Spring Bass Fishing Tips

Spring. Bass Fishing Tips

Towards the end of February in the south, and March up north, it's time to start thinking about hitting the water again. The Super-Bowl is history, your sick of watching re-runs on TV, and Cabin Fever is driving you crazy. When the water temperatures get in the 50s, it's time to go out and kick some bass.

It may seem a bit early, but this is the best time to catch bass while they are in their pre-spawn mode. They've been doing the same thing you have all winter...hanging out and not doing much of anything. They've been living mostly off of stored energy all winter. Spawning takes a lot of effort, so the bass know they have to stoke up for the rigors to come. They will get out of their lethargic mood when the water temperatures get to 53°F (for smallmouth bass) up to 57°F (for largemouth bass), and begin actively feeding. They will move from deeper water (20'-40') into shallower water (5'-15') several times a day looking for high nutrient foods such as crawfish, worms, and other things they don't have to chase or fight much. By learning a few good spring bass fishing tips, this can be the best fishing of the year:

• Bass will move from deeper to shallower water along lines of structure. Look for channels, old river beds, tree lines, rock-piles, and ledges that run from deep to shallow water. These will lead to suitable spawning waters as well.
• Get to know the forage in the lake, or river you will be fishing in. You need to know the average size, and coloration of the food the bass are likely to be eating so you can match your lures to them as close as possible.
• In pre-spawn mode, bass are still a bit slow, so slow-moving lures will produce better this time of year. The all-time best lure for spring bass is a soft plastic worm, crawfish or lizard. Texas-rigged soft plastics have accounted for more bass than any other bait, period....even live bait. There is one secret that is murder on feeding spring bass. When using plastic crawfish, take a hypodermic needle and 'blow' a small bubble of air into each 'claw' so that they float up, in a 'defend' posture. Cast them directly into cover...and hang on.
• One of the best kept secrets of bass fishing is the Jig & Pig combo. Tipping an Arkie jig with a pork-bait can be deadly in spring. But there is one secret to it....only use floating pork baits. The reason is simple, crawfish do not drag their claws along the bottom, especially when threatened. They have them up and defensive, so your pork needs to float up to resemble this posture. When you buy a jar of pork-baits, drop them all in a bowl of freshwater, and only use the ones that float. Use the rest on spinner baits later in the year.

If you really want to bust your bass, take a little time and apply these few spring bass fishing tips to significantly improve your catch-ratio.

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Summer Fishing Tips

Summer Fishing Tips

Ah, summertime....The spawns are over, the weather is getting hot, and most fish, and people begin to get a little moody from the heat. But don't hang up your rod, just yet. While it is great to hang out at the beach, and catch some sun, there are still fish to catch. Summertime is more than just barbecues and picnics for those that know a few summer fishing tips.

When the spawns are over, bass, and crappie head back out to deeper water and sulk. Crappie will suspend at different depths without any regard to structure, and refuse to bite anything unless it almost swims into their mouth. In summertime, it's best to leave the crappie to the die-hard crappie specialists. Bass, on the other hand, still actively feed, and will congregate along drop-offs and structure in deeper water, and move into the shallows to feed in the mornings and evenings (and even sometimes at night). Sunfish may move out into a little deeper water in the heat of the day, but most of them will just look for some shade from overhanging vegetation. They like to sit under trees and wait for bugs to fall in the water, giving them a free meal. Striped and White bass will cruise the lakes and rivers looking for schools of shad, and pother bait-fish to dine on, and will stage off of sandy points in morning and evening. Catfish will cruise drop-offs until nightfall, then move into the shallows looking for just about anything edible.

• In the mornings and evenings, bass are very susceptible to a top-water cast near cover. Good choices are Pop Rs, Billy Basses, and Heddon Chuggers. At night, black Jitterbugs and Hula-Poppers can be deadly.
• During the day, try working diving crankbaits along ledges and channels for largemouth bass. Bagleys Diving Bs, and Rapalas work very well for this. Jigs are also a good choice.
• To get the most bang for your buck, try flyfishing for bluegills. Cast tiny poppers, dry flies, or especially terrestrials under overhanging trees, and into the shadows. These little pugs will pounce on flies, especially anything that looks like a cricket, spider or ant.
• To find striped and white bass, look for flocks of diving birds. Likely as not, right underneath them will be large schools of bait-fish, and underneath them will be schools of bass. Drive your boat to within casting distance and throw your lures directly into the boiling water. When the action slows down, just wait a bit, and they will re-surface nearby, or you can just look for another school. This is called Jump-Fishing.

Summertime doesn't have to be downtime for fishing, if you learn a few good summer fishing tips.

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Summer Fishing Tips

Bait-Fishing Tips

Bait-fishing is low-tech fishing at its best. It can be as simple as sitting on a bank with a cane pole and a can of worms, or as involved as complicated rigs, minnow, or worm harnesses for trolling. Most of us settle for something in-between. More fish are caught on natural bait than by any other method. It is also one of the most relaxing forms of fishing. Also known as still-fishing, it mostly just involves putting a suitable organic form of bait on a hook, then sitting back and waiting for a fish to bite. it can be done from a boat, a dock, the shore, wading, in fresh or salt water, day or night. Bait-fishing may be low-tech, but more than any other method, it requires some prior knowledge of bait-fishing tips to be really successful.

• One of the best baits for bluegills is angle worms, or red wigglers. But you need to make sure you thread the worm through the center of it's body, all the way to the end of the worm, completely covering the hook-point. Bluegills (and other sunfish) are accomplished bait-thieves, and can slurp a worm off of a hook before you even realize it is there. If they see the hook point, they will quit biting it.
• If you are fishing with minnows and their eyes keep disappearing from your bait, it is sunfish, most likely bluegills. Rig up a light rod with a worm, and use that as a decoy to keep them off of your minnows. Any bluegills you catch can always be cooked as well, or used for bait (where legal).
• If crappie slow down on biting, you can tempt them by taking a pair of fingernail clippers and making a small nick in the lower tail-fin of you minnow. This will make it swim erratically and drive crappie and bass wild.
• To have lively fat nightcrawlers to fish with, the night before you plan to go out, place your nightcrawlers on a bed of wet newspaper and place it in the refrigerator. The next morning, you will have fat, jumping nightcrawlers.
• To make colored nightcrawlers. just place some food coloring in their bedding. They will change to that color. The food coloring is harmless to them.
• In summer, you can keep your minnows healthier in the minnow bucket by placing a few cubes if ice in the water (make sure it was made from non-chlorinated water). Also, a teaspoon per gallon of salt added to the water will reduce the stress on the minnows, and make them stay alive longer.

By using these bait-fishing tips, you can get more out of your bait, and bring home a lot more fish.

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Carp Fishing Tips

In the U.S., one of the best kept secrets in the fishing world is that carp are outstanding fish, both to catch, and to eat. Carp have been prized both as a commercial food-fish, and a sport-fish in Europe for hundreds of years, but for some reason, in the U.S., they are unfairly maligned, with nicknames such as “Sewer Bass”. This is a derogatory reference to the fact that carp are incredibly tough, and can tolerate water uninhabitable to any other fish.

Carp can get quite large, oftentimes topping 60 pounds or more. On light tackle, they make screaming runs that would make a bonefish proud, leap from the water in high jumps that a tarpon would think twice about, and slug it out below the surface like a trophy bass on steroids. They have more endurance than just about any fish in freshwater, and a large carp on light tackle can easily keep you busy for a quarter-hour or more.

Carp have a firm, slightly oily flesh, similar to mackerel, with a succulent buttery-sweet taste. They have more bones than most game-fish, but filleting a carp just takes a few extra steps, easily learned with a minimum of practice. The extra trouble is more than worth it. There are few fish that taste better than smoked carp.

They are great practice for catching large bass, and bonefishing on the flats. You fish for them the same way, they fight the same, and if you lose one, there are plenty more. Just rig up and go again. Most states have very liberal creel limits on carp, and are more than happy for you to catch all you want.

There are three major species of carp in the US, the Common Carp, Grass Carp, and Bighead Carp. Grass Carp are protected through most of their range, and Bighead Carp are an invasive species making their way along the Mississippi River drainage. There are a few more minor species, but they are of little interest to anglers. Common Carp are the ones you will be targeting. Carp are super-spooky fish, with a sense of smell that a bloodhound would applaud, eyesight like a hawk, and they can hear a mosquito hiccup from 500 yards away. They are definitely a worthy adversary for any angler. You can tip the scales in your favor (slightly) by following a few carp fishing tips:

• One of the ultimate freshwater fishing experiences is fly-fishing for carp. This is identical to flats fishing for bonefish and permit. You have to sight-fish by finding carp in the shallows, carefully and very quietly moving to within casting range, and gently dropping a Clouser Swimming Nymph, Coyote Carp Fly or other suitable pattern in the carps feeding zone, all without spooking them. One false move, and the water will literally explode with large tailing fish rocketing for deeper water in an aquatic stampede. Fishing doesn't get any better than this. Make sure you keep the sun in front of you to avoid casting a shadow on the water. Be careful not to 'line' the fish by casting directly over one. If this happens, you will find out that it is possible for a large object to instantly disappear right before your eyes.
• The most common method for taking carp is by still-fishing with dough bait. You can buy commercial dough bait, or make it yourself. Carp are easy to please in that respect. Use very small hooks, ideally no larger than a #10 treble hook. Cover the hook completely with the bait so that it does not show at all. Use just enough weight to get it to the bottom, and use the lightest line possible, no larger than 6-pound. Slip-sinkers are best because if a carp picks the bait up and feels any resistance at all, it will spit it out just a shade faster than instantly. Leave the bail open on your reel. When a carp picks up the bait, wait until the fish begins to move off with it before engaging the bail and setting the hook. Then, hang on.....

By using a few carp fishing tips, you can transport yourself into a whole new world of fishing. Carp are everywhere, and there are always plenty of them.

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Carp Fishing Tips

Kayak Fishing Tips

If you want the ultimate water adventure craft, for fishing, or just exploring, nothing beats a kayak. A kayak will give you the most bang for your buck over any other kind of water craft. They are much lighter and faster than canoes, and virtually unsinkable. You have to almost destroy one completely to sink it, even an inflatable. They are swift and silent, allowing you to quietly paddle to within casting distance of even the spookiest of fish. They are fast enough to cover any amount of distance you want, even to off-shore fishing in the ocean. They do not require a trailer, or a boat ramp to launch from, no motor to be fooling with all the time, and do not pollute the water or air. A Kayak can take you places inaccessible by any other method. Kayaks rule.

There are several types of kayaks to choose from. Your choice will be easier if you check out a few Kayak fishing tips ahead of time:

• There are two types of kayaks; Sit On Tops (SOTs) and Sit Inside Kayaks (SIKs). A Sit On Top has no deck, and will usually have scuppers to allow water to drain out. These are popular with fishermen because they have built in buoyancy, and are more comfortable in warmer weather. Sit Inside Kayaks have an enclosed deck, and the paddler will usually use a spray skirt, which seals the boat completely with you in it. These are preferable in cold weather, because you are somewhat protected from the elements. They are a bit more cramped, but proper adjusting of the foot-pegs makes them quite cozy.
• Both types are made in inflatable versions, as well as molded polymer versions. Inflatables have a few advantages over molded kayaks. They are lighter, can be transported in the trunk of your car, on a bicycle, backpack, and carried on a bus or airliner. If you knock a hole in one, it is a simple matter to patch the hole, re-inflate the section (they all have several sections, so you can't sink one unless you poke several holes, all in different areas), and continue on your adventure. Polymer yaks are tough, but if you do manage to knock a hole in one, your trip is over, because they will require extensive repairs on shore, Polymer boats have the advantage of being amendable to numerous modifications, most of which are not possible with an inflatable.

Before hitting the water, there are a few things you should do:

• Paddling a kayak is a form of exercise, albeit an extremely fun and satisfying one. You should see your doctor before-hand to be sure you don't have any health problems that may show up on the water, maybe a long way from shore.
• Most places that sell kayaks are only too happy to let you try out a yak before you buy it. You should always try out a yak before you buy, or at least be sure you can bring it back if you don't like it. There are many styles of yaks, and you're not going to like them all.
• Keep in mind what you will be using the yak for. Most whitewater yaks are not going to work as well for fishing. Likewise, a long touring yak will be a handful on small rivers and streams.
• When adding rod holders, fish-finders, and other modifications (and you will...trust me), be sure you know how to do them correctly to avoid compromising the performance of your yak.
• Kayak paddling can quickly become an obsession. If you find yourself driving by a Water Park, looking at the tall Water Slide, and thinking to yourself, “That's do-able!” , it may be time to take a few weeks off from paddling....spend some time with the wife and kids.

Whatever type of yak you choose, you will enter a new world of fishing possibilities, especially if you keep in mind a few kayak fishing tips.

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Minnesota Fishing Tips

The word Minnesota comes from a Dakota (Sioux) word meaning “sky-tinted water”. The state of Minnesota is also known as the “land of 10,000 lakes”, for good reason. In addition to being the center of the U.S. Scandinavian culture, it also boasts hundreds of miles of beautiful forests, and crystal clear lakes and streams. These waters are full of perch, pike, muskellunge, and walleyes. Whether you are trying your luck in a Dark-House, through the ice, or trolling for summertime walleyes, knowing a few Minnesota fishing tips can prove helpful.

• Northern Pike prefer cooler water than Muskellunges, so they start biting first, soon after ice-out. For both species, in early spring, troll spinners and crank-baits along deeper weed-beds.
• Northern Pike seldom bite during the spawn, so when the water temperature is around 40°F to 45°F, it might be a good idea to fish for something else for a bit. Spawning usually last for around a month or so. Then, they will be back on their feed.
• Use a longer rod for Northern Pike, up to 8 feet, or more. This will allow you to cast farther, give you more control when reeling lures through weed-beds, give you more leverage for hook-sets, and allow you to control the fish better.
• Keep your hands away from a pike, or muskie's mouth as much as possible when unhooking them. Those teeth are there for a reason. Use a hook-out device, and wear gloves.
• When using a crank-bait for pike or walleyes, try to match the color and size of local bait-fish as closely as possible. This will result in more hits.
• If the walleyes seem to be moving a bit slow, try switching to leeches. Leeches are slow-moving, and lethargic fish often prefer them for an easy meal.
• A lot of states have special rules for different bodies of water, but Minnesota seems to carry it to extremes at times. Be sure to know the rules for the body of water your fishing on.
• Cold-Fronts have a tendency to cause fish to get lock-jaw. Wait 24-48 hours after a cold front moves through to go fishing.
• One of the best baits for black bass is a plastic worm, preferably in purple. Fish it directly in cover, Texas-Rigged, as slowly as you can stand it. In the spring, plastic crawfish and lizards are also deadly. Fish them the same way.
• If you see large flocks of wheeling and diving birds over the water, fish right under them. Chances are, there are large schools of bait-fish, and underneath them will be large schools of striped or white bass, and maybe other species.

Minnesota offers some great fishing opportunities, and they can be even better if you keep in mind a few Minnesota fishing tips on your next excursion.

Happy fishing.

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Minnesota Fishing Tips

Rod and Reel Tips for Bass Fishing

Selecting the right rod and reel for bass fishing can seem like a daunting task, especially for a newbie. There is a plethora of rods and reels to choose from, and all of them tout that they are the 'best' for bass. So, which one is really the 'best'? Well...all of them, and none of them. There are many factors involved, not the least of which is personal preference. Luckily, there are a few rod and reel tips for bass fishing that may take some of the mystery out of your selection process.

When we speak of “bass-fishing” we are referring to mostly Large-mouth Black Bass, and to a lesser extent, Small-mouth Black Bass, which are not really bass at all. They are members of the panfish family, which also includes bluegills, and crappie. True bass are White and Striped Bass. Anyway, it helps to know a little about your quarry before buying the tools to tackle them. Both species of Black Bass will almost always be in some kind of cover, and will attempt to go deeper into that cover when they are hooked, tangling your line, and causing all kinds of mayhem with your gear. These, like other members of the family, are strong fighters, but have a short endurance, so the first few minutes of the fight are critical.

The most important part of your tackle is the rod. Bass rods are from fiberglass, or graphite. Modern technology has made them pretty equal in performance, so the main different between them is cost, and weight. Graphite costs more, and is lighter. For bass, you will want to concentrate either on a medium or heavy action, depending on the type of fishing you plan to do. Fishing rods are like golf clubs; there are different ones for different purposes. There is no one rod that will do it all, and do it well. You will need to be able to drag a bass out of cover immediately, before she can hang you up (all large bass are females), or risk having your line wrapped around structure, and lose your fish. The rule is, the deeper the cover you fish, the heavier the action. So, if you plan to cast plastic worms directly into heavy cover (the best method), you need a heavy action rod. For casting spinners and spinner-baits, or other lures, a medium action will do.

Reels come in three styles, bait-casting, spinning, and spin casting. Bait-casting reels have stronger gears for yanking bass out of cover, and hold a lot of line, but there is a slight learning curve in learning the casting-timing to prevent over-runs of the spool. They also cost a lot. Spinning reels do not over-run, but the gears are not as strong. Spinning reels offer the most casting distance of all the reels, but again, there is a slight learning curve to casting them properly. They run from inexpensive to moderately-priced. Spin-casting reels are the best of both worlds (in theory). They are so easy to use that a child can figure out how to cast one in a few minutes. They do not over-run, and there is virtually no learning curve. The gears are medium-strength, and they are very inexpensive. These are as close to an all-around rig as you can get.

By using these rod and reel tips for bass fishing, you can make a more informed choice on your gear. It's always a good idea to ask the salespeople in the store if you get confused. many of them are quite knowledgeable, and are happy to assist you.

Happy fishing.

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Rod and Reel Tips for Bass Fishing