Fishing seemed so much easier when I was a child. It seemed like all I needed was my rod, reel, small tackle box with a few sinkers and hooks, and my trusty companion...my dog. Okay, my reel was always half-stocked with a spool of monofilament line, I was still able to catch some awesome fish. I'm grown now, and my fishing gear now includes close to thirty rods and reels, each with their own purpose. These rods and reels are spooled with a huge variety of fishing line types; each as unique as the rod and reel they are spooled on.
These days, the tackle industry is complete with an array of fishing lines, but most mainstream fishermen need only three basic types: monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braided. Each has a distinct purpose and defining characteristics, whether you are fishing in freshwater, saltwater, or offshore.
For roughly the last half century, fishermen have chosen to use only monofilament line, and it is one of the best selling lines still on the market today. It is made from a single filament of extruded nylon, and is very cost efficient.
Monofilament line is extremely strong and rather pliable. It is also fairly stretchy when tense, which is a definite plus when you are fishing for a fighter, since it acts as a shock absorber.
Monofilament line has one major drawback: it has a memory. This means that it has a tendency to spiral off of the spool when cast, and the springy coils soon become tangles, knots, and have other problems. The stretchiness can also create problems, particularly when you are fighting to pull a largemouth from thick weeds or prevent a huge striper from escaping by slipping between rocks.
Braided line solves many of these problems, and is made from tiny braided synthetic fibers. It does not have the memory problem that monofilament has, and it is very strong for its diameter. In fact, a 30-lb braided line has the diameter of an 8 lb. monofilament line in most cases, meaning that you could realistically fill a small trout or bass-sized reel spool with 20 or 30 lb. test. This line does have its own limitations, however, and it has very little resistance to abrasion and is very visible. For this reason, only fish with braided line when you are using a non-visible leader.
The final of the basic fishing lines, fluorocarbon is nearly the perfect answer. It has many of monofilament's advantages and none of braided line's drawbacks. It is almost invisible underwater, and is excellent for fishing in shallow water where the fish are easy to scare. Fluorocarbon is also very effective in clear deep water with a high level of light penetration. Abrasion resistance is high, and fluorocarbon is even used for leader material. However, it hasn't always been popular, and was given bad press in the beginning because it made spooling and casting more difficult due to its rigidity. After ten years of negativity, Fluoro is now very popular and reliable due to advancements in technology.
The types of line available today are unique and individual tools used to make fishing easier. When used right, these lines will also help you catch more and bigger fish.
Maybe fishing was simpler when I was a kid, but my knowledge and familiarity with fishing techniques was childish too.
To be honest, I could have kept fishing in my childlike manner, but the desire to learn and reel in bigger fish lured me, and I began to discover the benefits of choosing the right kind of line and lure color, and then other helpful things. So, in essence, fishing may not seem as easy as it did when I was younger, but I am very glad that I can now recognize the tools I have today. I know one thing for sure; they've helped me catch more fish.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Trout Fishing - Live Bait Tips to Help You Catch More Trout While River Fishing
This article will provide some great live bait tips that will help you catch more trout while river fishing. To me fishing for trout means fishing in rivers or streams. Can trout be caught in lakes? Of course they can, but it's my opinion that trout should be caught from the flowing water of a river or stream. Flowing water just seems like where trout should be caught to me.
In any case these trout fishing tips were taught to me many years ago by a great trout fisherman and have served me well ever since. I'm sure that they will do the same for you. An important thing to remember about trout fishing in rivers is the importance of wading. Wading is necessary in order to get the proper casting, retrieving, and fishing angles. Being confined to the bank simply isn't an option if you want to fish a river effectively.
With that being said, let's get down to the live bait tips that will help you catch more trout, what do you say?
Natural Presentation - When fishing with live bait the bait needs to be presented in the most natural way possible. In other words your live bait needs to look as much like it does in nature as is possible. The easiest way to accomplish this task is a set of gang hooks, especially when live worms are employed as live bait. Gang hooks are an effective way to present any elongated live bait as bait while river fishing. A live worm rigged on a set of gang hooks and allowed to flow naturally with the current of a river is a great trout fishing technique.
Keep Your Hooks Sharp - When fishing with live bait its important that you keep your hooks as sharp as possible. The bottom, the bait itself, and catching trout, all dull you hooks, so keeping them sharp is very important. Many trout are missed while river fishing due to dull hooks. This can be accomplished either by changing your hooks frequently or by carrying a small hooking sharpener with you. The point is when trout fishing in rivers with live bait always keep your hooks as sharp as possible.
Have A Worm Carrier - When trout fishing in rivers one of the most effective baits that can be used are live worms. As I said earlier, a live worm rigged on a set of gang hooks is an extremely effective trout fishing tactic. When fishing with live worms in rivers having an effective worm carrier is a huge time saver, both in baiting up and re-baiting. When it come to rel=nofollow [http://www.jrwfishing.com/bait_pouch.asp]live bait tips, especially if you use live worms, this tip is probably the best of all three. The worm carrier hangs from you fishing vest, belt loop, or shirt and holds you live worms while fishing. This way your live bait is always at your fingertips waiting to be rigged up. This saves a tremendous amount of valuable fishing time when standing in the river fishing.
The bottom line is that the sooner these live bait tips are added to your trout fishing repertoire, the better. Add one or all of them to your trout fishing arsenal and you will become much more successful when trout fishing in rivers.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 25 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his five year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.
In any case these trout fishing tips were taught to me many years ago by a great trout fisherman and have served me well ever since. I'm sure that they will do the same for you. An important thing to remember about trout fishing in rivers is the importance of wading. Wading is necessary in order to get the proper casting, retrieving, and fishing angles. Being confined to the bank simply isn't an option if you want to fish a river effectively.
With that being said, let's get down to the live bait tips that will help you catch more trout, what do you say?
Natural Presentation - When fishing with live bait the bait needs to be presented in the most natural way possible. In other words your live bait needs to look as much like it does in nature as is possible. The easiest way to accomplish this task is a set of gang hooks, especially when live worms are employed as live bait. Gang hooks are an effective way to present any elongated live bait as bait while river fishing. A live worm rigged on a set of gang hooks and allowed to flow naturally with the current of a river is a great trout fishing technique.
Keep Your Hooks Sharp - When fishing with live bait its important that you keep your hooks as sharp as possible. The bottom, the bait itself, and catching trout, all dull you hooks, so keeping them sharp is very important. Many trout are missed while river fishing due to dull hooks. This can be accomplished either by changing your hooks frequently or by carrying a small hooking sharpener with you. The point is when trout fishing in rivers with live bait always keep your hooks as sharp as possible.
Have A Worm Carrier - When trout fishing in rivers one of the most effective baits that can be used are live worms. As I said earlier, a live worm rigged on a set of gang hooks is an extremely effective trout fishing tactic. When fishing with live worms in rivers having an effective worm carrier is a huge time saver, both in baiting up and re-baiting. When it come to rel=nofollow [http://www.jrwfishing.com/bait_pouch.asp]live bait tips, especially if you use live worms, this tip is probably the best of all three. The worm carrier hangs from you fishing vest, belt loop, or shirt and holds you live worms while fishing. This way your live bait is always at your fingertips waiting to be rigged up. This saves a tremendous amount of valuable fishing time when standing in the river fishing.
The bottom line is that the sooner these live bait tips are added to your trout fishing repertoire, the better. Add one or all of them to your trout fishing arsenal and you will become much more successful when trout fishing in rivers.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 25 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his five year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.
Walleye Fishing Techniques
Walleye fishing is a fascinating sport, and there is nothing like catching these fish to make a fishing trip enjoyable. The walleye is a species of fish that is native to Canada and the northern United States. The name walleye comes from the fact that the eyes of this fish reflect light, the way the eyes of a cat do. It is olive or gold in color, with the maximum size ever recorded of a walleye being 42 inches long and 25 pounds in weight. Walleye is considered by many people to be the best tasting freshwater fish, and sport fishermen seek it out as well as commercial fishing companies.
Best spring fishing action for walleye is in May and June, just after the spawn. Spawning occurs in water from 42 to 56 degrees. Look for walleyes to gather and spawn in gravelly or sandy bays, off shoreline bars, or in open water gravel flats. Moderate wave action is needed to assist eggs in hatching. Walleyes spawn over a three week period, primarily after dark, in water depths of 3 to 12 feet. On cloudy, breezy days, it is not uncommon to catch walleye in less than 10 feet of water. Walleye prefer overcast days over sunny days. Walleye can be very finicky and downright uncooperative at times depending on weather conditions and what they are feeding on.
Early in the spring walleye prefer live bait over artificial bait. You can do well fishing shallow water with leadhead jigs tipped with chubs or shinners. Make sure you troll or drift along the submerged weed beds. Fishing shallow rock piles and shoreline points can also provide good walleye action. It is a good idea to keep track of the wind direction each day. If the wind is in the same direction for 2 or 3 days you will do well fishing the windy side of the lake. The baitfish will move to these areas and the walleye will follow the bait fish to feed on them.
As the lake water starts to warm up the walleye will go into deeper water. You may do better changing from minnows to leeches. Leadhead jigs can still be used or you can use lindy-rigs. Lindy-rigs are a 2 to 3 foot long leader with a plain hook attached to one end with the other attached to a swivel with a slip sinker above it. You may find fish on tops of sand bars and sunken islands as the water continues to warm up. The tops of these bars and islands may only be good during overcast days. On sunny days you may have to fish the drop offs and edges of these bars and sunken islands. It is important that you add more weight to your line to stay in contact with the bottom. During the warmer days of summer you may want to change to nightcrawlers for bait. This time of year can be called dog days of summer. It can be tough to catch walleye during the summer months.
In the fall of the year as the water cools down again the walleye will return to those same shallow areas of the lake. During this time you will be able to catch them again with the jig and minnow combination. Trolling with crankbaits, such as shadraps can also be good. If you have a lot of sunny days in the fall, you may want to try fishing late in the day or evening. Fall fishing can be more challenging, but at the same time it can be rewarding.
Best spring fishing action for walleye is in May and June, just after the spawn. Spawning occurs in water from 42 to 56 degrees. Look for walleyes to gather and spawn in gravelly or sandy bays, off shoreline bars, or in open water gravel flats. Moderate wave action is needed to assist eggs in hatching. Walleyes spawn over a three week period, primarily after dark, in water depths of 3 to 12 feet. On cloudy, breezy days, it is not uncommon to catch walleye in less than 10 feet of water. Walleye prefer overcast days over sunny days. Walleye can be very finicky and downright uncooperative at times depending on weather conditions and what they are feeding on.
Early in the spring walleye prefer live bait over artificial bait. You can do well fishing shallow water with leadhead jigs tipped with chubs or shinners. Make sure you troll or drift along the submerged weed beds. Fishing shallow rock piles and shoreline points can also provide good walleye action. It is a good idea to keep track of the wind direction each day. If the wind is in the same direction for 2 or 3 days you will do well fishing the windy side of the lake. The baitfish will move to these areas and the walleye will follow the bait fish to feed on them.
As the lake water starts to warm up the walleye will go into deeper water. You may do better changing from minnows to leeches. Leadhead jigs can still be used or you can use lindy-rigs. Lindy-rigs are a 2 to 3 foot long leader with a plain hook attached to one end with the other attached to a swivel with a slip sinker above it. You may find fish on tops of sand bars and sunken islands as the water continues to warm up. The tops of these bars and islands may only be good during overcast days. On sunny days you may have to fish the drop offs and edges of these bars and sunken islands. It is important that you add more weight to your line to stay in contact with the bottom. During the warmer days of summer you may want to change to nightcrawlers for bait. This time of year can be called dog days of summer. It can be tough to catch walleye during the summer months.
In the fall of the year as the water cools down again the walleye will return to those same shallow areas of the lake. During this time you will be able to catch them again with the jig and minnow combination. Trolling with crankbaits, such as shadraps can also be good. If you have a lot of sunny days in the fall, you may want to try fishing late in the day or evening. Fall fishing can be more challenging, but at the same time it can be rewarding.
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