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Bonefish fishing video

My last post was dedicated to one of the most sort after sportsfish so I thought I would continue in that vein and post a great little angling video of one of my favorite fish - the bonefish.

These great fish are a top angling target because of the fight they offer anglers as well as the great exotic tropical locations they are caught in. They are most often targeted on fly gear, but they can be caught with most of the popular methods of fishing. Bonefish form large schools over the flats where they feed and are targeted by anglers trying to spot the fish (called flats fishing). They are not often taken for food and although they are edible they are quite bony (hence the name).

The bonefish can reach 10kg and over 100 cm and feed mainly on small crustaceans and worms living in the sand. Like tarpon, they are also known to be able to breathe air from the surface of the water.

Enjoy the video..

Best Bass Fishing Lures and Techniques

In my last tips to you I said if I had only one fish bait I would pick the Zoom watermelon lizard. Today I am going to talk about the best bait to catch really big bass. A super trophy!!! Of course we all know that trophy size bass are caught on a wide variety of lures but are definitely harder to catch than smaller fish.

A lot of times when a fisherman catches a trophy fish it was just a matter of luck. That of course is not what I am talking about today. Today I am talking about starting out before launching the boat with a plan to only fish for trophy size bass. We are not after numbers of fish but rather we are fishing for ONE BIG BASS all day long. By today’s standards we are talking about a 9lb or 10lb bass or larger.

If you are fishing 60 degree water and warmer, I believe the best bait for trophies is a big topwater fished very slowly. My favorite bait is the solid black Chug Bug made by Storm Lure Company. I cast it out to a good looking spot and let it set in the water until all the ripples are gone before I move it. When all the ripples are gone I begin to move it ever so slowly and just let it sit still for maybe 5 seconds and then shake my rod just a little to create small ripples. Then let it sit still again for 5 or more seconds. Remember the really huge bass will not chase, they are very lazy, and they don’t like fast moving baits - not even medium moving baits.

To fish this slowly you must have the correct mind set. Remember you are fishing for only one fish all day long. You must also picture in your mind a 10lb bass just under your lure looking very closely at your bait and its every movement. You are trying to make that bass make just one little mistake. Most of the time (90%) the bass will strike your lure when it is sitting perfectly still with no ripples.

To be very honest there is maybe 1 fisherman out of 1000 that is willing to fish this way, and it definitely takes tons of patience and lots of will power.

I must also tell you another way and another set of lures that will catch trophy size bass. During extremes in weather when the water temps are very hot or water temps are very cold and the fish move to deep water (25 to 35ft.) then you must go deep to catch that bass of a lifetime. One thing remains the same. YOU MUST FISH VERY SLOW. I like 2 baits for this type of fishing. First I like AGAIN the Zoom watermelon lizard with a chartreuse tail. I will fish it Carolina style if not too much brush or Texas style in heavy cover. I will use a little more weight in deep water maybe a ½ oz sinker. The second bait I like is a swim-shad fished right on the bottom. I like this bait in the pearl color. I DON’T REEL this bait. I let it go down to the bottom and then just lift my rod up very slowly and then lower the rod down allowing the bait to fall back to the bottom. Take up the slack in the line and raise the rod again very slowly. JUST REMEMBER YOU MUST WORK THESE BAITS VERY SLOWLY AS IN ULTRA SLOW MOTION. It is impossible to work these baits too slowly.

In closing, let me tell you a story about my great friend Jimmy Olive of Port Arthur, Texas. Jimmy was going to Lake El Salto in Mexico and he wanted to catch a bass over 10lbs. He called me and asked me what I thought would be his best chance to be successful. I told him he would have to fish for one bass for the whole 3 days. He said no problem that he wasn’t after numbers. I told Jimmy that I would send him out with one of our big bass guides to an underwater hump in 35 ft. of water. I told him to fish the swim bait in pearl color on the hump for all 3 days and fish it very slowly. Don’t run around all over the lake trying different places. To stay with just this one hump and he would catch his bass of a lifetime. The first day he only had maybe 4 bites catching smaller bass. The second day was about the same but on his last day he and his guide Oscar boated a 14lb trophy of a lifetime. Jimmy only caught 3 fish that day but he got the fish he came to Mexico to catch. I sure was happy for him and overjoyed since Jimmy stayed with the program. Unfortunatey Jimmy lost his long battle with cancer about one year later, but his fish is still on the wall for all his family and friends to enjoy.

I wish you good luck with your fishing.

Getting the Most From Your International Fishing Trip

This week’s fishing tip is aimed at the traveling fisherman but parts of it will certainly apply to people who fish close to home. My intention is to try and help traveling fishermen make sure they get their money’s worth out of their international fishing trip. As you might know, prices are going up on everything and all of us want to always get a dollar’s worth for a dollar spent.

Please remember that I have been a traveling fisherman for over 50 years and have learned a ton from guys who I have come in contact with on these trips. Sometime during the 1970s I started traveling with a good friend I had met during one of my guide trips on Cedar Creek Lake in Texas. His name is Chuck.. Chuck was a very well traveled and well educated man who was raised in the North. We became close friends and we started traveling together to Texas lakes and then to Canada, Costa Rica, Honduras and other countries. Even though Chuck offered to pay my way, I insisted on paying for my trips, which meant a lot of saving in hard times for me. Thank goodness I learned from Chuck and his world travels how to always get your money’s worth out of a trip.

On our first trip to Canada, Chuck and I went to Dogskin Lake. Fishing was good, but a little slow. We drew a room next to 5 car dealers from Dallas. The guys were pretty raunchy and raising a lot of hell. They kept all to themselves and had little to do with us. After our great shore lunch we lay down on the mattress of peat moss for a nap. When I woke up, Mr. Sophisticated Old Money Chuck was gathering up moose dung and putting it into a bag. I asked him “What in the devil are you going to do with all that sh–?” He simply said, “Wait and see.” We arrived in camp before the car dealers and Chuck went straight to their room. One of their group was a carbon copy of Junior Sample on HEE HAW. Well, Junior’s bed got the dung under the covers. Chuck just went on about his business at supper and then we went to bed. In about 30 minutes all hell broke loose in the next room. Junior was trying to fight with his buddies and mad as hell. I am scared to death and have all the covers over my head in case they think we did it. Oh my god how we did laugh about that for years, but please don’t go to that extreme to have fun.

In 1974 Chuck and I traveled to Canada to fish for trophy-size walleye. Virgil Ward and I had made a lot of TV shows together and Virgil told me that the Tree River in October had more trophy-size walleye than any place he had ever been. He said the fish began to migrate up river during this month and 9 & 10 LB walleyes were common. Chuck and I flew 3 different airlines to get to this lodge. Upon arrival we found an empty lodge that had not been cleaned in quite some time. The restaurant had trash on the floor and I was very upset. The owner finally showed up and I gave him a real piece of my mind. He explained that it was the end of the season and he had not had any clients in several weeks and when we left he was closing down. Man oh man was I upset. We had supper and got instructions about the next day’s fishing.

That night Chuck sat me down and gave me some very good advise that has stuck with me all these years. Chuck said that there is no such thing as a perfect trip of any kind, that you must turn negatives into positives if you are going to get your money’s worth from the trip. If you get upset then you just lost your money and will return home very unhappy and upset. He also said no matter how bad things get, keep smiling and don’t let the bast—- get you down. When you go to leave, smile and shake the owner’s hand and just don’t ever go back.

That advise was tested to the maximum when our guide showed up the next morning in a pickup and we were transported in the back to a big lake. We launched the boat and headed for a big cove. The guide drooped over the troller in the back of the boat and started running the boat backwards. Chuck and I just looked at one another but I kept my mouth shut so as to not embarrass Chuck. I watched the guy closely and he was fishing a huge daredevil spoon. He would throw the spoon in shallow water to dark images that were northern pike. He put the spoon over their back then he would jerk like hell and try to snag the fish in the back. Chuck and I were just throwing our walleye lures in every direction to no avail. After this knothead of a guide finally caught a snagged fish of about 15lb I asked the guide if we were going to fish big walleyes in the River and he said not today–that we would go early the next morning. He said he had entered a big fish tournament for Northerns and he had paid entry fee and he didn’t want to lose his money.

Man oh man did I want to unload on him but remembered what Chuck had told me the night before so I kept quite. I was determined to talk to the owner at lunch and get another guide for the afternoon. Just before lunch this guide caught a pretty nice northern in the back and got him in the boat. The first thing this __&&%%$$##@@ guide did was to start stuffing sinkers, small bait fish he had brought with him, and I don’t know what else. We fired up the engine and went about 2 miles to the weigh-in and his fish weighed 21 lbs — sinkers and all.

We went back to the camp where I asked the owner for another guide and he told me he didn’t have another guide for the afternoon but would have one for the morning. We went to our cabin to rest but I couldn’t as I was thinking about what I was going to do in the afternoon to get my money’s worth for that day. I remembered that our guide was jerking the spoon very hard and most of the time the spoon sailed up and over the fish back. Many times he would reel in the spoon and a fish scale would be hooked on to one of the hooks. That gave me a great idea. I had made up some pieces of lead with regular trebles for doodle socking bass in Guerrero Lake in Mexico. I looked in my tacklebox and found one huge treble hook that I was going to use as a gaff hook when I got back. I took off the regular hook and put on the huge hook on the lead that weighed about 2 oz. Heavy!!

We headed back to the lake and off we went looking for big northerns sunning in the shallow water. I couldn’t wait!!!! We pulled into a cove and here we go backwards, he is running the troller and pays no attention to me as I moved up behind him. We spotted a Huge fish laying on the bottom in about 3 ft of water. Before he could shut off the troller and get his rod I moved just a little to the right and pitched an underhanded cast right by him and the lead landed about 3 inches on the back side of the big fish. I lowered my rod and jerked like hell, the huge fish shot out to the right stripping line like a 22 bullet and the battle was on. The guide just sat with his mouth open not moving. He didn’t know what to think. It seemed like an hour but I finally boated the big fish. It weighed 24 lbs but the best part was now the guide took my place at being upset. Then he got the idea of weighing in my fish and saying he had caught it. Man oh man was he upset when I told him not in a million years would I let him cheat with my fish.

The rest of the afternoon I caught 2 more while the guide caught zero. After a while, he asked to go in early as he “wasn’t feeling well.” Sorry but I was feeling great, great, great! Six months later I got a patch from Canada declaring me a master angler on Northern Pike. I felt good but I did return the patch.

I hope you enjoyed the story but now let me get to the nuts and bolts of my whole point. When you take a travel fishing trip don’t let the fish determine whether you have a good time. You just can’t put all your hopes on those slimy green unpredictable creatures. The whole trip is an experience in meeting new people, traveling with friends and enjoying their company, interaction with the camp help, guides, etc. Ask a few questions about the local area and the history. Years ago I would tell our clients that if the transport has a flat then get outside and pitch pennies at a line to help pass the time. It’s better than getting all red-faced and blowing a gasket when you can’t speed up things at all by getting upset.

In closing, let me say this and I hope it helps you turn every fishing trip into a good time and you get your money’s worth every time. IF YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME TO GO FISHING DETERMINED TO HAVE A GOOD TIME YOU WILL HAVE A GOOD TIME. Remember what 4x bass classic champion Rick Clun says about his bass fishing. He said that I AM ONLY SUCCESSFUL 33% OF THE TIME BASS FISHING. That means that he only catches his limit or catches what he desires on one trip out of three trips.

I wish you all lots of luck with your fishing…and HAVE A GOOD TIME!

How This Fishing Guide Almost Swam With the Fishes

Last week the story ended with the Austin fishermen racing wood-hauling carts with burros, drinking hot beer, and having a great time along with the fine people of the village. Suddenly a loud sharp train whistle sounded in the distance and everyone got very quite. Remember… some of the guys had persuaded the bus driver to park the bus across the train tracks to stop the train.

Everyone took off running toward the tracks and the bus. In about 2 or 3 minutes the short train came to a complete stop at the bus. Three or four of the largest men led the way on the train over the objections of the train personnel. I went along with them as I didn’t want to stay in this remote village with nothing to drink but HOT BEER. The train was already full with passengers so it just got even more full with 24 fishermen, 2 pilots, and Coach Phillips and myself. Everyone just found a place to sit or stand and we finally started moving again after all the objections of the train personnel.

I managed to find out that the train was headed for Chihuahua City and it would arrive in about 3 hours. I also found out that the next day a train left Chihuahua City at 7 am and crossed the Sierra Madre Mountains arriving at El Fuerte Mexico in 10 hours. Remember, El Fuerte was our original destination when we lost the airplane engine. I asked every one of my fishermen if they wanted to continue this adventure and still go fishing or fly back to Austin from Chihuahua. Everyone decided to go on with the fishing trip on the condition that Bill Hodge, the pilot, would go back to Ft. Worth and get another plane and come back and get them in 5 days in El Fuerte. What an amazing group of real tough men!

Upon arrival in Chihuahua City I went to the ticket office and bought 26 train tickets from Chihuahua through Copper Canyon to El Fuerte for the next day. We then hired cabs to take us downtown where we rented hotel rooms for the night.

The next morning before daylight we were all loading in cabs to go to the train station to catch our 7 am train when one fisherman came up to me and said he had talked to his family the night before and they wanted him to come back home. I gave him a big hug and told him how sorry I was things didn’t turn out like we planned. I wished him good luck and good bye.

We got to the train station in plenty of time and at 7 am we were back on track for a fishing adventure. The ride across the mountains was simply fantastic and unbelievably spectacular. In one word, breathtaking! I called this train ride the survival trip as everyone was so happy and having such a great time. The entire crew went to the back of the train to the restaurant and bar and ordered drinks by 8 am. Many games of chance broke out and the standing order for the waiters was to bring a tray full of drinks, take the empty glasses and bottles away and bring another full tray of drinks. This went on all day long and I can tell you for a fact that several thousand dollars changed hands that day. “Not to worry,” one fisherman said… “IT’S ONLY MONEY. I have my life and I am going to live what’s left in high style.”

We arrived in El Fuerte sometime around 5 or 6 PM that afternoon. FINALLY, WE HAD ARRIVED! Charlie Wright, the camp owner, was there waiting with his crew and vans to take us to the house where we would be staying.

The fishing was good and everyone had a good time. But I want to fast forward this story, as there is some great stuff still ahead. Bill Hodge, the pilot, came back in 5 days as he promised and picked up Bob Landis and the great guys he brought with him. When Bill came in to Mexico he brought my next group of fishermen which was 24 guys from Dallas and Arlington. Most, if not all were car dealers and salesmen ready to go fishing. The Austin group flew out, bound for Austin with one stop in Laredo Texas.

Guess what… They didn’t make it as they lost another engine just as they got into the mountains. Bill Hodge turned the plane around and flew to Los Mochis to have the engine fixed. Two days later they finally took off from Los Mochis and this time they made it across the mountains and landed in Laredo Texas. There they all were greeted by about 10 to 15 federal agents. Each man was questioned thoroughly and was told he would have to appear in court in the future as a witness. The plane was locked down and confiscated by the agents. I really don’t know what happened to Bill Hodge and his co-pilot here in Laredo. Everyone got commercial flights back to Austin.

Coach Phillips and I were not aware of any of the problems as we were still at the lake working the group that came in. When that group left, Coach and I left real early the next morning for a 3-hour drive to Obregon to catch a commercial flight to Phoenix, connecting to Dallas. About 20 miles out of Obregon the brand new Volkswagen combi transmission went out and it would only run about 10 miles an hour. Finally, it just stopped and I jumped out and hailed down a yellow Chevy II. Tommy and I threw our gear in and we asked the driver to take us to the airport ASAP. I told him we only had 20 minutes to catch a plane. He said “can’t do!” By now, I had the routine down and said, “if you make it we’ll give you a nice sum of money for your trouble.” As we left a city street to get on the main highway the driver made a gesture with his hand to his forehead and then across his chest. God save us! Tommy gave me a silent glance, took the stopper out of the whiskey bottle and threw it out of the window. He wouldn’t be needing that stopper any more!

We were passing cars on the wrong side and driving wild and crazy. The driver had his yellow Chevy II going as fast as it would go, probably 80 mph. The car had really bad shocks and it was rolling from one side of the highway to the other. With no stopper in the whiskey bottle to slow us down, we drank about half the 5th in 5 minutes. Finally, I moved up behind the driver and hollered calf rope! I told him to slow down as I just couldn’t take any more excitement, even with the whiskey. I told the driver I was going to pay him a nice amount even if we missed the flight as we were certain to do.

THIS IS THE END OF PART 3—- NEXT WEEK WILL BRING THIS EXCITING STORY TO A CLOSE WITH SOME BIGGER SURPRISES YET.

Good luck with your fishing and wear that lifejacket.

Catching Bass in the Summer

This week let’s talk about summer patterns for bass. Today is the 18th of June and most bass have moved from the shallows and creek channels into deeper water. This is one of my favorite times to fish as the bass school up and when you find them you can usually catch several in one place.

I recommend that you find underwater structures which can be tank dams, old bridges, islands, etc. If there is a creek or river channel close, you may have found the mother lode. Even if there may not be a creek or river it is important that deep water is close.

To find these underwater structures you will need a good topo map of the lake that shows contours and underwater structures. I recommend that you take only your boat while mapping out the summer patterns of a lake. When you have found all the summer structures then you are ready to check these places out. Remember, bass spend most of the time in the summer suspended in deep water, so check your solunar tables for the major and minor feeding times for that day.

The bass will move up on these structures and feed until full, then move back to deep water and suspend. Don’t waste your time on these suspended fish as THEY WILL NOT BITE. You will have to catch them as they move up on structure. It’s a timing thing this time of the year.

The bait I like to use on summer bass is a Carolina rigged lizard with a 2ft leader. Of course you already know my favorite lizard is a zoom in the watermelon color with a dyed chartreuse tail. Really, my favorite lure for this is a Little George in the black & pearl. I love this bait but if there is brush you really have to know how to fish the little George to keep from hanging up. If the island or bridge is deeper than 20 ft then I like the storm swim bait in shad colors. The first 3 times I fished this bait in Lake El Salto in Mexico, I caught a 10lb bass each time in 25 ft of water right on the bottom. Oscar, one of our guides, turned me on to the swimbait and it is great for deep water bass.

Have fun this summer with your fishing and wear that lifejacket.

Where and Go Fishing

A clear understanding of factors that trigger crappie spawning is essential for successful spring fishing.This article will tell you something about fishing knowledge.

Step1
Water temperature is one primary key. Most experts quote a figure of 56 degrees as the temperature at which nesting activity begins. But spawning's peak may not occur until the temperature climbs to 58 or 60 degrees.

Step2
The exact time when the water reaches this temperature varies from year to year, latitude to latitude, and one body of water to another. It is important, therefore, that crappie anglers determine when ideal spawning temperatures are most likely to occur and do some on-the-water investigation that will lead to a visit during peak nesting time.

Step3
Looking at sunrise-sunset tables can be helpful. I learned this from Steve Wunderle who wrote the excellent guide, New Techniques That Catch More Crappie.

Step4
The first [crappie] nests to appear had an average of 13.2 daylight hours, and the last nesting sites occurred when the daylight averaged 14.6 hours. In other words, you can determine when spawning will begin and end, and therefore postulate when it might peak, by calculating the number of hours between sunrise and sunset on a given day.

Step5
Finding areas with these characteristics is the key to finding crappie beds. Nests often are near a log or other large object over a bottom of sand, fine gravel or interwoven plant roots. The depth where nests are found can vary considerably, from less than 1 foot to as much as 20 feet. But most will be in 1 to 5 feet of water.

Author : Daker Carter
Source : EzineArticles.com

Bass Fishing Lures

What are the different types?

Bass fishing lures are probably the most highly purchased of all fishing lures today. Bass fishing today has become one the hottest sports among anglers. Like golf, Bass fishing tournaments are common and becoming popular as tournament stakes are high. There are many manufacturers of bass fishing lures, companies such as Heddon, Rapala, and Bass Pro Shops offer anglers sponsorship into tournaments for the serious angler that can prove his or her level of professionalism.

These aggressive fish can be found in nearly any body of water throughout the United States. Both large and small-mouth bass are habitually warm water fish, and are likely to hide in cover in hopes of attacking their prey. Bass fishing lures come in many shapes, sizes and colors to help the angler mimic this prey.

Spinnerbaits are one of the most popular and adaptable bass fishing lures ever invented. These effective fishing lures can be fished fast or slow, in clear or murky water, at variety of depths.

Crankbaits are another commonly used bass fishing lure that come in all shapes and sizes covering a full spectrum of colors. Crankbaits are comparatively simple to fish and can be very efficient when used in the right situations. Diving depth is determined by the size of the lip or bill the longer the lip the deeper this bass fishing lure will dive.

Buzzbaits produce a splashing, sputtering, and gurgling commotion which bass find hard to resist. This deafening line of bass fishing lures when fished on the surface will often persuade bass to come out of deep cover.

Artificial worms and minnows are also common bass fishing lures and will produce great results when others may fail.

Trolling for bass another excellent technique that works best in large rivers or lakes that have long stretches of deep water with slow to moderate current. While trolling, bass fishing lures should remain in the water at all times. Try varying depths until desired results are achieved. Trolling is a relatively easier technique as compared to casting, and enables the amateur angler to cover more water thoroughly. Any of the bass fishing lures mentioned in this article can be trolled effectively.

Choosing the right bass fishing lure depends on many conditions. Color plays an important role of duplicating the baitfish in the particular body of water you are fishing. The size of the lure number of blades etc, are just many things to consider when choosing your lure. With spring just around the corner, bass fishing is sure to be a sport enjoyed by many.

Author : Dennis Driscoll creator and a contributing author of Fishing Lures and Imformation and RC Cars Information
Source : EzineArticles.com