| 456. |
Sinking crawdad Freshwater
We all know how much bass love Crawdads. next time your out fishing near a rocky shore sid or rip-rap. Rig up a Crawdad. Make sure you insert the hook from the behind of the lure. cast it onto the shore or rocky structure then give it a gentle jerk and let it sink to the bottom. let it rest for about a minute or so then jerk it again and repeat. in my experiences in bass populated areas this technique works well.
LBF Member: chris bass
|
| 457. |
Tube fishing in boils Bass Fishing
when your out on the lake and you noitice that boil off to the side try taking a spinning rod rigged with a 1/4 tube. cast it past the boil and with your rod tip down, rip the tube through the frenzy. It causes the tube to act irratic and the bass will jump on it.
LBF Member: chris bass
|
| 458. |
Bluegill bait/fun bait to use for large fish Freshwater
hey, im sitting here reading all these and i havent seen a single thing about the bait i use. i use a small piece of hotdog, or a small ball of bread. me and my friend on a good day can catch around 10 (i think 13 was our record) each, each of us using only 1 rod, in a medium sized pond. its a simple method, and is cheap, and if u put it on right, ull be losing maybe 60% ( i dont know if thats bad with bluegills.) of ur bait (hey, its only hotdogs and bread, besides, at least ur giving the fish a meal.) o and, when i say s amll piece of hotdog, try spliting the hotdog into quarters lengthwise, then use maybe 1cm of one of those quarters each time u put it on. try experimenting on how u pu it on, or how much u use. when u use the bread, i find tht making a ball about half the size of a small marble and putting it on the boton of the hook (like the bottom of a valley, the hook being the valley) and then squishing it like paper so tht it fills up the deep part of the hoook and covers the tip. since the bread is very soft/soggy when u get it in the water (no, it dont fall off surprisingly, just try not to hit the bottom) it wont stop the fish from being hooked at all. i hope that anyone who tries this is as lucky as me n my bud, o and wish us luuck, well be going fishing this weekend for at least a week, so well be catching a lot of fish hopefully.
the other thing i was gonna talk bout is use crayfish for bait. we can catch large crayfish (about inch long, or smaller) in the nearby stream. i once caught a bass by hooking the hook through the tail of the crayfish, and letting it crawl ar4ound on the bottom of the pond(be sure not to kill it when hooking it, otherwise it wont work) the bass dint even know it was hooked,(i dint either lol) and its fun to catch the crayfish too. now then, im done, if i can think of some other tis for the average person, ill say em.
|
| 459. |
bait catching Saltwater
use a trolling motor to sneek up on bait easier to catch them. chum if they are moving alot.
LBF Member: CaptainAndrew14
|
| 460. |
reel care Saltwater
always gently spray off reels after every use. lubricate every month
LBF Member: CaptainAndrew14
|
| 461. |
tarpon tips Saltwater
drift pin fish and pass crabs under bridges at night near light line for quick hook ups with tarpon.
LBF Member: CaptainAndrew14
|
| 462. |
snook tips Saltwater
snook underneath dock lights with scaled sardines, herring, and green backs are great. dont spook. be very gentle on the approach.
LBF Member: CaptainAndrew14
|
| 463. |
grassy worms Bass Fishing
Rig up a weedless worm, carolina sinker or texas rig, doesnt matter, and find a grass patch. Run your worm through the grass, stopping at periods of time, ive found out this is an affective way to catch fish
|
| 464. |
Wacky Worm Freshwater
Dark green sparkely small plastic worms with wacky worm hook work best for me for largemouth bass.
LBF Member: Sawyerlee
|
| 465. |
If you think cathcing bass on the bed is okay....Here's how. Freshwater
The best way to catch bass on the bed is to purchase a floating fish lure of some type. A small non-broke rebel usally works good.
Take the rebel and tie it on. Up the line some 7 to 8 inches depending on water depth...GENTLY crimp a large sinker on the line. If you crimp too tight the tension with a bass on the line could break the line. Cast away and drag the sinker back to the center of the bed. The lure should hover above the bed like a real fish. Most bass can not stand it.
LBF Member: ogeecheefisher
|
| 466. |
Best bait for Kingfish Saltwater
Sure, slimies and poddies work weel for kingies and even the frozen stuff can catch them sometimes and lures work too, but in my eyes the best bait is squid. Squid works wonders but there is one catch, it either
has to be live or just killed to work well. The frozen ones don't even work half as well as fresh ones. If you
gang them it works well on whole ones but most times, they just inhale it completely. Also, Big squid=Big fish.
|
| 467. |
Stripers Freshwater
I found anchovies cut in half with a 2/o gamakatsu wide gap worm hook works great.
LBF Member: timmartin
|
| 468. |
Lightning Bugs(Fireflies) Freshwater
I live in SW Virginia and around June or July, lightning bugs are all over the place. I often fish in a lake, and I imagine this trick would not work at all in a river. Out of curiousity one evening, I caught a couple of lightning bugs and put them on a hook with a small bit of nightcrawler. If you can do it just right, the injured bugs will continue to flash every five seconds or so for a few minutes. Get them in the water before they completely die, and you will see the flashes illuminate a much brouder area of water than expected. The first time I tried this, I pulled a bluegill out of the lake within seconds of getting my line in the water. hard to keep fireflies on a hook though--thus extremely calm water is a must.
|
| 469. |
Shrimp Freshwater
i have found that in the afternoons on a lake, if you are not catching anything, use fresh shrimp (if at your disposal, if not get some store bought shrimp and soak it in fish blood, it works ok, only use the tail and stomach, throw the head out in the water where you are going to cast) cast around the grassy watter, get as close to it as possable, too close and youll lose your bait, and with the shrimp, you should get good size fish (flatheads and channel are mainly what i pulled out)
|
| 470. |
Bluegill jigging Freshwater
When fishing fingers of lakes for bluegill, try a small metallic lure and jig it back and forth sporadically. The smaller the better, I had them trying to bite the snap swivel because they liked the color better. Gold seems to work well on overcast days.
LBF Member: daveleverich
|
| 471. |
What lure colors to use for different days General Fishing
On dark days use dark colored lures/ plastics and on sunny bright days use lures that are bright or very flashy. If you are using spoons or mepps I recommend using the brass colored spoons on dark days and using the silver colored spoons on sunny days.
good luck
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 472. |
When fighting stripers Fly Fishing
When you have a striper on the line there is no room for error. Always keep the line tight with the rod bent. You must not even give the fish 1/4 inches of slack other wise the fish will spit the fly. Good Luck.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 473. |
Great pattern for fluke Saltwater
When fluke fishing you should bring at least 5 or 6 rods. On 2 rods put bucktails about 3/4oz. one chartreuse and the other white. On 1 rod put a live snapper(if you dont have a live snapper put on a sandworm). on the other 2 rods put on squid, either cut into strips or whole. And on the last rod put a dead spearing or small baitfish. This is an ultimate rig
LBF Member: Johnnyfish
|
| 474. |
Bait for blackfish Saltwater
The best bait to use for blackfish is crabs. Use green crabs, asian crabs and fiddler crabs. You should also try sandworms and clams if the crabs don't work
LBF Member: Johnnyfish
|
| 475. |
Blackfishing Saltwater
When you target blackfish you must find undewater structure such as rocks and wrecks. Remember to always keep your bait right at the bottom.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 476. |
Which type of trailer to use on a spinnerbait Freshwater
What kind of trailer do you put on a
spinnerbait when the fishing is tough? If bass are feeding on frogs use a plastic that
has two legs. If fish are feeding on worms, put on a long, straight piece of pork rind.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 477. |
Better presentation for your spinnerbait Freshwater
If you are having a tough day on the water using a spinnerbait, put on a trailer. The trailer can be a plastic or a piece of pork rind.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 478. |
Using minnows for big smallmouths Bass Fishing
A very good technique I picked up in this past month is using a minnow such as a rapala original for huge smallmouth. Cast the minnow and once it hits the water start reeling at a steady pace. Every 2-3 seconds give the rod 2 hard jerks to the side. This will make the minnow dart uncontrollably and will attract big fish.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 479. |
Lure more winter Flounder to your hook Saltwater
Winter flounder are very attracted to the color yellow. To attract flounder use a high-low rig with about a 4 oz. bank sinker. Put
two yellow grubs on the hooks and then put on your bait. If you really want to up your presentation paint a few bank sinkers the color yellow the night before you go fishing.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 480. |
adding action to you jigs Bass Fishing
Take an old coffee can or thin metal, cut into a six sided figure, the top (1/2"+or-) needs to be smaller than the bottom and the 4 sides (5/8"+or-). Drill 3 holes, 1 center, and 1 just below that (to facilitate attaching a swivel clip (#2or3) on the bottom side to attach to line), and 1 at the bottom (for a split ring #2or3). Put your jig on the ring and your favorite trailing plastic on your jig. When running the bottom side should be up facing you. This is a cheap way to do the same thing as commercial baits. >>Jo/o-------
LBF Member: sayleswm
|
| 481. |
Cheap bass fishing Saltwater
If you are poor and can't afford to buy bait, but you love to eat bass, listen up, get a regular hook put some crazy glue on it and hook a leaf on your hook, 75% if there is fish in the water they will bite...
LBF Member: doc
|
| 482. |
Worm Rigging Tip Bass Fishing
When rigging a worm, insert the nose of the bait on the hook as normal, then hook the plastic worm straight through the middle, and barely insert the point into the worm. You will have surer hooksets, because the hook doesn't have to go through the whole worm. This works best with wide gap hooks.
LBF Member: fishinbuddy
|
| 483. |
more action from jerkbaits Bass Fishing
To get a more random action when you retrieve a susprnding jerk bait try using the rapala loop knot to tie your lure on. First, you tie an overhand knot in your line, but don't tighten it down. Then pass the line through the lure, wrap line 4 times around then pass it back through the loop you made slowly close down the size of the loop until it is the right size then holding the loop in your fingers tighten it and trim tag.
LBF Member: frenchy
|
| 484. |
2 piece rod assembly General Fishing
Before putting your 2 piece rod together rub a small amount of parrafin wax on end of the butt section before sliding it into the ferrule end. If you don't carry wax in your back pocket (and who does)take your finger and rub your nose. The oil on your skin also works very well. This tip will make it easier to pull your rod apart and in no way does damage to rod.
LBF Member: EhCanuck
|
| 485. |
Ridding baitcasters of birdnests! General Fishing
Hey this will even happen to the best of us. What works very well to untangle your mess is to pull out the line until it is tight. Then take your thumbnail and press it tightly to the spool on top of the line at the problem spot. At the same time start to wind up your spool and most times the problem will work itself out. Once is usually all it takes however for big nests this may need to be repeated. I was taught this trick at a recent sportsman show and it works well. Try it...what have you got to lose!
LBF Member: EhCanuck
|
| 486. |
Making a tighter knot General Fishing
When tying a clinch knot put a dab of spit on the loop this helps to tighten the knot. Then pull the end to close the knot
LBF Member: Power_Worm
|
| 487. |
Barbless Bait General Fishing
Using a small piece of rubber band, bait your barbless hook and then stretch it before puting it on your hook. The small amount of tension will keep the piece of rubber in place and keep bait from coming off the hook.
LBF Member: Pigshanks
|
| 488. |
Slammin Pike Freshwater
When you see a pike following your spinner bait, stop reeling and wait one second and then start reeling it in again fast and they'll slam it!
LBF Member: Pigshanks
|
| 489. |
Scenting Bucktails Saltwater
The way I scent my bucktails is with a sponge cut into a small cube figure(about a square centimeter). First I take some manhaden oil (or some other oil attractant) and soak the sponge in it. Then I just slip the sponge all the way up the hook so it's
covered by the hair of the bucktail. So now when your retrieving the bucktail, the sponge lets out a little bit of oil on every jerk,
leaving a trail of attractant behing the jig. Fish will jump all over it.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 490. |
Line Twist General Fishing
While using a spinning rod and just after you catch a fish which takes out a ton of line rapidly like tuna or muskie the reel will be ususable for the next fish because as soon as you open the bail, your reel will look like a bowl of spaghetti. If you are fishing from a boat and you have this problem just cut off the lure, move the boat 5-10 knots, open the bail and let a little more line out than was taken out by the fish into the current, then close the bail and let the line drag for about a minute in the water, then bring it in and your all ready to go.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 491. |
Weighting a tube Bass Fishing
If you want to add weight to a tube but you don't want the weight to be visible, there is an easy way to do it so fish cannot see it. Take a small slip sinker(a little thinner than the width of the tube) and stick the sinker right up the behind of the tube. It is hollow so there will be no problem getting it in.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 492. |
Bucktails Saltwater
While bucktailing for fluke or any other bottom feeders like sea bass or porgys always maintain bottom contact while jigging up and down. This is so the bait appears right in front of the fishes face and so it will be an easier target for them to attack.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 493. |
Texas rigged plastics Bass Fishing
While fishing a plastic that is texas rigged and you feel a strike, you must set the hook harder than normal because the hook is dug deep inside that plastic bait and you must add extra force to get it out of there and into the fishes mouth.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 494. |
Short strike solution Saltwater
While trolling for kingfish with pre-rigged bait like ballyhoo, it is common that the king strikes the bait short and cuts your bait in half, making the bait unusable. In order to prevent this , add a stinger hook. Make about a 5-7 inch leader, connect one side to the main line, and connect a treble hook to the other side. Then just hook on barb of the treble right before the ballyhoo's tail. This will save you a lot of bait and money.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 495. |
snagging bunker Saltwater
While heading out for your trip early and you stop to snag some bunker as bait, there is also a great percentage you will connect
with a nice fish. As soon as you snag a bunker and it runs around wildly, just hold it out in the school for a while. There is a
great percentage it will be hit because the bunker sends out a signal to fish that it is in distress, which makes it any easy target and
irresistable to larger game fish.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 496. |
adding running depth to your lure General Fishing
If fish are feeding down deeper than your lure is supposed to run, just lower your rod tip on the retrieve and your lure will run a few feet deeper.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 497. |
senko Bass Fishing
When fishing a senko always make sure that your line is tight, and you are looking at your line so if a fish hits you will see the line move.
LBF Member: johnny fish
|
| 498. |
Saving fish meat General Fishing
After a fish is caught and you want to keep it for the table the first thing you should do is gut it. Then lay it in a cooler of ice and put
ice into the fish and on top of the fish. Let it sit for a few hours and then the meat will be very rich and tasty for the table.
LBF Member: Johnnyfish
|
| 499. |
Being safe while catching blues Saltwater
When you are fishing for blues always try to use a wire leader. I know the fish can see the wire better than a regular flouro leader but many of your lures will be lost if you don't. If you use long plugs then you might not have to because the blue's teeth might not be able to reach the line but it could happen and you could lose some nice fish
and some nice lures. But when chunking, you definetly should because the blue could easily cut and chop the line and you could
lose some good quality fish.
LBF Member: Johnnyfish
|
| 500. |
Finding Spawning Bass Bass Fishing
In the spring when you are targeting
spawning bass it could be very hard to find them. What I would do is look for any cover you can find. I like fishing weedbeds best. Try using a finnesse worm or a spinner bait slowly. Make one or two casts per weedbed and if there is no action, don't waste your time, move on to another one. Good Luck.
LBF Member: Johnnyfish
|
| 501. |
Striper fishing with bunker heads Saltwater
When you are using a bunker head when
fishing for stripers, there is a special way to set the hook in the fishes mouth that will be successful almost every time. When the fish
takes the head, don't swing wildly like a wild man, either open the bail of the reel or pull the lever of the reel so line is being let out. Let the fish go for about 3-5 seconds (This is so the fish turns the bait around in it's mouth so there will be a higher percentage of the hook being set in the corner of the fishes
mouth) After that close the bail, let the fish keep on going until the line becomes taught, the rod at the fish, and then swing hard. The point of swinging hard is because the hook is dug deep into the bunkers nose
and you must use force to get in out of there. This takes a lot of patience and it might take you a while to master, but once it's
mastered, it's deadly.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 502. |
Backlash General Fishing
Tired of having your baitcaster looking like spaghetti after you cast? Well, if you are I would tighten the spool tension knobs on
the side of the reel. (Is located right behind the drag level,is usually circular) Another tip
is when you cast, let it fly with only keeping slight pressure on the spool, as soon as the lure hits the water, put your thumb down
hard on the spool to prevent backlash.
LBF Member: johnnyfish
|
| 503. |
Catching Blues Saltwater
Make sure that when you tie the hook to the line that the curve of the hook is facing the same way as the line is going. If you tie it in
the opposite direction, when you go to set the hook the hook will not set in the top of the fish's mouth. It will either miss or if you get lucky, set in the bottom lip of the fishes
mouth.
|
| 504. |
Avid's Famous Finesse Baitcast System Freshwater
Avoid the hassle of line twist when using finesse tackle. Todays modern baitcasters and whippy graphite rods offer the modern finesse basser all the advantages of baitcasting tackle.
The trick is to use braided line with a light mono leader and circle hooks.
the braid does not stretch thereby increasing the relative hook setting power substanially. The circle hook does not have to be "set" into the jaw of the bass. Rather the bass will virtually hook himself just by reeling. Nine times out of ten the bass will hook himself in the corner of the jaw making the landing and release a relatively pain free and highly satisfying experience
LBF Member: avid
|
| 505. |
Hooks Rusty? Saltwater
Have rusty hooks and swivels in your tackle box? Adding a little talcum/baby powder after use will absorb the moisture and keep your equipment from rusting. It can also be put in your wader boots to keep your feet dry. If it kept your bottom dry when you were a baby, it will work on your equipment as well.
|
| 506. |
breed your own maggots General Fishing
Put a bunch of left over food( fish or crustations work best) into a 5 gallon, cover with shredded newspaper. check it 1-2 days later if fly eggs appear on the food wrap it with a sheet of newspaper and check in about 2 or three days. you should have some good sized maggots.
LBF Member: bassman15
|
| 507. |
Buying a baitcasting reel Bass Fishing
When Buying a reel, do not buy a reel with a small amount of bearings, buy a reel with at least 6 or more. Expect to spend 100 bucks or more for a very good reel. You will get alot more enjoyment out of your reel when it last longer throws farther than a 40.00 baitcaster.
Also consider what you are using it for, a good general purpose speed is 6 to 1 For crankbaiting a 5 to 1 is good, it lets you not get worn out with the preasure of the crankbait. And 6.3 to 1 is great for lipless cranks, spinnerbaits and jig fishing heavy cover.
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 508. |
Worming in the Wind Bass Fishing
If the crankbait bite is off, and the bass just will not hit a moving bait, but you cant texas rig a worm very good because of the wind, try to position your casting either with or against the wind, this will get rid of that bow in your line. Also upgrade to a heavier weight, (lake fork tungsten weights give you a smaller profile than lead) and downgrade your line diameter with braid, the smaller diameter line will not catch the wind as much and give you a better feel than mono.
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 509. |
Cold Water Bassin Bass Fishing
Try and find boat docks with rod holders on the main lake areas closest to deep water breaks, like where a channel comes closest to the bank. Idle around the dosk and look for brushpiles within casting distance of the dock. Carolina rig the brushpiles for a good hour before giving up. If you do not know what color is good try a green pumpkin centipede.
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 510. |
Netting 101 Bass Fishing
When going to net a bass, make sure that the net is 1/4 under the water and let your partner pull the bass towards the net, try to get the bass in head first. Watch out for treble hooks on crankbaits. If it is a really big bass, she may turn right as you are trying to net her, so be careful!
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 511. |
boat docks on sunny hot days Bass Fishing
when fishing sunny, hot days try chunking a chartruese pepper lake fork 4" fry weightless t-rigged under the boat houses and docks. Let it just sink to the bottom. (if it makes it to the bottom) I have caught alot of big fish doing this from march - august on a variety of lakes.
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 512. |
Spawning bass in heavy pressured lakes Bass Fishing
When you are fishing for spawing bass in heavily pressure conditions, get out a 5' spinning gear with 6 or 8 lb clear line, trilene xl is a good choice, get 1 3/16tth oz jig and a bag of chartruese and a bag of white gitzet 2" tubes and they will eat those baits when they wont eat anything else. Another thing to try is a chrome rattletrap, just drop it on the nest, and wait.
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 513. |
Getting the kids to enjoy fishing General Fishing
Tips for getting your kids to not hate fishing:
1. Keep the trip short, 1-3 hours MAX
2. Fish where you know there are fish, like a stocked pond, or a pay to fish marina that feeds the catfish or crappie.
3. Use spincast push button reels with short poles.
4. USE live bait like minnows or worms.
5. Expect to loose some hooks/lures.
6. Praise them when they do well casting or jigging, carefully correct their errors without letting them feel you are angry.
7. Smile alot!
8. Clean the fish for them.
9. leave when they ask to leave, dont make them stay.
10. Point out interesting things, like a blue herron, or a pretty sunset, etc.
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 514. |
Small bass boat tip Boating
buy a bigger boat!, ok that may not be an option, but if you have a 16ft bass boat and are getting beat up on rough water try zig zagging with the waves, ride the top of one, trim down a bit, if really big, get off the water, if the wind is 20+ dont even try it. Check the weather hourly report before going out, and be careful not to get in a shallow cove with 18mph wind pushing into it, the waves can get 3-4 ft in the shallows. Also dont fish any serious tournements, It is not fair to a non-boater.
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 515. |
Sew lake research tip Bass Fishing
so you decide to fish an ABA tornement on the spur of the moment, but the tournement is tommorrow, and the lake hasnt had a fishing report online in months. NO PROBLEM!, get up early, go 2 hours before the sign up, stop at the nearest walmart store (24 hour only) go to the fishing isle and look at the baits with the least items, also pay attention to patterns of low stock items, like is red shad missing alot on the shelf in a variety of plastics, that is a real good indicator that that is the hot color!, this has worked for me! Also ask the customers in the fishing section and the staff usually can help even at 3am!
Tight lines!
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 516. |
Non boater etiquite Bass Fishing
Avoid bringing a huge bag and 12 rods when fishing with a friend or in a tournement as a non-boater, besides the fact you can not go through all the stuff in 1 trip, you will make the boater mad and you will get alot less fishing in trying to handle 4 or more rods, and a hundred lures. Instead, use only your confidence baits, stick with colors you know work, take no more than 3 rods, 1 extra spool of line and if fishing a lake for the first time and if you are unsure what to use, then go online and research!
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 517. |
Going against the grain, Cranking with the wind Bass Fishing
Find a windy point, you know the bass are there, but only getting a few bites casting into the wind? Try the opposite approach with a slow moving crankbait in a shad pattern for clear water or chartreuse for stained murky water, Pause it every 5 ft or so, and hang on!
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 518. |
Bigger than the hatch (think outside the box!) Bass Fishing
Run into schooling bass this fall and then the bite shuts off? Try oversizing your baits. Example: fishing 1/4 and 1/3 oz rattletraps that match the hatch, then the bite shuts off, but you know the bass are there? go to a 3/4 oz and hang on!
LBF Member: piperbbs
|
| 519. |
Clear water spinnerbaitin' Bass Fishing
To avoid the fish getting a good look at your offering in clear water, a fast retrieve is usually best. Down size the blades on your spinnerbait and use double willow leaf blades. This allows you to burn the lure just under the surface without the bait rolling over on it's side.
LBF Member: yellowchamp206
|
| 520. |
Horny Toad riggin' tip Bass Fishing
Add a drop of super glue to the eye of the hook before you pull it into the head of the bait. This will keep weeds and grass from pulling the bait down the hook on your retrieve!
LBF Member: yellowchamp206
|
Outdoor Travel
Fishing Reports
Fishing Knots
North American Freshwater Fishing Spots
Fishing Jokes
Fish ID
Fish Recipes
Trophy Room
Weekly Special 15% Off Roboworm - May 10, 2024
50% OFF ALL V&M - May 10, 2024
