This is going to be my ninth article on fishing tid bits. So far I am getting a great response to these articles. They are meant to have tips that everyone can use. Most of the seasoned anglers might even find a helpful tip or two in these articles. Eventually I plan to hone this and turn it into an eBook so go ahead and take advantage of it now. Make sure you tell your friends and family about the fishing tips articles because all I ask in return is that you go out and enjoy the fine fun of fishing.
1. Water Color
In most cases the color of water can determine what color of hook you’re going to use. While this is not the absolute rule you will find it very helpful when trying to find something the fish are biting. If the water is murky then you are going to want to use something fluorescent. If the water is clear then you may want to use something more natural looking.
2. Docks And Piers
All docks for the most part look alike but what we have to recognize is the important differences. A dock with plants around it and deep water very close is going to be a great place to fish. Lots of anglers who own their own docks usually artificially attract fish by using tree tops and planting new plants in the water around their docks.
3. Mud Fishing
Just because the water is dirty shouldn’t be a reason for you not to fish. The fishing may be tougher but they haven’t gone anywhere, it’s just harder for them to find food…in muddy water conditions your going to want to fish shallow, use noisy hooks and make several casts in the same area.
4. Water Levels
Rapid rises or falls in water does have a drastic impact on fishing. Rivers rise or fall a lot quicker than lakes or reservoirs usually. These differences in water levels are usually because of a sudden change in weather such as spring thaws and quick rainstorms. The most important part about fishing at these times is for you to try and plan your fishing trip accordingly.
5. Bluegill Fishing
Fishing for bluegills can make for a very fun day. It’s best to fish bluegills on warm, sunny days. You want little wind and to be honest in these conditions it’s not uncommon for the fish to bite all day. All you have to do is use a simple rig with a bobber with a small jig tipped with crickets below it. My favorite color is yellow.
This is the end of my ninth edition on my fishing tips series. I hope so far everyone is finding useful tips that they can use or save for a later day.
Dale Mazurek
Just remember a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.
Dale is an expert self taught fisherman of more than 35 years. He would like to share his stories and tips with you. You can go to his blog to check them out. http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ two of his other popular blogs can be found at http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ and http://funtidbits.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Can You Properly Clean And Fillet Your Fish?
In this article I intend to give you a quick lay down on cleaning and filleting your fish. We will first start with cleaning and then move to filleting.
Okay so now you have caught your dream fish and you want to learn how to clean it. You caught the biggest fish out of you and your buddies but for your efforts you now have to learn to clean it. Of course if you take it home you’re going to get fish scales and guts all over the place so maybe you should just clean it where you caught it.
First thing you’re going to need is a good filleting knife. You’re going to have to spread out some newspaper. Then you’re going to want to use a knife of fish scaler. Go ahead and scrape against the grains until all the scales are removed. Now you can wrap the newspaper and toss it out. You can also rinse the fish at this point.
So now you want to put down more newspaper and get prepared for the bigger mess. Time to gut the fish. So take your knife with the blade pointed towards the fishes head, poke the stomach and slit the fish moving the fillet knife towards the fished head. Make sure you don’t cut too deep. Now take the filleting knife and point it toward the fish tail and open the stomach. Now you can remove all the guts.
Your almost there. All that’s left to do is remove the gills. Once this is done you can wrap up the messy newspaper and you have a perfectly cleaned fish.
Now it’s time to learn to fillet your fish. I’m warning you though not to get too good at it because once you turn into a pro everyone is going to try and get you to fillet their fish.
First thing you’re going to need is a good knife and a cutting board to lay the fish on. You have to cut the head off. To do this you want to cut it off right to the rear of the gills.
Now you are going to hold the fish by the tail, take the knife with the blade pointing away from your body and toward where the head was. Now you will slice the body of the fish crosswise. You can use the back bone for a guide to direct the knife through.
Lastly take one half of the sliced fish and place the fish piece flesh side up. Hold the fish by the tail, place the knife between the skin and the flesh and run the knife down the length of the fish piece to remove the skin cutting in the direction of the tail to the head area. There you have it a perfectly filleted fish.
The old saying practice makes perfect certainly holds true in the case of cleaning and filleting fish. There is no better feeling than eating a fish that you caught, cleaned and cooked. So remember that no matter what a bad day of fishing is always better than a good day at work.
Dale Mazurek
Dale is a self taught professional fisherman with numerous articles written on the subject. You can check all these articles out at http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ you can also check out two more of his very popular blogs at http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ and http://creditneeds.blogspot.com/
Okay so now you have caught your dream fish and you want to learn how to clean it. You caught the biggest fish out of you and your buddies but for your efforts you now have to learn to clean it. Of course if you take it home you’re going to get fish scales and guts all over the place so maybe you should just clean it where you caught it.
First thing you’re going to need is a good filleting knife. You’re going to have to spread out some newspaper. Then you’re going to want to use a knife of fish scaler. Go ahead and scrape against the grains until all the scales are removed. Now you can wrap the newspaper and toss it out. You can also rinse the fish at this point.
So now you want to put down more newspaper and get prepared for the bigger mess. Time to gut the fish. So take your knife with the blade pointed towards the fishes head, poke the stomach and slit the fish moving the fillet knife towards the fished head. Make sure you don’t cut too deep. Now take the filleting knife and point it toward the fish tail and open the stomach. Now you can remove all the guts.
Your almost there. All that’s left to do is remove the gills. Once this is done you can wrap up the messy newspaper and you have a perfectly cleaned fish.
Now it’s time to learn to fillet your fish. I’m warning you though not to get too good at it because once you turn into a pro everyone is going to try and get you to fillet their fish.
First thing you’re going to need is a good knife and a cutting board to lay the fish on. You have to cut the head off. To do this you want to cut it off right to the rear of the gills.
Now you are going to hold the fish by the tail, take the knife with the blade pointing away from your body and toward where the head was. Now you will slice the body of the fish crosswise. You can use the back bone for a guide to direct the knife through.
Lastly take one half of the sliced fish and place the fish piece flesh side up. Hold the fish by the tail, place the knife between the skin and the flesh and run the knife down the length of the fish piece to remove the skin cutting in the direction of the tail to the head area. There you have it a perfectly filleted fish.
The old saying practice makes perfect certainly holds true in the case of cleaning and filleting fish. There is no better feeling than eating a fish that you caught, cleaned and cooked. So remember that no matter what a bad day of fishing is always better than a good day at work.
Dale Mazurek
Dale is a self taught professional fisherman with numerous articles written on the subject. You can check all these articles out at http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ you can also check out two more of his very popular blogs at http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ and http://creditneeds.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Some Important Fly Fishing Tips
Thousands and thousands of fishermen use the fly fishing technique. And they use it well. This article has some pointers for the novice fly fisherman who is just getting started in the great sport of fly fishing.
Presentation
The first thing you need to do is understand that when you cast your fly to the fish you want to present it in the most realistic manner possible. You’re trying to get the fish going here. In a stream this means a drag free float of 36 inches over a precise spot that marks the window of a feeding fish.
You never just want to cast. You always want to have a target and you always want to hit it. Practice throwing tight loops to always hit your target. You can practice overcastting and then stopping the line in mid air so that it drops right into the intended spot. In this case the fly will come back at you before falling in the water with slack in the leader.
You need to learn to fish with only 30 to 35 feet of line. This can only work however with accurate casts. You need to learn to read water so you can hit the perfect spot each and every time. You have to learn to recognize presentation and approach more than pattern.
For bass it’s a little different. The cast must move past a spot where the bass are likely to be holding. As your boat drifts it’s important to take the right time to hit the spot. If you’re too slow or too fast you will miss the fish. This is where the double haul cast can come into play. You pick 30 or 40 feet of line off the water and shoot another cast without false casting.
When bassing, make your presentation, retrieve 10 to 20 feet, pick up, and cast again without the need to false cast. After each one, drop the rod type and keep the butt of the rod near your belt buckle with the tip of the rod pointing at the line. A simple lift will let you execute the next pick up or strike a fish.
Connection Of Leaders
Any fly caster knows that a smooth connection between the leader and the fly is very important when it comes to presentation. The best way to do this is nail knot a six inch piece of 25 to 30 pound test leader line to the end of the fly line. Then both ends must have a loop in it. The same kinds of loops used on snelt hooks.
Now you want to connect the leader by passing the loop attached to the fly line through the loop on the leader, reaching through the fly line loop. Next you will take the back of the leader and pull it through until the tip passes through the loop. Now you pull the loops together by pulling both ends of the line in opposite directions.
Think Of Strategy
If you’re ever in a situation where you see large trout in the pools of water you want to start with small flies and work your way up until they start biting. Even if you got to get as big as a streamer. Typically the bigger fish will leave the smaller bait for the smaller fish and go and look for bigger things to feed on.
Dry Flies
If the best dry fly patterns are not working it may be time to switch to some different choices like spiders. Many times dry spiders will bring the fish to the surface and then you can switch back. The spiders will slowly drop to the water. Once they hit the water they usually jump around. The fish usually find this very alluring.
Dale Mazurek
Dale is a self taught professional fisherman for 35 years. He runs a fishing blog at http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ to help new fisherman learn the greatest sport in the world. He also runs two more very popular blogs at http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ and http://stcajo-readshortstories.blogspot.com/
Presentation
The first thing you need to do is understand that when you cast your fly to the fish you want to present it in the most realistic manner possible. You’re trying to get the fish going here. In a stream this means a drag free float of 36 inches over a precise spot that marks the window of a feeding fish.
You never just want to cast. You always want to have a target and you always want to hit it. Practice throwing tight loops to always hit your target. You can practice overcastting and then stopping the line in mid air so that it drops right into the intended spot. In this case the fly will come back at you before falling in the water with slack in the leader.
You need to learn to fish with only 30 to 35 feet of line. This can only work however with accurate casts. You need to learn to read water so you can hit the perfect spot each and every time. You have to learn to recognize presentation and approach more than pattern.
For bass it’s a little different. The cast must move past a spot where the bass are likely to be holding. As your boat drifts it’s important to take the right time to hit the spot. If you’re too slow or too fast you will miss the fish. This is where the double haul cast can come into play. You pick 30 or 40 feet of line off the water and shoot another cast without false casting.
When bassing, make your presentation, retrieve 10 to 20 feet, pick up, and cast again without the need to false cast. After each one, drop the rod type and keep the butt of the rod near your belt buckle with the tip of the rod pointing at the line. A simple lift will let you execute the next pick up or strike a fish.
Connection Of Leaders
Any fly caster knows that a smooth connection between the leader and the fly is very important when it comes to presentation. The best way to do this is nail knot a six inch piece of 25 to 30 pound test leader line to the end of the fly line. Then both ends must have a loop in it. The same kinds of loops used on snelt hooks.
Now you want to connect the leader by passing the loop attached to the fly line through the loop on the leader, reaching through the fly line loop. Next you will take the back of the leader and pull it through until the tip passes through the loop. Now you pull the loops together by pulling both ends of the line in opposite directions.
Think Of Strategy
If you’re ever in a situation where you see large trout in the pools of water you want to start with small flies and work your way up until they start biting. Even if you got to get as big as a streamer. Typically the bigger fish will leave the smaller bait for the smaller fish and go and look for bigger things to feed on.
Dry Flies
If the best dry fly patterns are not working it may be time to switch to some different choices like spiders. Many times dry spiders will bring the fish to the surface and then you can switch back. The spiders will slowly drop to the water. Once they hit the water they usually jump around. The fish usually find this very alluring.
Dale Mazurek
Dale is a self taught professional fisherman for 35 years. He runs a fishing blog at http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ to help new fisherman learn the greatest sport in the world. He also runs two more very popular blogs at http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ and http://stcajo-readshortstories.blogspot.com/
Monday, May 14, 2007
All Fishermen Need A Tackle Box
With the cost of lures and other fishing equipment these days it is imperative to have a good tackle box to store that equipment. In this article I will attempt to tell you why a good tackle box is so important.
Over years and years of buying more and more tackle and equipment without a good tackle box and good organization your planned day of fishing can really turn into a confusion night mare. You will have a tangled mess of barbed hooks, leaders and very other assorted thing in your tackle box. For this reason alone it’s very important to spend a few dollars and buy a good tackle box.
So now it’s time to decide what kind of tackle box that you need. On the shelves of your local fishing store you will probably see hundreds of different tackle boxes to choose from. I absolutely don’t pay attention to the colors when I am trying to buy a tackle box. I only look for two things. I look for a tackle box that will be the right size and one with lots of compartments for different things such as over sized lures down to the smallest perch fishing tear drops. So when you find the one that you think is big enough buy the one that’s twice as big.
We all know what a tackle box is for. It is to hold your lures, extra line, pliers and all the other tools that are needed for fishing but so many fishermen don’t think of the other things that they should keep in their tackle boxes.
Bandages kept in a water-resistant container
Matches sealed in a water-resistant container
Suntan lotion
Flashlight and spare batteries
A spare key in a small case attached to a large colourful bobber.
So many people spend hundreds and thousands of dollars but then they neglect to spend the money to protect their investment. I can guarantee you will not regret buying a tackle box that suits your every need. One more suggestion I would like to make is that if you spend a lot of time fishing for different fish species you might want to buy some smaller cases in which you can just carry the needed tackle instead of taking your entire tackle box. For example if your only species today will be perch then why do you have to take along all your trout, bass and pike tackle.
Dale Mazurek
Dale is the successful owner of the blog http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ which is full of different fishing tips and it’s also growing daily. Two more blogs of interest by Dale can be found at http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ and http://creditneeds.blogspot.com/
Over years and years of buying more and more tackle and equipment without a good tackle box and good organization your planned day of fishing can really turn into a confusion night mare. You will have a tangled mess of barbed hooks, leaders and very other assorted thing in your tackle box. For this reason alone it’s very important to spend a few dollars and buy a good tackle box.
So now it’s time to decide what kind of tackle box that you need. On the shelves of your local fishing store you will probably see hundreds of different tackle boxes to choose from. I absolutely don’t pay attention to the colors when I am trying to buy a tackle box. I only look for two things. I look for a tackle box that will be the right size and one with lots of compartments for different things such as over sized lures down to the smallest perch fishing tear drops. So when you find the one that you think is big enough buy the one that’s twice as big.
We all know what a tackle box is for. It is to hold your lures, extra line, pliers and all the other tools that are needed for fishing but so many fishermen don’t think of the other things that they should keep in their tackle boxes.
Bandages kept in a water-resistant container
Matches sealed in a water-resistant container
Suntan lotion
Flashlight and spare batteries
A spare key in a small case attached to a large colourful bobber.
So many people spend hundreds and thousands of dollars but then they neglect to spend the money to protect their investment. I can guarantee you will not regret buying a tackle box that suits your every need. One more suggestion I would like to make is that if you spend a lot of time fishing for different fish species you might want to buy some smaller cases in which you can just carry the needed tackle instead of taking your entire tackle box. For example if your only species today will be perch then why do you have to take along all your trout, bass and pike tackle.
Dale Mazurek
Dale is the successful owner of the blog http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ which is full of different fishing tips and it’s also growing daily. Two more blogs of interest by Dale can be found at http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ and http://creditneeds.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
What Are Crappies?
The crappie a few years ago was a relatively unknown fish. In this article I hope to make it a little clearer on what a crappie is and why its popularity has gotten so big in the last few years.
In the last few years the sport of crappie fishing has taken off beyond most anglers beliefs. You see crappies on the front of fishing and outdoor magazines. And in the last few years the crappie tournaments have popped up all over the place with huge prize amounts.
Most anglers tend to focus on spawning time when it comes to crappies. The reason for this is because the fish are so hard to find any other time of the year. They rarely stay in one place at a time for more than a day or so. However when you do find them they tend to be a very easy fish to catch
Right after ice out the crappies start to move into the shallow bays. Most guys think this is for spawning but actually they are moving in to feed on bait fish. The bait fish are brought there by the warming waters. The spawning doesn’t actually start until the water reaches about 65 degrees.
The male makes a nest by cleaning off the bottom on sand or gravel bottom. This is also quite often done near vegetation such as bull rushes. The females will then lay their eggs and then disappear. The males always stick around to guard the nest and the young until they are big enough to go on their own.
Crappies tend to feed on plankton suspended in open water. They also eat small fish and a variety of different insects. This would be a reason they are always on the move.
The crappie population tends to go in certain cycles. The fish will be very abundant for years and then all of a sudden it will seem like the fish have totally disappeared. Nobody really knows why this happens but they do know that when the fishing gets tough its time to stop fishing crappie for that season.
In the north black crappies are more abundant and in the south it’s the white crappies. They will overlap in different areas. The crappie is also one of the prettiest fresh water fish in our lakes.
In articles to come I will attempt to help you get to know the crappie better by giving you tips on where to find them and how to easier catch them.
Dale Mazurek
Dale has been an expert fisherman for the last 35 years. He has one several junior tournaments. You can check out some of his very popular blogs at http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ or http://funtidbits.blogspot.com/ and http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/
In the last few years the sport of crappie fishing has taken off beyond most anglers beliefs. You see crappies on the front of fishing and outdoor magazines. And in the last few years the crappie tournaments have popped up all over the place with huge prize amounts.
Most anglers tend to focus on spawning time when it comes to crappies. The reason for this is because the fish are so hard to find any other time of the year. They rarely stay in one place at a time for more than a day or so. However when you do find them they tend to be a very easy fish to catch
Right after ice out the crappies start to move into the shallow bays. Most guys think this is for spawning but actually they are moving in to feed on bait fish. The bait fish are brought there by the warming waters. The spawning doesn’t actually start until the water reaches about 65 degrees.
The male makes a nest by cleaning off the bottom on sand or gravel bottom. This is also quite often done near vegetation such as bull rushes. The females will then lay their eggs and then disappear. The males always stick around to guard the nest and the young until they are big enough to go on their own.
Crappies tend to feed on plankton suspended in open water. They also eat small fish and a variety of different insects. This would be a reason they are always on the move.
The crappie population tends to go in certain cycles. The fish will be very abundant for years and then all of a sudden it will seem like the fish have totally disappeared. Nobody really knows why this happens but they do know that when the fishing gets tough its time to stop fishing crappie for that season.
In the north black crappies are more abundant and in the south it’s the white crappies. They will overlap in different areas. The crappie is also one of the prettiest fresh water fish in our lakes.
In articles to come I will attempt to help you get to know the crappie better by giving you tips on where to find them and how to easier catch them.
Dale Mazurek
Dale has been an expert fisherman for the last 35 years. He has one several junior tournaments. You can check out some of his very popular blogs at http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ or http://funtidbits.blogspot.com/ and http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
