Fishing Tips and Trick

The Benefits of Inflatable Fishing Boats

2006-06-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Inflatable Fishing Boats
by: Kristy Annely
Inflatable fishing boats are great yacht tenders/camping boats that are light enough to be carried in a backpack. Some 8-foot inflatable fishing boats are good for two and gear, and are large enough to float in moderate whitewater rivers. They can also be used as a large yacht tender. Inflatable fishing boats that are 9-foot long can carry enough gear for a long outdoor journey, and make a great fishing boat.

Most inflatable fishing boats fold small enough to be transported easily in a car trunk. They weigh around 40 lbs without running boards and are lightweight enough to be carried to nearby waterways. Inflatable fishing boats are really versatile. They are equally suitable for fishing, diving, or as a pleasure cruiser. In addition to versatility and despite their large size, inflatable fishing boats are very easy to row.

To make things more enjoyable, fit the Inflatable Fishing Boat with a small 4 hp motor and the craft will go around all day on just a gallon of gas. In places that ban gas engines, one could attach an equivalent electric motor. Whatever one’s purpose, from fishing to Class 3 whitewater running, inflatable fishing boats are up to the job.

Inflatable fishing boats are cheap and durable boats well-suited for weekend fishing or hunting and camping trips. They are compact, and can be carried to the water by a couple of people. Despite this, inflatable fishing boats are spacious and rugged enough to handle almost any conditions.

The prices of inflatable fishing boats vary from $30 to $450 depending on the size and number of running boards. For just a fraction of the price of a conventional boat, inflatable fishing boats give the user all the freedom needed coupled with unrivalled accessibility. Thanks to their lightweight and amazing compactness, one can get to those hard-to-reach favorite fishing spots.

Inflatable Boats Info provides detailed information on pontoon, rigid and fishing inflatable boats, as well as trailers, repairs, used inflatable boats and manufacturers. Inflatable Boats Info is the sister site of River Rafting Web.

Surface Fishing Twitch Baits - 101

2006-06-17T18:18:00.002-07:00

Surface Fishing Twitch Baits - 101
by: Gary Higbee
What is a "twitch" bait?

First off, what is a "twitch" bait? I first heard this term from my Brother-In-Law when he saw me catching fish on one and mumbled, "I never could catch anything on those twitch baits." A twitch bait is really nothing more than a floating crankbait with a very small lip.The bait runs a few inches under the surface with a steady retrieve and returns to the surface when the retrieve is stopped. Some examples would be the original Rapala(tm), or some of the floating Yo-Zuri(tm) lures but there are many models and brands, so pick your favorite.

How do you fish it?

Now onto the important part, how to fish the bait as a "twitch" bait. This is a real simple method but it requires some imagination. The whole idea is to imitate a dying fish on the surface. You've all seen them, those fish that make a few ripples on the surface and then swim a foot or so before returning to the surface again due to exhaustion. This is no different. I fish it in different areas depending on the time of day and weather. One thing though, if its real windy out skip the small twitch bait and move to something that runs underwater or makes a bigger surface disturbance. Basically you will want to cast the bait and let it sit until the rippes settle. Be ready for a strike though, because I have had fish hit the lure when it first lands on the water. Give it a quick jerk to make it dive forward and then let it surface. Twitch it a couple of times on the surface to make it ripple but not move. Repeat and mix up this process. Sometimes I will give it two or three jerks to make it jump forward underwater. Other times I will twitch it just enough to move it forward over real shallow weeds to the next open hole. Here are the areas I concentrate on depending on the time of day.

Night to Early Morning Locations

When fishing one of these baits early in the morning I will fish shallow weed edges or flats with some kind of cover. Usually you will be seeing the tail-end of the night feeding crowd that has been out on the prowl. As the light gets brighter they will move closer to structure for ambush possibilities.

Mid-Day Locations

Here is where you get to test your casting skills. Move up towards the thick weeds that have open pockets. Start casting to the close pockets and work your way out. Move the boat quietly to avoid pushing the fish to other cover. If you don't cover all of a pocket on the first cast then throw back again, the fish might not move far from cover to get their meal.

Evening to Night Locations

Start moving towards the weed edges and flats again. The edges near the cover that you fished in mid-day seems to usually produce. I have fished these baits with success at night but usually move on to Jitterbugs for surface work and Texas-Rig worms for fishing structure. I will write an article soon on my experiences with night Bass fishing.

Conclusion

Hopefully I haven given you some ideas of what to do with those lures. It works for me and is my fallback method when all else fails. The idea is simple, you just have to work at until you get the technique. Feel free to email me with questions or comments about this article, or post your questions in the forums.

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Fly Fishing – Catch and Release Yourself

2006-06-17T18:18:00.001-07:00

Fly Fishing – Catch and Release Yourself
by: Richard Chapo
When fly fishing, many anglers prefer to catch and release their fly fishing prizes. Still, what should you do when you’re the prize?

That’s Gotta Hurt

If you become a fly fishing fanatic, you will inevitably hook yourself one day. Of course, this has never happened to me, but my “friends” have done it repeatedly. Being a thoughtful and observant person, I’ve seen how they go about unhooking themselves from a fly. Again, this is never happened to me. Ever. No, I won’t take a lie detector test.

The Barb

The best hook removal method depends on the location of the hook barb. The barb is the part of the hook that keeps the hook from simply sliding back out of the fish or, in this case, you. The essential question is which direction will result in the least damage from the barb.

A “friend” of mine once managed to hook himself through the flap of skin between the thumb and forefinger. The hook penetrated from the top of this hand through to the palm. The barb had gone all the way through the skin. In such a situation, the best method is simply to cut the line at the base of the hook and push it the rest of the way through the skin. This technique will result in a minimum of damage.

Another “friend” of mine once slipped on a rock and hooked himself something fierce in the meat section of the palm about an inch below the pinkie. There wasn’t anyway to push the hook through, so it had to be pulled back out the way it went in. The problem, of course, is the barb could have caused a lot of damage on the way back out. So, what’s the solution?

There are two solutions [excluding the hospital] to avoiding barb damage. The first requires two people. The hooked individual should press the hook slowly toward the curve of the hook. Put another way, you want to compress this curve of the hook. This sounds brutal, but actually should cause the barb to retract from the meat of your hand. The second person then applies pressure to both sides of the entry point to pull it open. The hooked individual should then GENTLY slide the hook out trying to follow the curve of the entry path. Sounds painful, but it works.

If you’re alone, follow the same instructions but you’ll have to do without the pressure. Just go slow and easy. If the hook doesn’t slide, don’t force it. Just head off to the local emergency room.

Catch and release is a good way to fish. Even if you catch yourself.

Rick Chapo is with Nomad Writing Journals. Writing journals are the perfect fly fishing accessory or gift for fly fishing trips and fly fishing vacations.

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Colorado Fly Fishing – Bait Huckin' vs. Fly Fishin'

2006-06-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Colorado Fly Fishing – Bait Huckin' vs. Fly Fishin'
by: Richard Chapo
It was one of those fishing trips. You know, everyone catches fish but you, you loose six or eight of your most expensive streamers, it rains buckets, and you sink the boat. That’s right; I got skunked at Steamboat Lake over Memorial weekend.

I was determined to show those meat huckers (worms and power bait) that a well chosen and strategically placed fly was as effective as anything a conventional fisherman could load on a hook and hang under a bobber. Well, no such luck, I got stomped.

The fish were rising like mad on a midge hatch, and I threw everything in the box at them. I could swear I saw a hefty rainbow nudge my fly to the side to eat the natural laying only centimeters from my damn near perfect replica. As we watched the group of 12 year olds add another 18” fish to their stringer (full loaded, I might add) I decided it must be a lake thing. I don’t fish lakes often.

I usually have good luck with a streamer in faster moving water, so I head for one on the several tributaries hoping to get the boat up far enough to make a make a few good casts. No such luck, here comes the wind. Determined and frustrated, I proceed to lose several of my best streamers in the dense shrubbery surrounding the mouth of the creek (can’t retrieve them since the current is too strong to get the boat any further up the creek).

On the way back to camp we are passed by a couple of boats with stringers of fish crashing off the bows of their boats (hmmm, are they just rubbing it my face, or are they tenderizing the meat?)Questioning my decision to become a fly fisherman, I head over to the dock to pick up my 5 year-old son and a fresh styro of night crawlers. I'll let my son fish the meat before I crumble and load one up on the spinner myself. Surprising, no luck with the meat either, and hear comes the rain. I throw my arms up and ponder my karma activity of the past year.

We charge for shore as the lake turns to white caps. The rain and lightning moves in fast. Did I mention that we got the boat for free and have no clue what to do in the rain? We pull the boat up close to shore near our camp, outside of the no-wake zone. We leave all of our gear and head for the soggy camp.

Well, apparently it’s best to leave your boat in protected cove in the no wake zone. From what we could tell, our boat was hammered with 300 to 400 gallons of water from the waves and boat wakes from boaters rushing back to the dock. Yes, it sank in 18 inches of water. I didn’t realize a boat could sink in 18” of water! All of our gear is floating around the shore. The gas tank and gear which included an Orvis waste pack with hmmmm, some 500 plus flies. Every box any fly had to be opened and dried on the dashboards of our trucks.

We bail the boat, load the truck and haul our soggy gear and crippled egos back home.

Next memorial day, it’s back to the river!!!

Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - makers of writing journals for outdoor activities and travel. Visit NomadJournalTrips.com to read outdoor activity and travel articles.

Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

2006-06-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods
by: John Tiger
Fishing Tips - Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

Beyond a doubt the best fly fishing rod material is good bamboo properly selected, cured, split, glued, and correctly proportioned. It possesses strength combined with lightness, resiliency, pliancy, power and balance in greater degree than either steel or solid woods.

Formerly anglers and rod makers could draw fine distinctions between male and female Calcutta and Tonkin " canes," but under present conditions good Calcutta is very rare and the word " Calcutta " is be¬coming merely a trade term. Good bamboo of all kinds is more difficult to obtain and a good piece of Tonkin is better than an indifferent one of Calcutta. Male Calcutta, however, is supposed to be superior to either the female or Tonkin. The cheapest split cane is known as steel vine or African cane. It is light colored and makes up into good, inexpensive bamboo fly fishing rods.

Six Strip and 8 Strip Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

We assume that you know that bamboo is split and then glued together in order to utilize the hard outer enamel and reduce the diameter of the pieces. Some rods are made of bamboo split into six sections (hex¬agonal) and some in eight (octagonal) but the six strip construction is more often used. Some makers claim that the eight strip, being more nearly a true cylinder, possesses better action but this seems to be more theoretical than practical, while the tiny tips of an eight strip rod are likely to be " soft" due to the comparative amount of glue necessary to hold the pieces together. Eight strip rods cost more than the six strip and if the angler wants a round bamboo fly fishing rod they are preferable to the six strip planed down as planing certainly must injure a rod. As a general rule a well-made six strip rod leaves little to be desired.

Special Feature Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

A novelty in bamboo fly fishing rod making is what is known as the " double built " rods which are made of two layers of split and glued bamboo, one within the other. They are heavier and strong, and it is claimed, hold their shape better, than ordinary rods and are popular for sea and salmon fishing but unnecessary, I believe, in single hand fly rods. An English innovation is the steel center rod which consists of a fine piece of well-tempered steel running as a core through sections of regular split bamboo. The makers claim this construction gives a rod of superior casting power with only of an ounce added weight. Friends who possess rods of this kind are enthusiastic admirers of this construction for heavy fishing.

An American maker supplies a rod of " twisted bam¬boo " which he claims equalizes the strain and pro¬duces better action. I have never tried a rod of this type so am unable to pass on its merits, but Perry Frazer, in his " Amateur Rodmaking," speaks well of it.

To get more fishing tips then make sure you visit http://www.fishingcenterguides.com

Will M has been fishing for over 10 years and picked up a lot of good tips for catching many types of fish

Fishing By Moon Phase: Increase Your Catch

2006-06-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

Fishing By Moon Phase: Increase Your Catch
by: David Rose
Every fisherman dreams of a bigger catch! Is it possible to know beforehand when you should plan a trip to enjoy some fishing, catch more than usual, and come home feeling 100% satisfied? Based on my own personal research around the best fishing times, I think it is.

When I first started fishing, the best fishing time for me was whatever time happened to suit me. I tried different lures, baits and techniques until I'd spent a small fortune in my quest to improve my fishing catch. When I finally heard about the "Solunar Theory"--or fishing by moon phase--like most anglers, I was skeptical.

What I'd read sounded too complicated. All sorts of factors needed to be checked and the determined angler needed to be at the water's edge at exactly the right time, TO THE MINUTE, in order to improve on his average catch. Was I really willing to take my hobby that seriously? Let's just say that curiosity got the better of me.

To help me determine whether there was any truth in the moon's effect on the best fishing times, I kept a record of every trip I made over a period of 18 months. All information related to the moon's phases, the weather conditions and the catches I made were carefully logged. What I discovered convinced me that moon phase fishing works. BUT, I also found that it isn't anywhere near as complicated as many would have us believe.

How Does Fishing By Moon Phase Work?

Every fisherman knows that the best fishing times are when the fish are feeding. This tends to be during dawn and dusk, but what often goes unnoticed are the two periods elsewhere in the day--moonrise and moonset. Because the moon has an effect on a variety of factors surrounding the fish--including the live fodder they hunt--these periods, combined with the moon's phase, are what trigger feeding.

By understanding this, and choosing times when sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset coincide with new or full moon phases, you'll increase you chance of a good fishing catch. Assuming there are fish in the area, of course.

Choosing The Best Fishing Times

There really is nothing complicated about this at all; it's just a matter of knowing ahead of time exactly when the sun and moon will rise and set. Fish are most active during 90-minute windows surrounding each of these four daily events; that's 45 minutes before and after these four daily points.

Fishing during these four periods will help increase your fishing catch, but if you plan wisely so as to ensure you're at the water's edge on the days of new or full moon, you can use these 'windows' to reel in a catch like you've never done before. If you have to choose between sunrise/set and moonrise/set, always go with the moon as the moon is the stronger influence.

Hunters have always known that fish and game are most active at dawn and dusk--sunrise and sunset--but their activity surrounding moonrise and moonset is less noticeable because these events are likely to occur without effecting any change in the perceived light. The rise and set of a new moon is invisible anyway, and overcast weather often hides the moon. Without prior knowledge of setting and rising times, two of the best fishing times will be missed every day!

Other Considerations

When planning your fishing by moon phase, there are certain other factors that should also be considered.

Weather - Severe weather changes have an impact on the way fish feed. When a storm's brewing, or just after one has passed, is a good time. If this happens while you're in place, you'll be in for a treat! However, if there's a cold front approaching, the fish are likely to move deeper into the water and become inactive.

Season - Most fish are more likely to bite willingly during seasonal transitions with the transition from winter to spring and summer to fall being the two best fishing times.

Now that you know that moon phase fishing really works, there's no reason why you shouldn't utilize this knowledge to increase your own fishing catch by being at the ready with your rod during the best fishing times available. It's easy and it works!

Good luck!

About The Author

David Rose is an outdoor enthusiast and the creator of QuickPhase Pro, a popular moon phase software program. Visit http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases to discover the fun and easy way to view the phases of the moon and increase your fishing catch.