Tired of fishing with your GPS and finding nothing, tired of dragging that Carolina rig all over the bottom of the lake, tired of trying to come across that magic spot on the lake. Well you may be ready to try your hand at fishing rocky riprap or seawalls, those obvious shoreline, hugging features found on lakes, rivers and reservoirs across the county. These forms of cover can held bass throughout the year. These spots are simple to find and are easy to fish. Here are some tip for fishing riprap and seawalls.
SEAWALL PATTERN: When theres a large surface mat of water hyacinths has blown up against a long stretch of seawall. When you tie on a Gary Yamamoto custem bait 3 inches fat baby craw, with a big bullet weight and begin picking the floating vegation apart. fishing floating mats against a seawall or near the seawall, there’s usually clean water underneath it all the way to the wall. This is a good spot do to combined horizontal cover with vertical and its open underneath. That crawl space will attract a lot of space.
Flip right through the top of the mat and start at the deep edge. But don’t forget to fish the seam between the mat and the seawall.
GIVE THE SEAWALL A HUG: One technique is paralleling the wall with hard plastic lures and buzz baits. Also hugging the wall with a lizard, tube, worm and creature is just as important. One of the most important things if your pitching against the wall is to get the bait to fall as close to the wall If you are using a baitcaster you have to feed line out to allow the bait to fall up against the wall. If you are using a spinning reel it’s the same just don’t close the bell until the bait hits the bottom. The other you can do is pitch the lure toward the wall and have it hit 1 to 3 inches before the wall, and then peel off line. It tends to fall more toward the wall.
FALL PATTERN: When fall comes the bass are migrating into and out of creeks, so the riprap provides an easy, dependable way to intercept bass. fishing in the fall the bass are moving shallow or coming back out and they have to go through bridges to do that. So riprap along bridges would be a prime pattern Some good lures for this would be a shad colored crank bait like Rebel Wee R or 5A and 6A Bombers to crank the rocks, also the bomber long A jerk bait is another good choice. Cast parallel to the rock line and concentrate on deflecting the lure as often as possible. The biggest key in the fall is repetitive casting, you ask why, because the bass have seen lures all summer. So its important to cast repetition to a good looking area like a point of the riprap or a tree or brush laying down along the riprap.
PARALLEL PARKING FOR BASS: When it comes to bass fish there are not to many hard and fast rules but when you come across a seawall and lines of riprap, one rule rings come to mind. Take a casting angle that enables them to be paralleled with a lure. Another lure of choice for fishing seawalls and riprap or bulkheads are throwing a topwater and spinner baits in the morning, then a lipless crank bait or shallow diving crank bait later in the day. But regardless of the lure, always parallel them as much as possible and at least 45 degrees them, depending on the water depth and position the fish are in. Remember to put your lure as close to the wall as possible, or even bang it off the wall as you bring it back to the boat.
RIPRAP ROADMAP: Riprap can be intimidating to some fisherman or woman. Whether it is the foundation of a bridge, current break or erosion control for a stretch of shoreline, riprap can look over whelming in some situations. You may have riprap two miles long and it all looks the same, so where do you start bass fishing. You got to understand what lies beneath the surface is not exactly the same. Its important to locate irregular features in an otherwise uniform line of riprap. So you look for visible things like logs, treetop or flotsam that has drifted against the rocks or an unusually large rock is always worth fishing. But there are concealed irregular features that will hold a lot more bass. On lakes, a small ditch or creek may run into the riprap and come to a stop. Usually, a bridge crosses a channel and there will be a culvert nearby on one side of the riprap foundation. This can be an outstanding spot. 0
When you start looking around for fish bait recipes you'll be amazed at - and often amused by - the assortment of "trusted" "secret" and "sounds-gory-but-it-works" fish bait recipes you will come across!
If you want to learn how to prepare your own recipes, then get ready for some often gruesome kithen work... not to mention the aromas you will have to contend with.
Of course, if you want to avoid all of the preparation in the kitchen, you can buy commercially prepared fish bait recipes, but this can add quite a bit to your weekend fishing budget!
There is no shortage of advice available about fish bait recipes. First you have to decide what kind of fish you're aiming to catch, as they all have different tastes.
The smell of the bait is often very important. For instance, river salmon is known for a keen sense of smell to go with their eyesight, and you should try to take advantage of this when preparing your bait.
The smell of bait also fades in the water, so you should have enough bait to be able to change your bait often to keep that irresistable smell hanging and drifting around there in the water.
California salmon fishers recommend using tuna balls. Canned tuna in oil or water can be placed in a mesh bag and tied shut when used below a float. Chopped herring or sardines make great bagged baits too.
Some fish bait recipes are really very simple. For instance, if you're after bottom-feeding fish like carp and catfish, you can simply use bread, small pieces of cheese, and even canned corn.
However, the following doughballs recipe for carp is often used:
You start by mixing 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of yellow cornmeal, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. You then take a 1-quart container of water and pour just enough of it into the mixture to make a heavy dough. Then roll the dough into balls of 1/2 inch to 1 inch. Now you mix the rest of the water with 1 cup of molasses and pour it into a pan. Bring the molasses and water to a boil, and when the mixture is boiling, you drop in a couple of doughballs. Cook them for 2 to 3 minutes.
Many homemade fish bait recipes feature the use of marshmallows to assist in floating the bait, and some belive the color also helps to attract the fish.
Here follows a basic fish bait recipe using marshmallows:
Fill a bowl with 1/4 cup garlic powder and a small cup with water. Put about 5 miniature marshmallows in the water and make sure that they are soaked. Then put them in the bowl of garlic powder and stir them around so the powder coats them evenly. Put them in a jar for later use.
Many websites feature discussion forums where the detail of fish bait recipe preparation can be found. Here you will often find people who spill the beans about great family traditions and "secret" recipies that never fail...
Here is a simple walleye fishing tip that I use for one area of a lake I fish frequenly on Manitoulin Island and the lake is Mindemoya lake. This walleye fishing tip will work on most lakes of various sizes anywhere walleye are caught.
I have been catching walleye for over 50 years all across Canada. During that time I have learned a lot of things about fishing. But always remember that you can usually learn some new tricks and tips at any time.
Over the many years that I have fished this area I see so many anglers full of enthusiasm and expectations come and leave just frustrated with their experience fishing walleye. This fishing tip will help eliminate that frustration. It may not make you an expert, but it will make a difference in your fishing results.
Lake Mindemoya is not a large lake but to know where certain features of the lake are is great information to have. Depth, where to find shoals, sunken islands or structure that walleye love and frequent. My favorite spot on this lake is what is called Grassy Island and in the north west corner of the lake. It is actually what I call a sunken island because the only time it is actually visible from anywhere is in the summer when the reeds and grass are growing. In fact the hottest time of the summer is a great time for fishing walleye.
Now the first thing is of course is your rod and reel, sounds simple but be sure to use good fishing equipment. A light action graphite rod and reel with 6 or 8 pound test line is sufficient to catch and land most large walleyes.
The last thing is of course the simplest the hook. A plain unadorned ball-headed jig is king here. It is simple and easy to use, and deadly. Use 1/4 ounce as much as possible. If you have a problem finding the bottom you can move up to 3/8 ounce till you get used to finding the bottom.
These jigs have no action of their own, so that is up to the angler, short hops seem to work best but do not be afraid to experiment. Try to maintain contact with the bottom at all times, but try not to bounce on slack line. This can cause you to get snagged more often.
Jigs are great for catch and release, most of the time the walleye will be hooked in the top lip. Unhooking is fast and easy for you and the fish.
Tip jigs with either a minnow or a leech. I like to use leeches but at times minnows will work best. I usually carry both so I can test which is working best that day or for the area you are fishing.
Well now put this all together and lets catch those walleyes. Off the edge of this grassy island or sunken island as I call it there is a drop off and the walleye hold to this at different depths at different times of the day. Deeper during the heat of the day and closer in the evening.
The area I fish I am usually able to drift slowly over this reef from one end to the other and preset my jig and bait offering easily plus with great success. If you use electronics of any kind of course you can find these walleyes and where they are holding up. Also if it is too windy to drift the way you want a trolling motor can keep you in the thick of the action or even anchor.
Walleye do not like bright light and most anglers think that the best time for fishing walleye is early morning or in the evening and even after dark. But on Mindemoya Lake in the heat of summer you have an algae growth that clouds the water somewhat and makes for great fishing even in the heat of the day. As simple as this walleye fishing tip seems, remember it works and just experiment and you will succeed.
So to wrap this up if you ever get to my favorite place on earth, Manitoulin Island and happen to be near grassy island on Mindemoya Lake say hello to the oldtimer you see out there all alone in his Lund boat. Do not be afraid to ask questions, because he will have fish! Get out there and enjoy nature and relax!
Recently I had a chance to make a new friend with someone looking to get into fishing. When I asked him what he intended to fish with, he told me about some of the recommendations he’d been given. As a result of the “advice” he received, he ended up with a "tweener". That is, a rod that is in between, or can be used to fish for more than one species.
When choosing a rod, you want to pick one that BEST suits what you are fishing for. As I mentioned in one my earlier articles, when I first started fishing for these larger fish (Salmon/Steelhead), I didn’t know anyone who was really into it. So I asked the guy at the store, and he showed me a "tweener" rod. Let me tell you right away... it doesn’t work like that. It can catch you fish yes, but to really get into fishing, you want to use what works best.
Salmon Rods
Depending on where you intend to fish, these guys can reach the 50 lb class. Are you going to be able to work one of these guys using the 10-20 lb rod (“tweener” rod) you got? Probably not. When fishing for Silvers (Coho) that rod is perfect, as these fish typically run in the 10-20 lb class. Sometimes a bit bigger but you get the idea.
When hooking into a Chinook, you need something with backbone and power. Something heavy enough to handle the ride these fish are going to give you.
Typically, your average salmon rod is rated 12-25 lbs. and 8'6" in length. This rod will give you the strength you need, as well as the length for casting ability. This rod is not going to be quite as sensitive, but that’s okay since Salmon typically are not going to "nibble" at your presentation. They will smell it, maybe think about it, but once decided... they just take it. No pecking at it like a steelhead would.
Once you set the hook... Look out! When that hook gets set these guys will come un-glued. Again, at that point you need some power in the rod in order to control or fight them. Remember, these fish are running 20 lbs on up. You’re in for a fight.
If you’re going to be fishing from a boat, you may want to go a bit smaller in length. Maybe 7'6", or 7'9". You don't need quite as much length when you aren’t casting out far, or not casting at all, as when running Kwik-fish, or bait with diver or back-bouncing.
When these monsters hit and bury your rod you’ll be glad you have that stiffer, heavier action. Again, hang on. Once hooked they’ll go nuts. Not out of the water nuts (usually not), but straight down, and up and down the stretch of water you’re fishing.
Steelhead Rods
Steelhead are totally different critters. Where salmon will bite primarily out of hunger, steelhead will also strike out of irritation. Steelhead will strike at something simply because it is in their way, or territory.
With that in mind you need a rod that is more sensitive where you are able to feel the bite or strike. I recommend a fast action rod. These are also 8'6" in length, but this time we want to go with a 8-12 lb rod. This class of rod is much lighter than those of 12-25 lbs. If you are looking at the G-Loomis rod, you are going to see 8-17 lb extra-fast action. This is the rod of all rods. You will feel everything with this rod. It’s stiff, but surprisingly sensitive. Having that stiffness will also help in your hook set.
In my experience with steelhead, they usually come at you quick. Whether bite or strike, it happens fast. Sometimes they slam you, and sometimes your line or drift will stop, but usually for me it happens quick. Bang, or "tap tap", in these instances you need a quick hook set. That is where a good, light fast action rod is an advantage. The rod picks up on the hit, and gives you time to react. Again, with my IMX rod... there is no missing it. I may miss the hook set, but I know when the fish was there.
When you do set the hook and get a fish on, oh baby, be ready for some action. I love the mass of a salmon, but in my opinion there is no fight like a steelhead. These guys come up out of the water head-shaking, upriver, downriver, you name it.
Again, if you are in the boat you can afford to go a bit shorter for the same scenario as above... plugs, bait/diver, etc ...
Brands can be hard to choose from as there are quite a few. As I mentioned before, do your homework and choose a rod that will give you the best fishing experience. Good luck and happy fishing!
Trout are an important part of the fishing tradition. Trout fishermen and women are enthusiastic about the pursuit of the trout. Some consider trout fishing to be the purest form of fishing. The finesse that is required to entice a trout into striking a fly or lure is what appeals to the soul. But don’t worry, trout have endeared the imagination of the trout fishermen and women for years on end. Pure cold water is key to survival of the trout, but Rainbow trout are comfortable in slightly warmer waters.
Rainbow trout are known for their tasty pink flesh and beauty and gameness. The Rainbow trout is a favorite among most fishermen and women anglers. The Rainbow trout appeals to the properly presented flies, baits and lures. It feeds on small worms, minnows, insects, and crustaceans. The sport and dining are two fun things for Rainbow trout anglers.
Originally the rainbow trout was found in the Rockies and west to the pacific ocean and has been distributed far and wide across the United States. Rainbow trout do better in the north and northeast, but in isolated areas in the south the Rainbow trout are found as well. In waters that allow such migration, the rainbow trout will remain in streams until it reaches 6 to 9 inches in length and then travel to lakes or oceans where it bulks up and then returns to the streams or rivers to spawn.
Another trout native to the United States is the Brook trout. Originally found throughout areas with cold clean water, they like the water that does not exceed 68 degrees. As we humans invade the cool shady forest areas it causes the water to warm up and the Brook trout are diminishing in their population. Its primary food source is small crustaceans, mollusks, insects, and other small fish.
Of all trout, Brook trout are the easiest to catch. Amongst places to look for Brook trout fishing are gravel bottom streams with a moderate current, plenty of ponds and waterfalls which include rocks and cover. Over hanging trees for shade and attracting insects and offer protection from preying birds and also are places to look for when fishing for Brook trout.
The trout that can't take slightly warmer water are the Brown trout. The brown trout do not like the warmer water and have taken over some of the fisheries formerly inhabited by the brookies. Brown trout are much more wary than other trout, which helps ensure their longevity in waters where other trout are fished out.
The best spots to look for when fishing for Brown trout are quiet water with logs, under cuts in the banks, over hanging trees and brush, rock shelves. These are Brown trout’s favorite hiding places. Brown trout get to be large in size and become more inclined to feed at night under the protection of darkness.The food that the Brown trout likes are crustaceans, worms, insect and minnows. A popular way to fish for Brown trout is a dry fly.
How to Fish for Lake Trout : How to Choose a Fishing Rod for Trout Fishing
If you want a simple short-cut to carp fishing success you’ve come to the right place. This advice applies to any form of fishing because it is so vitally important. Here is a list of simple details that I wish I’d discovered when I began carp fishing when information was in much shorter supply. Over the years I have been shocked by the number of newer carp anglers who over-look the ultimate importance of their hooks and their hooking efficiency. So many unnecessary blank sessions come from anglers not realising details they’re missing on the end of their line and more awareness of aspects of the part of their tackle that truly matters the most...
Sometimes it’s very easy for a carp angler to get fixated by new products; like bait flavours, new boilies and pellets etc and the constant stream of new bivvies and ‘camo’ gear that emblazon the advertisement pages of glossy fishing magazines meant to seduce us. These products are very well designed to meet new anglers’ fashions and needs and specific purposes. However , the ability of a hook to actually hook a fish is a pretty old basic need and deserves far more personal attention from many anglers to improve the results of their fishing time and efforts spent.
The basis of the information below arrived from my use of thin wired light-weight ‘Kamasan’ hooks 25 years ago or more, which were extremely effective but occasionally opened-up on hooking bigger carp. The answer came in the form of very precisely sharpening thicker wire hooks like the ‘Kamasan’ low water salmon hooks with the longer shank. I have used this types of hook and many similar designs for years and believe their point’s angle of penetration to be absolutely ideal for my purposes. It’s proven superior in sea fishing applications for me also. (Ask England international Dion McFadden – ha ha ha! )
(You might bear in mind fishing hooks do not ‘hook’ fish by themselves, but require force, from a particular angle of line attached to make the point penetrate effectively enough to do its required job. )
In the ‘British Carp Study Group’ magazine (Spring 2007, ) famous angler and one of the group’s scientific advisers, George Sharman, proposes that an ideal hook point penetration angle / line angle of force of 26 degrees transferred into the hook point is about right, teamed with an in-turned eye. This has shown ideal initial ‘pricking of fish’ and secure hook hold properties with hooks of varied gap sizes. Now I’m not an engineer, but my practical trials and experiences with hooks and indication / conversion to hooked fish leads me to similar conclusions. It may be noted that I’ve fished for more than a couple of decades using bite indicators and various set-ups tuned to register the minimum of line movement since positive benefits of this were first discovered in my winter fishing especially.
I personally use a sharpened hook and I realise this sound ‘antiquated’ perhaps today. But I consider it is vital for many surprising reasons laid out below. Hooks catch fish but many benefit from a little help and close attention to maximise their effectiveness. It takes personal fishing trials and indication / catch rate comparisons over time to achieve true confidence in the hooks you choose to use. Why not use the best designed best quality hooks you can buy for your personal fishing styles and activities, which may be extremely varied indeed.
Sharpening hook has many hidden benefits on the whole of your fishing and confidence levels and even thinking and approach to everything you do to catch fish.
fishing hooks are often an after-thought when compared to the attention brought to bear on expensive carp rods and reels for instance. By disciplining yourself into sharpening every hook you use you not only get a great feel for the action and success of any hook pattern compared over time, but ensures that no faulty eyed or blunt pointed hooks are used which definitely cost you fish.
The easiest way to lose a fish is to give it the chance to consume your bait and have a hook either inefficiently penetrate its skin, or that has the wrong design for your rig purposes or situation, size or shape of bait, hook link material action etc . Your rig is the converter of attempted bait consummation. If it is not maximised in every way possible to convert attentions to your bait into hooked fish you may as well fish with no hook or no bait for the majority of your time spent fishing.
Most fish are lost without an angler ever realising a fish was ‘on’ in the first place, which is a shame and is one area the best most detail oriented tuned-in anglers excel out. This may seem ‘over the top’ but then why should you not benefit from little differences that set the best apart from the rest? Rigs don’t need to be complicated just as with baits, but it’s the attention to details in getting the complete process refined so the right bait and rig for any given fishing situation are the right ones. This can produce above average catch consistency without an angler having the added advantage of access to better bait techniques and technology or more fishing time available.
Don’t forget many hooks bought in packets may not be as sharp as is truly needed. Mostly a carp will hook itself, but on pressured waters a hook any less that past needle sharp can well mean many lost fish you never ever imagined had taken your bait into their mouths. A diamond hook sharpener is essential to me – I’d not bother fishing without treating my hooks to a very precisely formed diameter point and length of point too. I find a hook with a longer point which is well sharpened and thinned along its length makes a massive difference to numbers of bigger fish hooked. This ‘point’ applies to chemically sharpened hooks also.
OK, I’ve over-done sharpening sometimes and lost 40 pound plus fish at the net as the point opens, but would such fish have ‘spit’ the hook anyway and not been hooked? It’s very likely. Most anglers use a heavy lead on any of a range of rigs styles and lengths. But most don’t consider the fact that we are really trying to get around how the fish are feeding in response to angling pressure and associated feeding behaviours in response to what the anglers themselves are doing. Sure a heavy lead and tight line hooks lots of fish, but very often a light lead even at range with a longer hair and hook link will produce more fish and, often more warier bigger fish too.
If you find you are ‘dropping fish’ or ‘pulling out’ of them during the fight, or even getting odd single bleeps on the bite indicators which don’t produce positive action afterwards, try sharpening your hook. I cover my freshly sharpened hook with paste and coat the hair and bait in paste. I often use 2 or 3 types of homemade paste on a rig beside other boilie or paste baits for example in order to vary the solubility and rate of breakdown of bait and give the fish more to ‘think about’. This covers the taste of a sharpened hook and glint of hook metal before it oxidises and fades. Plus paste melting produces unusual bait movement and added dimensions to a curious fish.
In fact using paste on the hook and similar paste in different states in a PVA bag can really trip up fish even better than common set-ups that just use paste on the bait on a hair alone. I like to actually draw attention to the hook itself which is unusual these days. By using fresh balls of paste, air-dried paste and scalded paste bits together with a diversity of strategically included items in the PVA bag many fish seem to lose the grip on their ‘danger reference points’ momentarily. This is after all the aim of all our rig and bait efforts right?
If you’re still not convinced, why not trial identical rigs with sharpened and unsharpened hooks and see the difference over a range of hook designs. The results will be clear; I actually refined my results using rigs and a range of hook patterns to hook very shy biting crucian carp. I could actually observe the fish taking each bait and I was shocked that many makes and designs straight from the packet rarely produced a hooked fish. Often a fish would get hooked and get off in a second, while others stayed in the mouth despite attempts to twist and shake the hook out. I do appreciate that the quality and technology and design involved in hooks has been raised over the years by manufacturers but a personally physically sharpened hook has enormous benefits.
The realities of simple peace of mind and improved confidence that you are fishing as efficiently as possible really counts especially on tougher waters and when fish are not ‘playing the game! ’ Using the most important piece of yourfishing tackle which you have intimately inspected and shaped yourself really does produce more fish; getting into the habit of being more detail oriented adds up and the extra effort even influences your effectiveness in fish location and swim choice, thinking and approach to bait and efforts to minimise lazy conventional fishing practices whose edge has already passed.
As its Christmas coming up why not invest in a hook sharpener and really experiment in achieving the longest sharpest hook points possible, perhaps while watching all that Christmas TV. (I have no connection with ‘Fox International’ except I used to fish alongside Cliff (ha ha ha! ) But their bar shaped diamond sharpeners are the most effective tool I’ve used for many years now. ) The effort of sharpening your hooks will really pay you back for sure. It did for carp fishing legend Richard Walker...
Best of all, doing this will raise your confidence when you cast your rig into those cold winter waters, where a fish may only be willing to move just a few inches to feed and an extremely sharp hook is all you may have to initially efficiently hook a winter fish. Especially at times such as this, just a few minutes in concentrated effort sharpening your hooks, could well produce for you a very memorable fish worthy of your efforts.
