River Fishing - Top Tips For Making a Great Catch

Whenever you go out fishing, your goal is to have a great time and make a great catch. Of course, when it comes to river fishing, if you don't know what you are doing, you can end up going home empty handed, which definitely frustrating. There are some important things to know if you want to catch fish in the river. Here are a few of the top fishing tips that will help you make sure you catch some fish when you go fishing in the river.

Don't Spook the Fish
You need to remember not to spook the fish when you are going to fish in the river. So many anglers make this mistake and end up scaring away the fish. Often they wade out into the river a ways and they scare away the fish that were in that area. It is better to fish in an area first before wading out into it. This way you don't scare the fish away from that area.

Work the Area
It is also important that you carefully work the area when you go out river fishing. Don't just start fishing in any spot. Start out in one area, and then work the area for some time so that you cover the water all around you in the area that you are fishing in. Sometimes the fish are there, you are just fishing in the wrong section of water where you are, so work through the entire area.

Use Live Bait on the Bottom
Using live bait on the bottom is a great idea when you are fishing in a river. Some of the best fish are sitting down there near the bottom. Of course, since you have the current of the river, you will need some good sinkers to allow your bait to get near the bottom. You should be able to feel it when your sinkers are bouncing off the bottom. If you are hitting snags from time to time, you are in a great place for finding fish.

Go Deeper
Sometimes you need to go out deeper when you are doing some river fishing. The deepest part of the river is often the best place to catch the fish. Sometimes you will find some deep pools where the fish like to hang out, especially when it is hot. Spend about 80% of your time fishing in the deeper parts of the river instead of spending all your time on the shallows. You'll really find the great fish in the deeper parts of a river.

Use the Right Gear
Last of all, it is so important that you use the right gear for fishing in the river. It's a good idea to match the gear you are using to the fish that you want to catch. Some people end up choosing the wrong gear, so they are not able to catch the fish that they want. With the right gear for the fish you want and the right gear for fishing in a river, you'll be able to go home with a nice catch.

Experience Ultimate Satisfaction When You Haul In A Fish Caught On A Homemade Lure

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Hunting Advice

Most hunting advice sources all over the web will tell you that the best time to maximize your chances of bagging a nice buck is the rut. The rut is the peak deer hunting time of the season when bucks and does will reproduce.

Starting in bow season, bucks will prepare for the rut by leaving scrapes all over the woods. A scrape is where a buck scratches the ground, leaving his mark for all of the other bucks in the area to notice. Its a method that bucks use to start figuring out who the dominant buck is. Bucks will always make a scrape under a limb. They do this so that they can rub their nose on it and leave scent. Other bucks competing for that area will come by, scrape some more, and smell the limb. So your probably thinking now that a scrape is a good spot to hunt a buck, right? Well, you are correct, but you have to understand one thing first.

For whatever reason male whitetail deer will make scrapes during the night. Is this a guarantee? No, but it is very common for a buck to do. Once fall starts coming bucks will begin to pee in the scrapes for other deer to smell. Bucks will also start rubbing tree's with their antlers. They do this in order to rub the velvet off their horns, and leave sign for other bucks to notice. Bucks also rub tree's in order to strengthen their necks for fighting during the rut. Once bucks start rubbing trees and stating their dominance, they start to let their guard down. This is why hunters are so successful at harvesting mature deer during the rut.

Bucks begin to worry less about predators and more about does. They begin to start roaming and begin to start being noticed. Once a doe is ready to breed, she will urinate in a whitetail bucks scrape which lets him know that she is ready to mate. So when he comes by to check his scrape he will notice. One more piece of hunting advice you should know is that bucks will urinate on their "hawks" formally called tarsal glands. These glands are on the insides of their back legs and will turn black when the buck is in rut. This is a great way of knowing that the rut is in full swing. Once the rut starts you need to start hunting harder and longer. That is longer hours in order to optimize your chances of seeing a trophy whitetail. Bucks will start wandering around trying to find a hot doe and when they do, they are rarely distracted. I hope these deer hunting advice tips will help you next season.

Thanks for reading this article on hunting advice. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Ridgeway

Catfish And Carp Fishing Secrets Of Outstandingly Productive Big Fish Baits!

Particulate feeding: Many fish naturally filter feed. Carp are an excellent example that use this method and are even termed slow suction feeders, adjusting their gill rakers to most efficiently sieve the most abundant and nutritious natural food items like blood worms and water fleas etc. In the case of smaller hook baits and ground baits which consist of smaller items of ingredients such as crushed dried shrimps and fly larvae, small seeds and crushed nuts etc, fish can be easier to catch using these. The use of micro sized pellets or mixed sizes of pellets or crushed boilies mimic in many ways natural food carp feed on most efficiently for much of the time.

Bait alkalinity or acidity: A bait can be manipulated so that when mixed with water to form a solution the solution it creates is more acid or alkaline. There are very many questions regarding exactly how acidity of a flavour for instance genuinely impacts upon the fish receptor cells. This involves numerous forms of chemical and bioelectrical receptors, proteins and specialised channels and nerves connecting and leading to the brain. Flavours work; if they did not we would not be able to detect roast beef or Tutti Fruitti ice cream and feel hungry as biofeedback kick in, and fish in water are the same! Flavours have various levels of impacts and very few substances have no inherent flavour at all; even plastic and rubber baits contain substances that fish can detect down to 1 part in many millions if not over a billion...

Bait component reactivity: This might sound a bit complicated but it basically means that putting one ingredient or substance with another in your bait will lead to a reaction which will benefit your baits performance. Very well proven examples are enzymes used to break down protein ingredients in baits converting them to fish stimulating peptides and amino acids for instance, and various carbonate substances, some of which are used to create activity within the bait and even producing bubbles which disperse the baits attraction further quicker and more efficiently than a standard bait. This is a very interesting and stimulating subject and can be applied to both hook baits ground baits very powerfully!

Bait bioactivity: If you find out enough about bait ingredients in relation to fish themselves you will see that very many of the most successful ingredients affect the fish in potent ways that the fish cannot fail to notice in association with your bait. Many have potent antioxidant properties; in fact it gets to the stage where finding a very successful ingredient which does not have antioxidant properties is comparatively rare. From natural concentrated cranberry, blueberry and strawberry flavours for example, milk extracts, marine and vegetable oils, herbs like mint and spices like black pepper; the list goes on and on...

Bait nutritional biological availability versus flavour attractors: Many anglers see baits that work in terms of how much protein it contains or if it incorporates flavours to make it work. The funny thing is that when Richworth first introduced readymade frozen boilies to the carp fishing anglers, they used flavours such as Tutti Fruitti, Honey Yucatan, and Salmon Supreme. These labels became associated with the bait to the point that the main question was what flavour are you on.

In the case of Richworth at least, many of these flavours are very far from mere labels and do indeed have bioactive properties. However, flavours do not constitute nutritional significance in baits but the bulk ingredients certainly do! Suffice to say, you can eat something but it does not mean you can digest it and actually use it as food! Best nutritional bait design is about bait with as near 100 percent digestibility within the fish, basically to get the maximum impact upon fish internally for repeated successful consumption of bait which leads to higher chances of takes on such a bait.

Thermogenic ingredients and substances: You might have heard about these in regards to dieting or body-building. These are foods which require as much (if not more) energy to digest as the energy they actually provide as food. In effect these ingredients will affect the inner systems of the fish so that when it eats your bait it is stimulated into eating more and there are many ingredients which supplement this effect including taste enhancing feed stimulants and growth stimulants etc. This whole subject is very significant and exploiting it can lead to really great bait edges indeed in terms of ground baits and hook baits of many forms. Spices are a perfect example of very potent but very economical ingredients for homemade baits and ground baits etc.

Bait component olfactory potential impacts on fish and chemoreception: Having mentioned a bit about what baits do to effect fish to make them want to eat your bait or mouth it at least this might be of use. One of the greatest advantages you can have is to glean which substances naturally trigger fish feeding in your chosen fish and to find out exactly how to use them in a bait. If you can team this up with other senses stimulation such as sound, sight or leverage of subtle fish electrical detection and orientation in water you will be far better equipped to exploit and even repeatedly create many more intensive feeding situations than other anglers!

Fish feeding triggers compared to fish attractors: This is linked to the above regarding exploiting fish olfaction and chemoreception, it is the use of fish feeding trigger which have very much more likelihood of stimulating true fish feeding than artificial attractors like many flavours for instance.

Essential nutritional bait ingredient tastes and smells versus artificial flavour tastes and smells: There is no reason why you need to use flavours in some situations, especially if you know a bit more about the inherent flavours produced by you bait ingredients and additives themselves. You might be surprised to find that many of the chemicals producing a characteristic odor in water in bread or milk for example, can also be found in many artificial flavours...

Stimulation of all interrelated fish senses to leverage maximum response to bait: This is about looking at all the senses a fish has and incorporating the means to exploit them together in your bait and rig. It makes logical sense that one great way to induce the most takes for an average skilled angler is to exploit the natural senses of the fish sought. All the senses are naturally used together and the stimuli is processed in the brain to make instinctive and learnt decisions to consume your bait or flee from it! This is just a sample of how you can obtain more control over your baits performance and your resulting fish catching success, and although some areas appear complex it is easy for anyone to use these things with just a little more know-how!

This fishing bait secrets ebooks author has many more fishing and bait edges; just one could impact very significantly on your catches!

By Tim Richardson.

About Author

To get these unique new expert bait making and bait secrets bibles :

BIG CATFISH AND CARP BAIT SECRETS!
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Tim Richardson is a homemade carp and catfish bait maker and proven big fish angler. His unique bait making and enhancing fishing secrets guides are seriously multiplying their readers big fish catches in over 45 countries so visit this unique secrets site right NOW!

If You Want to Catch More Fish, Learn To Think Like One

Yes, you can leave your fish catching success to chance, but if you want to catch more fish, you must learn how to think like the fish you are trying to catch. Consistent success and fishing enjoyment is more than just baiting up your hook, casting it out and waiting for the fish to bite. This one basic premise will improve your fish catching ability and will set you apart from the fishing novices. How do you think the fishing pros are able to consistently catch fish when other fishermen do nothing but drown their bait? They use the same fishing tackle, rods and reels, fishing lures and live bait as everyone else, but they always catch more fish.

You will catch more fish!

That little teaser should have caught your attention. However, learning how to put this technique into practice takes time, patience and persistence.

Let us start at the beginning. How do you learn to think like a fish? For starters, pick one of your favorite target fish species and begin to learn everything you can about that fish. It is important to understand things like, how it feeds, how it moves around each day, what are its migratory and breeding patterns, what kind of habitat it prefers, what type of fish or food source it feeds on, just to name a few. Also important to understand is how the current, tides and moon phases effect your target fish species' activities and habits.

One way to start learning how to catch more fish, is to learn how to find your target fish species under any circumstances. Visit your local fishing tackle and bait stores. Get to know these people, because often they will have a broad knowledge of the fishing in that area. They can be a great source of fishing knowledge and how-to tips of not only learning where to fish, but also the why and how of locating fish. Instead of just asking them where the best fishing spots are, also ask questions about your targeted fish species. Try to learn what makes the fish tick, and what are it basics habits and tendencies. You will be amazed at how willing most of these folks are to share their expertise, especially if you are returning the favor and patronizing their store.

The next thing to do is to go fishing. Prepare yourself ahead of time with the proper fishing tackle, lures, bait and a notepad. Start in an area known to hold your targeted fish, and make notes about the current conditions; including, the date, time, wind direction and speed, temperature, tidal flow, water conditions and any other specific notes you feel like making. The most important thing is to start thinking like the fish you want to catch. Ask yourself, where would you be hiding and moving to. For example, if it is a real hot summer day, and the current is slack, and a low tide, the fish may not be up on the shallow flats. They may be looking for cooler water, so they may have moved to some deeper pot holes, or slid off a ridge or shallow bank and eased into deeper waters. Keep looking and when you find the fish, make more notes. The old saying that practice makes perfect is certainly true when it comes to catching more fish consistently.

To help you along, learn your local fishing waters and fishing grounds. Locate the 'fishy' areas and mark them on your GPS unit. If you do not have a GPS, then buy a nautical chart, or fishing chart. Locate shoreline points, eddys, potholes, sandbars, oyster bars, rock piles and submerged structures, and over time you will learn which places to go to depending upon the current conditions you are faced with, and that will make all the difference in your fishing world.

Learning how to think like a fish will make you a more complete and competent fisherman and angler, and will make your fishing outings with friends and family a lot more enjoyable.

About the Author

Greg Smith is a lifelong fisherman and publisher of the site http://www.floridafishingspots.com/

Your source for free Florida fishing information on artificial reefs, charters and guides, tackle, lures, secrets, fly, saltwater, electronics, boats and more.

Best Bait For Catching Catfish

The best bait for catching catfish does not exist. I have been trying to find the perfect bait forever, and have found that there is not a best one. Catfish like to be fed different things just like we do. The bait that you are using this time to catch them may not work out so well for you next time.I have been trying to catch catfish ever since I was a little kid and I can tell you all about them.

They are the most picky fish I have ever tried to catch. However, when you hook one it is well worth the wait because they will try to fight you all the way to the bank. It takes good bait to be able to get a big one though. That is why you will need the best bait for catching catfish.

Imagine pulling up to your favorite fishing hole with the same bait that you have been using all of your life and not even getting one single bite. You would probably be puzzled. I know I sure was the first time it happened to me. I knew there were catfish running where I was casting my line. I knew I had caught them before by using the same bait that I was using. I did not know why I wasn't getting a bite.

I went home and did some research on why this happened to me. I was looking forward to catching a catfish that I could brag to all of my buddies about and I did not even get a single bite. What I found out was that you one single bait may not work. In order to find out what they want you will need to bring four or five different baits. I don't mean go to the store and buy up four or five different baits. You can make your own bait at home. You can also make some of it right on the river.

About the Author

Are you tired of not catching a fish? Do you want to catch a catfish every time you try? Get more information by Clicking Here

How Do I Catch More Trout? 3 Tips to Help Almost Anyone Catch More Trout

Are you interested in catching more trout? You must be, seeing as how you're reading this article, so I'm going to take a couple of minutes and list 3 tip[s that will help almost anyone catch more trout. During my 25 or so years of trout fishing, I've learned a few things that have served me quite well in catching trout. These 3 tips are my three favorites, and will certainly help you answer the question of 'how do I catch more trout'.

Before I get to the tips themselves I want to begin this article by stating that there are no magic formulas when it comes to trout fishing (or any type of fishing for that matter). Nothing will help your ability to catch fish like spending time on the water practicing your craft. There is simply no substitute for practice, and the more little nuances you learn about your particular style of fishing, the better off you will be. With that being said, let's get down to business, shall we?

• Clean Your Hands - This might sound so simple that you think I'm nuts, but making sure that your hands are clean is very important to trout fishing. I don't mean clean like before you eat dinner, but rather clean as in free on any unnatural odors. Trout have a very sensitive sense of smell and can easily detect unnatural odors on their food. I bet you can guess what happens if the trout detect unnatural odors on your bait or lure? Yep, they are much less apt to bite it. The easiest way to make sure that your hands are clean is to rub them in a handful of grass or dirt before baiting up.
• Don't "Spook" The Area - This tip is mainly for those of you who fish in small rivers and streams for trout. You don't want to "spook" the trout because if you do, they are very hard to catch. A fishing area becomes spooked when the trout become aware of something "out of the ordinary". Things like making loud noises or splashes and casting your shadow on the area you're trying to fish will "spook" the trout. Pay attention to what you're doing and do your best not to "spook" your fishing area.
• Present Bait Naturally - When trout fishing it is extremely important to present your bait in the most natural way possible. The best way to accomplish this task is through the use of gang hooks. Gang hooks are simply a pair of small hooks tied back to back which enable bait to be presented in a totally natural manner. This is especially true when using live or synthetic worms for bait (which is great trout bait by the way). A worm rigged on a gang hook rig and allowed to flow naturally with the current of a river or stream is a deadly trout fishing tactic.

These 3 tips will help anyone catch more trout on their next trout fishing excursion. How am I so sure of this fact? Because I've been using every one of the above trout fishing tips with great success for more that twenty years and if they work for me, they will work for you. Put one or all of these tips into practice as soon as you get the chance.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his five year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.....Montana.

Gang Hooks Tied & Ready To Fish: http://www.jrwfishing.com/gang_hooks.asp

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Tuna Fishing Techniques - 3 Amazing Methods That Will Help You Catch More Tuna

Before you spend all day trolling around the ocean looking for them, consider these 3 tuna fishing techniques that will have you attracting, and catching, more tuna.

1. Control Your Speed - When fishing for tuna, troll at speeds of 5 to 8 miles per hour. Most professionals like to use a typical 'W Pattern' while trolling. This pattern consists of 2 long lines held out on each outrigger, 2 shorter lines held out flat and one deep line straight down the middle. Additionally, it is helpful to display a flashy presentation of multiple lures. The more they splash, sparkle and shine the better. What you want is to trick the tuna into thinking that it has stumbled across a panicked school of bait fish.

2. Pay Attention to Nature - Anytime that you see diving birds, pay special attention. Diving birds typically means that there are schools of bait fish nearby. Where there are bait fish, tuna tend to also be some place close. Additionally, large schools of tuna like to travel near pods of dolphins or sharks.

3. Pay Attention to the Season - During the warmer summer months, tuna love to hunt near the surface of the water. Feeding tuna are easy to spot on clear summer afternoons as the water looks like it is being destroyed from beneath. Additionally, tuna like to feed in low light conditions, such as the late afternoon. During the winter months, tuna tend to hunt in deeper waters and are much more difficult to find and catch.

These are but a few of my favorite tuna fishing techniques.

About Author

To learn more advanced tuna fishing techniques, visit http://fishingtuna.info

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Bass Fishing Trivia - How Well Do You Score?

By: Cody Hanhan

To test your fishing trivia knowledge, take this test and give yourself 1 point for every correct answer. Be warned, this quiz is tough.

Q. In what century did bass fishing begin?

A. Bass fishing is an old sport. The correct answer is that it started in the 18th century. However, like most beginnings it was a rudimentary beginning, the progress we've made a few centuries is almost frightening. Most likely, it began in the southern regions of the US. But, today bass fishing is an international obsession and professional as well as amateur fishing competitions can be found all over the world.

Q. When was the first bass fishing reel invented?

A. Between 1768 and 1770. The first multiplying reel was invented during this time. This is the great great granddaddy of your modern bait casting reel. The proud inventor was one Onesimus Ustonson. Three cheers for Onesimus!

Q. Who invented the first level-wind design reel?

A. No other than William Shakespeare Jr. from Shakespeare Company fame. Before he secured a patent for his invention in 1897 he was a patent medicine salesman. His invention was a hit with fisherman of his day and as they say "the rest is history..."

Q. What year was the first spinner lure created?

A. 1915. This was the creation of the William J. Jamison Co. The spinner that started it all was called the Twin Spinner is the grandpa of your modern spinner.

Q. Can you name the US president that precipitated today's bass fisheries?

A. Did you guess Franklin D. Roosevelt? I hope so. You are correct. He created the Tennesse Valley Authority which was responsible for the building of various dams throughout the united states. These impoundments became the playgrounds of today's bass fishermen.

Q. Which US Company is responsible for the development of nylon fishing line?

A. DuPont invented nylon in and started selling nylon monofilament fishing lines.

Q. In what year did the first professional bass fisherman win the first million dollars in fishing?

A. The year is 1992 and the winner of was Larry Nixon and those million dollars where the the total earnings he made in one year fishing professionally.

Q. Can you name three species of bass that are currently being fished in professional bass fishing events?

A. Large mouth bass, small mouth bass, and Kentucky bass

Q. In what decade did bass fishing first become popular?

A. The 1950's is widely considered as the decade that popularized bass fishing in the United States and prompted the technical developments in bass rods, reels, boats and lines that we enjoy today.

Q. How much money does the bass fishing industry contribute to the US economy?

A. You would probably be surprised to know that the the bass fishing industry is responsible for $50 - $70 billion dollars of activity in the US economy, and that number is growing every year as fishing related sales increase because of bass fishing's growing popularity.

Have you ever heard of fly and bubble fishing? If you've experimented with this technique but had poor results, or just want the best instruction available on this technique before you try it, so you can get it right the first time, then check out http://www.fishingnoob.com/~/spinningfly for the in-depth expose you've been looking for.

For general spinning guidance, I recommend http://www.fishingnoob.com (especially for beginners.)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cody_Hanhan

18 Homemade Carp Bait Fishing Ingredients For Big Fish Catches!

Big fish come to those who wait, but those who fully prepare catch the most! Here is a formula which includes a few things many fishermen overlook and it may well make the difference between big fish success and utter disaster! By a guy who hooked a previous world record carp.

1. Fish location is not for the lazy! It’s a vital fishing ‘must do’ especially for big fish and is the universal fishing rule number one; you will not catch any fish where there aren’t any!

2. Always use a sharp hook of suitable size for your fish, and bait! A sharp hook has always caught more big fish than that old blunt beast of an old pattern hook you find in the bottom of the tackle box even if it was your favourite 5 years ago!

3. A bait that still tempts the fish you are hunting and has not already lost its ‘edge’ through previous over-use which actually repels wary fish instead! Do your own thing; homemade baits are the closest thing to a sure-fire bet of a bait; readymade baits are often a lottery in actual effectiveness; the ones you choose may already have been ‘hammered’ without your knowledge! When it comes to baits, flavors and rigs, adaptability and creativity is the name of the game. Being prepared to take risks and do new things always pays-off big-time in the end! The best baits are the ones that catch on the day after all!

4. Lady luck always helps no matter how much you prepare for your fishing! You might hook the one fish you desire within just 5 minutes of your first cast; or it might take you 10 years!

5. You will need other tackle to enable you to land the big fish you’re after including an adequate rod, reel, line and hook link and a strong enough hook not to open-out when the real pressure during the fight reaches its peak, generally on the first run or at the landing net!

6. You will need equipment to deal with the fish once hooked. You will need a big enough landing net for a start. It’s no good using a normal 42 inch carp landing net for a 6 or 7 foot long catfish, unless you are particularly skilled at ‘folding’ such beasts into such a net in the dark, on your own at night, in the rain, on a slippery wet bank! (The secret is drilled rehearsal!)

7. If you are a responsible fishermen and care for the future of your sport, then you will realise that the fish are the future. Remember, smaller fish will be the personal best fish in the future. So if you care for your fish and intend replacing it back into the water it lives in (and not cooking it for tea,) then a protective mat big enough to completely remove any danger of damage from contact with the ground is an excellent and essential bit of kit.

8. Suitable unhooking forceps are necessary (as are sharp scissors!) Often unhooking a well hooked fish with your fingers is difficult without causing undue damage due to difficult angles with a barbed hook which potentially might cause damage. Practicing your forceps skills can make hook removal simple and clean so keep them easily accessible. I’ve seen far too many so-called anglers rushing and fumbling when unhooking fish virtually ripping the hook out of them. This is completely irresponsible and utterly unnecessary and can produce wounds which last for the life of the fish! Just calm the fish down by de-stressing it with plenty of water and wet hands, being efficient, confident and quick. It’s like the old dentist joke:

“You what – you want 200 dollars for just 2 minutes work to remove my tooth; that’s a joke!” The dentist responds by asking: “Would you rather I took an hour instead!?

9. Use of fish care kits with swabs and antiseptic solution are very responsible too in helping heal the hook wound and any scale damage or fresh scrapes, or previous wounds on the skin etc. It is very possible by doing this you will enable the fish to recover from capture much faster, even put on more weight quicker in the future owing to less stress and even potentially save a fish’s life!

10. You need a venue containing the species and size of fish you are hunting; it’s no good fishing for salmon in a river devoid of them for the past 30 years or for a 30 pound carp where the biggest is 19 pounds!

11. Have all your camera equipment ready for use! When you catch your personal best fish of a life-time, you want the photos to reliably come out right; there’s nothing worse when they don’t! (No problem; just catch the same fish twice!)

12. If you fish at night take at least 2 torches and always have plenty of spare batteries. Its ‘sod’s law’ that the one night or session when the fish feed like mad is the one you find your torch packs up. (Bulbs blow too!) Head torches are very popular and cheap these days and I also use ‘glow-in the dark’ pencil torches to find my torches (and glasses) at night. I hang one on the bite alarms to indicate the position of the rods on dark nights. The dim light of a pencil torch is enough for landing big fish in the dark without spooking them off at the last minute at the net and losing them because you have a thousand candle-power lantern on the bank or have a 100 light-emitting diode torch on your head! (On some carp lakes in the UK, constant use of such torches make the banks at night look like a scene from close encounters of the third kind or club laser show rather than a natural lake-side environment; expect to see a ‘ufo’ any minute!)

13. If you fish in the heat you need water and loads more of it than you think! You ‘feel’ hydrated long after your body has become dehydrated. Most people in an out of doors setting are amazed how dehydrated they get but this is because they do not realise just how much more active we have to be outside. Everything takes effort, exertion and energy to get things done and just breathing a lot more loses you much more water and not just in hot conditions. Remember you will usually dehydrate yourself looking around and locating fish, getting yourself and your fishing gear to your swim and having set-up your tents, rods and baiting-up with ground bait if desired. From personal experience; you’re not much good as a fisherman with a heat stroke and a dehydration headache; playing a big fish with a bad headache is most un-cool!

14. Please be aware that fish when first caught come from water that is generally cooler than the air at the height of summer and they will need constantly cooling down with generous amounts of water. Fish skin and delicate vulnerable tissues as in the gills in such conditions can dry out very quickly and be damaged. So be efficient in unhooking fish and very quick with pictures, and keep fish wet! (Wetting your hands before touching your fish really reduces the heat sensitivity shock on them and covering their eyes with a wet sling or sack is very sensible and can help a fish ‘settle’ on your unhooking mat and de-stress it which is very important! I usually take at least 2 big bottles of water just for one night, so you might imagine how much I take for a 3 or 4 days and night session.

15. A bit more about fish recovery and handling. If it is very hot, keep the fish out of the sun and in the water until the last second while everything on the bank is prepared so the fish is out of the water the minimum time possible. When handling, touch the fish as little as you can to avoid stressing it and utilise your wet unhooking mat to carry it back to the water. It may take some minutes if not hours to get a big hard-fighting fish to recover from a spirited fight. During this time make sure you choose a conveniently shaded cooler margin for the fish’s and your own comfort; and be persistent! You may have to artificially work the gills of the fish and wave fresh oxygenated water into its mouth for its energy and metabolism in order for it to recover, which might take an hour or more in very hot conditions!

16. Polarising sunglasses are one of your key bits of kit because they can make you look cool when standing on the bank like an idiot, even though you might have caught no fish, be sweating gallons and look like the morning after your stag night and your gear might have been almost totally destroyed in a freak storm that the previous night! ‘Shades’ are also good for looking for signs of fish such as cleaned feeding spots and impersonating celebrities. In combination with a hat, they even shade your eyes from harmful rays direct from the sun and reflected back off the water, which can easily avoid you a nice headache after a day watching the water, or a tiny little float!

17. If you fish in the winter you will always need more warm dry windproof and waterproof clothing than you think! When your rain or snow-proof stuff gets wet and it’s raining or snowing, if you have no way to dry out; you’ll slowly freeze! A windproof fishing shelter or ‘bivvy’ with a door with zips that really work all the way down to the ground, can literally be a life-saver just as much as a life-jacket when using a boat! Comfortable anglers catch more big fish because they can focus on catching fish instead of just staying warm! (In any country, when you spend the night outside in a strong northerly wind with a minus degrees Celsius wind chill factor, clothes are not just about comfort, but avoiding hypothermia, so beware!

18. It takes practice to do anything in life consistently successfully. ‘Beginners luck’ is one not so ‘weird’ phenomenon. It is easily explained; often a new fisherman on a water with different baits and rigs, fishing unusual or less popular spots (because he is not familiar with the ‘popular’ ones,) will hit the biggest fish first. (No big surprise there; so be prepared!)

So there you have it; it’s easy, there’s nothing to catching big fish! When ‘opportunity meets preparation,’ big things will happen! This fishing bait secrets books author has many more fishing and bait edges. Just one could impact on your catches!

By Tim Richardson.

About Author

To get these unique new expert bait making and bait secrets bibles :

BIG CATFISH AND CARP BAIT SECRETS!
And: BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS! And BIG CARP FLAVOURS AND FEEDING TRIGGER SECRETS! Visit:

http://www.baitbigfish.com

Tim Richardson is a homemade carp and catfish bait maker and proven big fish angler. His unique bait making and enhancing fishing secrets guides are seriously multiplying their readers big fish catches in over 45 countries so visit this unique secrets site right NOW!

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com

Trout Fishing Tips & Tricks

If you want to know how to catch trout, then this is the place for you. Trout are a (mostly) freshwater fish that are finicky and cunning. They can be very difficult to catch at times and often dwell in clear mountain streams where they can see you better than you can see them. It is seldom that fishing becomes such a delicate experience as trying to toss a bait close enough to a fish to get its attention, but not too close as to startle and spook it off.

There are many ways to catch trout and outwit the cunning devils of our waterways. There are different rod and reel setups, different kinds of lures as well as a myriad of myths and superstitions surrounding trout fishing. From my experience, these are the top five strategies that will catch you trout.

1. Live Bait Live bait is certainly the simplest and surest way to catch trout. If there are trout in the water, there is a chance that live bait is probably the most effective bait for them unless they happen to be very well fed. Often times trout are released from a hatchery and in the wild don't know what to eat so they are usually very hungry and will take just about any live bait. Especially for children I recommend beginning your trout fishing experience with live bait.

2. Spinning Lures Spinning lures are the easiest way to catch trout with an artificial lure. The benefit of using a spinning lure like this is that you can catch multiple fish on the lure. You also do away with the inevitable messy hands problem when dealing with live bait. To properly use a spinning lure, you should cast it out and reel it in against the flow of the current, perpendicular to it. This is best for aggravating fish who are not hungry into striking out of aggression.

3. Small Jigs Small jigs and tube like lures are best for catching trout that you see lazily laying along the bottom of a stream. Using these lures involves applying a great degree of finesse, gently bouncing the lure along the bottom of the stream close to the trout, enticing and tricking them into taking the lure.

4. Fly Fishing Fly fishing is a very effective method of trout fishing. Fly fishing involves using an entirely different rod, reel and type of lure. You use a heavy line and cast "flies" out, which are very small lures that look like insects. It is the weight of the line that you use to cast. You drift these tiny bug lures made of string and feathers down the stream and past the trout. This is another very effective trout fishing method when used correctly, but requires even a greater degree of finesse than using jigs.

5. Ice Fishing Ice fishing for trout can be very fun if you know what you're doing. Of course you need to live in the right climate to ice fish. The best trout to ice fish for can grow very large and are called lake trout. In order to ice fish you drill several holes deep into the ice, then hook live bait deep down into the water through the holes. You use a setup that makes a little flag pop up when the fish bites and when he does, you pull the line up. A good lake trout can feed a family twice over.

That's all for now. As I said there are many methods to catch trout and these are only the top five that I have employed in my history. Feel free to experiment and try out other methods, you never know if peanut butter on a hook might work and suddenly become the next trout fishing fad!

About the Author

For more Trout Fishing Tips & Tricks please check out my website at Trout Fishing Pro Tips.

Trout Fishing Tips & Tricks

If you want to know how to catch trout, then this is the place for you. Trout are a (mostly) freshwater fish that are finicky and cunning. They can be very difficult to catch at times and often dwell in clear mountain streams where they can see you better than you can see them. It is seldom that fishing becomes such a delicate experience as trying to toss a bait close enough to a fish to get its attention, but not too close as to startle and spook it off.

There are many ways to catch trout and outwit the cunning devils of our waterways. There are different rod and reel setups, different kinds of lures as well as a myriad of myths and superstitions surrounding trout fishing. From my experience, these are the top five strategies that will catch you trout.

1. Live Bait Live bait is certainly the simplest and surest way to catch trout. If there are trout in the water, there is a chance that live bait is probably the most effective bait for them unless they happen to be very well fed. Often times trout are released from a hatchery and in the wild don't know what to eat so they are usually very hungry and will take just about any live bait. Especially for children I recommend beginning your trout fishing experience with live bait.

2. Spinning Lures Spinning lures are the easiest way to catch trout with an artificial lure. The benefit of using a spinning lure like this is that you can catch multiple fish on the lure. You also do away with the inevitable messy hands problem when dealing with live bait. To properly use a spinning lure, you should cast it out and reel it in against the flow of the current, perpendicular to it. This is best for aggravating fish who are not hungry into striking out of aggression.

3. Small Jigs Small jigs and tube like lures are best for catching trout that you see lazily laying along the bottom of a stream. Using these lures involves applying a great degree of finesse, gently bouncing the lure along the bottom of the stream close to the trout, enticing and tricking them into taking the lure.

4. Fly Fishing Fly fishing is a very effective method of trout fishing. Fly fishing involves using an entirely different rod, reel and type of lure. You use a heavy line and cast "flies" out, which are very small lures that look like insects. It is the weight of the line that you use to cast. You drift these tiny bug lures made of string and feathers down the stream and past the trout. This is another very effective trout fishing method when used correctly, but requires even a greater degree of finesse than using jigs.

5. Ice Fishing Ice fishing for trout can be very fun if you know what you're doing. Of course you need to live in the right climate to ice fish. The best trout to ice fish for can grow very large and are called lake trout. In order to ice fish you drill several holes deep into the ice, then hook live bait deep down into the water through the holes. You use a setup that makes a little flag pop up when the fish bites and when he does, you pull the line up. A good lake trout can feed a family twice over.

That's all for now. As I said there are many methods to catch trout and these are only the top five that I have employed in my history. Feel free to experiment and try out other methods, you never know if peanut butter on a hook might work and suddenly become the next trout fishing fad!

About the Author

For more Trout Fishing Tips & Tricks please check out my website at Trout Fishing Pro Tips.

Carp Fishing: Business or Pleasure?

By: Steve Beaton

According to the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), nearly half the fish consumed worldwide are raised on fish farms, rather than caught in the wild. In 1980 just 9% of human fish consumption came from aquaculture; today, that figure exceeds 43% - over 45 million tonnes a year.

Globally, consumer demand for fish continues to climb, especially in affluent, developed nations, whilst capture levels of wild fish have remained roughly stable since the mid-1980s. There is, according to the FAO, very little chance of significant increase beyond current catch levels; indeed, with almost three quarters of the world's fisheries either fully or over exploited, catch levels could easily fall. It is therefore inevitable that aquaculture will be called on to meet a significant proportion of our rapidly rising demands.

It should come as no surprise, then, to learn that fish farming is the world's fastest growing food sector, with many countries focusing on high-value carnivorous fish such salmon or trout. However, the farming of these species can produce significant environmental impacts as they often depend on wild caught fish as a food source. This, in turn, presents an additional threat to wild stocks.

A possible alternative is to grow omnivorous species that occupy lower levels of the food chain and which might therefore require lower energy inputs to produce fish protein. One such species is the Common or European carp (Cyprinus carpio). In fact more carp are farmed worldwide than any other group of fish, with the bulk of this economic activity taking place in Asia and Europe.

Of all our aquaculture systems, carp farming has the longest history. The knowledge gained over centuries of traditional pond culture has largely provided the basis for commercial fish production, and the energy efficiency of this sector has recently been examined by researches at the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) (please visit "www.cifa.in" for full details of their research.

The principal raw material of modern intensive agriculture is fossil fuel, and, with international fuel prices rising unpredictably, increasing attention being paid to the energy input costs associated with different food production systems, and particular attention is being paid to aquaculture.

CIFA examined a wide range of carp farming techniques and considered how much energy was required to produce one gram of finished product. They then examined how the energy efficiency of these carp farming systems compared to the most ruthlessly efficient (in energy terms) of our intensive live-stocking systems, i.e. large-scale commercial egg production.

Their results showed that the simplest, most sustainable carp production systems (artificial ponds with additional energy inputs largely limited to the addition of natural fertilizers) required between 109 and 132 Kilo Joules of energy input for every gram of protein output (KJ/g).

Where carp production was intensified by the addition of large amounts of artificial fertilizer and commercial feed, the subsequent energy requirements ranged from 205 KJ/g to 418 KJ/g, with most of the variation being caused by the levels of supplementary feeding being applied and the high energy costs associated with the production of high protein commercial fish food.

Where high protein feed was supplemented with artificial aeration (to allow greater stocking densities) energy costs climbed to around 470KJ/g, but this still compares favourably with the energy requirements of intensive egg and poultry production that, typically, will have energy inputs starting at around 552 KJ for 1 g of protein.

So, can large-scale carp aquaculture deliver? Well, the jury is still out, according to FAO. Aquaculture has the potential to cover the gap between supply and demand, but there are also significant forces that could pull production in the opposite direction.

Aquaculture has been experiencing a global boom since the mid-1980s, sustaining a growth rate of around 8% per year (with the notable exception of sub-Saharan Africa). However, the FAO is concerned that momentum could taper off if governments and development agencies don't adjust their policies to respond to challenges that threaten to dampen the sector's future growth. One such bottleneck, argue CIFA, is a lack of investment capital for producers in the developing world. However, the greatest restraints are likely to be a shortage of land and, in particular, a shortage of reliable freshwater supplies.

Despite these problems, the farming of carp (and other omnivorous fish species) is likely to continue its expansion, and many of us who might previously have considered this species in terms of sport rather than food may soon be revising that opinion.

About the Author

Steve Beaton writes on environmental issues for http://www.terrystackle.co.uk/ and http://www.audiobooks-right-now.com/

Going Back to the Basics

My wife asked if I had wanted to go fishing the other day. I gave her a puzzled look because it would be the first time we had ever been fishing together, so I jumped at the chance. We grabbed a couple of ultra-lights, my tackle box, and we were out the door. We get to the lake and begin setting up. As I was unloading our folding camping chairs she asked “what are we going to be fishing for?” I thought about it for a second and said “whatever swim’s buy and wants to cooperate.” She got a grin on her face and I thought to myself, when was the last time I did not care about what I caught or even caught anything at all?

I set up our poles with a slip float, split shot, and a hooked tipped with a night crawler and we were ready to go. I have never been one to take many things for granted, but I had started to take fishing like this for granted. The last time I fished with a worm and bobber was about 5 years ago. I had gotten caught up with the fancy baitcasters, the incredible selection of crank bait colors, and the super lines that we have all come accustomed to. Today I was not consumed by trying to catch the biggest bass possible (although it was in the back of my mind), but I was more concerned about spending time in the outdoors with my wife with an opportunity to catch any kind of fish. Which brings me to my point, could we leave all of the fancy gear and the big boat at home, pick up a spinning rod and maybe a canoe and catch the same quality fish?

That is just what I am going to do this summer. I am going to fish with a spinning rod and reel, eight pound monofilament, and what I can fit into an 11”x9” tackle storage box. The challenges presented by this will not only make me a better angler, but draw me closer to the sport I love. I want to challenge all of you to go back to the simplest form of fishing and not only enjoy fishing, but enjoy the great outdoors, just like you did when you were a kid.

A little bit about me:

I am a junior at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo. majoring in Organizational Communications. I play football as well, I am the punter. When I am not studying or playing football I am a part time hunting guide for Pro Outfitters in Mound City, Mo. I have been fishing since I was old enough to hold a pole. I started fishing overseas because my dad works for the government as a Recreation Director for the military. I started fishing in the States when I was 13 years old and have spent many hours targeting everything from crappie to carp and everything in between.

I am blessed to have a wife that understands my obsessions with the outdoors and even joins in from time to time.

Fishing the Mississippi River

Whether you call it Old Man River, the Mighty Mississippi, or just the Mississippi River, it is the largest and longest river in the country, if you include its main tributary, the Missouri River. Most people do not think of the Mississippi River as a place to fish, rather a muddy, polluted, channelized waterway. It is true that the river is deeply damaged, but it still manages to offer unparalleled fishing opportunities even to this day.

The area of this massive river I am going to cover is the section that borders Missouri. The most northern part of this section still resembles the upper Mississippi. It is mass of lock and dams, which create large river lakes, and tail races below them. The lakes are known for producing excellent largemouth bass fishing, as well as large catfish and bluegill. They generally have slow current, which makes boating simpler than the rest of the Mississippi River. Almost every tail race of these lakes is known for world class walleye and white bass angling. Boating a safe distance from the dam, and dropping jigs or night crawlers works well for both species. The tail races of these dams are also well known for being good places to snag paddle fish.

The locks and dams end sometime above the city of St. Louis. Walleye and White Bass begin to thin out, and catfish become the main quarry of anglers. At the mouth of the Missouri River at Columbia Bottoms Conservation Areas, the Mississippi's best catfish water begins. Channel Catfish are the most common, but the river is most famous for record catches of Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish. As a matter of fact, the Mississippi river several miles downstream of St. Louis recently produced an all-tackle world record blue catfish to an Illinois angler. Fish in the thirty to fifty pound range are not abnormal at all.

The lower Mississippi (generally the term given to the Mississippi River downstream of St. Louis), holds the best catfish populations in the nation. They are not the only species to target, however. The river provides excellent fishing opportunities for carp, gar, freshwater drum, bowfin (also known as grinnel) and bluegill. Although these species are not usually held in high regard, they can all be great fun to catch. Largemouth bass can be found in the main channel. Heavy current and silty water limits bass populations in the main river, but a patient angler can find enough to make it worthwhile. The extremely muddy water effectively limits fisherman to live bait presentations. Night crawlers, crayfish, and minnows are good options. The slow water upstream of wing dams tends to be a good bet. Better largemouth bass fishing will be found in the slough-like backwaters of the river. The water tends to be just a bit clearer here, and current is much less. This makes fishing much simpler than in the main river, and allows some artificial's such as plastic worms and spinner baits to be used with good success. It is important however, to find backwaters that have flowing water at least much of the year, because bass do not like stagnant water.

Despite the fact that it is so underrated as a sport fishery, the Mississippi River has a lot to offer to the serious angler. Its size makes it a bit daunting to the average fisherman, but the rewards are there. Most people who know the river will say that it is worth it.

Davdison Manning is an avid outdoorsman spending over 100 days per year pursuing his passion for fishing, many of them in the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas. He details many of his favorite spots on his website Family-Outdoors where he writes articles not only on fishing, but also camping and hunting. Visit his fishing section at Family-Outdoors Fishing for other great fishing ideas.

His other pursuits include many days spent in the field camping and hunting. Davidson loves to share his knowledge of the outdoors in the hope of helping others to find their own connection to the outdoors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davidson_Manning

18 Homemade Carp Bait Fishing Ingredients For Big Fish Catches!

Big fish come to those who wait, but those who fully prepare catch the most! Here is a formula which includes a few things many fishermen overlook and it may well make the difference between big fish success and utter disaster! By a guy who hooked a previous world record carp.

1. Fish location is not for the lazy! It’s a vital fishing ‘must do’ especially for big fish and is the universal fishing rule number one; you will not catch any fish where there aren’t any!

2. Always use a sharp hook of suitable size for your fish, and bait! A sharp hook has always caught more big fish than that old blunt beast of an old pattern hook you find in the bottom of the tackle box even if it was your favourite 5 years ago!

3. A bait that still tempts the fish you are hunting and has not already lost its ‘edge’ through previous over-use which actually repels wary fish instead! Do your own thing; homemade baits are the closest thing to a sure-fire bet of a bait; readymade baits are often a lottery in actual effectiveness; the ones you choose may already have been ‘hammered’ without your knowledge! When it comes to baits, flavors and rigs, adaptability and creativity is the name of the game. Being prepared to take risks and do new things always pays-off big-time in the end! The best baits are the ones that catch on the day after all!

4. Lady luck always helps no matter how much you prepare for your fishing! You might hook the one fish you desire within just 5 minutes of your first cast; or it might take you 10 years!

5. You will need other tackle to enable you to land the big fish you’re after including an adequate rod, reel, line and hook link and a strong enough hook not to open-out when the real pressure during the fight reaches its peak, generally on the first run or at the landing net!

6. You will need equipment to deal with the fish once hooked. You will need a big enough landing net for a start. It’s no good using a normal 42 inch carp landing net for a 6 or 7 foot long catfish, unless you are particularly skilled at ‘folding’ such beasts into such a net in the dark, on your own at night, in the rain, on a slippery wet bank! (The secret is drilled rehearsal!)

7. If you are a responsible fishermen and care for the future of your sport, then you will realise that the fish are the future. Remember, smaller fish will be the personal best fish in the future. So if you care for your fish and intend replacing it back into the water it lives in (and not cooking it for tea,) then a protective mat big enough to completely remove any danger of damage from contact with the ground is an excellent and essential bit of kit.

8. Suitable unhooking forceps are necessary (as are sharp scissors!) Often unhooking a well hooked fish with your fingers is difficult without causing undue damage due to difficult angles with a barbed hook which potentially might cause damage. Practicing your forceps skills can make hook removal simple and clean so keep them easily accessible. I’ve seen far too many so-called anglers rushing and fumbling when unhooking fish virtually ripping the hook out of them. This is completely irresponsible and utterly unnecessary and can produce wounds which last for the life of the fish! Just calm the fish down by de-stressing it with plenty of water and wet hands, being efficient, confident and quick. It’s like the old dentist joke:

“You what – you want 200 dollars for just 2 minutes work to remove my tooth; that’s a joke!” The dentist responds by asking: “Would you rather I took an hour instead!?

9. Use of fish care kits with swabs and antiseptic solution are very responsible too in helping heal the hook wound and any scale damage or fresh scrapes, or previous wounds on the skin etc. It is very possible by doing this you will enable the fish to recover from capture much faster, even put on more weight quicker in the future owing to less stress and even potentially save a fish’s life!

10. You need a venue containing the species and size of fish you are hunting; it’s no good fishing for salmon in a river devoid of them for the past 30 years or for a 30 pound carp where the biggest is 19 pounds!

11. Have all your camera equipment ready for use! When you catch your personal best fish of a life-time, you want the photos to reliably come out right; there’s nothing worse when they don’t! (No problem; just catch the same fish twice!)

12. If you fish at night take at least 2 torches and always have plenty of spare batteries. Its ‘sod’s law’ that the one night or session when the fish feed like mad is the one you find your torch packs up. (Bulbs blow too!) Head torches are very popular and cheap these days and I also use ‘glow-in the dark’ pencil torches to find my torches (and glasses) at night. I hang one on the bite alarms to indicate the position of the rods on dark nights. The dim light of a pencil torch is enough for landing big fish in the dark without spooking them off at the last minute at the net and losing them because you have a thousand candle-power lantern on the bank or have a 100 light-emitting diode torch on your head! (On some carp lakes in the UK, constant use of such torches make the banks at night look like a scene from close encounters of the third kind or club laser show rather than a natural lake-side environment; expect to see a ‘ufo’ any minute!)

13. If you fish in the heat you need water and loads more of it than you think! You ‘feel’ hydrated long after your body has become dehydrated. Most people in an out of doors setting are amazed how dehydrated they get but this is because they do not realise just how much more active we have to be outside. Everything takes effort, exertion and energy to get things done and just breathing a lot more loses you much more water and not just in hot conditions. Remember you will usually dehydrate yourself looking around and locating fish, getting yourself and your fishing gear to your swim and having set-up your tents, rods and baiting-up with ground bait if desired. From personal experience; you’re not much good as a fisherman with a heat stroke and a dehydration headache; playing a big fish with a bad headache is most un-cool!

14. Please be aware that fish when first caught come from water that is generally cooler than the air at the height of summer and they will need constantly cooling down with generous amounts of water. Fish skin and delicate vulnerable tissues as in the gills in such conditions can dry out very quickly and be damaged. So be efficient in unhooking fish and very quick with pictures, and keep fish wet! (Wetting your hands before touching your fish really reduces the heat sensitivity shock on them and covering their eyes with a wet sling or sack is very sensible and can help a fish ‘settle’ on your unhooking mat and de-stress it which is very important! I usually take at least 2 big bottles of water just for one night, so you might imagine how much I take for a 3 or 4 days and night session.

15. A bit more about fish recovery and handling. If it is very hot, keep the fish out of the sun and in the water until the last second while everything on the bank is prepared so the fish is out of the water the minimum time possible. When handling, touch the fish as little as you can to avoid stressing it and utilise your wet unhooking mat to carry it back to the water. It may take some minutes if not hours to get a big hard-fighting fish to recover from a spirited fight. During this time make sure you choose a conveniently shaded cooler margin for the fish’s and your own comfort; and be persistent! You may have to artificially work the gills of the fish and wave fresh oxygenated water into its mouth for its energy and metabolism in order for it to recover, which might take an hour or more in very hot conditions!

16. Polarising sunglasses are one of your key bits of kit because they can make you look cool when standing on the bank like an idiot, even though you might have caught no fish, be sweating gallons and look like the morning after your stag night and your gear might have been almost totally destroyed in a freak storm that the previous night! ‘Shades’ are also good for looking for signs of fish such as cleaned feeding spots and impersonating celebrities. In combination with a hat, they even shade your eyes from harmful rays direct from the sun and reflected back off the water, which can easily avoid you a nice headache after a day watching the water, or a tiny little float!

17. If you fish in the winter you will always need more warm dry windproof and waterproof clothing than you think! When your rain or snow-proof stuff gets wet and it’s raining or snowing, if you have no way to dry out; you’ll slowly freeze! A windproof fishing shelter or ‘bivvy’ with a door with zips that really work all the way down to the ground, can literally be a life-saver just as much as a life-jacket when using a boat! Comfortable anglers catch more big fish because they can focus on catching fish instead of just staying warm! (In any country, when you spend the night outside in a strong northerly wind with a minus degrees Celsius wind chill factor, clothes are not just about comfort, but avoiding hypothermia, so beware!

18. It takes practice to do anything in life consistently successfully. ‘Beginners luck’ is one not so ‘weird’ phenomenon. It is easily explained; often a new fisherman on a water with different baits and rigs, fishing unusual or less popular spots (because he is not familiar with the ‘popular’ ones,) will hit the biggest fish first. (No big surprise there; so be prepared!)

So there you have it; it’s easy, there’s nothing to catching big fish! When ‘opportunity meets preparation,’ big things will happen! This fishing bait secrets books author has many more fishing and bait edges. Just one could impact on your catches!

By Tim Richardson.

About Author

To get these unique new expert bait making and bait secrets bibles :

BIG CATFISH AND CARP BAIT SECRETS!
And: BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS! And BIG CARP FLAVOURS AND FEEDING TRIGGER SECRETS! Visit:

http://www.baitbigfish.com

Tim Richardson is a homemade carp and catfish bait maker and proven big fish angler. His unique bait making and enhancing fishing secrets guides are seriously multiplying their readers big fish catches in over 45 countries so visit this unique secrets site right NOW!

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com

Guided Elk Hunting vs. Drop Camp Elk Hunting

If you are looking for a hunting experience that allows you to roam far and wide and provides a real sense of accomplishment, elk hunting is definitely one of the big game sports that you should consider. When you are in a position to indulge in it, hunting is one of the activities that can provide both a great deal of physical activity and bragging rights, not to mention an impressive amount meat and a truly epic trophy at the end. If you are thinking of getting a guide for your elk hunting, take a look at a few of the facts below. Remember as you are making your decision that employing a guide is by no means something that is only done by beginning hunters; there are many reasons that an experienced hunter would take advantage of a guide as well.

Taking the area you plan to hunt in and your level of experience into consideration are the first things you need to think about. Have you hunted there before or in terrain very similar to it? If so, a guide will not be as crucial for your hunting trip. North America has many areas that sustain elk herds so there is a good chance you may be hunting in an area that is different than what you are accustomed to. What type of climate have you hunted in? Wet or dry? Are you familiar with mountain hunting or heavy forest hunting. A guide will be very beneficial to you in unfamiliar terrain and help you gain experience in areas of weakness.

Do you work well with other people? Though the guide or outfitter may be hired by you, it is important to develop a working relationship. Can you step back and take the guide's direction? Will you let him do his job? If you can't, going it alone might be best for you to have a more pleasurable hunt. Some hunters become good hunter partners with their guides and if this is something you can do, having a guide will be very beneficial and make for a great hunting experience.

Consider, too, how long you want to spend hiking around in the woods. With an experience guide, you can have a successful end to your hunt much sooner than would likely be possible without one. Go without a guide and your hunt will most likely take much longer if you are in an area that you don't know. If you have plenty of time and are in no hurry at all, this may not be a problem for you. But if your time is limited, a guide can help you make the most of the time you have by taking you to where the elk are.

Enjoying your elk hunting trip is the bottom line, so keep this in mind when considering your plans. Elk hunting with a guide can make this possible by making it easier.

About the Author

For an adventure of a lifetime, we here at kohlsoutfitting.com invite you to join us on an amazing Pack In Elk Hunting in Idaho in the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness of Idaho.

Article Source: http://www.article-idea.com/profile/andrewwjohn-1881.html

Hunting Backpack Guidelines

An experienced hunter knows that any time you go hunting it is a good idea to have a backpack that will fit your needs and last a long time. Poorly-made hunting backpacks will spoil your good time of hunting. Most backpack companies and manufactures are aware of the needs and requirements of hunters when it comes to choosing hunting backpacks. Manufactures are focusing on making carrying backpacks less annoying. When youre shopping for a hunting backpack it is recommend that the backpack shoulder straps have padding which keeps them from digging into the shoulders while padding on the hip straps keep the weight that is focused on the hips to cause less pain while walking.

You always want to make sure that the backpack you get will not cause pain or bring you discomfort in anyway. Some tips for good hunting backpacks:

Have two straps on the backpack for more support.

Dont overload the backpack. For this reason, it is imperative that individuals carefully watch what they put into their backpacks in order to prevent overloading. Be sure to back everything that you will need but also be cautious about overloading the backpack with items you may not need. The backpack doesnt need to be used completely. Use it as if it were just a few more pockets on your pants.

The pack should be adjusted so that it fits the dimensions and size of the person wearing the backpack. Make sure it fits just right and it is not causing any discomfort or pain.

Make sure the backpack is camouflaged to the same camouflage you are wearing.

No matter what type of hunting you do or where you do it, transporting your gear will always be an important consideration on any hunt. Whether it's a short trip to the tree stand on the back forty or a day in the woods still hunting, every hunt has certain gear requirements, and that gear must be transported one way or another. Hunting backpacks should always be a necessity and with that, make it a comfortable one. Use the pack to your advantage and make it a good one.

About the Author

Jason Yates specializes in making your hunting experience just right for you by using badlands hunting backpacks with its comfort, performance, and durability. They also have a great selection of Archery Sights to help you to be a better hunter. For more information about Badland Backpacks visit BasinArcheryShop.com.

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How To prepare for Hunting Season

Hunting is and important outdoor activity and it requires a lot of preparation for each season. The way the hunting goes is that you need to prepare for the hunting season and then make sure that you can enjoy catching the deer or the turkey without any hassles as that is usually the toughest part of the hunting.

Lack of preparation will mar your chances of getting a good catch and that in turn will disappoint you no end. So it is always better to prepare for the hunting season at the earnest and do you due diligence.

The most important thing to look for is the equipment that you need to use and that means the wooden stand that you use or the special paint on the stand needs to be repainted.

There are other things that need to be taken care of. The decoy stuff for deer and turkey is a must and then comes the firearms and other hunting equipment. Make sure that your rifles and bows are in proper condition. You should check if your firearms license needs renewal. If you have never used the rifle or it is a new rifle then make sure that you have had enough practice otherwise it will tough to take aim and shoot.

The area where you will hunt also needs to be planned and earmarked. If you are going to hunt on a private land then get the landowners permission early on. Also if you going to hunt on public land then make sure that you have the proper area marked so as to not to be encroached by other hunters.

Most of the hunters start preparing for the season very early on so make sure that you connect with other hunters so that if you need to go into hunting with them.

To be in good luck and having a fair chance of having a good hunt make sure that you have practice on the equipment because otherwise as a beginner you are liable to fail.

About the Author

The birding enthusiasts will need to do digiscoping with nikon binoculars or the hunting enthusiasts can choose the nikon monarch binoculars camo

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Fishing The Flats

What's the best tasting fish in the salt water? The flat ones are, hands down, a winner. Not only are they choice for the table, but also they provide a challenge to the angler. They are unique in their feeding habits and sort of slow about biting. If you've ever seen your cork or bobber seem to be hung on something and very slowly get lower in the water, you may have a flounder about to suck up your bait. I'll tell you what occurs in the winter with these fish. During the summer they have spread out to backwater areas, swamps, back-bays, and just about everywhere. But let the cold winds blow and they become travelers. With each successive norther, they move closer to the gulf and deep water. So, the trick in early winter or late fall is to find them somewhere on a road to the gulf. Channel edgers are a good bet. They like dead shrimp, but if it's cold, you had better peel it. This is because cold water causes what I call 'sore mouths'. 'Sore mouths' simply means slow and finicky biting. You need to be patient in the winter since flounder will test your stamina. If you use a slide cork that can be adjusted, you have the right tool. You try it over and over, deeper and deeper until you see the cork start to lay over. This means that your weight and leader are on the bottom, a good way to tell how deep the water is. Measure the distance from your lead to your hook, add three inches to that distance and drag the cork up at that measure. Now your bait is three to four inches off the bottom and fair game for a hungry flatfish flounder. That's why a flounder has both eyes on one side. He doesn't need to inspect the bottom, just needs to lay on it.

About the Author

Captain Mike Scott is a retired Texas Gulf fishing guide and commercial fisherman. As Mike puts it "If you want to catch South Texas Saltwater fish, contact me." Please feel free to contact Mike for any fishing questions through AlphaLane or by using his site email in our search page. Use Mike's CID which is 119 or simply search on category 'fishing'.

Spring Bass Fishing - Catchin Them Goin To Bed!

Cold fronts disappearing, green grass returning, flowers blooming, and groundhogs dodging their own shadow are all sure signs that Spring is near! Warm days, cool nights, maybe even a St. Patrick's Day pinch or rumors of chocolate bunnies. These bring back so many memories of childhood, growing up in a rural farming community in north-central Florida.

There was one more sign that would mark the start of a new season without a doubt. Trucks, pulling boats, lined up at the boat ramp on the east shore of Lake George FL at the butt-crack of dawn, beginning the first of many quests of the year for that trophy largemouth Bass. Highly elusive and instinctual, it's by far the most coveted freshwater fish that has ever graced the "trophy wall" of any angler.

Bass fishing in this area my whole life, I was fortunate enough (because of favorable climate conditions) to fish for this species all year long. Notably, the action would significantly increase as the water temperature made it's turn upward. Along with that change in water temperature came an increase in vegetation, the start of the bedding season, and rightfully so, an increase in fishing pressure.

The southwestern shore of the lake would always experience the rise in water temperature first. This was due to extended exposure to the sun. As the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, this area of the lake remained exposed from sunrise through the hottest parts of the day. Lake George is also 9 miles wide at it's narrowest point, separating Marion and Volusia Counties. Lakes of smaller volume will have the same result, but in larger bodies of water the change will be more drastic and remain that way for an extended period of time.

It was on this southwestern shore that bass would begin preparing "beds" for laying their eggs. Now, by beds I mean a small pocket in the sandy bottom usually located in less than 3 feet of water. The female and male bass will take turns fanning with their tails to create this shallow indention in the lake bottom. After both prepare the bed it is now left to the female to maintain it and ultimately lay her eggs in it. There will only be one "sow" bass and up to 4 or 5 "buck" bass occupying one particular bed. Of course the males compete for fertilizing rights, as the female stays close to protect her prize nest.

"Okay. Enough with the biology lesson," you say? Well, to understand this fish you must know why it does what it does. You find this out and "where" this fish are at this time of year becomes pretty easy to determine. Even then, only certain presentations and bait will be the most effective in landing one of these fish. Now, on to locating these critters!

I recommend scouting an area like this thoroughly before you plan your "fishing trip." A smaller, light vessel makes it much easier to navigate the shallows. I recommend a flat-bottom aluminum boat, Carolina Skiff, or skip jack. One with a poling/spotting platform is also quite handy. Poling around the shallows will take a while but it ensures that you don't spook fish and possibly ruin their bedding areas. If in grassy, highly vegetated areas, or covered in lily pads, look for wide, open pockets within these areas. Then keep an eye out for 2-3 feet circles of white sand with a pocket in the middle of it. A good pair of polarized sunglasses does the trick for sighting these areas through the glare of the water's surface. Active beds can be identified by their freshly "fanned" appearance and when approached stealthily, you can usually see the female bass on the bed. Pay attention to this as it is important to only fish active beds. Fish that are spooked off the bed will return later when the threat decreases. After finding active beds mark them with a small buoy about 6 feet away from the bed so you don't disturb it. This will make it easier to find these areas when you come back with your rod and reel!

Now let's talk about bait and tackle for these fish. There are hundreds of artificials, live baits, and other tackle that frequent a bass anglers tackle box. The first instinct of the traditional bass angler is to tie on a rubber worm and dance it in front of the big-mouthed monster! When in fact, the last thing on the female bass' mind is feeding. She is protecting her eggs from the dangers of underwater life. The most effective bait to catch her is known as the bullhead minnow, or pimephales vigilax. The bullhead is a natural enemy of the Largemouth Bass. It's primary food source is fish eggs. They absolutely love the bass beds and in turn, the bass utterly despise the bullhead! It's the perfect bait for the job!

Remember earlier when I spoke of the "sow" and "buck" bass? Well, time for one more biology lesson! The female will be bigger than the male bass 90% of the time. She will also be the most lethargic. As mentioned before, her feeding has slowed greatly and her energy has been conserved for breeding purposes. The male bass on the other hand, are quite frisky, a traditional Spring characteristic! They are usually the first fish caught off the bed and the strike will be violent and explosive! They usually range in size from 2-6 lbs. The female is the one with the girth and weight that would look awesome above your mantle! Be patient and never leave the bed until you have caught at least two fish.

A medium action rod no shorter than 6 feet in length, a spinning or bait-casting reel equipped with 14lb test (min.) fluorocarbon low visibility line is optimal for best performance. The bullhead minnow should be rigged free line, on a 1/0 live bait hook, hooked under the dorsal fin. Make sure not to handle the bait in excess as this shortens the life span thus decreasing activity. You'll want to present the bait with a fragile, low splash cast directly behind the bed and reel up until you feel it drop into the pocket. Now wait...sometimes it takes a long time. The cast, your approach, or boat noise might have spooked the fish and you'll have to give them time to come back. As said before, the male will usually hit first like he's on a mission! The female bass, not into feeding at this point, approaches from a different angle. She will pick the bait up with her mouth, crush it to kill it, swim off the bed and drop it. This process takes just a few seconds and is very easily missed. The trick is to keep just a little slack in your line and watch your line closely. You don't want to rush your hook-set, but when you see the line move, count to three, lay into her, and hold on for the ride!

These methods have been used by bass guides for more than 30 years and have proven themselves as a high-return freshwater fishing tactic. Remember that the bass guides themselves have devoted long hours in perfecting their own means within this method and it comes with large amounts of field research and determination. There are people who pay big money to have someone hook up a bullhead minnow and set them up on big bass hot-spot. So to all of you bass guides, I'm sorry! The cat's out of the bag! Now to you readers, get out there and catch the bass of a lifetime! To you dads out there, take your kid fishing. All of my experience can attributed to my father, who knew the importance of taking his son fishing. Some of the best moments in my life were spent with worm guts on my fingers, and laughing with my dad and uncles as we pulled in the fish.

I hope that this was helpful to all of you fishermen and I hope to see you out on the water! Keep fishing!

"Give a boy a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a boy to fish, you feed him for a lifetime."

About the Author

I am a 30 year old, married, musician/songwriter that enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with my wife and three beautiful children.

Key West Fishing

Fishing in Key West is an imperative business for people there. You can dive in the water with snorkel, fish or swim simply about wherever along the public areas. You may observe several fishermen fishing in and wading out in the flats - a very inexpensive method in enjoying some of the finest sports fishing. All you require is a trained fishing guide for flats, the Back Country and near shore waters of Key West. Plenty of various kinds of boating and fishing charters anticipate teaching you fishing for their livelihood.

You are required to be fun-loving and stress-free to gear up for a catch at Key West. Representatives who guarantee this sport truly make their day with you and provide an opportunity to fish in the Key West, utilizing their novel charters. They provide information about your fishnet catch by pleasing you and your friends and family. You can catch a bluefish, several various pompanos fish and Jack Crevalle. You can as well enjoy with tarpons, or be pleased with few little Back fin tunas and make act with king fish.

In March the waters are warm and fishing offshore has been a bit off-track. At the start of spring, Tarpon (silver big eyed fish) fishing is allowed in shallows of Back Country Flats off the Key West. You can also catch Barracudas, Jacks, Permit, Redfish, Bonefish and Cobia. The most excellent part is you need to have a happy heart at sea for Key West fishing.

The geographical position and outline of Florida Keys provide anglers with many fishing chances. With Atlantic Ocean on south side and Gulf of Mexico on north side, it is not surprising why numerous fishing fans gather to follow a vision of a permit on fly or in catching a few fresh fish for dinner. The Florida Keys series of island flow west and south from the Miami area of Florida. The waters adjacent the isles provide many kinds of homes for fish. Shallow water area or Flats, surround loads of isles and extend into Gulf of Mexico. Anglers find this location to be most exceptional on days during the annual tarpon migration while during slow summer days you may have the entire isle to yourself.

Best time for going to Key West Tarpon Fishing is anytime you get a line in water. Tarpon are located all throughout the year in these beautiful waters which surround the Key West. Mostly the best time of day in catching the tarpon in Key West is really angler independent. With no doubt, fishing is going to be better during early morning or the later afternoon hours. Tides tend to fluctuate with the moon phases and tarpon can definitely be tidal feeders. It will be a ideal time when moon is coming up or going down. However as said, don't count for fishing tarpon in night. Most of the guides generally run night trips and have stated that tarpon fishing during night can be much enhanced than during the daytime. Tarpon are little difficult to land, however as much as hookups; it has been observed that nighttime can certainly outweigh daytime hookups. Not to worry as you'll still be able of seeing their aerial assaults, yet you get the added expectancy from being able of hearing them before seeing them if you're quiet.

The annual tarpon migration floats through Key West in start of March and stay around till July. April to June are premier months, however simply be attentive as there are plenty of anglers on water during those times. It isn't uncommon to see massive schools of these huge tarpon in those months.

About the Author

Want to have more information about Key West Fishing, please visit Key West Fishing and Key West Tarpon Fishing at key-west-fishing.org