| 193. |
Tide times General Fishing
If you’re fishing coastal waters or rivers which are tidal, you can download a tidal widget for your Windows Vista machine straight from the Microsoft website. There are two tidal widgets available and both are free. These widgets will help you decide on the best time to go fishing.
LBF Member: rickhoffer
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| 194. |
Poor Mans Bass Boat Boating
If you don't have thousands to spend on a bass boat, try a pontoon boat and a trolling motor. Those pontoon boats that the flyfishers use on rivers make wonderful small water bass boats. They are very stable, easy to manouver, and you will stay dry. You can add tons of bags and containers, even a fish finder! Just get one with a trolling motor attachment. It can cost as little as $750 to get all set up. Check it out.
Creek Company, Outcast, Bucks Bags, and Water Skeeter are just a few of the good names.
LBF Member: derondeneau
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| 195. |
Switch it up Freshwater
Try using something they haven't seen before! Are you guilty of using the same thing everyone does at your favorite lake? Fishing magazines are wonderful resources for giving you ideas for something different. Spinnerbaits aren't just for bass! Pike love 'em too. Who said plastic worms wouldn't work on walleye? Husky jerks work for bass too!
Try something different and see if your catch rate goes up. I bet it will.
LBF Member: derondeneau
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| 196. |
Bigger Fish Bigger Bait Freshwater
When you're looking for the big boys (actually, they're probably girls) don't be afraid to go big. A lot of fish can eat something half it's size. Remember fishing for bass with a 5 in jerkbait and catching 10 to 12 inchers?
Same thing goes for other fish. That monster pike will hit your 8 in spoon! No worries. Those big walleye would love to hammer a 5in Big Hammer swimbait!
You may not catch as many, but they you sure will remember them!
LBF Member: derondeneau
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| 197. |
Getting to the bottom of things Freshwater
While fishing a local river, in the large pools, I noticed that the only bites I got were when I happened to be on the bottom. I started using quater oz jig heads and Berkley Minnows and Powerbait 4 in curly tail worms. Cast out and hit the bottom and SLOWLY hop back to you.
Natural colors like Motor Oil, pumkinseed and watermellon seem like the ticket when the water is clear. Berkley Gulp 4 in minnows in chartreuse shad work wonders in darker stained water
LBF Member: derondeneau
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| 198. |
Walleye and worms Freshwater
Everyone and their dog uses jigs and grubs for walleye. Why not throw them somehting they don't see everyday and start catching more. I like to use 4" worms and weighted worm hooks as well as senkos and dingers. These "bass fishing" methods work wonders when the walleye fishing is slow.
LBF Member: xxxxxx1971
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| 199. |
Pike vs Walleye Freshwater
When fishing in waters that have both Pike and Walleye, you can catch more of one or the other by swimming the bait with a jerk pause jerk pause for Pike and slowly hopping it on the bottom for Walleye.
LBF Member: xxxxxx1971
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| 200. |
Rusty Hooks? Saltwater
Tired of your brand new hooks getting rusted from the salt water? We have a great tip to help prevent this. Sharpen the hooks with a file or stone to get them ready to catch. Problem is, if they are left untreated, they begin to rust. To prevent the rust from eating your hooks, try using a permanent magic marker to color the points and the tops of your hooks. A simple coating from the Sharpie should and keep them from rusting out.
Stay hooked for more great tips. If you don't want to wait, fishing tips are available at causewaybaitandtackle.com/fishing-blog/category/fishing-tips/
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| 201. |
Heavily pressured lakes Bass Fishing
Sometimes in heavily pressured lakes, catching
spawning bass can be difficult. They'll be used to
seeing all those little 4 inch finesse worms and such.
Instead of downsizing I would recommend upsizing.
Tie on a texas-rigged 10 inch worm or lizard and
bounce it across a bed in a menacing, unpredictable
manner. Good luck!
LBF Member: Steve826
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| 202. |
Chicken Liver Freshwater
Chicken liver can be an outstanding bait to catch many
species of fish. Channel catfish and bullheads will be
your most common catch. Other fish you can catch on
liver are carp, striped bass, perch, and even eels. Just
wrap a decent sized chunk of liver in a small piece of
cheap pantyhose, it will stay on the hook much better
and will not affect bites. Good luck!
LBF Member: Steve826
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| 203. |
Cold front? Downsize. Bass Fishing
When fishing in post-frontal conditions, fish slow,
deep, and small. Fish are very sluggish in these
periods. Small finesse worms fished very slow on a
split shot or drop shot rig or live bait squirming
beneath a float can be just what the doctor ordered to
catch cold front bass. Good luck!
LBF Member: Steve826
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| 204. |
Carp Bait Spods! Freshwater
Try not to overfill a spod it will cause spillage in mid flight. It may also alter the course of the spod.
LBF Member: jaycarl3583
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| 205. |
New Carp Waters! Freshwater
If you're fishing a new water, try using brightly coloured bait with high attract smells. Only switch if you know there are carp in the fishing area and you are having no action.
LBF Member: jaycarl3583
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| 206. |
Round Baits? Freshwater
Whenever you can, try to stay away from using round bait. Far too many carp are caught on round baits, you want to be different. I sometimes just square up the hook bait with sissors.
LBF Member: jaycarl3583
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| 207. |
Too much bait? Freshwater
If you're worried about overfeeding the swim then use breadcrumb groundbait with just the attractants added but without all the particle baits included. this way you get all the attraction without filling the fish.
LBF Member: jaycarl3583
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| 208. |
Citrus Juice? Freshwater
Add high sources of vitamin C to your bait. I often mix my method up using orange juice rather than lake water. You can also try soaking fresh boilies in orange juice in order to give that distinct flavour and extra sugar.
LBF Member: jaycarl3583
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| 209. |
Maggots! Freshwater
If the standard carp baits like boilies don't seem to be working, try using maggots. Here is a maggot carp rig to try. You can fill a small PVA bag with maggots to get some free offerings out at distance. Or you could even half-fill the bag with dry groundbait to give off a cloudy attraction. (If you are concerned about maggots wriggling away or into silt try using previously frozen dead maggots.)
LBF Member: jaycarl3583
|
| 210. |
Peppers for Carp? Freshwater
Try adding chillies to some particle baits. Carp seem to love that hot "kick" from those spices. Roughly add 2 tablespoons to 5 liters particles.
LBF Member: jaycarl3583
|
| 211. |
Texas Rig Bass Fishing
Make sure you use a heavy enough rod and heavy line for texas rigs. 10 lb test minimum, and a rod with a stiff tip. Also sharp hooks drive it home. Good luck
LBF Member: Steve826
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| 212. |
Circle hook-sets Freshwater
Be careful not to set the hook too hard when using a circle hook. All you need is a tight line and a small upward twitch of the rod. Otherwise you might pull the hook out.
LBF Member: Steve826
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| 213. |
Keep your shadows away from water Freshwater
If your shore fishing, make sure you keep your shadow OFF the water. Fish are smart and if they see your shadow on the water, it will usually spook them.
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| 214. |
More bass with spinnerbait hoolow belly combo Freshwater
Take any swimbait with the hollow belly and put it on a skirtless spinnerbait. Great results at the end of the season when fishs feed on larger preys.
LBF Member: jfjalbert
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| 215. |
Hatchery Trout Freshwater
Hatchery trout are not particulary difficult to catch, especially in ponds and lakes. The best time to fish for them is 24-48 hours after stocking because they will be the most plentiful and will start to calm down after the stress of being stocked. Just make sure you use light gear, trout have very good eyesight and can see heavy line. 4-6 lb test on a 5-5.5 ft spinning rod.
For bait, almost anything will work at one time or another. Worms, maggots, any small insects, corn, cheese, marshmallows, Powerbait, salmon eggs, etc. If you are planning on releasing your catch then you will want to use a circle hook, or better yet, a lure. Lure selection should be an inline spinner such as a Roostertail or Aglia. Tip it with a piece of worm to add taste so the fish doesnt instantly reject it. Small spoons will also work.
Good luck.
LBF Member: Steve826
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| 216. |
Summertime Bass Bass Fishing
Big baits usually mean bigger bass in the summertime. This is because the heat increases the basses metabolism, which in turn, forces the bass to eat more. However, the bass are sluggish due to the eat, so they will not want to chase down a big meal. So try a large 8-10 inch worm crawled across the bottom. Its an easy but big meal that no big bass will resist. Good luck
LBF Member: Steve826
|
| 217. |
Hot Summer Bass Freshwater
When the lake starts to fill up with grass, near the end of summer. Look for boat ramps, near the end of the day. Cast spinner baits straight out boat ramps. Let them sink to bottom, wait about five seconds and slow roll spinner bait while dragging up mud or whatever else on bottom. A large bass will pick up bait. Doesn't matter to much about color of bait but be sure it is large willow leaf blades.
LBF Member: ranger2230
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| 218. |
Switch Colors, Not Lures General Fishing
Sometimes it is better to switch colors than to switch lures. For example, if bass aren't hitting a Watermelon colored lizard, then it may be better to switch to a Junebug colored lizard. Sometimes, the fish will zero in on one color before they will zero in on a certain lure. This isnt always the case though, you have to see what works for you.
LBF Member: Steve826
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| 219. |
Ohio fishing. When in doubt go purple plastic. Freshwater
Many of Ohio's lakes and streams are tricky to fish because the weather changes here on a daily basis. A lot of people in Ohio joke about summer weather patterns because it can be 95 and sunny one day, and 65 and rainy the next. This makes it very tricky to set up succesful fishing patterns. However, there is one lure that no matter what the weather or time of day, always comes through in the clutch. I am talking about the 7 inch purple power worm. This always seems to be a good way to start any day on the lake. So if you are confused on where to begin on an ohio fishing excursion, go purple!
LBF Member: smalarkey
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| 220. |
Prevent Your Hooks From Rusting General Fishing
Are you tired of constantly buying new hooks because they are too rusty? Try using a permanent magic marker to color the points and the tops of your hooks and it will keep them from getting rusty.
We do this all the time with Shark hooks and the hooks on Tuna lures. We sharpen these hooks with a file or stone every time we use them. If we leave the hooks “un-treated,” they will start rusting the next time you use them. Make sure you keep your hooks sharp and coat them with a sharpie nice and good. You'll see that your hooks will be good as new almost every time.
More great fishing tips can be found at www.causewaybaitandtackle.com/fishing-blog/category/fishing-tips/ Keep them sharp and new with your Sharpie!
LBF Member: causewaybaitandtackle.com
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| 221. |
Black Crappie on crawdads Freshwater
Use small crawdads on a cast and retreive rig for big crappie
LBF Member: bassboy12345
|
| 222. |
Largemouths on rebel crawdads Bass Fishing
Use any color and size of rebel crawdad for largemouth bass in lakes.
LBF Member: bassboy12345
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| 223. |
Wash your hands and... Freshwater
make sure you use some form of fish attractant spray, oil or gel on your hands to mask your human scent. It will also keep the scent on your lures everytime touch them. Tight lines 2 all! :-)
LBF Member: Bleuu
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| 224. |
Scale down for bigger fish... Freshwater
Sometimes when fishing for big Bass, scale down your lure size. Most of the time we read that bigger baits get bigger fish. Sure that is true sometimes, but I like to fish ultralight gear most of the time; and do pretty well catching nice sized Bass.
LBF Member: Bleuu
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| 225. |
Nightcrawlers get hungry too... Freshwater
Hey folks,
Make sure to feed your worms coffee grounds, prior to taking them out on your fishing trip. This will keep'em livey, happy & ready to dance around on your hook! Also keep 'em cool in the fridge!!
Tight lines 2 all :-)
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| 226. |
Smallies on green crawlers Bass Fishing
Use dyed green crawlers on size 2 or 4 hooks and a bobber
LBF Member: bassboy12345
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| 227. |
Smallies on a bobber Bass Fishing
Use a bobber with a size 4 hook and a leech.
LBF Member: bassboy12345
|
| 228. |
Get Variety Freshwater
Grab a muskee spinner bait to the size you like. Go dark in murkee water and shiney in clear. Black and green is a great combo. Everything will take it. Northerns bass walleye...Hard thumping is a plus and do not change your speed.
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| 229. |
Deer Liver for cap/catfish Freshwater
If u have some old leftover deer liver from last hunting season u can use it as bait for catfish or carp. Just put it on a treble or a large single.
LBF Member: bassboy12345
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| 230. |
Catching lots of Suckers using Corn Freshwater
Use any large hook, and slide on as many peices of corn you can fit on the tip because suckers have very sensitive lips. This can also work with little pieces of old cheese for carp.
LBF Member: bassboy12345
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| 231. |
Black Grouper fishing Bait/Rigs/Seasonrayv Saltwater
The Black Grouper is a fish that likes to stay near rocks, reefs, ledges and wrecks. The best way to catch them is with a “fish finder” rig on live bait. Your rig will depend on the depth of water you’re at but usually this rig will be constructed in this order: A 4-12oz egg sinker, a bead to protect the swivel knot, a 130+ # swivel, a 60-100# abrasive resistant leader of 3-8ft and a hook (J or circle) with a size of 4/0 – 8/0. You will need a heavy abrasive resistant leader as this fish tends hide in the rocks after swallowing another fish and is the main cause of anglers losing their leaders when fishing for grouper.
Live bait work best with red grouper. My preferred bait is pinfish hooked by the anal fin as pinfish work great at various depths and stays alive/frisky the longest.
For black grouper the best live bait is pinfish, grass grunts, tomtate grunts, sand perch, blue runners, cigar minnows and lizard fish. A variety of dead baits work well with black grouper.
In the summer months the fish swim offshore to deeper waters. In winter and spring they swim inshore to more shallow waters. If you fishing off a pier your best season to catch them would be in winter and spring.
LBF Member: rayver
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| 232. |
Red Grouper Bair & Rigs Saltwater
The Red Grouper is a fish that likes to stay near rocks, reefs, ledges and wrecks. The best way to catch them is with a “fish finder” rig on live bait. Your rig will depend on the depth of water you’re at but usually this rig will be constructed in this order: A 4-12oz egg sinker, a bead to protect the swivel knot, a 130+ # swivel, a 60-100# abrasive resistant leader of 3-8ft and a hook (J or circle) with a size of 4/0 – 8/0. You will need a heavy abrasive resistant leader as this fish tends hide in the rocks after swallowing another fish and is the main cause of anglers losing their leaders when fishing for grouper.
Live bait work best with red grouper. My preferred bait is pinfish hooked by the anal fin as pinfish work great at various depths and stays alive/frisky the longest.
For live bait you can use pinfish, cigar minnows, croakers and grunts. For dead bait you can use Spanish sardines, squid, threadfin, finger mullet.
LBF Member: rayver
|
| 233. |
Walleye Veiw Freshwater
Walleye see light orange best then yellow then plain orange then light green and then red
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| 234. |
triple rig Bass Fishing
Rig your line with three things, first a small finesse rattler, second a small spinner, third a medium size 3/0-4/0, with whatever your choice bait is, throw it past the bass,when you reel in after the rattler and spinner he will become aggresive and strike. I caught a 2.7 two days ago on that..
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| 235. |
Moss Mouse General Fishing
I have found this great new lure called, Moss Mouse.
It can get into areas where other lures would get
caught up. Places where fish hang out, their shelter.
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| 236. |
perch Freshwater
When you are catching perch in canals the perch seem
to be quite clever and notice you standing on the
bank.So when you cast out your reel lay down the rod
and step away into the grass or pavement,so that you
are not in sight.The fish will not see you nd with in
minutes you'll have bite!!!
LBF Member: dorin fadge
|
| 237. |
Nightcrawlers Bass Fishing
Put a nightcrawler on a large worm hook by sliding on the shape of the hook so it covers it up then pop it thru so the hook is covered and the tail hangs.Fish it under a bobber,caught 2 bass in 10 minutes!
LBF Member: bassboy12345
|
| 238. |
PANFISH VIEW Freshwater
panfish see orange best next comes red and yellow,then purple,pink and chartruese, and then blue and green, and last is gold, black, grey, silver,and white
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| 239. |
Bullet Weight Color Bass Fishing
I started coloring my bullet weights with a black SHARPIE marker. It works really well. I can carry one in my bag to correct any dings from rocks. SHARPIE also sells different colors depending on your worm color selection. But the ease of using the marker makes the trick a worth while one.
LBF Member: keithbullock
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| 240. |
Red Braided Line Bass Fishing
Power Pro came out with a new colored fishing line. They came out with red. The color red is the first color to go in the spectrum as you go deeper and deeper. I bought the line to try out. It actually works pretty well. Crystal clear lakes may not see the benefits but in any lake with some stain will. I have been using it on my worm rod and have fell in love with it. It will get the old look to it faster than the green line. But if you use the bow wax on it. It will stay in great shape.
LBF Member: keithbullock
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| 241. |
Treble Hooks Bass Fishing
I switched some treble hooks on a few topwater lures. I put the VMC David Fritts Sure Set Treble Hooks on the rear of zara Spooks and the front of Storm Chugbugs. (I do not recommend changing the rear hook on the chugbug with a treble that does not have the feathers. It will affect the action and the strikes in a negative manner.) The spooks started foul hooking themselves. I had to keep seperating the hooks. The chugbug kept wrapping the line in the big hook. Make sure after the you replace the hooks they are pointing away from the other hook on the spook or the line on the chugbug. Other than that you can have more confidence in your trebles with these new hooks.
LBF Member: keithbullock
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| 242. |
Reel Maintenence Bass Fishing
I recently purchased some oil for my reels. I have used a few different brands before. Wee i picked up some PENN oil and grease. It came in a little kit for $4.99. I oiled the bearings. I greased the big cog wheel in my reel and greased the worm gear that the guide eye travels on. It brought all my reels back to life. I had a few 10yr old reels that feel brand new.
LBF Member: keithbullock
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| 243. |
Floroucarbon Knots Bass Fishing
I have been researching floro for a while now. It has had 2 major problems. 1 is its knot strength. 2 was its shock abraision resistance. Trilene has corrected both problems with its new floro. I just spooled a few reels with it. It is fantastic line. Please remember thou that you need to take your time when tieing your knot. I found the palomar knot is not the best knot. I call the better knot the beehive knot. The knot should look like a beehive if tied correctly. That is the best knot. Remember to spit on your line before sinching down the knot. that is a key step in ensuring a good knot and a strong knot.
LBF Member: keithbullock
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| 244. |
Maintenence on Braided Line Bass Fishing
Braided line casts so well when new. It has a wax film on the line. Well after fishing the line for a bit it starts to look old and worn. Saltwater guys are spending anywhere between 100 and 300 dollars a reel just to put braid on them. So to get the most life out of the line. They are buying wax for bow hunting. It comes in a littkle stick similar to chapstick. Its purpose is to wax the string on the bow. but now it has a dual purpose. So they apply it to the fishing line and it will restore it back to new. So again wax for a bow and arrow will restore braided line back to new. That will allow us to use it a while longer.
LBF Member: keithbullock
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| 245. |
Swimming Worms at Night Freshwater
Swimming a 10" worm. It is one of the best bass presentations at night. Especially around structure & pads. Basically it calls for a 4/0 hook. No weight. A 10" worm, preferably Charlie's worms. You cast out and reel in with the rod tip up. It will mimic a swimming snake. If times are a little slow I add a Rattle to the worm and vibrate my rod tip a little to activate the rattles. When the strike occurs drop rod tip count to 2 and set up.
LBF Member: keithbullock
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| 246. |
Trailers & Trailer Hooks Freshwater
When Fishing spinnerbaits, Buzzbaits and chatter baits. I like to cut an 8" worm down and use them as my trailer. I think it adds to the presentation. It will add a little more vibration to the lure. You can also use a contrasting color with the trailer. I DO NOT like to use traile rhooks because they make the lure not as weedless. When I encounter a short striking fish I normally slow the lure down a bit to allow the fish more of a chance to hook himself.
LBF Member: keithbullock
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| 247. |
Casting Accurately Freshwater
When throwing topwater lures. It is very important to cast accurately. When I make a cast and land right next to a bush a rock or any structure. I let the lure sit for a good ten seconds. There is a very high chance your lure will get busted before you even twitch it once. If it does not get busted on I can almost gaurantee the first few tugs on the line will get the reaction bite we all are looking for. If the wind blows the lure and accuaracy is off. I work the lure in a non-normal manner to try and create a feeding frenzy.
LBF Member: keithbullock
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| 248. |
Sunfish and White bread Freshwater
Oddly enouph, if you want to catch allot of sunfish use whitebread. The light color, the fact that it floats, and and the fact that you can't buy a cheaper bait make this a great way to catch fish. This bait is also great to use when fishing with the kids since its a common item around the house and doesn't kill and worms(some reason little girls hate seeing the worm getting killed). Good Luck all!
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| 249. |
Bass in the Grass Freshwater
Vegetation in a lake or pond is the usually where the bass will feed and spawn. Choosing the grass areas and lilipad areas should be the best spots. Choosing a lure that is designed to run thru the grass like Chatterbait. Or a bait designed to be worked across the grass and thru the pads like a SPRO frog, may increase your catches. Be sure to present the lures properly and hang on.
LBF Member: keithbullock
|
| 250. |
EXPENSIVE Braided Line Freshwater
We all know how much better braided fishes than mono or flouro carbon. But we also know what it does to our wallet. Well after the braided gets old you can run it onto another reel with no line. Then tie back onto the bottom mono portion of your reel. Now you will be using the bottom half of the braid that never even got wet. The used up portion that needed changing will be on the bottom of your reel. You can get every pennies worth of braid out of it this way.
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| 251. |
Split Ring Freshwater
Walk The Dog! Zara Spooks are the most famous lure that create this motion. When Fishing the spook add a split ring to the eye and tie your line to the Split Ring. The lure will run deeper to each side with every pull of the line. That will leave the lure in the strike zone longer as well present itself better to the fish.
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| 252. |
Tricky Trout Freshwater
When using power bait dough to snag trout, make sure:
A - You use enough to float your hook.
B - Use a slip type sinker that moves freely on the line so the trout won't sense any resistance when he takes the bait and swims off.
LBF Member: Shrapper
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| 253. |
Match the Hatch Fly Fishing
Ever heard of Match the Hatch? In fly fishing, this is key to success. If it's late April and the insects are just beginning to spawn - use a fly that mimics larvae! If it's late in the season, use a dry fly. Using an out of season fly isn't natural to the fish and is guarenteed to be a beer day rather than a catch your limit day!!!
LBF Member: Terr-or Form
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| 254. |
bass fishing on the shore Bass Fishing
when you are fishing on the shore use a side hand cast to previnting from snaging on to trees. it works just give it try
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| 255. |
Rattlin' Frog Bass Fishing
I have a plastic frog(yellow), with green and white skirts. To get more action out of it I stuffed it with approx. 4-5 .177 cal BB's. As you can guess, jerking the frog forward added the rattle and the weight of the BB's sank the rear end of the frog helping it sit through the slop! Seemed to work, I landed a 5 pounder later that day!
LBF Member: TopwaterFox6111
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| 256. |
weightless texas rig Bass Fishing
When finesse fishing around downed trees that are partially in and out of the water use a weightless texas rigged worm on a 3/0 hook. Throw it just past part of the tree sticking up and pull it up onto it so the bait is out of the water. Then pull it just enough so it drops in "naturally" from the branch...this should trigger a strike on the way down so be attentive to your line.
LBF Member: blindsquirrel
|
Research
