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By ., March 17, 2010 3:43 am

Get the best out of your bait in winter and maximise the money you spend on it! These are a handful of very well proven expert tips to help you catch more winter and spring fish. Discover more now!

Carp do not digest bait very well in colder conditions so it is extremely vital you design and select your baits and ground baits for exactly this situation to maximise your greatest chances of bites and literally in effect stop actually wasting good money on bait! Of course one way to do this is use as little bait as possible, but this is only part of the solution and does not maximise your chances because you will not necessarily be applying bait and baiting in the optimum ways possible for best results. Many anglers will choose to utilise water-soluble PVA products in combination with whole or crushed boilies, yet you still have to pay for the PVA of course, however it baits-up exactly where your hook bait is, so drawing most attention to it without filling fish up.

The choice of bait these days means you need never worry about over-feeding fish but you need to know what will and will not over-feed fish in the first place and this requires some know-how. In general you need to avoid bulk oils and un-winterised oils in baits and avoid using too much free bait that takes a long time to break down in water. after all, if a bait is not very soluble it is likely to take much more energy and time for carp to digest it and this is something to very definitely bear in mind! Proteins are much better if they have at least been part-digested and fermented shrimp powder, whey protein concentrate, predigested yeast powder and enzyme-treated yeast powders for example are very well proven.

Of course you can apply as many various baits in your attack as you like, from readymade ground baits, to maggots, to hemp, to various crushed boilies and soluble carp pellets and so on, all in conjunction with PVA products and methods (and specialised bait feeding cages and droppers etc. Ground bait application is the art and skill that is a genuine cornerstone of successful carp fishing so it is absolutely essential especially in winter to do it to suit the situation and conditions taking into account all the possible variables that may challenge your fishing. Ground baiting for some carp anglers might mean launching spods of pellets or hemp or slop or method mix etc, instead of just firing out whole baits; which may well fill carp up too fast and bread is a very useful ground bait base often over-looked.

If you choose to exploit bread in winter and spring you will find it is not necessarily a small fish ground bait base; in fact far from it! In the coldest of nights you can get bites from big carp over bread-based ground baits and of course, know fish are gorging on free bait very little without actually sampling your hook baits with this method. Boilies in standard bottom bait, or pop-up bait or critically-balanced form etc all are reliable hook baits and always will be.

Increase your bite rate by improving the effective addtives and ingredients in your baits and ground baits that induce more sampling of hook baits having not fed fish up on free baits first! Water-solubility and digestible potential of your baits is paramount. Pellets and boilies made with little oil as possible (that make baits less digestible and less effective in cold water) are very highly recommended!

Many forms of popular pellets substantially lose their edge in winter owing to their high oil levels, including the halibut pellets and others which are designed as commercial feeds for fish with comparatively higher dietary lipid requirements. Pellets with low oil levels and wheatgerm are great for winter and spring carp fishing and you will normally get far more bites in the long-run fishing over such digestible free ground baits than over ordinary high oil halibut pellets for example. As oil is pretty much insoluble in water low oil pellets and boilies are much more able to draw fish towards your baited area as more water soluble attraction is dispersed more effectively in low water temperatures.

Robin Red is one of those famous winter bait and ground bait additives you can adapt and apply to almost anything just by mixing it into a mix or adding water or almost any liquid. Red Factor, Red Band, crushed hemp, Insecto Insecivorous, Nectar Blend and other mixtures such as Meggablend, Ccmoores Meggablend Red and Meggablend sweet are excellent as are yeast products and Phillips Yeast Mixture in winter baits. Essential oils and lecithins work their magic too and some are mostly under-dosed, while others are often over-dosed, so take the effort to discover correct levels!

If you add a liquid to your boilies and pellets for whatever period you choose whether long or short, you can raise the water-soluble proportion of your baits making them far more effective. Baits like particles, boilies, pellets etc all benefit from glugs, dips and so on, and so do fake and live baits such as maggots. These tips are just a sample taster to give you a perspective on the importance of you bait choices and the seriously important free bait application methods and ground bait formats you might select; preferably you will try to stimulate as many carp senses as possible at this time by gathering as many tips to help you as possible!

In winter and spring you get what you work for so to guarantee you save yourself money in wasted bait and on wasted blank trips, think about your carp senses-related issues around your hook bait and ground bait effectiveness and it will pay you back big-time; so read on…

By Tim Richardson.

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By .,

Deep sea fishing can be an exciting adventure indeed, especially for those who love fishing and the ocean. Here are a few pointers to help you find and hook the right sort of game the next time you go deep sea fishing:

Keep an eye out for telltale signs: When out on the ocean, if you spot seagulls swooping down to pick up small bait-type fish, you know there are bigger game-type fish hunting and driving these fish into tight balls near the surface.

In certain cases, you will even find larger fish swimming near floating wood or debris. Generally, the best place to fish for big game fish is near reefs. This is because these larger fish prey on the fish that live in the reef.

Oftentimes, fishermen try to catch live bait-fish near the reef and head to deeper waters in the hopes catching the big ones. However, this tactic rarely proves successful and it’s recommended to fish around the edges of reefs.

Type of Fishing rods and hook: Using lighter fishing rods out in rivers, streams, lakes and even surf fishing is fine, but when you go fishing in the ocean for larger fish like marlin, large sea bass, shark, tuna and stripers, you will need a much stronger rod that can take the weight of the fish, withstand the time it takes to catch one and handle the struggle between fish and fisherman.

This is why it’s not surprising to see fisherman opting for graphite fishing rods which are relatively light yet extremely strong and durable for heavy duty fishing. Although graphite is also used to make fishing rods for other types of fishing, deep sea fishing rods made out of graphite are much longer, wider and denser. The only downside to graphite fishing rods is that they are not as flexible, which is why some fishermen also use relatively less durable but strong, light and flexible fiberglass fishing rods for deep sea fishing.

As far as hooks are concerned, circle hooks are best suited for deep sea fishing. Circle hooks translate into more catches since they have a minute gap and a reverse point. Such hooks are also better for the fish because they hook the fish in the lip and not in the gut, causing minimum suffering.

Popular Catches: Snooks are a popular fish among deep sea fishermen and these can be found swimming around rocks, ledges and posts. Another popular type of fish are Stripers and the best time to go fishing for these is at the full moon when they are hunting for crabs who have just shed their shells.

A great way to catch these is to use crab imitations as bait. Yet another popular deep sea fishing fish is the yellow fin tuna. These are often found schooling with dolphins, so if you spot a dolphin group, you may find some tuna swimming in the area as well.

The aforementioned are a few tips that will help enhance your deep sea fishing experience. So go ahead, head into the open seas and strap yourself in for a fun filled roller coaster ride!

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By .,

Image taken on 2008-07-23 18:09:17 by bogdog Dan.

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By ., March 16, 2010 9:51 am

Fly fishing is a specific type of fishing and therefore requires a specific type of tackle. But to those who are new to fishing may ask “what is it?” and what is the difference between them? The general idea of the difference is that different fish can be caught because of the different tools used. The most common associated fish caught with fly fishing tackles is trout and salmon, however pike, bass and carp are being caught as well. This article will help you understand what fly fishing is and the different attributes involved.

The basic apparatus in fly fishing is the fly rod, fly line and artificial fly line and fly reel. Each part of the tackle is vital in its own way in catching fish. The fly rod is used to cast the fly line. Depending on the type of fish caught and the environment being fished the lengths will vary between 7 to 10 feet. Normally the fly rod will be made from fibreglass and graphite and in some cases bamboo. By using different materials, the rods are lighter, heavier, stiff or bendy. Again fly rods are made from materials that suit the intended purpose.

The fly line part of the fly fishing tackle is a plastic coated line that can be found in many different floating and sinking styles in a variety of thicknesses. They range from colour to colour in many cases are bright in order to attract the prey intended to be caught.

A major part to fly fishing tackle is the artificial flies. They are made by tying hair, feathers, fur and other natural and synthetic materials onto a hook. In the past natural flies were used however, in today’s fishing tackle synthetics are proven to be much more popular. Depending on the type of fishing being caught and the environment in which you fish different flies are needed. Artificial flies range from bright vibrant colours in order to stand out, or darker colours to match the environment.

The fly reel is an important attribute when one looks at fly fishing tackle. The reel is used to hold the fly fishing line. The reel is the fundamental attribute when one considers fly fishing. Depending on the fish caught depends entirely on the reel used. For bigger fish the reel becomes more of a necessity where gears and thicker line is needed. Whist for smaller fish a manual reel can be used.

So far you can now see the apparatus needed to carry out and as you can see if will add up to a small investment. This is why shopping online for your fly fishing tackle will financially better. I have found many websites that offer a wider selection at a lower price when compared to high street stores.

From this short article it is clear to see that fly fishing tackle consists of a fly rod, fly line and artificial flies and finally a fly reel. They are all designed and work in cohesion to catch certain fish you will not be able to with a normal rod, which is why fly fishing has that edge you cannot get in normal fishing circumstances.

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By .,

Guide Mark Rinckey and painter Larry Tople honored by Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame
Two Michigan outdoor legends recently were inducted into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wis., an honor recognizing their lifelong devotion to sport fishing.

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