Fishing Tips

Night Fishing For The Big Fish

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:14:00 +0000

It seems like a completely different world when the night falls on a body of water. It gets quieter and there is a subtle symphony of nature sounds.

Night fishing brings a mix of sounds from bugs, frogs, and small animals. As it cools down the big fish will start coming to the shallow water. This is the time to catch that big one that always seems to get away.

Night time is the perfect time for catching some big catfish. When you put your lantern on the shoreline, bugs will be attracted to the light as well as the fish. The small baitfish will come toward the light and the large fish will be there to feed on them. That is why you should use live bait such as minnows, etc.

Choose the mouth of inlets or further up in the inlet for night fishing. Also shallow areas that are next to the deeper water would do well also. While there is still light you can set up your cooler, chairs, light, fish basket and anything else you think you might need. It is best to keep to one area in the darkness because running around the shore at night could be dangerous. Then settle back and start a night of fishing.

When it starts getting dark the catfish will come to the shallow water. You could start with some night crawlers on a sliding sinker rig. A good bait fishing setup is a sliding sinker with o-ring tied under it with a #8 hook and 16" leader. Cast out and every 10 or 15 minutes move it around. Next, a second rod with a minnow or other baitfish and use the sliding rig. These are the rigs that will produce the most fish for night fishing. It is a slower but more relaxing type of fishing and it can pay off big.

Other fish might take the bait as well such as gar, carp, walleye, bass, etc. Be prepared for anything as you never know just what you'll catch with your night fishing.

There's nothing like night fishing to relax, dream, count the stars and, of course, catch that big one. So do yourself a little night fishing, a little communing with nature, and feel your anxiety and worries slip away.

Salmon Fly Fishing

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Fly fishing for salmon requires a lot of concentration and patience but will always pay off in the end.

Salmon will not be feeding when they are in a river but they will still strike as this is their nature. But watch out when salmon are in a lake as they will be very aggressive and predatory. This behavior can be challenging to fisherman but exciting also.

Choose carefully the time of day you are fly fishing for salmon. Bright, sunny days will cause the salmon to hide in deep holes and make them more difficult to catch. On low light or cloudy days they will be much easier to catch as this is their preferred weather.

A smart fisherman will make a water temperature chart to follow patterns of the salmon. This can take several years to perfect but once you have it you will be ahead of the game. Get a thermometer to check the temperatures at different times of the day. Always put the thermometer in the same depth and place each time. Start keeping a notebook with you so you can record the temperatures and update it as often as possible. Eventually you will know the best times to salmon fish in your best spots.

Salmon like the cooler water best and as the water heats up they will go deeper. Salmon need oxygen and cooler water will have more. Being in their ideal cooler water will make them a lot harder to catch as they will fight harder. So choose your water temperature wisely to hit just the right note between too hot and too cool.

Knowing when and where to fly fish for salmon can be tricky because the salmon will be swimming up and down following the pattern of day brightness and water temperature. So being patient is a big requirement of a successful salmon fisherman. Sometimes the weather will be windy and you will have to cast far out because you will be casting into the wind. When the weather conditions change you have to change with them if you want to catch your salmon.

When you are fishing the deep holes your line can easily get snagged on debris, rocks, and foliage. You will probably end up losing a lot of flies so make sure you have plenty, but it will all be worth it when you take that big catch home.

For adventure, exitement, and sometimes the fight of your life, try salmon fly fishing for the satisfaction of testing your skills against fish and nature.

Bass Fishing Patterns

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:11:00 +0000

When anglers set patterns, they refer to fishing destination and what presentations work best. Many anglers use pegging, draggin', loop, curly-tail, and other patterns to catch bass. Pegging is a unique design rigged by anglers. Anglers will use plastic worms coupled with "peg bullet sinkers" and sharp objects, such as toothpicks to keep the sinker and worm in one location.

In weedless areas, anglers use Texas Rigs with worms. The Mono Loop is a common strategy that helps anglers avoid entangling their hook, line, etc. with weeds. Anglers will render the hook, exposing it on a basic jig head. The strategy works okay, yet anglers often snatch weeds as well as bass. To solve the problem, anglers attach a rigid mono loop weighing around '30 pounds' to the rear eye of a vertical shank worm hook. The line scampers between the eyes. The worm is then glided onto the hook, and the mono is jabbed into the hook curve.

Curly-tail involves hooking your plastic worm to the curly-tail so that it slides down on the hook. The methods are sufficient in preventing twisting lines.

Bass worms, such as the towering plastic buoyancy that bubbles will attract bass when all else fails.

The 1/8 and/or the 1/4 ounce hair jigs are ideal for catching smallmouth bass, especially if you add a chunk of pork. Uncle Josh Number 101 and other series are available. If you want to change rates of sinking, try slicing off the fat on the pork. The method was discovered by Tony Bean who has caught over 200 bass.

Bass fishing patterns such as the double trailer is a great buzzbait crank. The tactic works for many anglers, however, advanced strategies will lead to good fruits. For instance, Conrad Peterson attached a "Trailer hook" to the up and down riding points and caught some fancy bass.

Patterns that vibrate include the large spinnerbait with single blades. Add a Colorado blade and a large frog and you will catch sluggish bass. The patterns are great when the waters are cold. Bass will also attack tube jibs that are rigged up with lightweight monos. The strategy works well in cold water.

In shallow weedy waters bass take cover depending on the season. During this time, you want to use plastic worms or jig-pig bait to attract the fish without worrying about hooking your line to weeds. During cold fronts you can use patterns, such as the Texas Rig plastic worms. Use the slow Draggin' strategy to attract the bass. One of the best tactics is to twitch the bait so that the worm sweeps the bottom of the water.

TIP: How to find bass

Bass often hide beneath a rocky reef, weed beds, lines, timber, boulders, etc., when the sun is hot. Bass prefer moderate water temperature in the 70s. Bass will swim toward hiding spots when the temperature rises.

Striped Bass Tips

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:05:00 +0000

The striped bass is sought out at various lakes, rivers, etc. and all through Lake Ouachita. The striped bass is also known as lineside and rockfish. Stripers have silver sides, which are darker than the stripes on white bass. Stripers are long with patches around the tongue and teeth. The hybrids are joining with white perch in various lakes. Female bass will often crossbreed, which is where the sunshine bass, whiterock, and wiper come from.

Striped bass have an excellent sporting quality. They are fast and powerful. Striped bass are freshwater fish which are often caught with jigs, large plugs, and live baitfish, cut bait, deep trolls, gizzard shads, and so on. Striped bass will give chase when they spot artificial baitfish.

Stripers will enter fresh water during spawning season. The Anadromous fish will also migrate at southern reservoirs, particularly in the larger waters. Stripers enjoy clear water. Fishing in the clear waters, anglers often use gizzard shads, open water baitfish, threadfin and so on. The preferred water temperature of these bass is 75 degrees.

Striped bass are predatory. They will often eat other fish. The bass will also feast on insects, crustaceans, and foods at the bottom of the lakes. The temperate bass swim in groups, which make it easy for anglers to catch a surplus of bass if using the correct strategies. The best time to fish for striped bass is during the early mornings, or in the early evening.

Striped bass will spawn during spring as the water temperature starts to rise to 60 degrees. You will find the striped bass spawning at dams and moving upstream in reservoirs. Anglers want to search shallow water, since striped bass will group.

The fast moving striped bass lives for a long time and the largest weighs around 125 pounds. Check the Atlantic Coast to find striped bass.

Freshwater catch includes the world record 59-pound and 12-ounce bass. The striper was caught in Arizona along the Colorado River. The largest world record saltwater striped bass weighed 78 pounds and 8 ounces. This big fish was caught at New Jersey's Atlantic City river.

Striped bass also group at Lake Ouachita. Anglers in this area use gizzard shad, rubber balloons, etc., to catch striped bass. In fact, magazines recorded anglers experience on this lake, which included a 40-pound bass. One of the trophy bass weighed 47-pounds and 11-ounces. The world's largest bass caught in this lake weighed around 52-pounds.

According to pro anglers, striped bass will hide in deep waters along the valleys, rocks, and deep areas of Lake Ouachita. Anglers tell us that searching for striped bass in valleys and ridges is the best fishing spots. Striped bass will swim shallow waters when boats and the sun are at bay. Like many other bass, the striped bass prefer to stay in cool waters.

Anglers often use a variety of fishing tactics when hunting striped bass. Some of the popular fishing equipment includes cable wire, spreader rig, mono, minnow plugs, bucktail jigs, twister tail, curly tail trailers, baitfish and so on. The best times to fish at Lake Ouachita is during dark hours, evening and morning. The bass tend to swim up to 12 feet deep near the valleys.

Carp Rigging

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Use a hair rig to increase your chances. As carp taste food first, if they don't like the taste, they won't come near it.

You may also use a Spider Line, 50 lbs test, then use a leader material that fits the situation.

Thread the bait on the baiting needle and hook the hair loop. You may also use foam dipped in a flavor as this enhances the attractiveness of the bait.

Also make a baiting needle by just straightening a long shank hook. Slide the bait on the shank, then slide the bait from the needle onto the hair.

Using a float is also an advantage because it adds weight for further distancing and the location is easily identified.

Don't forget the controller float rig. A leader can be used which is attached to the swivel to it's mainline of at least 3 feet length with a 10 lb Drennan double strength. A low diameter mono will do just as long as it floats well enough for visibility.

It is not the bait that catches the carp but the method in which the bait is introduced. Pre-bait every day in one spot for a few days. This makes the carp think that there is a regular source of food for them and by "word of mouth" there'll soon be a school of fish around. Just be patient and it will all work.

Carp Fishing Tips And Techniques

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:36:00 +0000

Carp fishing can be awesome. Carp are very good at sucking in and blowing out suspicious baits. It is very exciting to see the whole action in a fraction of a second as you hang on while the reel is trembling with a loud noise.

Carp happily devour on the surface as long as you keep the pellets, biscuits, chic peas, bread and rehydrated corn coming in. Attach them to the hooks, preferably using the bread. Have the biscuits softened by dipping it in the water for about 2 minutes, then put them in a sealed sandwich bag for about an hour. One other way to hook baits is to super glue the pellet into the shank.

Once they get into feeding, let them feel comfortable around the bait. This gives more opportunity for the fisherman since they begin to not feel picky. This tactic can be useful for zig rigs.

As soon as they are feeding, cast the bait but make sure not to drop the bait directly onto the feeding carp. Cast away from the feeding area then slowly draw it in position. Be sure and keep the food coming in so as to keep the carp from going away.

Keep Your Catch From the Lake Fresh For Your Plate

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:36:00 +0000

You can't get much better than a meal of freshly caught fish. They are flavorful and tender. But they can also spoil easily! The fish can start to die and spoil before you get them home.

The first thing to consider is how the fish are treated after they are caught. You need to keep the fish alive and in good shape until you clean it. Live wells are the best way to do this and the fish can stay in great shape until they are processed.

A bucket with holes in it or a basket will work as well if you don't have a live well. Either of these containers would be a good bet to keep the fish alive and breathing until you take them from the lake. The main thing is to try to keep the fish alive as long as you can before cleaning.

When you leave the lake transfer your catch to a cooler to keep the fish on ice to lessen the chance of spoilage. Keep a little water in it to transfer the cold to the fish faster. The fish will then be in great shape when you get them home to clean.

One thing you can do is use a large metal bowl with water, ice and some salt to put the cleaned fillets in. This will keep the fish fresh and in good shape until they are cooked.

Then fillet all fish. Start with a cut along the spine and go along the length of the spine to the tail. Flip the fillet over and repeat the procedure along the skin and you will have some nice fillets to eat. Put the fillets into the lightly salted water until you are ready to begin the cooking process.

Proper care and preparation will bring you great results when you are handling your catch. If you can't cook the fish right away you should freeze them for storage. They now have vacuum lock bags that remove the air from the bag before freezing. These are wonderful and do a great job of keeping them from getting freezer burn.

Another good thing to do to keep them fresh is to freeze them in water. You can use paper milk cartons and they are easy to stack. You can also use freezer bags with a little water as well.

New Catfish Tips Site

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:45:00 +0000

I just started a new Catfish Tips Site and wanted to let you know about it. It is new but I'll but adding to it pretty regularly.

For all you catfish lovers, come on by.

Trout Fishing Tips

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:27:00 +0000

Most anglers love trout fishing. They are in great abundance and make good eating.

There are a few things you can do to become a more successful trout fisherman. don't grease your leader. Picking the lure and lines from the water won't be difficult as it won't sink far.

Be sure and fish the pools as well as the current. Sometimes the current can cause the fly to drag or sink, which can present a challenge to the fisherman but your patience will pay off as you are sitting down to a big trout dinner.

Make your first cast count as this will get the first strike as it floats over the fish. It will be harder to hit after that first strike.

Trout like bank cover if it has about five or six inches of shading above and is at least a foot deep. Big tree roots and logs around the bank gives the trout a good hiding place. They won't be easy to see but your persistence will pay off.

A lot of vegetation in the water is a great place to trout fish but it can be difficult. The water plants can make a mess of your lures and bait but if you go slowly and persevere it will all be worth it.

Trout fishing can be fun and the eating is good, so go out there and start fishing!

Fly Fishing Line Tips

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:22:00 +0000

To be a successful fly fisherman you need to use the right lines. Sometimes you will want to have the weight more towards the lead and sometimes having the weight more towards the middle of the line. Most beginners should use the middle of the line method because it makes it easier to roll and cast.

One type of line will float on the surface of the water and another type will sink under the water. The line sinking under the water is more difficult to cast and only used in deep water.

You should always keep your lines clean with regular cleaning. You can buy a cleaning kit especially made for cleaning your lines. To cast successfully your line needs to be dirt and film free.

Most fly fishermen use a clear line but you can also use a colored one. Using a colored one makes it easier to tell where it is. There are many different colors to choose from and it is up to you which color you prefer.

Make Those Fish Jealous Using The Pork Rind Trick

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:09:00 +0000

Undoubtedly one of the greatest fishing tricks of all time is the use of cloth or natural pork rind ahead of a fishing lure or bait. It gives the impression that the lure is chasing the bait and nothing makes a fish strike like jealousy. A school of fish will stare at a lure going by or a bait dangling in front of them and never make a move for it. None of the fish will even seem excited about the lure or bait. Suddenly one fish will make a slight move in the direction of the bait or lure, often just by accident. Immediately several fish will rush in and strike the lure or bait to make sure that the fish that moved did not get it. Whether the fish had full stomachs or not made no difference at all. Jealousy of another fish getting the lure or bait will make them strike without hesitation.

In order to make fish jealous and to make them strike under all conditions you must have your lure chasing a bait or baits.

In spinning take a cloth preferably or pig hide pork rind in spinning size and make a small hole in it with a pin or nail and thread your line through the hole, then tie on your leader and put your lure on the end of your leader. Do not put your line through the regular slot that comes in a cloth or pig skin pork rind as the slot is so large that it will allow the pork rind to slip over your leader and down to your lure. The pork rind must be at least six inches ahead of your lure and preferably 12 inches.

In bait casting put the pork rind on in the same way and using a spinning size pork rind also. In trolling put at least one pork rind just ahead of your header. If you take and put six or more pork rinds on your line about 12 inches apart ahead of your leader, you will have fabulous trolling with such a troller. The pork rinds give the impression that your lure is madly chasing after a whole school of minnows. To attach pork rinds to your line put three small holes in the head of your pork rind with a needle or sharp nail in a lengthwise position and weave your line through the three holes. Do not tie the pork rind to your line with knots as knots greatly weaken your line.

This pork rind trick works on fresh water fish such as crappies, black bass, perch, walleyed pike, muskies, northern pike, white perch, stream trout, lake trout and on salt water fish such as salmon, striped bass, snook, sea trout, sea bass, yellowtail, tuna, sailfish and marlin.

Vary the size of the pork rind with the size of lure that you use but always keep the pork rind about half the size of your lure of smaller.

Fluorescent Red Orange Bait Hooks

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:27:00 +0000

Red orange enamelled fluorescent bait hooks will produce five fish to one over nickel, gold or bronze hooks. The red orange color can be seen for great distances and together with the bait on them, fish tend to associate the red orange fluorescent color with blood and it makes them strike.

Orange red fluorescent enamelled hooks work wonders on stream trout, salmon, crappies, walleyed pike, northern pike and muskies. In salt water fishing they produce unbelievably well on such fish as striped bass, snook, yellowtail, sea trout, sea bass, tarpon, tuna, etc.

Fishing Tip - Liver on Wet Flies

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:02:00 +0000

Ninety percent of our stream trout are hatchery raised. They are fed liver in the hatchery and do not forget the taste and smell of liver. Liver is excellent bait for stream trout. Rubbing a piece of liver on wet flies will make stream trout take them where they would not have touched the fly without the liver smell.

A pound or two of ground up liver thrown into a pool as chum will get every trout in the pool in a feeding mood. They then will take most any wet fly or nymph with a liver odor dropped into the pool.

Although crappie and bluegill are not familiar with liver they will also strike wet flies rubbed on a piece of liver. Sprinkling ground liver over an area will concentrate them in the are quickly and hold them there.

Fishing - Bait Choices

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:28:00 +0000

There are many kinds of bait being used nowadays. Here are a list of the best ones.

Lures - usually all white or all black is the best choice. Sometimes you can have a mix of red and black that will work well. Every now and then fluorescent colors such as green or bright yellow will work but you will want to experiment when using these colors.

Grubs - these are small and can be used to catch large fish. Use the grubs mostly in clear water. These are really great where there is little cover for the fish.

Plastic Worms - the plastic worms are the most effective in trying to catch a big fish. They have lifelike movements that will attract the bass. Remember that the fish will have to see the worm before it will bite, so it is better to be used in clear water.

Jigs - these can be used in murky to clear water and below 60 degree water temperatures. This is a lead weighted bait that has one hook. You can add a trailer at the end to get better results.

Minnows, shrimp, and cut bait - these are always great to fish with.

Chicken livers and gizzards are good for catching catfish.

Artificial stink bait is also good for catching catfish.

There are a variety of bait choices. Experiment and try them all to see which ones work the best for the type of fishing you like to do.

Bass Fishing Tips

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:00:00 +0000

Fishing for salmon and trout using fly rods used to be the traditional sport for anglers, but now many have caught the exciting fever of bass fishing. Below are a few bass fishing tips to get you started.

Using the bait casting reel is what most bass anglers use as they will allow for better placement of the lures and bait. But they also require some practice and experience to prevent the tangling of the line and over spinning of the reel.

Artificial bait is now popular with bass anglers. Their wide variety of colors and types, such as spinner baits, buzz baits and rubber and plastic baits, make them very attractive to the fish.

If you are a beginner you might want to start off in smaller ponds and lakes. Bass like to hide around structures in the water such as bushes, rocks, pond weed, and boat docks.

Bass tend to be in schools, so when you catch one just keep fishing the immediate area and you will probably catch more.

Bass can only be caught in certain temperatures as they are cold blooded. They tend to be most active in 60 to 75 degree temperatures. Below 50 is too cold and above 80 degrees drops the oxygen level in the water which places the bass under stress.

These few bass fishing tips will help you get started and once you get that first bass you will be "hooked" on bass fishing.

Fishing Lure Tips

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 20:11:00 +0000

Picking the right lure can sometimes make the difference between good eating or going home empty handed. Some lures only work for certain types of fish. Some of the more popular lures are listed below:

Diamond Lures - these are your smaller lures and are used to catch albacore, coho, perch, and trout. These get their name from their shape, with the top handle being shaped like a diamond which causes light reflections on its surface. They are also popular to use for catching stripers and some varieties of bass.

Light Standard - for light casting. They can range up to three ounces. Use low to medium speed to retrieve from the water. The painted eye attracts schools of fish which gives you a better chance of trapping target fish.

Jigging Lures - these are for long casting and work well for catching pike and trout. The jiggling lures are long and tapered and fishermen in Louisiana, Florida, and Mississippi favor this type of lure. Bluefish and stripers, walleye and tuna, all can be caught pretty easily with this lure.

Heavy Standard - use these for the heavier fish such as bass and walleye. Although the heavy casting lures are not used as often as the light casting lures, they can be more reliable for making a big catch.

Fishing Rod Tips

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 20:07:00 +0000

There are different types of rods available and you should choose carefully according to the kind of fishing you will be doing.

Cane poles are good for simple angling. They usually do not have reels on them and are smaller and not as sophisticated as the spinning and jigging rods.

Spinning rods are the rods of choice for most bass competitions because they can catch small or large fish. Trout and walleye are easily caught using the spinning rod. Their size can be from five to seven feet and they are very flexible.

Jigging rods are good for catching cod and halibut as they will tend to be at the bottom of the sea. The jigging rods are made of strong, solid materials which make them ideal for heavy baits and lures. The undersea current can wreak havoc with a lighter rod, so it is best to use the jigging rod for your deep sea fishing.

Fishing Boat Tips

maryjanetx@aol.com (Marilyn Roberts) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 20:01:00 +0000

If you are buying your first fishing boat you might consider getting a used one. It might not be too pretty, but it will be good to practice fishing in so you can then decide if this is really the kind of boat you want before you purchase a new one.

Aluminum boats - if you are going to be fishing in small lakes, an aluminum is all you will need. Get a 16 to 18 foot boat and although it gets rough with the least wind, it will be less expensive than a fiberglass boat.

Fiberglass boats - these boats can be very expensive but can be used in very rough water and not give you the rocky ride that a smaller aluminum boat will.

More boats are coming equipped with sonar to detect the fish beneath the water. Bass fishermen especially are starting to use this on their boats. There is also sonar that can detect fish even at night and this really gives the fisherman a great advantage.

If you are a beginner it will probably take several hours to master the art of launching your boat, backing it down the ramp, etc., but once you learn how you will be set to enjoy your fishing boat and many hours of pleasurable fishing.