Fishing – The Equipment, Tools, and Advice That You Need

Fishing can be an extremely enjoyable and relaxing adventure. As long as you have the right tools and knowledge you can be a successful fisherman or fisherwoman.

The most overlooked factor in buying equipment is choosing the right fishing tackle. You should follow these simple guidelines in the selection of tackle.

1. You must first determine where you will be fishing.  Different bodies of water, as well as different types of fish, require appropriate fishing tackle and bait.
2. You need to decide what type of bait that you will be fishing with, will it be artificial or live bait? Artificial bait includes flies, spinners, lures, plugs, and other plastic/wood/metal forms that imitate the characteristics of a live bait subject.  The basic rule in choosing the kind of bait is to know which is abundant in that actual environment.  Bait such as night crawlers, red worms, wax worms, leeches, helgamites, minnows, or other pin-fish type bait are considered live bait.  There are also other types of bait that work well for some types of fishing such as: salmon eggs, power-bait, and other home-made dough type bait-balls.
3. Once you have determined where you will be fishing, what you will be fishing for, and what kind of bait you will be using, you should be able to choose the appropriate line to use. The five types of tackle are fly-fishing, deep sea, plug or lure- casting, spinning, and bait-casting.  Fly fishing will require you to use a fly rod/reel and line specific for fly rods.  Deep sea fishing will require a heavy rod and reel combo as well as stronger line.  The other types of fishing can all be done on a spinning reel/rod combination; however, you may also desire to use a bait-casting reel/rod when using live bait.  This tackle combination does not work well however with plugs, lures, and spinners.  
4. Additional tackle that you should purchase are sinkers, hooks and bobbers. Sinkers and hooks could be bought in different packs with different styles and sizes. When selecting bobbers, always keep in mind that the smaller the bobber, the better the performance.  If you plan on releasing the fish that you catch please consider using circle hooks.  They are made so that they hook the fish in the lip and so ensure a quick return to the water once landed.  The type of sinker that you should use will vary with the type of water that you will be fishing.  Split shot sinkers work well in lakes and streams and slip sinkers work well in deep sea and rivers.
5. If fishing for large “toothed” fish, be sure to purchase leaders.  They are available in various strengths and lengths, depending on the type of fish that you are fishing for.  Most test (line) will not stand up to a large “toothed” game-fish.  Whereas leaders which are made of either heavy duty line or steel, can help you bring in that “monster” Muskie or other large game-fish.
6. Additionally, you should purchase a good pair of hemostats.  Because they are thinner than pliers, they work much better at removing a hook from the mouth of a fish.  They also can be carefully inserted a little farther down into the mouth to retrieve a hook when it’s been swallowed.
7. One last piece of advice…before going fishing please check the weather.  Weather plays a BIG role in whether the fish will be biting or not.  Also, if you plan on going out on a boat you need to be aware of any approaching storms.  Always leave information with someone about where you plan to fish and when, especially if you are fishing from a boat, inland or ocean.

Good luck and happy fishing! JD

Extreme Carp Fishing with Penfishingrods.com

Extreme Carp FIshing with Penfishingrods.com
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Making a Hair Rig Suitable for Bread or Dough when Carp Fishing

Making a Hair Rig Suitable for Bread or Dough when Carp Fishing

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Selecting Flies for Pacific Steelhead

Popular flies for Steelhead vary greatly whether you are fishing in the Pacific region or in the Great Lakes. The fisheries have developed separately and so have the preferences anglers have for flies cast to their intended prey. We will primarily concentrate on Steelhead flies on the West Coast in this article and concentrate on flies of the Great Lakes region in a future article. There are some common patterns used in both regions as well, and we will point those out as we go along.

Fly fishing for Steelhead can be traced back to the Eel River, in Northern California, during the late 1800’s.. And many of the first Steelhead pattern’s roots can be traced back to the same era as well. There were a few problems during this time, and none more crucial than lack of material with which to tie flies. Standard featherwing trout patterns became the foundation of many steelhead patterns. Other patterns were adopted from English trout patterns and Atlantic Salmon patterns. Many of today’s most popular Steelhead patterns can be traced back to these beginnings. Green Butt Skunk, Skykomish Sunrise, Purple Peril, to name just a few all hail back to these early beginnings.

I keep several fly boxes stocked just for steelhead, I always think I’ll leave a few home, before I head out, but rarely do. How many flies you decide to carry is up to you, but there a few things to consider when selecting an assortment of flies. The most popular colors for Steelhead flies are as follows: black, orange, purple, red, and chartreuse. The key is to have a variety of colors in the fly box before heading out. Although the old adage “bright days, bright flies, dark days, dark flies, ” is a decent starting place. One also remember the time of day one will be fishing. Summer steelheading is done mostly in the darker hours, and therefore dark flies are popular like the aforementioned Green Butt Skunk, and its variations.

As fall begins and water becomes murky and bright marabou patterns are often the ticket. And in the winter I use lots of egg-sucking leeches, bunny leeches, and bright egg patterns like the Sucker Spawn. As water becomes more murky, the brighter the pattern one can get away with.

Nymphing becomes more and more popular every year for steelhead, which ignites the old argument whether or not steelhead eat once they enter the river. It seems more certain in the Great Lakes region that they are thought to, while the Pacific steelhead is thought not to. The extra space taken up with roe or sperm production results in a very shrunken stomach. Nevertheless more and more angler’s are using stonefly nymphs, hare’s ear, and caddis larva to catch steelhead in the west. Matching the hatch is not as crucial as it is in trout fishing, nevertheless fishing a pattern that represents a common food source in the river being fished is necessary. Nymphing for Steelhead is more successful further inland, as it is thought Steelhead become interested in feeding after having been in the river system for awhile

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Fishing Sea Walls And Riprap

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

Tutorial on Attracting Fish: Salmon

Sounds-Gory-But-It-Works Fish Bait Recipes...

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...

Fresh Water

Walleye Fishing Tips

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!

Basic Freshwater Fishing Tackle: Baits