Fantastic Family Fishing Tips
photo credit: faceprintFor the family the water is an excellent place to teach and learn. However, the key to gaining the benefits of fishing with the family is to prepare before you even head to the water. Take the time to teach your child the basics of casting, reeling, troubleshooting and about fish in the backyard before actually heading out to the water.
The backyard preparation should begin at least a week before you actually go fishing. Just remember it isn't all about learning, it is also a way to help increase the child's interest and excitement in the fishing experience.
Next you want to teach your child how to properly use fishing equipment. Ideally you should buy the proper equipment for the age of the child as well as the species of fish you are planning on catching. It is best to teach your child the four basic casting methods including fliping, sidearm, overhead and backhand.
After the child has had enough practice casting you can start to teach them about troubleshooting reels, tangles and other malfunctions. Some children may even learn how to handle these on their own after enough casting practice. It is best your child learns how to troubleshoot on their own before you go fishing otherwise it can be difficult to learn these tasks while actually attempting to fish.
Then when it comes time to plan your family fishing vacation make sure it is one that will be enjoyable for the entire family. You can't hope to have a wonderful experience if you don't make sure it is something the entire family can enjoy. So any fishing vacation over a day or two in length should include a few other side trips to keep the children interested. Depending on your location you can consider a hike around the area or taking a drive into town for the day.
It is also important that you properly prepare for the trip. Make sure you have packed the appropriate gear for your length of stay and the location. Be sure you bring extra fishing equipment such as poles. Nothing is worse than breaking a pole and having nothing to replace it with. Also make sure you children have their own gear, give them their own tackle box and allow them to make a lot of decisions on their own.
If you choose to go boating when on your fishing trip, then make sure you have the proper safety gear. The life preservers should be properly fitting for children. If gear is too large then the safety equipment isn't acceptable for children. By having proper safety gear in place you can spend more time enjoying your trip rather than worrying about your kids.
Always remember that some kids will take fishing seriously from the start. They will quickly take to knowing which bait is best and how to find the perfect spot when casting. For these children you want to take advantage of their willingness to learn and teach them all the details you can.
But then remember on the other hand you will have children who don't take to fishing right away and a lot of patience will be required to help your child learn the techniques of fishing. Happy Fishing.
,p>
Bass Fishing Guides
As you spend more and more hours and days on bass fishing, you will acquire lots of knowledge about the right lure and technique for the proper way to do this sport. The best advice most experienced and seasoned bass fishermen, is to examine the fishing conditions, ask for tips from anglers familiar with the waters you are fishing in, and finally, try many different lures and bass-fishing techniques until you discover what works most effectively to the situation, and which one you are most comfortable with.
Here are some Guides to Bass Fishing to become a better Bass angler.
The Technique:
The bait must fall to the preferred depth, then you have to shake the rod tip. By this, you'll be getting the fishes attention. Do this for at least 30 seconds, then shaking again for about 2 or 3 seconds intervals, stop and pull slowly about six inches. Then dropping again, slowly back and down and repeating the process. The first thing to remember if they're not biting is to slow down.
Tips:
• During Springtime, fish uphill (position the boat in shallow water and cast to deep water) and use a 1/8 ounce weight.
• Fish downhill in Fall.
• Try to use a Texas rigged worm to prevent hang-ups.
• Fish out the worm and keep suspended 90% of the time.
• Always try to sharpen the hooks to make sure you have maximized your hookup percentage.
• When doodling, it is critical to keep your presentation natural by downsizing your hooks to 1/0 or lower, and paying delicate, attention to how straight your bait is in order to maintain a natural presentation.
• Crystal clear waters can be tough. The secret to fishing weenie worms is to keep slack on your line and "shake" the bait instead of dragging. The shaking of the rod and your light line gives your worm, grub or reaper an amazing action.
When to Go:
When the bass quit hitting during the daytime and when it becomes uncomfortably hot on the lake are good signals that it's time to start night fishing. Night fishing is usually practiced when the water is in the mid-60s or warmer.
Places to Fish:
Where to fish at night is a question commonly asked by bass fishermen. Bass don't move great distances in most situations. Smallmouth bass, especially, are proven stay-at-homes. As the summer wears on, the bass tend to move deeper and won't come up shallow, even at night in many lakes. Night fishing is productive when the bass are within the 20-foot zone
Tips and Guides
• Position yourself only as far away as water clarity dictates; stay close enough for consistent accuracy.
• Try to make the lure land on the water with as little noise as possible. Cast past the target when possible.
• In windy weather, put tension on the line just before the lure touches down. This will straighten out the line and prevent it from blowing across obstructions.
• Learn casting techniques that permit a low trajectory, such as flipping, pitching, sidearm casting and underhand casting.
• Use a quality rod and reel matched to the weight of the lure. Rods with a stiff blank but relatively fast (limber) tip are easier to cast than extremely stiff or uniformly limber rods.
• Cast with the wrist, not the arm and shoulder.
• Lower the lure a few inches below the rod tip before casting; this gives extra momentum for the cast.
• Be sure to "load" the rod tip, causing it to bend backward, on the back-cast, then whip the rod forward smoothly.
• Fill the spool of any type reel to within 1/8 inch of the lip of the spool. DO NOT OVERFILL!
The Flip-Cast; use your wrist, NOT your arm.
• Concentrate on the spot you want to hit, not on what you want to miss.
• Use plenty of scent when trying to penetrate thick cover - it acts as a lubricant.
• Stick to basic jig colors (black/blue, brown/brown, black/chartreuse).
• Use a plastic worm with a glass bead between the worm and the weight for inactive fish.
• If you think it's a strike, reel down until your rod is in a hookset position before you check.
• A strike is anything different (something you wouldn't feel in a bathtub!).
• Tighten your drag all the way down for better hooksets.
• Use 17 to 25 pound test line for bait casting gear, 10 to 14 pound test on spinning (for flipping finesse baits).
In order to establish a pattern it is essential you understand how a bass lives in its environment. Knowing where the bass can be found at any given time or place is something you must develop. Always go fishing with a plan in mind.
Remember that every fish you catch can reveal clues on how to catch another. After establishing a pattern, realize that when the action slows down in the area you were fishing, you can then search for more areas that would fill the same criteria.
Using Pontoon Fly Fishing Boats
When it comes to fly fishing, pontoon boats are an excellent choice. Many have a wrong impression of pontoon boats. When you hear that word you may be thinking of the huge party boats that clutter lakes or the small kinds with peddles. However, there are other pontoon boats that are designed specifically for fishing and can seat one to two people.
For those not familiar with pontoon fly fishing boats they are typically small, not over eight feet in length although you can get them in larger sizes. The fisherman will have two pontoons on either side of them that sit on the water. These pontoons are either inflatable or solid air bladders. The pontoon boat has a hull that is V shaped so that there is very little water resistance when paddling, providing the fisherman with excellent maneuverability. The two pontoons are connected by a frame, which contains the sitting area. When moving they are paddled similar to a rowboat.
When compared to other fishing boats, pontoon fly fishing boats are still relatively new. It wasn't until the 1980s that they first became commonly available. However, they are quickly gaining popularity in the fly fishing world because of their many benefits. Consider the benefits you can gain from getting pontoon fly fishing boats.
The Benefits
There is good reason that pontoon fly fishing boats have become popular. Anyone who wants to do fly-fishing can have many benefits with a pontoon boat. Next time you are considering a boat for your fly-fishing needs consider the benefits you can have with a pontoon boat.
First is the maneuverability. The V shaped hulls of a pontoon boat makes them very easy to maneuver even with the most basic of paddling techniques. The frame of a pontoon boat makes it very easy for a single person to have powerful strokes, this means you can make quick turns or long paddles depending on what you need.
Second is durability. Pontoon boats are very rugged and have been designed specifically to meet the hazards of fly-fishing on rough rivers.
Third is versatility. Pontoon boats can work just as well on rivers or lakes. Some pontoon boats can even work on Class Three whitewater or Class Four if you are a skilled peddler. This means that no matter where you want to fly fish you can take your pontoon boat with you.
Fourth is portability. Not only can you use a pontoon boat in many types of water, but also they are extremely portable and easy to get to your location. The inflatable type of pontoon boat can fit in most trunks. Sold air bladder pontoon boats may not fit in the trunk but they often will fit in the bed of a pickup truck. All pontoon boats are light, making it easy for even a single individual to carry and set them up.
Finally they have easy organization. Since pontoon boats were designed for fly-fishing they have many little compartments on the frame so you can easily store all of your fishing needs including rods, reels and other necessities.
With all of these benefits maybe you should consider pontoon fly fishing boats.
Alaska's King Salmon - Tackle And Technique
The Alaska King Salmon is the official state fish and ultimate prize for any fisherman looking for the excitement of landing a big one. King Salmon in the world famous Kenai River are plentiful and huge. Sport fishermen in the Kenai have caught trophy salmon weighing nearly 100-pounds, and it’s not unusual for anglers to haul in 40 and 50 pounders. Thousands of people travel to the Kenai River and, with a licensed river guide, pursue its most prized bounty-- the King.
What do you use for bait? There are a few types of rigs that are best for attracting Alaska King Salmon. Spin-N-Glows, Vibrex Spinners, and plugs are three effective lures that usually provide optimum results. Two common fishing techniques used on guide boats on the Kenai are back trolling and drifting; while a third and relatively new method called back bouncing is also proving to be effective.
Back trolling usually incorporates Spin-N-Glows and salmon eggs or plugs. Some other effective lures for back trolling are Magnum Wiggle Worts, Flashtrap Spinners, Tadpollys, Kwikfish and Flatfish. In addition to the lure, you may also, depending upon the current, depth of the water, and location on the river, utilize divers, trolling weights, and diving lures. Baits that move erratically and rotate, especially those that create the illusion of a water creature in distress, will help attract salmon.
When back trolling, the guide has the boat work against the current, running the motor at the same speed or a bit slower than the river. This helps hold the boat in the same position on or to move slowly down the river. The boat should be moving downstream slower than the current while the lures are downstream ahead of the boat. Usually the bait moves close to the bottom of the river with a diver or weight attached 18 inches away from it to allow for proper depth. You’ll know you’ve got a King Salmon on your line when the rod goes down and stays down.
Drifting is similar to back trolling except the bait is allowed to gently bounce off the bottom of the river while the boat drifts with the current. Weights are used to keep the line at the correct depth. This technique is difficult to master since it’s not necessarily east to differentiate between a fish taking the bait and your line hitting off the bottom. A pause in the movement of the line often indicates a hit.
With back bouncing, the bait is bounced off the bottom as the boat is slowly backed over a hole. Sink-N-Glows, a Vibrex spinner or similar lures when properly weighted often yield good results. When fishing, if you feel a tug set the hook chances are there is a salmon there.
If using a plug, you’ll want to utilize K-15’s or K-16’s - you need something large. Divers work well to get the plug to the right depth and colorful, gaudy colors are recommended due to their ability to attract attention.
If you’re planning on fishing the Kenai River and can’t locate the right type of lure at home, don’t worry. Some of these items may not be accessible in your region of the country but bait and tackle shops throughout the Kenai have no lack of Spin-N-Glows, Vibrex spinners, Tadpollys, Kwikfish and more.
If you elect to book your fishing trip through a licensed guide, you’ll find that their knowledge, skill, and supplies will result in a less stressful and a more productive trip. When you go fishing for the Alaska King Salmon you want to exploit every opportunity you have to make your limit, enjoying some of the best fishing on this earth.