Archive for the ‘Fishing’ Category

Know About the Best Time for Angling

If you have been rocking your brain to figure out if Sunday starting from 10am in the morning would be a good time to catch fishes, then probably you need to give this thought a rest now. I would not say that all time is a good time to catch fishes but neither is it as scientific or precisely predictable as the above mentioned is. Chances are that you have come across people thinking that way, but I would say that’s not the right way to consider things. May be the under mentioned is going to set your thought process right.

Talking about fresh water, there are primarily to things that govern the decision. You heard that correct, and they are the moon and the weather. I would say these two factors play a really vital role, when it comes to angling. Rather they are more important questions that you should consider before even thinking about the kind of bait that you are going to use for the fishing trip.

What actually happens is that due to the influence of the moon and the whether the fishes start feeding more, and thus, they get more active looking for food. This for you certainly would mean more frequent bites on your baits. But the real question is how to find the details related to the moon and the whether and how to be able to use them in a manner that would be more beneficial for your fishing trip.

The simple answer to this question is that you would be required to spend more time in the water with these fishes. You would have to notice what are the timings, in which you end up catching more fishes? Or if the lunar activities have caused some difference to the number of fishes that you normally end up catching. This certainly would not mean that you get a doctorate on meteorology; rather making a note of these changes in the numbers would help you create a pattern which would certainly be to your benefit, unless you have someone more experienced in angling with you, who would give you advises on the right times to go out fishing.

If you are a novice angler than probably you would need some time to learn these, may be a week or so provided you are spending some good amount of time in the water. Trust me though these times are really variable depending on the place where you are from and kind of nature that you are in. But trust me this is not even close to rocket science, so just have enough faith in yourself.

March 11th, 2010 by admin

Choosing the Right Equipments for Fly Fishing

fly fishing

Fly fishing is a sport that is enjoyed by millions around the world and is gaining more and more popularity every day. And trust me for fly fishing you would really need special equipments, to do it better. Which in other words mean that there is a demand for the fly fishing equipments, and when there is a demand, it’s normally followed by relevant amount of supply too. So chances are that when you go to the market you would see a variety of them available there. My advice would be, do not always settle down for the cheapest that you can get your hands on. Try to understand the fact what governs the price factor for them. That would be beneficial for you to get the right amount of utility from the equipments that you would buy.

Here are some tips for you for the basic stuff that you need for fly fishing.

  1. The fishing rod – The best rods for fishing that were used were made of bamboo. Many anglers still use them, without a desire to swap them with anything else that is available in the market. These can be expensive items as a lot of labour and effort goes in to making a good rod. The latest material that is available for the fishing rods are fibre glass, and carbon fibre. Since fly fishing rods should be heavier than the normal rods, they normally get it from these materials, along with the flexibility part being unaltered. The choice of rods that would be available are fast action rods, being flexible at the tip only, medium action rods would be flexible till almost half its length, and slow action rods would be flexible all through.
  1. The reel – The right kind of reels to be used for fly fishing are normally larger and heavier than the normal reels. You need to ensure that the rod and the reel are compatible to each other. It’s always wiser to buy the full set in the same go. But in case you have a pre-existing rod at home ensure that you have it with you to be sure that the reel works well with it as a single unit.
  1. The fly for fly fishing – This is the tiniest and the most important piece of equipment for fly fishing, its none other than the replicated fly. Selecting this could be quiet a job. There is a huge selection of these flies available but buying the right one would depend on the type of fish that you intend to catch. If that is done incorrectly then chances are you would land up catching nothing.
March 4th, 2010 by admin

A Primer on Fly Fishing Reels

What is fly fishing reel? It can be said that it is a work of art. This was patented in the year 1874 by Charles Orvis, who is also called the epic master of fly fishing. Since then, his family members have been making equipment for fly fishing in some form or the other. With the development of technology, reels have now become more sophisticated. The reel is very important for fly fishing. They still have some basic component.

Let us compare between fly reels and bait reels. There is a lot of difference between the two. Fly reel requires a lot of touch on your part. Line is laid out with control over the line and non casting hand. This is how casting is done. It does take a long time to get used to this. But what is important is to understand that the reel is not a device. It will not let you swing like a non fly rod.

The fly reels originally were very simple. These were used to serve only one purpose. The purpose was to bring the line inside. There was no drag offered. This meant that if you have snagged a big fish, then there were chances for you to do some serious damage to your arm. The mechanism in drag can be used to slow or to stop the line. This can be done when the fish take the bat and you want to stop it from feeding.

Fly fish has become very popular. Because of its popularity, people have started looking at fly fishing as a bigger game. But the problem here is that since many fly reels are not tailored to take in a beast, it does create problem. If there is a big fish which is stuck on the fly, it will make the line reel out. There is no way to stop it. The only way then is to wear gloves or to hold the line.

This problem is solved now as the new reels are made to break the mechanism. There is friction which is created by the mechanism on the line. This has two effects on the line. Either it slow down on the feed or it completely stops the feed. There are specified rods available for these reels. The rods cannot be bolted one onto the other. The will then tend to snap. They are not designed in such a way to carry loads.

The next question which comes to your mind is what type of reel should be used. It depends on the efficiency of the reel. Many people think that the new reels which have a breaking mechanism is a break from the traditional reel and do not serve the cause. The answer may vary from person to person. Try both the options and then make your own choice.

March 3rd, 2010 by admin

Fishing with Rods and Angles

Have you ever been to fishing with your father or grandfather? They say it’s a way of spending some quality time with your family members. Not only that, it’s sort of a favourite pass time for millions of people all over the world.

Here, we are going to talk about a very common, yet popular way of fishing, called as Angling. This kind of fishing method uses a special hook called as “angle”, which is attached by the help of a reel to the fishing rod. This is sort of a mechanism that works extremely well for the purpose of storing, retrieving or playing the line out. The main equipments required for angling are Rods, Hooks, Line, Spoons, Baits and Reel. The best of the fishing rods used in angling are hand crafted using the premium materials and great attention to detail.

Now a days angling has become a very popular sport. “Catch and Release” is one of the most popular fishing technique generally used by recreational fishermen. Normally most of the anglers keep the fishes that they happen to catch for their own consumption but this catch and release is becoming very popular especially between the fly anglers. The rationale behind it is releasing the fish post catching it and let the fish survive further. In many parts of the world there are laws related to fishing with angles. What I mean here is that as per the prevalent law there, anglers would have to release the fish if they are below a certain size.

There are a lot of controversies around pain being caused to fishes by the anglers, just for the sake of their sport. There are also arguments against the logic which says that fishes normally feed on hard and spiky preys in the water, thus they are accustomed to the same and just biting on the bait does not make much of a difference. In Manitoba, a province in Canada its really been made mandatory that, any angler who ends up hooking a brook trout has to follow the catch and release. In case you are trying to do some fishing using angles in Ireland, you need to keep yourself enlightened about the fact that catch and release is mandatory there.

But the good question is does the fishes really feel the pain when the angle pierces them. The answer is, of course they do. There have been some experiments that have been done on a toadfish by William Travolta. In his experiment the toadfish grunted when it was exposed to some electric shocks. Then eventually it grunted even at the sight of the electrode. This certainly means they too feel the pain when pierced by the angles.

February 24th, 2010 by admin

About Your Fishing Equipment

There are millions of people all over the world who simply loves to go fishing during the weekends. If you are one of them and you are a novice then this article is going to give you some amount of knowledge about your fishing equipment.

One of the most popular methods of fishing is called as “Angling”. This kind of fishing is done using an “angle” (hook). So, if you want to try your hands on this unique and popular kind of fishing technique then the first and foremost thing that you would need is a fishing rod. Anglers use fishing rods instead of a fishing pole. There is a good amount of difference between a fishing rod and a pole.

A fishing pole – It’s essentially a stick normally made of fiber glass, carbon fibre, or from bamboo splits. A fishing line is attached to the same and it’s suspended in to the water to catch fishes with an angle at the tip along with bait that could lure a fish.

Fishing rods – on the other hand when we talk of a fishing rod it essentially refers to more sophisticated fishing equipment. The fishing rods are normally fitted with casting tools, line guides, along with a reel for the line stowage. The fishing rods do vary in length to suit specific actions and the variation could be of any thing between 24 inches to 20 feet in length. You ought to know that the longer the rod is the easier it is to cast the line. Though there could be several specifications that the manufacturer might use like power, action, line weight, lure weight so on and so forth to specify the specific use of the fishing rods.

Looking at the history of the fishing rods, they would go back to the times of ancient Egypt, China, Greece and even medieval Europe, and they were called angles from which the word angling originated. Before the use of the synthetic materials for the manufacture of the fishing rods they were made out of split Tonkin bamboo or Calcutta reeds or also of ash wood. The butts of the rods were made of maple. Even today for the purpose of fly fishing the most commonly used fishing rods are made out of split Tonkin bamboo.

Talking about the design of an ideal fishing rod, it should get gradually taper starting from the butt of the rod to the tip of the same. It should be tight at all the joints while the taper of the rod should be as smooth and progressive as possible, without dead spots. In the modern days these all the rods are more or less have a perfect shape.

February 15th, 2010 by admin

What to expect when doing reef fishing?

reef fishing

Just because we hook a few fishes from time to time does not mean that fishes feed over clean sandy ground in codling and whiting. This is a misconception. Swimming enables the fishes to move to areas for food supplies. Clean sand does not have food and hence fishes caught over clean sand are mostly in transit from one source of food to another. These are mostly reef ground.

The reed offers protection to the fishes. During summer months, the growth of the weed in these areas gives protection from the tidal flow. The weed growth spreads and the reef offers enough protection to the fishes. But during the winters, the weed dies. Only the heavy type weed can survive the reef structure. So the protection level falls during winters. This is the time for reef fishing as the population of the fishes are on the reef and they are not protected.

Reef fishing is also called as “Bottom Bouncing”. In this the anglers use weighty 60-100lb hand line methods so that they can catch prized eating fishes such as sweet lip, coral trout, and red emperor.

The main angling targets used during reef fishing is cod and ling. Angling has an important affect on the environment too as it is eco friendly. During reef fishing, angling needs a lot of patience as well.

In shallow areas, the weed growth will be little. Look for the rough bottom gutters that are a feature of the shallow reef marks. Fishes swim in the gutter and low edges where they find water borne food. They do not swim in the shallow reef as they do during summers.

Tides have a great effect on reef fishing. During flood tides cod on shallow reefs are better. The floods in the water makes the fishes work towards the gutters which hold food. In deep water reeds, the tide will see whiting feeding on the clean ground. As the tide increases, the fishes will work over rougher ground towards the edge of the reef.

The size of the tide will have a bearing on the catch of the fishes. Cod over shallow reef will always have the maximum catch during the big tide. Fishing is the best here.

In deep reef, fishing is difficult on big tides. But this is the time for the biggest catch. No matter whether the ground is rough, untiding will give the best results for reef fishing. If the water is shallow, then discover the gullies where it is the feeding areas of the fishes.

Deep reef fishing should be done on the drift. In winters you can try baited feathers which should be true cod feathers. They need to be tied on with lugworm. White feathers are excellent for fishing.

February 13th, 2010 by admin

What gear to bring on a fishing trip?

fishing gear

Going for fishing? Let us see what all we need to gear for a fishing trip. The last time I went fishing, these were the following things I packed : need rod, reel, line, flies, fly boxes, leaders, leader straightener, tippet, wadding staff, wading belt, fishing jacket, rain jacket, net, quick release lanyard for net, polarized sunglasses, flashlight buy, clipper, forceps, sun block, fisherman’s bag.

When we were a kid, we used to carry an old cane pole with a length of line. On it there was a hook and bobber. This old cane can still work in the warm weather for fishing.

I always carry a fishing vest to carry all my fishing gear. It is available at any decent sports store. Now let us make a list of everything we can keep in our fishing vest for fishing. Finalize what all is really needed, and stick to it.

1. Weights and swivels: You will need weights and swivels of different sizes. I prefer to keep mine in empty film containers as they are a convenient way to carry.

2. Hooks: Always keep some hooks for backup.

3. Stainless steel pliers: This is used to remove hooks from the fish’s mouth. Make sure you carry two of them. I personally prefer hemostats.

4. Spinners/Spoons: Keep some plastic boxes with spoons and spinners of all sizes. You must have at least two of each option.

5. Match sticks and a lighter kept in a Ziploc bag: It is always better to keep this while going fishing as you never know when you will need a fire.

6. Bait bag: Just hook on a bait bag along your vest as it is the easiest way to carry live baits. If you do not want to buy one, you can also make one at home.

7. Power bar: Something to eat if you are hungry.

8. Waterproof flashlight: During dark, you can flash light even 2 miles away.

9. Nail clipper: You should always keep them while going fishing.

10. Wader repair kit: will be needed when you pop a hole in your wader and you are 2 miles away from your truck and its raining.

Angling is a sport fishing which requires a lot of patience. If you are gearing for an angling, then the basic equipment required will be rod, line, spoon, hooks and reel. So make sure you remember to keep these while planning an angling.

Keeping theses ten things with you while going fishing will be safe. You may also add something else to which you might think is important. But these are the basic necessity for a happy and safe fishing trip.

February 6th, 2010 by admin

What are the differences between all the fishing lines?

fishing line

A fishing line is a cord which is used for angling. The main parameters for fishing line are length, material and weight. It is the most important thing between the angler and fish. It is the fishing line that keeps the hook, rods and reels together. Depending on the situation, you need to choose the right fishing line which is a difficult task. Many anglers do not take this into consideration and may lose fishes.

When the hook is attached to the fishing line, it functions as a mechanism retrieving the line. Angling is a method of sport fishing. It is very enjoyable if you have got the time as it requires a lot of patience. Angling also has methods of conservation. Angling makes fishing eco friendly. No matter which fishing line you choose, if the angling is right, then your catch will definitely be good.

There are mainly three different types of fishing lines, namely, monofilament, braided and fluorocarbon lines. All these three are in their place. While choosing a line it is also important to see how thick it is. All lines look the same, but there are subtleties which make them better than the others.

The most popular fishing line is monofilament. More than 66 percent of all fishing lines sold are monofilament. It was invented in 1930 and is a plastic line made of nylon. Melted plastic is poured into a tube which gives it the shape of a line. The meaning of mono is single and this is a single strand of line. This fishing line receives more quality control and is more abrasion resistant. That is why it is more expensive than the others. It can be used for heavy fishing and rough conditions like rocks. It is extra tough.

Braided lines were the preferred line for many anglers before the monofilament line came. These fishing lines are resistant to abrasion. This fishing line is very strong that you may even have trouble breaking it when you finally get a snag. Hence, the fish you caught is very unlikely to break it. It still lacks behind the monofilament fishing lines. It is one of the strongest types of fishing line if we talk about the diameter.

The fluorocarbon fishing line is made from polymer of fluorine which is bonded to carbon. This line has a lot of advantages over the other fishing lines. This comes closest to the refractive index of water. Hence it is almost invisible under the water. Even ultraviolet rays do not affect this line. It does not float and lets you to bait and falls faster and quicker and deeper into the water.

February 2nd, 2010 by admin

Ice Fishing – 4 off Season Angling Benefits

ice fishing

During winter months, fishing does not come to a standstill. There are many anglers who enjoy the winters. They find it to be an ideal weather and get ready to face challenges of angling on frozen lakes and waterways.

Let us discuss about the benefits of fishing during the winters. It offers a lot of advantages to the fisherman because of the off season angling.

1. There is a lot of calmness of fishing on ice: Fishing can be done of the ice on a bright day by putting up a tent or house which is easily portable and can be put on the ice. Even if the weather is freezing, you can keep a portable heater inside the tent and fish inside the tent. If the weather is good and the weather is not windy, then you can also put your chair outside on a clear spot on the open ice. You need to simply drill a hole on the ice and sit back and wait for your catch. Ice fishing is more relaxing than summer fishing. Lots of people find winter months difficult to sit out and fish and hence prefer summer fishing.

2. There are fewer crowds for ice fishing: Since summer months are more popular for fishing, there is not much of a crowd for ice fishing. It is more peaceful with not much people around and there are more chances of making good catches. There is more variety and quantity of fishes available. Not many anglers are there present. It is more relaxing way to have a fishing expedition.

3. Tackles needed for ice fishing: Do not use a bait of fly fishing method. Try to use a reel and jigging rod instead. Less equipment will be required for ice fishing than normal fishing. This makes ice fishing trip safer for children and makes the entire trip more family oriented. Not much things are required to carry.

Tip up is a particular type of rod holder which is obtained. It keeps the line under the water and has a flag at the end of the rod. This makes it visible to see the fish biting under the line. For ice fishing, longer lines are needed. This is because food and fishes move deeper under the water as they look for a warmer place. The fishes are not available as they are in summer.

4. There are many ice fishing tournaments: Ice fishers gather all in one area and make it a social event. There are many ice fishing tournaments held. There are many spontaneous fishing competitions held and make the trip enjoyable to the fullest. The event is made more exciting as many areas conduct ice fishing tournaments.

February 1st, 2010 by admin

Transforming from Good to a Great Angler

Angling is now one of the most popular recreational activities for fishing enthusiast around the globe. This is at present a multi-billion dollar industry in both the United States and Canada. So, what is the reason that this activity is generating so much revenue and gaining popularity? What makes anyone a good angler and improve his angling skills?

Tools and equipments don’t make good anglers. They are simply there to aid anglers. No matter how good your tools are you still would not be able to catch that trophy winning fish until you have the required amount of experience. Under mentioned are a couple of tips which are not enough though, but they would certainly help you get wiser with your angling skills.

  • The real power is knowledge – It’s important that you have an open mind for new learning related to the angling skills. There is always something that is available from other anglers about new methods, approaches and tactics those are non conventional but works. One easy way to know these are by reading articles and books written by veteran anglers. Doing that you would be able to gather different facts, tactics and skills, which they have gathered over the years of angling. These can be really handy at times while you are out door angling all by yourself.
  • Documentation of details – It’s a good practice to log both the successes as well as your failures. Ensure that you keep a track of details like water temperature, whether conditions, location, and time of the day when you started angling. These details would help you to analyze later, the reasons for your success as well as the reasons for your failure. Which you could work upon later. No wonder they say that failures are the pillars of success.
  • Try considering specialization – Concentrating on specific species of fish, would result in accumulation of great amount of knowledge about the specie. Another way of doing the same is going by season. As you might have already come to know by now, that each of the different species require different techniques for angling along with equipments. So by cycling specialization you would land up gaining a whole lot of information related to a lot of fishes. This experience with a wide variety of fishes would get you not only the confidence but ideas too, to try out different techniques in situations that you have not experienced before.
  • Don’t get de-motivated – Angling involves both success and failures too, so it is important that you do not get bogged down by the failures but rather take a lesson from them. Try to analyze them and get to the root cause of your failures and improve upon them in the future.
January 27th, 2010 by admin