Archive for August, 2008

Spring High Water Time - Best Time of Year For Trophy Trout Fisherman

fly fishing rod; because we want you to consider the following before you purchase your next fishing rod.

The first thing people take into consideration is cost; after all no one wants to pay a fortune just to continue their favorite sport. Anyone who loves to fish understands that all the fishing equipment can be very expensive. However whenever you find a site that offers discounts and clearance sales; this is the best time to purchase your fishing equipment. The most popular or common fishing rod that is suitable for any angler is the St. Croix Fly fishing rod. Yes you can purchase several other brands and models, however most likely you will be spending more money than you would like.

Comfort is another important factor; you never want to get a fishing rod because you like the way it looks. Make sure that you are comfortable with it before you spend your money on it. I usually stick with the brands that I am familiar with; because I know from past experience how it feels and how it performs in the water. You can venture out and try new things if you like; however be familiar with what you are purchasing. There is nothing that can ruin a fishing trip than to have a fishing rod that you are unfamiliar with or have never used before.

Know what the rod is going to be used for; what kind of fish are you going to be fishing for? If you can answer that question; chances are you will know what type of fly fishing rod you will need. It will vary depending on what type of fish you are looking to catch. The general maxim is to equate the weight of the fish to the weight of the fishing rod. For most of the common fish you will want to remember that you will want to use a light to medium
heavy quality of fishing gear.

If you are planning your next fishing trip and found this article on fly fishing - choosing the best fly fishing rod helpful; visit our site below. It is filled with valuable information on bass fishing, fly fishing and other types of fishing. You will also be able to find all the discount prices on all the fly fishing rods or other outdoor equipment that you will need for your trip! Don’t be stuck without the proper fishing gear!

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Posted on 21st August 2008
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How to Rig Trout Bait

As trout anglers, many times the way in which we rig our bait can mean the difference between a great day fishing and a day simply standing on the edge of the water enjoying the scenery. Not that enjoying the scenery is a bad thing, but as anglers we want to catch fish, right? In this article, I’ll explain how to rig trout bait, whether that bait be live or synthetic, to help you catch more trout.

Before I begin, I do want to mention that when trout fishing it is extremely important that you use fishing line that’s as light as possible. My personal preference is four pound test, and in my opinion no line heavier than six pound test should be employed in most trout fishing situations. I realize that this advice may sound sophomoric, but every time I go trout fishing I see discarded fishing line that’s heavy enough to land small sharks, so I figured this should be mentioned. Trout live in clear water and have very keen eyesight, so you should always use fishing line that’s as light as possible.

If you want to know how to rig trout bait, the first thing you need to familiarize yourself with are gang hooks. Gang hooks are simply a pair of small hooks tied in tandem, which enables live bait (especially live worms) to be presented in a totally natural manner. This makes a huge difference in the amount of bites that you receive. Not only are gang hooks great for live bait, but they are also great for synthetic bit such as Powerbait. Imagine having two chunks of Powerbait floating from your trout rig rather than just one? Believe me, it makes a difference!

So now that we know that we need light line and gang hooks to learn how to rig trout bait, let’s get down to the details. Begin by grabbing the end of your line and tying on a small barrel swivel (size 10 or 12). If you are still fishing with trout bait such as Powerbait, slip an egg sinker onto your line before tying on the barrel swivel. Now tie a set of pre-tied gang hooks onto the opposite end of the barrel swivel. If you’re fishing in a river or stream, split shot sinkers are added above the barrel swivel for weight. This is your basic trout rig.

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Posted on 20th August 2008
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Catfish Fishing Tips

Fishing for Catfish is one of my greatest passions. This article is to give you some of the best Fishing tips and techniques I have learned over the last 25 years. I will give you tips on how and where to catch them, and the best way to fillet and prepare your catfish so you can get the most out of your catfishing experience.

Posted on 19th August 2008
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Fly Fishing Tackle

You can fly fish without a vest. If you don’t mind cold water, you can fly fish without waders and wading boots. You can get out there in your jeans and Converse’s and fly fish as well as anyone. But there are four things you must have to fly fish: a rod, a reel, a fly line, and a hat. You gotta have a hat! Those are the essentials of fly fishing tackle.

Fly rods run from $60 to thousands of dollars. A good rod that will last a lifetime and will come with a lifetime warranty against breakage can cost around $200. An excellent rod with the same warranty will run about $400. Buy a rod from someone who allows you to cast it before you buy. You a lot of casting in fly fishing and a rod should be light but strong enough to cast a fly line a minimum of 30 feet. When you find that rod that casts the line with the least effort ask what the action of the rod is, fast, medium-fast, medium or medium-slow. The answer will be the type of rod you are looking for. Now you should by a rod with that action and weight that is within your budget. As for the weight of line the rod will cast, it runs from 1 weight all the way to 14 weight. If you are going to buy only one rod buy a 5 weight if you live in the East and a 7 weight if you live in the West. The West has bigger water than the East.

A fly reel seems a simple thing until you have a trophy trout on and you are fumbling with the drag. Your reel should have the following features: a smooth action, an easily adjustable drag, a large enough spool to hold your fly line and the backing. Fly reels from excellent Abel and Ross reels at $300 to the surprising good Clearwater reel from Orvis at $39. If you fish heavily a more expensive reel will last a lifetime. If you are the occasional fly fishermen the Orvis or one from Redington will do you in good stead.

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Posted on 18th August 2008
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Fly Fishing - Dry Flies

It is a known fact that trout fishing is mainly dominated by the use of “nymphs” (insects that populate the sub surface of the trout area) rather than “dry fly” concept. One must practice the art of fly fishing and efficient drag as well as using the correct species of dry fly to make a success of this sport. It is useful to know the most common varieties of “dry fly” in order to adapt the trout preferences that fly fishing has established over a period of time.

Here is a list of the ten most popular dry flies:

1. Adams
2. Bivisible
3. Black Fur Ant
4. Black Midge
5. Dark Cahill
6. Dave’s Hopper
7. Elk Hair Caddis
8. Hair Wing Royal Coachman
9. Irresistible
10. Light Cahill

It is also mentioned earlier that most trout prefer nymphs to dry fly. The invention of real dry fly species that resembled the insect to a large degree made fly fishing a revived sport. The art of using these fishing flies and casting without drag makes it a great sport if you can time the operation right! The list given earlier of the type of trout flies or fishing flies must be learnt in more detail for the ardent angler since this is the knowledge that makes him or her sit out the time with the guarantee of catching a good basket of trout!

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Posted on 17th August 2008
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The Easiest Way to Save Money on Marine Electronics

With the advent of new technologies and products offering more and more features, the cost of marine electronics has skyrocketed in recent years. Fishing and boating electronic products can now easily cost in the thousands of dollars.

While this may not be an issue for wealthy yacht owners, it has definitely become a concern for hundreds of thousands of more frugal boaters and anglers. It is this large group that often has to decide just how badly they want the newest innovations and features in their electronic devices, and how much they are willing to spend to get them.

But, there is one simple way to cut the cost of these much-desired but pricey electronic products.

And that is to buy used equipment… or maybe you prefer the more modern term “pre-owned”. If you don’t mind acquiring previously owned equipment and you can safely determine the equipment is in good working order, this can be a very good option.

Much like how the value of a new car drops significantly as soon as it is driven off the car dealer’s lot, the value of marine electronics drops similarly over time. But, this can be good news for you if are willing to buy used electronic products.

Remember, it is hard for the original owner to recoup much of the original purchase price. So, you can frequently buy marine radios, fishfinders and GPS systems for discounts as much as 75%.

You will be amazed at how many people want to own the best and latest devices… and are continually updating their electronic equipment. They just have to have the latest in technology and features.

So, while they are going about buying every new gadget that comes out, you have a great opportunity to buy their used equipment at huge discounts.Now, while this may not get you the latest in technology, it can very well still be a significant upgrade for you… at a drastic cost savings. In this way you will now have much better equipment at a fraction of the cost.

Just remember - buyers beware!

Make sure you can check out the equipment prior to purchase. Or at least have confidence or a guarantee that everything is in working order.So, once you have decided that this is how you’re going to save some money, the next step is to locate the device you would like to purchase.

5 Ways To Find Used Marine Electronics

Here are 5 easy ways to find used electronic equipment:

1) Check with boating and angling friends and relatives who may be looking to buy new equipment. They will likely be very interested in selling their old equipment to partially fund their new purchases.

2) Watch the classified ads in your local newspaper.

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Posted on 16th August 2008
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Fishing Accommodation, Hopkins River

If you are planning your dream fishing vacation, you will want to insure that you have the proper fishing accommodation, Hopkins River has some of the best accommodations available. In the nearby town of Warnambool, you will find access to not only to the fishing sites but also to all of the accommodations needed by fishermen visiting the area.

The fishing community will find that the town of Warnambool, offers the visiting fisherman, all of the accommodations that they will look forward to when the fishing day is done. Warnambool offers you beautiful parks, gorgeous gardens and great places to visit such as shipwrecked boats and the delicious seafood at the areas restaurants.

The town offers the fishing accommodation for the fishing community, offering them cafes and events as well as great entertainment. There is a really great pastime for the family of the fisherman, children will want to spend many hours watching the whales or going on one of the many tours. You can go on a tour and learn about different aspects of the fishing community.

Another fishing accommodation Hopkins river also offers accommodations for the fishing community in the form of places to stay. You will find cute little apartments, you can stay in the caravan park, you can stay at one of the many homey bed and breakfasts and the hostels and high class hotels. Wherever you want to stay, Warnambool has everything you need. You will also find that it has places that fits your budget and your taste.

You may also enjoy the shopping choices, you will find that in South West Victoria that Warmambool is one of the top retail centers in the area. You will find that there is even some extended hours for shopping on the weekend so that you can get everything ready for the trip out on Saturday morning early. You can also check out the Central Business District, and spend the day checking out the shopping complex and having some thing to eat or kicking back and relaxing at one of the bars or the many nightclubs.

The biggest accommodation you will want to know about is the fishing itself. If you are a beginning fisher or you have children there are some great fishing opportunities that are great for the beginner and designed to have maximum enjoyment, you will also find there are many types of recreational opportunities in other areas of fishing such as estuarine and saltwater types of fishing.

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Posted on 15th August 2008
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Fly Fishing - Nymphing

This is also said to be quite a challenging proposition due to the fact that nymphs are very small underwater media to angle trout and other fish. Therefore one needs to perfect the fly fishing routine lest they will loose out on a good catch as trout live on a diet of nymphs in the sub surface section of the water.

Though there is a lot of information available in the form of literature, catalogs, and Internet medium it is without doubt that personal experience and on hand knowledge has no substitute! Some tips given herein will surely help the angler to gain adequate expertise in “Nymphing” and fly fishing but giving it a try is the best method of becoming an accomplished sportsperson.

The Salient Features of Nymph Fly Fishing

A fairly concise description is attempted of the entire fly fishing or “nymphing” process for the angler to understand the intricacy of the subject. By no means is this a treatise on the topic!

As the name implies nymphs is the young version of fully grown water insects used in the fly fishing sport - real or imitation to catch the fish. Trout and other fish probably prefer these under developed nymphs thereby getting attracted in large numbers.

The Sport of Fly Fishing

It is very interesting to learn about the sport by analyzing the philosophy and thereby the technique adapted for a successful sporting activity. Because of using nymphs the method of fishing is under the surface of the water. It becomes therefore more difficult to spot the fish getting baited. Obviously the bait is not visible either thereby making the entire process a bit more tricky. It is the sense of touch or feel by which the angler detects a “hit” and this can be sometimes dubious due to obstructions in the water.

In view of the above fact it is necessary to purchase the most relevant equipment and gear for nymph fly fishing. Since detection is difficult as to when the fish is baited it becomes essential to use equipment or instruments that aid in detecting the presence of a fish that has taken the bait! The instruments are called strike indicators to make the catch effective. The orange colored contraptions help in identifying movements and abnormal tremors when a fish bites. Along with some weights and other equipments one can easily get into the habit of nymphing or nymph fly fishing.

Methods of Nymph Fly Fishing

There are several practices for fly fishing using nymphs and it all depends on the skill acquired by different people as well as the location of fishing. The very basic one is known as the “Beginner’s method” whilst the more advanced one is called “Dead Drift” method. The beginner’s nymphing procedure can be easily understood as it is quite simple and one only has to cast the rod and allow the nymphs to float downstream for the catch.

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Posted on 14th August 2008
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How to Rig Live Worms to Catch More Trout Today

Do you know how to effectively rig live worms when you go fishing? After reading this article, you most certainly will. Rigging live worms for trout fishing isn’t difficult, but it does involve more than simply tying on a large hook, threading a worm on, and calling it good. I’ll explain the simple steps in this article so that you’ll know exactly how to rig live worms to catch more trout (or any other species of fish for that matter).

Let’s begin with the basics. When fishing with live worms it’s important to use fishing line that’s as light as you feel comfortable fishing with. For example, I personally use four pound test for 90% of my live worm fishing. The lighter the line, the more bites you will receive, it’s as simple as that. This is simply because lighter line is less visible, and in clear water (here trout tend to reside) the less visible your line is, the more bites you will get. Not to mention the fact that using light line makes fishing a ton more challenging and enjoyable in my humble opinion.

The next thing that needs to be mentioned before I outline the “rig” itself is that when using live worms for bait it’s a great idea to make sure that your hands are free of any unnatural odors before baiting up. Why is this the case? Simply because these unnatural odors, such as gasoline residue or smoke, will transfer to your bait and cost you bites. This is especially true for larger, more experienced trout. I’ve personally tested this theory, and it absolutely makes a difference. The simple remedy for this problem is to grab a handful of grass or dirt before baiting up, and rub it into your hands. This will effectively “wash” your hands f any unnatural odors.

Now down to the business of how to rig live worms to catch more trout. The key to this equation is gang hooks. Gang hooks are simply a pair of small hooks tied in tandem that enable a live worm to be presented in an outstretched and natural manner the way God intended, rather than all “balled up” like a piece of meat. Having your live worm look like a live worm makes a huge difference in the number of bites you will receive. Let’s get down to the “rig”, shall we?

Begin by grabbing the end of your line n tying on a small barrel swivel (size 10 or 12). Now on the opposite end of the barrel swivel tie on a set of pre-tied gang hooks (size 8 or 10 for trout). Weight can be added to the rig by adding split shot sinkers to the line above the barrel swivel or by sipping and egg sinker onto your line before tying on the barrel swivel to begin with. Now you simply place a live worm onto your gang hooks and you’re good to go.

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Posted on 13th August 2008
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Fishing Equipment - How Much Do You Really Need?

So what to you need nowadays to go fishing?

Well, the basics are of course a rod, a fishing line, weights, hook and bait; however, it doesn’t always stop there.

Equipment needed for fishing would also depend on which type of fishing you want to do. Types of fishing include, deep sea fishing, lake fishing, pond fishing, canal fishing or perhaps carp fishing.

Some types of fishing also require a licence, so it is important to find out if your chosen type of fishing involves you applying for a fishing licence.

The ideal way to find out exactly what you would need for your chosen type of fishing would be to walk into a tackle shop and discuss equipment with the person behind the counter.

If you walk into a fishing shop, presented before you would be a mass of equipment and accessories from rods and reels to chairs and tents. You could even buy an electronic bite alert, therefore, talking to someone experienced would be a great help when considering what equipment you need.

Fishing equipment can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. Fishing in lakes and ponds may only require the bear minimum. Why take the fun out of fishing by adding all the expense? We already know it is possible to enjoy a great day out fishing without having to spend a fortune on equipment.

For the more serious fisherman, using a wooden pole and stones as weights simply would not do, especially if they are on a fishing weekend.

Fishing at night is said to be more successful than daytime fishing if you want to bait a particular fish. Most fish are more active at night looking for their feed, therefore, many fisherman will leave their homes at 11 - 12 pm at night to set up for a nights fishing.

On top of your essential fishing equipment, you would also need to consider waterproof clothing, a large umbrella, seating and perhaps even a tent.

Once you do have your equipment, and you have spent the day on the lakes catching your bait, remember to rinse off your reels and rods in fresh water, this is especially so if you have been fishing in salt water.

Most equipment is fine in a cool dry environment, but do not be tempted to lean your rod up against a wall, this could cause your rod to warp, instead, store them vertically or horizontally.

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Posted on 12th August 2008
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