other week I saw him actually catch a 5 lb. channel cat out of the river using chicken nuggets. He turn to me and said that was the smallest one of the day. He had landed 5 other cats earlier that morning and released them. HE had stopped at McDonalds and picked up a 6 nugget serving that morning. He said he has used other companies nuggets in the past.

I hope you get a chance to try out some of these baits this season. Tight lines and plenty of action to all!

Norb Wormald

Please visit my web sites: nlcatfish@aol. com webmaster for CINCINNATI CATfishing fishing.com" target=new> www.cincinnaticatfishing.com

Bass Fishing : How to Bass Fish With Plastic Worms

Bluegills, Trout, Walleyes, and Catfish

BlueGills, The Basics
Bluegills are popular game to go for because they are plentiful across the continent. Another reason they are popular is because they go for a variety of natural bait and artificial bait. They usually opt for areas with clear water and reasonable weed growth.
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Typically they like water from 50 degrees up to 90, and can even be taken through ice! But , the best time to get them is when the water is around 70 degrees. It is then that they become aggressive because they are ready to spawn. You can find nests from about 2 – 12 feet deep.
When it is warmer, fish early and/or late in the day, especially if you are in shallow water. Bigger bluegills can be found in deeper water, and can be up to 20 feet below the surface. When fishing lily pads, approach it as if you were going for bass. Work the points, pockets and indentations where there is open water.
Make sure to fish with small hooks and bait. They have small mouths and have a hard time taking in larger bait.
Great baits to use are pieces of earthworm, crickets, grasshoppers, grubs, wax worms, minnows, leeches, and even sandwich meat. If you go the artificial route, use tiny jigs and spinner baits.
There isn’t really a need to use more than 2-pound test line – maybe up to 4-pound maximum. As you may know, light lines make the bait appear more lifelike.
They are easily spooked so make longer casts if you are on foot, stay a bit back from the shore. If you are in a boat, be careful and quiet.
After you get a strike, don’t act too quickly. Wait a second before lifting the rod – you will hook more this way.
Walleyes, Use Waders At Night
It is fairly well known that Walleyes favor low-light conditions. They can be found in water only 3-4 feet deep looking for perch. Using a pair of waders you can go for them.
Some recommendations are to use a light spinning rod equipped with 8-12 pound test line, and some minnow imitations.
You can find them at points where deep water is near. Scout for baitfish feeding on plankton – sooner or later the Walleyes will show up.
Trout, Midges
If your luck is not good with early season trout, try a few patterns of midges. Mosquito larva or pupa, in sizes 12-20 is good. If it is early in the season, fish it deep.
Catfish, Bait
Follow these steps to make a bait catfish just can’t resist:

• 1 pound of chicken livers (including blood)
• 1 cup of yellow cornmeal
• While mixing with hands (squeeze hard), add more cornmeal until a sticky paste forms
• Add cotton balls, pulling apart each one and add clumps to mixture (use 12, they keep everything together in the water)
• Add more cornmeal until you can make individual balls without them sticking to your hand
• Freeze until ready

To bait up, pinch some dough and set it on your hook – catfish will go crazy for this mixture!

Best Plastic Jigs - The Next Bite - Site Bites - Season 1

Live Bait Fishing Tips - Keeping Your Baits Alive

Obviously you can’t live bait if you can’t keep it alive, and this can often be quite a task. Keeping your baits happy, healthy and kicking can be approached in many ways, so I have put down a few key tips to remember; and some good alternatives to fully plumbed live bait tanks.

I will start with problems that affect even perfectly plumbed tanks and go from there.

COMMON PROBLEMS

If you have a fully plumbed, top of the line bait tank, then you are well ahead of the game but will still have fish dying. If the tank becomes overcrowded fish will start to die.

Remember the bigger the baits the less will survive in your tank. Baits so big they can’t freely swim around the tank will have a high mortality rate. Once fish have died make sure to remove them from the tank as it will affect the remaining survivors.

When you are catching bait make sure to handle them as little as possible. If possible catch bait with long shank hooks then hold the shank of the hook and shake the bait off and straight into the tank. That way you never touch the fish.

ALTERNATIVE TANKS

If you don’t have an inbuilt tank, or room for this, the next best thing is to use an esky. In a good sized tinnie I have even plumbed a good quality esky with great results, the next best thing to an esky is the good old fashioned ‘kill box’ the ones commercial fishos use for storing their catch.

Eskies work very well as bait tanks because one major problem for keeping fish alive is change in water temperature. Not only are fish very sensitive to temperature change but when water warms up it loses its dissolved oxygen killing the fish.

A 50 litre tank of water in summer warms up very quickly, this is very important to remember when you don’t have any circulation in your tank. The temperature problem also relates to colour, try and use white tanks so they don’t attract more heat.

FRESH WATER

Without having the tank plumbed you will have to use a bucket to constantly refresh the water in the tank, its hard work but often worth it. You can also purchase small bait pumps that will help but I’ve found that you still need to use the bucket but just not as often.

When you pour water into your tank don’t try to be gentle, this is a mistake, it is best to do it from a good height and create a lot of foam, this is oxygen mixing with the water and benefits your baits.

OXYGEN

Another key point is the shape of the tank. Ideally a high surface area is great which again is why most eskies work well and so do ‘kill boxes’.

The higher the surface area the more oxygen can dissolve into the water, this is also why little kiddy wading pools are perfect when fishing from the shore.

THE BASKET CASE

One last useful tip for boat fishos is to have a laundry basket that is deep and narrow in shape. Put some weight in the bottom of the basket and flotation around the top of the basket.

When you are at anchor simply put this in the water and tie it of to the side of the boat. Transfer your livebaits from your tank into the basket while fishing at anchor and they will stay healthier than in any livebait tank. Always have a small net for transferring the baits so as not to damage your baits.

Remember the better you handle your livebaits the better baits they’re going to be.

Copyright 2006 Obsession Sessions

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When Fish Won\'t Bite

The Basic Fishing Supplies

Fishing is a nature-oriented sport that allows you to relax. Many people want to experience fishing, but are unable to buy the appropriate supplies for their adventure.

There are many fishing stores around, but majority of the stores try to sell unnecessary fishing supplies to gain more from the innocence of the fishing novice. Here are some of the basic fishing supplies you need for any kind of fishing in any location.

1) Hooks – In a variety of shape and sizes, these are one of the most important parts of your fishing gear. Fishing hooks are affordable, so you could stock an assortment of hooks for each kind of fishing. Majority of hooks are shaped like a letter “J. ”

2) Rigs – These are used for catching different kinds and species of fish. The two most common rigs are the Bobber and Crappie. Bobber rigs are suitable for catching Bluegills and are best for beginners.

3) Sinkers – As the name suggests, this fishing equipment is used to cast lighter lures and to quickly drop the bait to the bottom of the water where the fish are located. Together with the bobbers, the sinkers are used to hold your line at any given point.

In fishing stores, you will find numerous variations of sinkers that come in different sizes, weights, and shapes. The current speed and the water depth would determine the weight of the sinkers you will need for your fishing trip.

4) Bobber – It is also called a cork or a float. The bobber’s purpose is to let you know when a fish bites your bait. The commonly used bobbers are pencil, slip bobbers and buttons. They come in different sizes to fit all kinds of baits and sinkers. The best bobbers are those that are smaller. The wind would blow the bobber back to you if it were too light and would scare the fishes off when it is too big.

5) Swivels – This kind of fishing equipment is used when you are fishing with bait such as a spinner or a minnow. These kinds of bait tend to twist and turn, which would likely your line deformed. By using the swivel and connecting it between your line and bait, it would allow the lure to spin around without tangling up the line. Swivels are affordable and come in different sizes to fit the bait and hooks you use.

Other supplies are the tackle box and your bait. The bait would vary depending on the kind of fishing you wish to perform.

Now that you know the basics, you could easily enjoy your fishing trip affordably and safely.

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