Thursday, February 15, 2007

Fishing Tackle


See the site below :

Carp fishing tackle shop, carp bait, carp forum, fishing articles ...

Carp fishing tackle shop, carp baits, carp fishing forum, on-line magazine, and carp fisheries with over 40000 carp members.
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Fishing Rivers Under Lakes

Actually, many lakes we fish are not lakes. They're impoundments. Originally, river drainage systems that have been dammed by humanity.

A golden concept that applies to impoundments year-round but especially each spring is this: Fish impoundments as if they still are the original rivers. This means targeting the locations that were active flowing parts of the original river system before being dammed by man.

Even though their banks may have been overflowed and flooded over decades ago, the age-old creek channels and feeders can still be important to the bass. The creeks and gulches and washes and trickles were the oases of life before being flooded by the dam - and may still be the meccas of motherlodes of fish.

Although buried under water now, the riverine environment is still intact under the impoundment, and the bass still use the impoundment as if it still is a river system.

A river system (and hence an impoundment) is a mesh of countless connecting feeder veins and water flows of the following exemplary types which you should learn to recognize and target. Some of the larger constructs can be recognized from far away, and may extend down into the impoundment from far back on the adjacent land. Some of the smaller constructs often have an additional traipse of garnishy greenery on the way down to the shoreline, which is a surefire cue to a few water veins that fish like gold vein

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Finding your way home

By Tom Lester II

I can remember the first time I took my boat out on an unfamiliar body of water for a fishing trip. Although I had studied
a map of the lake I was going to be fishing, I found it a bit intimidating to find my way around once I was on the water.
The creeks and landmarks that appeared so visible on the map, where not nearly defined and easy to find when puttin'
around on the water. I'm sure that this happens to almost everyone that goes boating at some time or another.
I recently talked with one of my local fishing buddies that went fishing with another friend of mine at a nearby lake.  After
a morning of fishing that produced a couple of fish for each fisherman, they were ready to start home before the heat
became totally unbearable. There was just one problem; they couldn't find their way back to the boat ramp. They
searched and drove around for quite some time before finally finding the cove that contained the boat ramp they had
used to launch their boat.
After burning up more gas finding the ramp than they used to find fish (according to the friend that wasn't driving), they
trailered the boat and returned home. This story, funny as it was, brought to mind a couple of points I wanted to share.
It is always important to familiarize yourself with landmarks when going out on the water, especially if you are not familiar
with the lake. A boat house, a large rock at the mouth of a creek, a peculiar looking tree or whatever you can use to
mentally mark your location is always a good idea.
With the technology of a GPS (global positioning system), it is a good idea to mark a waypoint at the ramp before heading
out on the water. I know I've used mine to help me find the exact location of the boat ramp after a long day of fishing on a
new lake. These units have become more affordable and user friendly over the past couple of years.
In the event you do become lost, the first thing to do is to stay calm and not panic.  Most lakes will have some place you
can stop and ask for directions, such as a marina or another boat dock. You can also ease up to someone else on the
water and ask for directions to the boat ramp you are looking for. Most people are more than willing to help you out.
Finally, it is always a good idea to carry a portable cell phone with you in the boat.  This can be a lifesaver in the event
of an emergency. I have known more than one individual that has used their cell phone to call for help after witnessing
an accident on the water or being involved in one them self.
Last March, my Ranger boat dealer, Gary Wendeborn of Gary's Marine in Gatesville, TX came upon a boat wreck in the
middle of Lake Amistad. They had a phone and were able to summon an ambulance and other authorities to be waiting
at the boat ramp when they brought in a badly injured fisherman. The fact that the ambulance was at the ramp waiting
for them when they got the man out of the water, in their boat and to the ramp, probably saved his life. Don't leave that
phone in the truck! Take it with you and turn it off if you don't want to be disturbed. If you need or want it, you can always
turn it on. As for my buddies, they got home safely. Fortunately they had enough drinks and cigars to help pass the time
until they found their way back to the ramp.
Until next time, enjoy the great outdoors.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Where is the Bass

See below useful information for bas fishing


Where’s The Bass?


(By: “The Bass Coach” .. Roger Lee Brown)


Where’s the what?... Where’s the bass! How many of us anglers (tournament and recreational) go to a body of water you’ve never fished before, drop the boat in the water, then, ask this question to yourself? This is probably one of the biggest topics in bass fishing that an angler should learn more about. I generally receive about two hundred (give or take) emails and phone calls each week from anglers, prospective bass fishing school students, and charter clients from all over the Nation (even some from foreign countries) asking me many different questions related to bass fishing. Out of all of these questions, I would have to say that about sixty-five percent of them would be on how to locate bass in their area, or on a body of water that they have never fished before. I would comfortably say that locating bass and understanding the water would be the number one question among bass anglers today. The next most asked question would be is which baits they should use to catch “big” bass.


Now when you think about it, there is really only two (2) main topics that go hand-in-hand when it comes to bass fishing, and if you understood more about these two,
You would definitely become a much better angler, and they are;


  1. Knowing how to locate bass.
  2. Knowing how to catch bass using all the different techniques, presentations, and baits.

Learning how to locate bass can be somewhat of a challenge to most anglers because there are so many different factors that need to be determined such as;

  1. Knowing how to read a map…
  2. Knowing the most practical places to look for “Active Bass” just after cold fronts and during early spring and late fall periods.
  3. Understanding water depth…
  4. Water clarity…
  5. Water temperatures…
  6. Seasonal patterns…
  7. Locating structure areas…
  8. Finding vegetation areas…


and believe me, there is more! Being a consistent bass angler is so much more than just getting in your boat, hitting the water, and casting your baits… That’s why bass tournaments are so competitive and exciting, because the more you learn about locating bass the quicker you can start catching them right? And hey, isn’t that half the battle?


Let’s start by looking at a lake map. There are two general types of lake maps that most anglers will use which are referred to as the; “Hot Spot” and “Topographical” maps. The differences between the two is that a “Topo” map shows more detail, and the “Hot Spots” map shows more fishing spots (well, at least they’re supposed to :-) The secret (or key) in learning how to use a lake map would be to sector the map. What I mean by this is that I will take the map and study it for a moment (looking for areas where the fish would most likely be.) Next, I will (using a highlighter) divide the map in sections based on how much time I have to pre-fish for a tournament or how many days I have to just fish the body of water for fun. The size of the sections will vary depending on contours, structure, and how many places I may want to check out during the course of the day based on what the map shows me. I am certainly not one to just cast a bait into the water and work it for five minutes and leave; I will try an assortment of baits if I see signs of fish in any given area to try to establish a working pattern.


Here are some key elements I usually look for when it comes to locating bass on any given body of water:


  1. Vegetation areas…
  2. Irregular contours…
  3. Shallow water close to deep water areas…
  4. Points and point drops…
  5. Various types of structure…


Let’s take the first one, VEGETATION, this is by far my favorite because you will usually find more congregated bass in vegetation than anywhere else on the whole body of water. Remember, a bass needs three things to survive and that is a. FOOD b. OXYGEN c. COVER (or structure) that’s it, and vegetation offers it all! Now, I know what some of you are asking yourselves, you are thinking; well, what if there’s no vegetation right? Then simply go to the other elements 2, 3, 4, and 5 that I mentioned above.


Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but, how many of you anglers’ fish the weed lines and never go in the midst of the weeds? I can’t tell you how many times (while showing my students how to fish weeds) that we will go to weedy areas just to see other anglers fish the outside weed lines for a while, and then, watch them move on. After they pull away from the outside weed area, I will pull the boat up into the midst of the weeds (in the same areas where these other anglers were fishing) and start catching bass (usually nice quality ones.) I have known many anglers over the past


several years that have just hated to pull up weeds, or they don’t like when they get weeds on their boat carpets or in their boats, or they just get tired of picking the weeds off their hooks. Well guess what? I’ll suffer through these bothersome weeds any day of the week because that’s where you will usually find the bass in numbers.


There are several different baits and techniques that can be a bit tricky to use when fishing weedy areas and I won’t go into them right now, but keep in mind that weeds (especially when you find several different types of vegetation in one area) are by far my number one choice to fish than all the other areas combined. One of the best places you’ll find bass would be in vegetation areas, especially if you have different types of structure in the weeds, and better yet!, if this weedy, structured, area is close to where the shallow water meets the deep water…..Boy-O-Boy!.....Hold-On!.....Try It, “You’ll Like It!”


Now, if you can’t seem to find any vegetation areas on your body of water, then, look for the structure. Structure can consist of many different things like;


Rip-Rap (chunk rock areas)…
Overhangs (where tree branches hang over the water)…
Docks…
Stumps…
Irregular contours…
Rocky areas…
Road beds…
Ditches…


So really, just about anything other than the flat, smooth, bottoms that offer nothing at all (which are a waste of time to fish anyway) would be considered as structure areas.


I hope this article has given you a better incite on what to look for when it comes to locating bass. I know that what I have shared with you certainly helps me, and I hope that it can help you to!


If you wish to learn bass fishing, and might be interested in attending my 3-Day “On-Water” Bass Fishing School located on the world’s famous Lake Champlain or Lake George (located in upstate NY), or maybe you would just like to charter a day of bass fishing? You can contact me by calling (518) 597-4240 or you can visit my web site at www.capital.net/~rlbrown or simply email me at rlbrown@capital.net.


Until next time, take Care & God Bless!
“The Bass Coach” – Roger Lee Brown



by Roger Brown, the Bass Coach

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Bass Fishing Facts And More

Bass fishing has a fascinating history. It started in the late 18th century and
continues to progress until today.
It probably was originally practiced in search for food among the people in
the south of the United States. Since then, it has started gaining numerous

audiences of all ages and nations. Today, countries such as Australia, Cuba,
South Africa, United States and most of Europe participate in this kind of event.
Timelines
• The year 1768 or 1770 represents the birth of bass fishing sports.
Onesimus Ustonson introduced his first multiplying reels to the fishing
gurus and lovers. It was later developed into bait caster.
• William Shakespeare Jr. materializes the production of a level wind
device and secured its patent on 1897.
• The William J. Jamison Co introduced the overly ornamented
Shannon Twin Spinner in 1915 and was improved to create today’s spinner baits.
• In 1932, President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted the creation of
Tennessee Valley Authority and encouraged the creation and building
of numerous dams. These dams were later used for culturing different
varieties of bass fishes.
• Five years later, DuPont Company filed patent for nylon fishing net,
this was later developed into nylon monofilament fishing line.
• The year 1992 is one of the most glorious events in the history of
bass fishing. Larry Nixon, the famous fisherman in the history of
bass fishing won $1 M total earnings for this sport on this year.
Bass Fish
Several fish species that are being caught in the bass fishing events
are the following:
• Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede) - Largemouth Bass
• Micropterus dolomieui - Smallmouth bass
• Micropterus punctatus - Kentucky Bass
Other species of Micropterus are also caught but one that remains popular
is the Largemouth bass. However, it should be emphasized that
Australian Bass are different from the above North American Bass variants
although most share similar features.
Perhaps, the most robust success of Bass Fishing was in the 1950s.
The popularity of the game during this period is the springboard to the
development of modern fishing equipments from bass boats, rods, lines,
lures and various fishing gears.
Electronic gears were also incorporated among the host of equipments
bass fishers used at that time. Reels of different types, which function in
hauling and hoisting, were also created.
The contribution of bass fishing industry to the US economy records
$50 to $70 Billion and the number continues to grow. Statistics show
that the audience base of this sport is increasing and that more and
more people are getting interested in it compared to tennis and golf.


By Travis Clemens

Bass Fishing For Fun

Bass fishing in the USA is a great combination of sports, adventure and recreation. Bass fishing ,means pursuing black bass, a type of fish. Bass fishing has caught the fancy of Americans. You will find morning shows on TV about bass fishing. You will find thousands of websites exclusively on bass fishing. Bass fish is not about catching and eating. It is about catching and releasing.
Bass fishing is a great sports which doesn't need the skills possessed by a football athlete or the resilience of an acrobat. You need to be obsessed with the 'catch'. Hours of practicing can elevate you to the level of being called a pro. Bass fishing is about catching various species of bass - large mouth bass, small mouth bass, Kentucky bass, spotted boss, etc. Experts opine that the beginners should start bass fishing in smaller ponds. They should avoid large lakes for this purpose. Once you have gained enough confidence, then only move to deeper areas in lakes. Bass fish loves to play hide and seek. Their natural habitat is behind rocks or plants or any such structures in the water body. Look for bass in such places. It is not necessary that the fish will be around large structures only. In fact, you have an equal probability of finding fish near a smaller structure.
Bass fish have a great vision - they can easily see in the night as well.
Their see and feel organs work simultaneously. Bass fish are also
supposed to have taste buds outside their mouths and inside too.
This can help them avoid any unwanted situation. These
characteristics make bass fishing such an exciting sports
activity and a great pastime for people in leisure time.
One needs a set of equipment for bass fishing. This includes a pole,
reel, hook and baits. Baits are available in many varieties chiefly,
jigs, crank bait, spinner bait and plastic worms.
It is recommended to beginners to start with crank baits and
then advance themselves through spinner baits to plastic worms.
Plastic worms need the most skills and practice.
While Crank baits are suitable for beginners, it is the spinner
baits which are popular among experienced anglers and seasoned fishermen.
There are many tournaments of bass fishing. Premier among these
are American Bass Anglers Fishing Tournament, Superbass
tournament, etc. Enthusiasts from all over the country take part
in the tournaments. Bass fishing brings so much excitement today
that it has become the most valuable freshwater sports industry.

ByTed Belfour

Bass Fishing Information

The other area where you can sometimes run into a problem with plastic worms is with strikes. Plastic worms require the use of a fairly heavy sinker to get them far enough under the water to be useful. However, the weight of the sinker can sometimes cause you to not feel a bass strike when it happens.
Conversely, spinner bait can be moved about much more quickly across the surface of the water. You can temporarily bounce it on the bottom, and move it in ways that mimic a live insect, and influence bass to strike. Spinner bait is also an effective lure for the shoreline due to its tangle free design.
Finally, crank bait can also cover a wide area of water in a short period of time. This also helps out with investigating a specific area in a brief amount of time. If you can't find the schooling bass in the water, this may be your next best bet.
The main idea to pull from all of this is that, whatever type of lure you decide to use, wherever you have decided to cast your line, you absolutely must make it as easy as possible for the bass to see the lure, and strike it. Fish have limited visual abilities, but can sense distance very well. The closer you put your lure to the bass, the more likely they are to make a strike.
This is the single biggest key to successful bass fishing - learn the characteristics of your lures very well, and everything else will fall neatly into place.
Before we wrap up, let's quickly discuss exactly when you should be out on the water for maximum effectiveness.
Fish tend to go deep into cooler waters when the sun is in the sky, and they are
considerably less active. This makes the times just before sunrise, and just after
sunset the absolute best times of the day to pull in the highest number of fish.
One thing to keep in mind though...when fishing during these times, be sure to
being your lure in at a steady pace. With poor lighting adding to their limited
vision, it becomes even more imperative that the bass can consistently sense
the bait so he has the opportunity to strike it.
Finally, if you are going to be out at dawn or dusk, make sure the temperature
is over 50 degrees. Same as being too warm, bass will become much more
lethargic when the ambient air temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
With a solid understanding of the proper time of day to fish, and the proper
bait to use to catch them, you're already ahead of many anglers who have been
at this for years. There is much more to learn, such as the way that weather
effects bass activity, and water quality and purity, but that will come later.
For now, go have fun and bring home your limit!

Bass fishing Lure

Any idea what some of the best lures for landing trophy bass might be?
While there isn't any particular scientific method applied to this, an informal poll
was taken of many of the professional bass fisherman, and they determined that
plastic worms seemed to be the number one choice among the pros, followed up
closely by spinner bait and crank bait.
Often times however, you have to dig a little deeper for the right lure.
There are a number of other things you need to consider. First off, if you
think it might be better to work a smaller area of water or if you want to
very quickly work a larger body of water, then a plastic worm isn't going to
cut it. The use of worms is a more time consuming process, and they tend
to work best when you find bass that are running in schools. That of
course takes time.

Introduction to Bass Fishing

Companies have been riding the crest of bass fishing interest for decades now.
The hobby has "hooked" many people, and they have elevated this onetime
recreational activity to a legitimate sport.
Outdoors shops, gear and even businesses have been built in that time, and
many other peripheral areas have benefited.
More and more people are starting to realize what the buzz is all about today.
The sport of bass fishing is about a whole lot more then just netting a bass.
With tournaments, growing in popularity, it's become more and more about
landing that perfect trophy bass. To someone who is just starting out, it can seem overwhelming.
Probably the very first thing to cover is some of the lures that are vital to your
success in bass fishing.

Bass Fishing Magazines

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