Fishing In New Locations

Do you find yourself fishing in the same spots over and over? At some point, you became familiar with these locations and decided that is where you will stay. However, now you are looking to branch out. But how is it possible to successfully catch fish in a spot that you are unfamiliar with? Below are some fishing tips that should be able to point you in the right direction:

• Start by purchasing a quality chart of the place that you will be fishing. If it is inshore, the chart will be helpful for navigation. If you are offshore, you will notice that many bottom contours, GPS numbers as well as any wrecks are marked on plenty of fishing maps.

• Be sure to stop by a nearby bait and tackle store and ask the clerk a few questions. Make sure that you stop by later in the morning when they are less likely to be busy. Let them know that you are brand new in the area and they will happily mark up a chart for a potential new customer.

• Once you have your fishing chart, be sure that you take the time to sit down and study it carefully. Locate where the channels and cuts are on the make as well as any humps or deep holes appear to exist. Take note of where any flats are that are likely to empty into a channel during low tide. Studying these charts will help you with eliminating larger areas of water that are less likely to have as many fish. In almost any lake or fishing location there is a great deal of water that is rather unproductive to spend time fishing in. Using the chart to determine the best possible areas will save you a great deal of time.

• Be sure to check what the tides will be on the particular day that you are planning to fish. You can also ask the clerk at the tackle shop this information as well as their opinion of which ones should be fished.

If you want to invest the money, you can always hire a professional fishing guide as well. Guides will be able to show you first hand exactly where the prime fishing holes are as well as what tides are the best to fish and which bait you will be the most successful with.

On days when you are unable to make it out to the water, try out some great online fishing games to keep yourself entertained and your skills sharp.

A Beginners Guide to Ice Fishing

Don’t put off catching that prized trout or trophy walleye until the spring. These bass fishing tips will have you planning your fishing on ice. Literally! Ice fishing can be extremely rewarding as well as exciting. It will have you praying for ice and snow every year once you come home with a few giant fish.

When planning your first ice fishing experience, there are a few things you need to prepare for before taking off. The first piece of information you will need to be aware of is how early it is in the season. Which kind of fish are you attempting to catch? What kind of bait and fishing gear are you going to need to have with you and how to you intend to keep warm?

Safety is also an important factor, particularly if you are planning your trip later in the season, in the early spring. Before ever walking on ice, you must first always determine that the ice you are about to set foot on is at least four inches thick. Checking ice reports in the area before you set out is a crucial part of ice fishing if you are being properly cautious.

Always have a checklist of everything you intend to bring with you so that you can double check to be sure you have everything you need before you take off. Having a thorough checklist of your day can mean the difference between a pleasant, smooth trip and a frustrating one.

Ice fishing houses are available in some places for a little added comfort as you ice fish. Whether you decide to bring a portable shack yourself or have the opportunity to rent on, this is one element to your ice fishing trip you will definitely want to consider.

No matter what the shack may look like, these cozy little shelters can be a luxurious advantage when fishing in extremely cold conditions. They not only provide added warmth, but also shelter from any possible winds that could make fishing downright miserable.

Ice fishing is extremely popular in some communities and the surrounding towns could potentially have a wealth of knowledge and fishing tackle tips that they could provide an angler that is new to the world of fishing on ice as ice fishing is certainly another productive way to pass the time during the winter months. Trophy fish never need to wait to be caught until the weather warms up. You just need to get onto the ice and get to work!

Fishing For Crappie Using Flies

One of the most captivating kinds of fly fishing is crappie fishing. When it comes to crappie fishing, both dry and wet flies are perfect for catching your fish. Dry flies work best on days that are rather calm, still or sunny. Once insects begin to hatch, smaller surface feeding fish are great candidates for using your dry fly. As long as you are sure that the color of your fly is similar to the natural prey that the crappie are feeding on, these flies should have no problem helping you with your crappie fishing duties.

You will also notice that you get the best results when fly fishing if you are using streamers and nymphs. Both of these lures are fished beneath the surface of the water. On days when the weather or water seems a bit rough, these are the perfect lures to pull out of your arsenal.

During the spring, crappie will begin to head for water that is shallower. Unfortunately, this means that they will usually be more easily spooked. If this is the case, using a fly is optimal due to its lightness in weight as this will mean it will cause less commotion while also appear lifelike.

On the hot summer days, try either wading or boating in order to fly fish. Find your way into areas of the lake that are dense with weeds, brush and other vegetation as this is where crappie will tend to linger in warmer weather.

Never be too anxious to catch a fish, however. Crappie are smart animals and they will often nudge or brush up against a fly before taking a bite so that they can determine whether or not the bait is worth a try. Wait until you are sure that you have a fish on the line before you set your hook.

Fishing during the night for crappie can also be another exciting form of crappie fishing. Use a latern in order to attract mosquitoes which will also attract insect hunting baitfish. You can also float or submerge a waterproof light in order to ensure that you are attracting both crappie as well as baitfish. You can fish at night from shore, a boat or even from the edge of a dock and still have success as long as you have a light source along with you to attract what attract your fish.

On days when you are unable to make it out to the water, try out some great online fishing games to keep you entertained.

Learning How to Cast

Most fishermen who have mustered up the interest in learning to cast properly respect the strict importance of learning how to perform their cast correctly and with finesse. With just a few spare hours invested in practicing your technique each day, you can eventually learn how to cast like a fly fishing professional. Additionally, familiarizing yourself with your fishing reel will also help you to assert more control over your equipment as well. Regardless of which method of casting you prefer to focus on, you should always keep in mind that every cast will require you to do so with your wrist and not your arm.

Overhand casting:

When learning how to perform the overhand cast you will want to think of yourself as if you were standing in front of a large clock. With this in mind, picture your target to be at the 3 o’ clock mark. Face 3 o’ clock directly, with your elbows into your sides raise your rod sharply straight up and back in the direction of 10 o’ clock. With your wrist, whip your fishing rod back out in front of you, releasing the lure at the 11 o’ clock mark.

Sidearm casting:

Once again, stand and picture yourself facing the face of a large clock, again with your target as 3 o’ clock. Hold the rod level to the floor or ground as if it were the water. Sharply move the fishing rod to the level of your waist where the 7 o’ clock would be. Now, using your wrist, whip your rod in front of you and release it at the 6 o’ clock mark.

Underhand casting:

Hold your fishing rod where your waist is, keeping it parallel to the floor. This means that your fishing rod will be at about a 45 degree angle from where your target is. Lower the lure until it is around 7 inches from the tip of your rod and in one quick and smooth motion, outline a half circle using the tip of your rod, releasing your lure once the rod reaches the bottom part of the circle. Be sure that you are only using your wrist while at the same time, keeping the tip of your rod pointing down.

Once you are perfecting your technique on water, situate yourself only as far away from that water as the clarity of it allows. As long as you are near enough to remain accurate and consistent in your practice, you will eventually become a successful fly fisherman with exceptional technique.

For more information on Fishing or if you are interested in other fishing info, WFN.tv offers great fishing guides on Crappie Fishing, Sport Fishing, Bass Fishing and more. I used WFN as a main source for my information and I encourage all novices to continue learning from the WFN pros and experts.

Understanding Crappie

Understanding Crappie

Most crappie anglers know that crappie will eat practically anything they can get. This includes minnows, insects, crustaceans, threadfin, gizzard shad and other small fish as well. Crappie have extremely large appetites. They typically feed at all times from dusk until dawn. While these fish usually prefer to avoid the bright light of the sun, they will only begin to feed less once the water temperature dips below 50 degrees.

Luckily for the crappie angler, this species is rather active year round. However, if there is any better time to catch these fish it is typically during the spring and fall months. Since during the winter, crappie will tend to stay out of shallower water, the spring is when the water begins to warm and they will venture out of their hiding places and into more accessible depths.

If there is ever a more difficult time in which to catch these fish it is usually during the winter once their spawning is complete and they begin to head back toward deeper waters. It is at this time that they will only return to the shallower parts in order to feed in the lowly lit dusk or dawn hours.

The absolute best time for crappie fishing is usually during the fall as this is when the water just begins to cool down and the crappie start to focus on preparing for the upcoming winter by fattening themselves up. They will usually be found in rather close proximity to their pre-spawning locations and will typically respond rather well to jigs. However, as soon as the water heads into the mid 40 degree temperatures the crappie will head to deeper water and it will then be a bit more difficult to determine where they are at.

One of the best crappie fishing tips is that crappie love to linger in any areas where there is cover. This can be the shade of docks, fallen trees, weeds or wreckage. Anything that is submerged in the waters that could serve a fish as a proper hiding location will be a perfect place to begin looking for your fish.

When fishing these structures, vertical jigging is the best way to go. Once you have determined what depth they are lingering at for the day, all you have to have is patience. Keep on fishing at that depth until you have all of the crappie that you could want.

Knowing How to Play A Fish

Every angler loves the exciting rush that is felt once you have successfully coaxed that fish into taking the bait that you have presented. However, it is now time to get your prize into that boat. Here are some helpful tips on how to go about this:

Lures with treble hooks can sometimes result in the bass hooking himself once he strikes. However, this is not an occurrence that happens every time. The bass’ jaws are rather strong and it will take a good, direct impact in order for a decently sharpened hook to penetrate the mouth of this fish.

With Crankbaits, you will want to jerk back on your rod as soon as you feel an impact. You will then want to reel in until you feel your line tighten. Since the impact of the strike of the fish will often set the hook itself, ensuring and maintaining the right pressure on the rod can imbed the hook even deeper. Knowing how to use your fishing gear properly can pay great dividends out on the weather.

With topwater baits, it is usually a good idea to wait a second or two before you decide to set the hook. If you overreact and happen to set the hook too soon, you run the risk of yanking this lure right out of the bass’ mouth.

If you are using lures with single hooks such as spinnerbaits, plastic worms, or jigs, these lures will indeed require a strong set of the hook since the bass will usually completely swallow the hook. You will need to drive it to a place where there can be a more solid strike.

Be sure to never set your hook here using the technique of the slack line. Once you feel the bass bite, face it with the rod in between 10 o’clock and 11. Once you have done this, drop the tip of the fishing rod and quickly snap the remaining slack out of your line using a rapid, overhead movement. Always remember to set your hook using a jerking motion in a forceful, upwards motion.

Be sure to adjust your fishing reels for drag, pulling your line past the tip of the rod or by tying a heavy object to the end of your fishing line and adjusting it appropriately. A good tip to remember is to set your drag without exceeding half of your lines pound test. Never set your drag by pulling out line from your spool as this will only serve to bury your line and give an incorrect reading of the lures pull.

Fall Crappie Fishing Tips

It is not uncommon for many fishermen to begin to pack up their fishing reels and other fishing gear as soon as fall hits. This is a mistake as crappie fishing can be extremely exciting as soon as the weather begins to cool. Many times, it can even be more productive than any other season since there are significantly less people occupying the rivers and lakes which means less noise to scare off the fish.

Crappie fishing in the fall has been discouraged by anglers due to the fact that these fish tend to scatter at this time of year making it a little more difficult to locate them. During the fall, the temperature of the water will usually even out and become the same temperature in all depths. Since the oxygen levels also increase at this time, crappie are free to linger about at any depth they choose.

Crappie fishing tips for the fall are somewhat different than you might be accustomed to for the warmer months. You will need to know which kinds of baits will work the best for this time of year. Many anglers will agree that a crappie cannot pass up a minnow. Since fall is when they will be storing up for the winter, you may want to stock up on minnows for your fall fishing.

You will always want to keep the length of your artificial lures fewer than 3 inches in length. If you would instead like to fish using live bait, stick with crayfish or worms making sure to keep them as active as possible in a cooler.

Crappie can generally be caught at any time, night or day however, the best times when they are most likely to be active themselves are usually going to be in between the late evening and early morning hours. Sometimes shining a light will lure the crappie right to you as lights also attract insects and bait fish that the fish will settle for as well.

If you happen to be fishing in a low visibility area, your best bet when choosing your fishing gear is to select lures that make a sound. The sound vibrations will travel through the water and render your fish curious.

If however, you are fishing in water that is rather clear, smaller jigs, spoons, bladebaits and crappie plugs will all get a reaction from the fish. If you want to keep it simple though, always stick with minnows and jigs. Crappie fishing in the fall isn’t as hard as it seems. All it takes is a little patience and technique.

Reeling In A Fighting Fish

Once your prized fish feels that hook stuck it its mouth, it inevitably struggles to break free. This typically is demonstrated by the fish swimming against the line, making long runs, jumping and wiggling about. Interestingly, each different species of fish has a different style in their fight to get free. Some will swim around obstacles and some will thrash wildly about. So bass fishing can be very different from crappie fishing.

Fish that have been hooked in somewhat shallow water are far more likely to leap and act frantic than the fish that are caught in deeper water as deep water fish tend to head straight for the bottom of the lake or ocean.

However, it is possible to hook quite a few smaller fish by just reeling them right in. Sure, they will fight, but the fight that they are capable of is usually not strong enough to have any effect on the line or the rod. Using light tackle can get many fish to put up a fight no matter how small they are.

If you prefer to catch your fish and then release them back into the water, be sure that you are not fighting with the fish for very long as these creatures can die from wearing themselves out.

If you are fishing for bigger fish and it decides to run, do not try and reel in once your fish begins to swim away from the line. Once the hook has been set all you have to do is set your drag. If you are working with test of around 12 pounds, you will want to use 4 drag pounds. Keep your rod at a 45 degree angle in relation to the water, aiming right at your fish.

Once the fish begins to slow down and less line is being taken out, you will now want to pull the rod gently up and, as you lower it, the reel down with a pumping motion. Do this in smooth, small strokes instead of abrupt or large ones. Doing this will ensure that your line is tight and will also keep your fish more calm.

If the fish happens to run again, let him do so. This time you will notice his run is somewhat slower and shorter. However, you do not want to let your fish rest and then be able to take off again. If your drag is not being used you should be reeling in.