The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

Everyone who fishes either for sport or fun knows that while fishing itself is simple, catching fish is not. There are times when we think we have it all figured out, then days go by without as much as a nibble. What has happened, did we lose our expertise? Are the fish getting smarter? Maybe it’s the weather. In fact there are many factors that weigh into whether we are catching fish or just passing time. Even though there are many factors, I would argue there are only 3 main parts to pouring ourselves the perfect fishing cocktail. Since drink names such as “Sex on the Beach” and “Fuzzy Navel” have already been taken, may I suggest “Fish on a Hook?” The drink may be made with any combination of the ingredients. They do not have to be of equal parts, but to make a “Fish on a Hook” all 3 must be present. So put your barkeeper’s hat on and let’s start.

The first part of our drink consists of bait selection. Now I can hear you out there, “I can think of at least 10 factors which go into catching a fish.” This is true, but many are just sub-factors of choosing the main ingredients. For part 1 of our drink, we must ask questions like; “Who is our customer?” and “What do they like?” If our cocktail is being served in a high class restaurant or club, we need to use top-shelf liquor only. This will of course cost more, but that’s what these customers want. On the other hand, if we’re drinking at the local pub and money is of concern, cheaper brands of the same liquor may do the trick. Some will like their drinks made strong, others will want a better tasting, yet lower in alcohol version. Now, what does any of this have to do with the price of tea in china? KNOW YOUR FISH. Does it like jumping for top-water lures, or picking at slow moving soft baits across the bottom? What’s its main source of attraction? Some fish are attracted by sight to bright flashy objects, while others tend to follow their nose. Not only knowing what the fish like, but knowing when they like it, as well as adjusting for water temperature and weather conditions are also important factors to consider. A little research goes a long way in picking the right bait. This is a great start but we’re not quite ready to start drinking yet.

Part two of the “Fish on a Hook” recipe is technique. There are many techniques available in creating the perfect drink; “Shaken not stirred” is just one. Drinks can also be made hot, cold, or frozen. Fishermen also use varying techniques in their efforts. Whether quick popping a top water lure, fly fishing, or slow reeling through the vegetation, many of the same sub-factors which go into bait selection are also relevant here. We must consider the aggressiveness of the fish, whether they are active or lethargic. Their location,in open water or along the bank,is important in choosing the appropriate technique. “What bait am I using?” is of course another important element. Getting thirsty?

Some will say you don’t need this final part to make a “Fish on a Hook”, that if you poured the first two parts just right, number 3 is unnecessary. I beg to differ. The third and equally important ingredient is luck. There I said it. Good or bad, weekend warrior or professional angler, everyone needs a little. Ever been fishing with a buddy using the same bait and same technique, yet you are catching fish and they’re not, or vise-versa? What’s the difference? Is it that there’s more fish on his side of the boat or a few feet down the bank? Perhaps, but I say it is luck. It’s either good for you or bad for him, but it’s luck just the same. Some need half a glass, some just a splash to take the edge off, but like I said, everyone needs a little.

There you have it. Mix bait selection with technique,add some luck ,and there you have a perfect “Fish on a Hook”. Tasty isn’t it? “Wait a minute,” you say, “it can’t be that easy.” “What about fishing gear?” “What about my fish finder and GPS?” “What about my rod selection and reel choice?” – Valid questions all. I just make the drinks; you have to decide how to serve them. “Will that be in a tall or short glass?” “Straight up or on the rocks?” “With salt or without?” … you get the point. Personally, I’ll take mine any way you make it.

M. L. Kilby is a part-time writer and website administrator for: HTTP://bluelaketackle.com. He along with his father are avid fishermen who own and operate Blue Lake Tackle, LTD.

With all the fresh water body’s in BC you will find a unforgettable sports fishing experience. The majority of the lakes and rivers or streams have a good stock of fish for you to catch. From trout , kokanee, Dolly Varden to white fish and many other fish species you will be hard pressed not to catch some type of fish.

The northern lakes and interior lakes to the streams on Vancouver Island all have a good selection of healthy fish. You will not be disappointed buy fishing in BC.

During the fall months you can fish for sea-run steelheads and sockeye , Chinook and coho salmon. If you are fishing in the interior spring trout fishing starts as soon as the ice leaves the lakes or rivers. The fast fighting fish will be a challenge for all anglers young and old. Some of the lake or streams never freeze up so you will be able to fish all year long. Ice fishing is a very popular in the areas that freeze up. Be sure to check with local guides for the best places to fish or what fish are available in the area you are in.

The regulations may vary from area to area so be sure you have the right license and get a guide to sport fishing in BC.

The most popular fish in BC are rainbow trout, you will find these fish ranging from one pound up to 35 plus pounds on some of the lakes. If you like an acrobatic fish known around the world for its jumping ability and antics to lose the hook you will find the Kamloops rainbow trout is a extremely challenging fish.

A very sturdy exciting battling fish is the steelhead trout. This searun trout will give you the fight of the day. With sizes from 6.5 pounds up to 22 pounds plus this fish will give you a run for your money.

Cutthroat and rainbow Trout are two species native to the coastal and interior of the province. They are smaller that there cousin the brown trout but are fun and exciting to catch. The Brown trout are limited to Vancouver Island but do get up to 13 pounds. And can be found in the lakes and river’s for the island.

Dolly Varden, char, bull trout lake trout and brook trout can all be caught in BC Char will have a litter colored spots on a darker body that trout. Dolly varden can be caught in many lakes in the interior and along the shore line while fishing for coastal cutthroat and rainbow trout.

A land locked salmon known as kokanee are found in the fresh water through out the province they will can be found in the same waters as the rainbow trout.

If you like to fish or one of the last remaining dinosaurs from the Jurassic period then sturgeon may be the fish you are going to get. These are the largest fresh water fish on the north American continent. The size and strength of these fish will more that play you out it is known to clear the water in a explosive and dramatic jumps that will startle you even if you know it can jump.

Other fish caught in BC are bass, mountain white fish, lake white fish, northern pike, crappie, perch , goldeye but to name a few. No matter what fish you are trying to catch be sure to check out local regulations be for you start fishing all persons fishing in B C need a licenses. Keep on casting and you will be rewarded with many hours of fishing fun.

Sammy Salmon has been having fun fishing for years and wants to share all his knowledge with you so be sure to visit him at Fishing-For-Fun

Most Americans are fascinated with bass fishing. So, in order that they keep themselves up to date with the bass fishing world, some of the anglers (actually almost all of them) make their own bass fishing home pages.

The bass fishing homepage is an entire collection of link or collection of information like images, sound, and video files, regarding bass fishing. This are made available through what appears to users as a single web server.

Normally, the home page serves as an index or table of contents to other documents stored at the site. It usually found at the first page of every website.

This Bass fishing homepage is dedicated to giving information about fishing for bass. It contains links to stories, tips, fishing reports, tactics, message board, boating information and products dealing with bass fishing. There are also forums where in bass fishing aficionados can share their two cents.

Bass fishing homepage is intended to keep you well-informed and up to date of the local events and fishing tips. This will make every effort to keep this site as current as possible.

Here is how to explain the contents of Bass Fishing Homepage:

Stories – this includes the wonderful experiences of anglers about their bass fishing. Mostly, they tell their experiences through the homepage in order to attract customers who are also in search of the best bass fishing experience.

Tips- presented here are the techniques and guidelines on how to do the bass fishing, what baits and lures to use for an effective bass fishing.

Tactics- like the tips written; in tactics, are the techniques and strategies used in bass fishing.

Message Board/Testimonies - in the message board, testimonies from other bass fishing guide are put in here. Also, the previous customers of different bass fishing services make some acknowledgement on how they enjoy their trip and on how these guide services provide them with good vacation.

Boating information – it is very important for bass fisher wanna-be’s to know ideas about what kind of boat is used in this kind of fishing. Stores with fully equipped boats are also can be read here.

Products – these are advertised products from different bass guide services. Including in here are the services they render, the equipments used and the location.

Guides- guide services are also found in bass fishing home page in terms of marketing. They use their homepage to advertise their service, products even locations. They are also the ones to be asked whether someone is deciding to a bass fishing experience.

Most bass fishing homepage that you can see on the internet from most anglers are made for selling and marketing of their product and services. They take this advantage, for them to capture every prospective customers and visitors’ attention.

In addition, your homepage can also be a help to those who are planning to have a great bass fishing adventure. They can ask for your assistance and opinions about their plans thru your homepage. Besides your homepage will also serves as a directory to your services.

Now, if you are already a good angler and you also want to have a bass fishing homepage for yourself, a simple and easy guide on how to do it can already be a great help for you.

But first what we must consider is explore the brilliant world of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Yes! It may sound like a very hard thing to do but do not fret. This HTML is just a group of codes or tags that computers read and easily convert it into a webpage or a homepage. You really need to know HTML in order to make your own bass fishing homepage.

Here are 5 trouble-free steps to make a bass fishing homepage:

1. Register for a free webpage
2. Learn HTML
3. Read other homepage, and learn from it
4. Make your homepage, design for and make it attention-grabbing.
5. Advertise…market your page for the world to see and treasure it.

A fast and easy way is to contact a website builder to help you build your own bass fishing homepage.

Just follow these 5 steps and you are on your way to having your own bass fishing homepage. Remember, you can make money out of your homepage! So, be artistic on creating it. Ok, good luck!!

For a free course on bass fishing, download our bass fishing report at www.bassfishingsystem.com/ today.

Good Fly Presentation

Obviously, the goal when casting a fly is to present the fly to the fish in a realistic manner. You are trying to simulate nature here. If you are going for trout in a stream, for instance, this means a drag-free float of 36 inches over a precise spot that marks the window of a feeding fish.

Never randomly cast – you have got to pick a spot and hit it. Throw tight loops that put the fly on target. One important method that can be used is to overcast the target and stop the line short while it is in the air. The fly should come back to you and fall on the water with slack in the leader.

The best trout fishermen fish with only 30 to 35 feet of line, but make up for this with accurate casting. They read waters will and put the fly in the p ay zone time after time. One of the most important thins they do is to recognize that presentation and approach are much more important than pattern.

It is different for bass. Whether a surface bug or a streamer, the offering must move past a spot where a bass is apt to hold. As the boat drifts, it is important to pick a precise time to shoot a cast to the target. Too soon or too late, and the fly won’t be in the right spot. This is where the double haul form of casting becomes essential. It generates line speed and enables the caster to pick 30 or 40 feet of line off the water and shoot another without false casting.

When bassing, make your presentation, retrieve 10 to 20 feet, pick up, and cast again without the need to false cast. After each one, drop the rod type and keep the butt of the rod near your belt buckle with the tip-top of the rod pointing at the line. A simple lift will let you execute the next pickup or strike a fish.

Leader Connection

If you are a fly caster, you know that a smooth connection between the leader and fly line is important in presentation. The best way to do this is to nail-knot a six-inch piece of 25-30 pound leader material to the end of the fly line. A loop like those found on snelled hooks is then tied into the opposite end. The connecting leader must also have a loop.

Connecting the leader itself is done by passing the loop attached to the fly line through the loop on the leader; reaching through the fly line loop. Next, grab the butt section of the leader and pull the leader up through until the tippet passes the loop. Last, just pull the loops together by tugging on the fly line and the butt section in opposite directions.

Strategy

If you are every in a situation where see large brown trout in open water and hold, your best bet is to use a No. 12 Cinnamon Ant and sink it. If this doesn’t work, move to the No.16 Adams fly. Still nothing? Switch to the No. 20 Black Ant. Last-ditch effort would be to use a 3X tippet and use a No. 6 nymph or streamer.

Typically the bigger trout will leave small morsels to the small guys, preferring the bigger bites that are easy to get. They are very economical feeders.

High Rider Dry Fly’s

If your best dry-fly patterns are failing you, it may be time to switch to spiders and variants. Many times a spider or variant will bring trout to the surface, then you can switch back to a conventional dry fly.

These spiders and variants will delicately drop to the water, usually somersaulting or jumping after touching it. Fish find this very alluring.

High riding is another attribute of these flies. When tied properly, their hackles support the hook above the water’s surface, thus imitating a natural fly much more closely than the ordinary fly does.

Copyright 2005 EveningSecretFishing.com

Frank Faldo Is A Long-Time Fisherman and President of EveningSecretFishing (http://www.eveningsecretfishing.com/specialsecret/4_Fly_Fishing_Tips.php)

Feel free to use this article on your website or anywhere else - but all links and bio information must remain in tact.

I’ve caught bass on crankbaits, spinners, plugs and others. But for me, the most fun is plastic worms on a Texas Rig. Don’t get me wrong, catching a largemouth bass is catching a largemouth bass, and I’d gladly catch one with my mother’s toe nail if they’d bite it. What’s my fascination with plastic worms and the Texas Rig?

Simplicity in changing baits from color to color and style, they are weedless and effective. But there’s more to it. I love them because I feel they are more interactive and you have to fool the bass more than with other baits.

If you throw out a worm and just reel it in, you are not likely to catch many fish. You have to know how to work it and you have to be very patient in your presentation and when the fish hits.

Sometimes the strike will be like an explosion, and you and bass both know what’s happening. Others it’s very subtle. Sometimes you won’t even know the bass has it until you reel in the slack and feel something different going on. Maybe there should be slack in the line but it’s getting tight. Or vice-versa. Or maybe you can see the line going sideways in the water.

That’s one of my favorites because you have to know the right time to set the hook. Set it too soon and the largemouth may not have it in it’s mouth good. Set it too late and it might have spit it out. That’s exciting; and frustrating.

The Texas rigged plastic worm (you can use it for other plastics, too) is very portable. If you want to hike around the lake and fish the shore, don’t lug your whole tackle box. Just get a worm pouch, load it with a few favorite styles, colors, hooks and sinkers, stuff it in your back pocket and hit the trail.

Plus, you can change lures on the fly. Once your Texas Rig is set up, it’s a matter of pulling the bait off the hook and sliding another on. No knots to retie. This gives you freedom to explore different colors and styles of plastics in a hurry.

In a Texas Rig, the sinker is a bullet slip sinker that rides freely on the line with nothing else between the rod and the bait (the benefit is that the bass cannot feel the sinker when it strikes). This drags the plastic bait down and allows it to bounce or swim along the bottom.

To set it up just run your line through a bullet slip sinker (best sizes are from 3/8 oz. to an ounce) and tie the line to a worm hook size 2 or 3. The twisted ones help with hookset.

Once you have the hooked tied on, run the hook tip through the end of the head of the plastic and push it in about a quarter of an inch. Now run the hook tip out of the plastic bait (belly side) and push the bait up the hook towards the eye. Bury the tip of the hook into the bait near the abdomen or egg sac.

Some people push it all the way through and snug the hook tip near the body (on the backside or top). This allows for better hook set, but results in more snags. I like to push it through just before it breaks out of the back where I can feel that it will pop through easily. If you do this, be sure to set the hook hard to penetrate the plastic.

When you cast the bait, let it settle all the way to the bottom and give it several seconds before moving it. Sometimes the longer you wait, the better luck you will have. Even 30 seconds or more.

Try different presentations from very slow to moderate (never very fast). I usually give the bait 1 or 2 short pumps, let it fall while reeling in the slack, then give it 2 or 3 pumps. Be careful. Always reel in the slack, but more often than not that’s when you’ll get the bite. They often hit it on the fall, so expect something every time you bring in the slack.

You can try longer pumps, like bring the line in 2 or 3 feet then let it settle. Try moving it painfully slow, try bouncing it quicker, try swimming it very slowly across the bottom and whatever else you can think of. When something works, stick with it.

Use the worms around vegetation and rocks. My best luck has been around trees in the water. Sometimes there will be trees that hang out into the water. These are hot spots for bass.

One trick I learned by accident is to cast the Texas Rig out over a weak limb hanging over the water. You want a weak limb because you want it to break or collapse when the bass hits, and it will. I move that plastic worm up and down, in and out of the water to tease and annoy the bass. If there’s one there, you’ll get a strike.

Happy fishin’

—-
By Bobby Ivie

Bobby Ivie is an avid fishman and owner of Fishing-Hunting-Camping.com. He makes the biggest part of his living on the Internet, NetBizWorkshop.net

This article may be reprinted as long as this source box is added and the source box hyperlinks are kept intact.
—-

If you have ever had the priviledge of hooking up on a big
tarpon then you know the exhilaration and thrill of testing
yourself in battle against one of the most sought after
gamefish in the world. This distinction is easy to see at first
glance as the tarpon starts a series of spectacular acrobatic
leaps in the air that will have your heart pounding, your rod
bending and your drag screaming. You better hold on!

Since the tarpon’s habitat is so close to the shoreline,
fishermen of all types and skill levels can catch them. They
can be caught from jetties, passes, docks, bridges,
beaches, piers and rivers. Tarpon can be caught while
using many types of tackle, rods, baits, lures and rigs either
while fishing from a boat, canoe, kayak or walking and
wading from the shoreline as the tarpon work up and down
the beaches.

Live bait fishermen’s bait of choice is the ‘dollar crab’. A
small live blue crab about two inches across its carapace,
hooked through one end of it’s shell or underneath through
a swimmer leg. Other extremely effective live baits include
pinfish, threadfin herrings and pilchards. On days when the
tarpon is being finicky in it’s tablefare selection, try these for
the best results, and oh, by the way, don’t forget about a live
mullet. If you can get them, use them. Flyfishermen are not
left out either. The stealth of casting the right fly can
sometimes be the trick to hooking up.

But Just What is a Tarpon?

Scientific classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Elopiformes

Family: Megalopidae

Genus: Megalops

This exceptionally fine creature is a prehistoric animal and
the only fish with an air bladder. This allows it to absorb
oxygen and live in waters with very low oxygen content. You
can see them gulp air at the water surface. Tarpon are also
called poons, tarpum, sabalo real, cuffum, silverfish or silver
king and belong to the bony fish family Elopidae. The Latin
designation is Megalops atlanticus.

While only microscopic at birth, tarpon have been
documented at lengths of more than eight feet and weighing
280 pounds. Catches weighing more than 200 pounds,
while uncommon, do occur. Many fish caught are well over
100 pounds. Their growth rate is slow, taking 8 to 10 years
to reach maturity, and generally those over 100 pounds are
female. Tarpon can live 55 to 60 years. They are greenish or
bluish on top, and silver on the sides. The large mouth is
turned upwards and the lower jaw contains an elongated
bony plate. The last ray of the dorsal fin is much longer than
the others, reaching nearly to the tail.

They are found primarily in shallow coastal waters and
estuaries, but they are also found in open marine waters,
around coral reefs, and in some freshwater lakes and
rivers. Their normal migratory pattern ranges from Virginia to
central Brazil in the western Atlantic, along the coast of Africa
in the eastern Atlantic, and all through the Gulf of Mexico and
Caribbean Sea. Florida is widely regarded as having many
of the best tarpon fishing locations in the world, especially
the world-renowned Boca Grande Pass in Southwest
Florida.

Fishing for the tarpon can at times be an excercise of
patience and discipline. You may be surrounded by large
schools of rolling tarpon containing hundreds of fish and
they will not hit anything you throw at them. Other times, it is
a feeding frenzy. So, go fishing for tarpon every chance you
get, that next world record catch may be waiting just for you.

Greg Smith is a life-long fisherman and publisher of fishing
information websites. Visit http://www.tarpon-fishing-i.com/
for more resources, tips, tricks and techniques.

In order to better understand why swordfish concentrate their feeding habits in certain depths on any given night or why the bite is better during different times of the month requires you to better understand how the effects of moonlight influence swordfish.

Before you can understand how moonlight affects swordfish, you must understand the moon and its phases. The moon revolves around the earth in 27 days. The first phase of the moon at the beginning of its new revolution is what we call the “New Moon”. The new moon is when the moons face is in the shadow of the earth causing the moon to reflect no light and look dark to us. A week after the “new moon” the moon will be in its first quarter, meaning that one quarter of the moons total surface is reflecting light back to earth. Since we only see 50% of the moons surface, when the moon is in its first quarter it is actually referred to as a half moon by many of us since one half of the moons face is reflecting light. One week after the first quarter the moon will be full, and the whole face of the moon which is visible to us will be reflecting light. One week after the Full Moon and again the moon will appear as half since it will be in its last quarter. One week after the last quarter the moon will have completed its lunar cycle and be a “New Moon” again.

Now, if we look back to our past swordfish trips and our catch statistics we would see patterns for a few nights when all bites were at depths greater than 200’. And we would also see a pattern for a couple nights when all bites were at depths less than 100’. These changes are a direct effect from the amounts moonlight which was present during these patterns. We know swordfish are predatory species feeding on concentrations of squid and mackerel which are both diurnal species, meaning that during the bright daylight hours they stay in the deeper darker depths of the ocean and as daylight diminishes and night falls they rise to the shallower depths. Now, moonlight plays a role in where the concentrations of the bait will be congregating. For example, during a full moon, since much of the moonlight is shining through the oceans surface, the bright moonlight will cause the bait to stay deeper in the water column. Conversely, during a new moon with virtually no moonlight breaking the oceans surface the bait will congregate in shallower depths closer to the surface.

Of course, we should always have a bait in both the deeper and shallower part of the water column no matter what moon phase we are in, just in case there is swordfish wandering. Although, the brightness of the moon is an extremely good indication of what depth the majority of the swordfish bites we will be. During nights when the moon is full and bright the majority of baits should be fished deeper in the water column.

Tightlines,

Captain Vinnie La Sorsa
Swordfishing & OffShore Charters.

http://www.GoodFellasCharters.com

Fishing is a versatile activity; you can do it alone or with family and friends. You can compete with others or with Mother Nature. You can do it for sport or as a therapy to get away and relax from boredom and routine. That is why most of us make of fishing our primary recreational activity and that is why it is becoming so popular in America as well as in other countries.

According to some surveys, more than 60 million Americans preferred fishing above some other sports like soccer or foot-ball. Like any other sport, fishing also has rules and among the most important ones are letting go the fish you won’t eat and getting a fishing license before going to fish.

To get a fishing license you have to check for the requirements and regulations your state and/or country have. In some cases you need a “conservation license” before getting your actual fishing license. The age is not important to get a license, but usually kids up to 11 years old can get the license for free.

I think one of the most important things for making fishing a memorable experience is learning –if you have never fished before- and planning.

If you are new to fishing you can start by doing some research on the Internet. There are some good sites where you can find useful tips for beginners. Another thing you might want to do, is going to a fishing store and ask. Usually they have directories, guides or instructors, you might even find there someone who is willing to teach you.

Be mindful of your budget, you don’t need state of the art gear to learn, you can get inexpensive “second–hand” gear until you are experienced enough to choose the best tools for you.

Once you get a grip on the basics, you can keep practicing almost everywhere, the backyard can be a good place for practice if it is big enough, but be careful if you decide to do it at your work cubicle, you might fish something nasty inside the coffee cup of a co-worker or poke out someone’s eyes…specially your boss’.

The next step on making fishing a memorable thing is the planning stage. Planning is as important as having the knowledge on fishing. In my experience the first thing to consider is LOCATION.

You do not want to go to a “fish desert”. Location also involves the type of fishing techniques involved and the gear you’ll be needing like boats, tools or special fishing-wear, the kind of bait you will be taking and the most important, where you, your family and friends will have a great time. For example, Alabama promotes their lakes and open banks for fishing; in some of them you don’t even need a boat to fish.

But, why is it so important taking your family with you?

Firstly, according to “Family Life First” - an organization dedicated to promote the need of spending quality and useful time with families - in the last 20 years, children have been spending less time doing outdoor activities and parents reducing the time they spend with their families all together.

Evolutionary Psychologist also points out the importance of family or group bonds and member collaboration, as well as teaching-learning skills handed from the parents. Getting every member of the family involved on the trip planning creates a stronger bond between all “the group”, it also makes everyone happy. I still have some memories from my fishing trips with my family and family’s friends.

Besides going out fishing in a group to help to tighten “family ties”, it also has some therapeutical values like stress relief and to becoming more structured in your life if it’s done properly. This without mentioning the enjoying values and benefits of interacting with nature.

Another ability you can get from fishing is cooking. There is nothing like preparing and grilling or baking a fresh caught fish, using, creating, modifying recipes and “taking out” the inner Chef in you.

Fishing is good for you, and is fun in group. The more you do it, the more you’ll like it and learn from it. You will also discover that fishing is not only taking a rod and a bait, you can also “Bear fish” or even use a bow!!!

Happy fishing.

“Tony the Tuna” is a fishing enthusiast and a regular contributor writer for Fly-Fishing-North-America.com. If you want to learn more about fly fishing visit http://www.fly-fishing-north-america.com

As any experienced lover of fishing knows, the type of fly makes all the difference when it comes to catching fish. But what exactly makes a truly effective fishing fly? There’s a lot more to making an artificial bug on a hook than you might imagine. Before heading out on your next fishing trip, do a little research online about the companies that make the fishing flies you are considering purchasing and compare their fly making process with the basic standards of a well crafted fishing fly.

Master Craftsmanship

Fly tying is an art that takes years to truly perfect. Just like a homemade apple pie from a tenured baker tastes better than any bulk manufactured pie could ever hope to taste, a professionally hand crafted fishing fly makes all the difference.

Fishing flies require a highly organic look and feel that machines can’t completely replicate. People who have a passion for fishing and have been using fishing flies on a regular basis for years understand what works and what doesn’t.

Chemically Sharpened Hooks

No matter how effective the fly, if your hook doesn’t snare the fish then it’s game over. Regular hooks, shaped only by mechanical sharpening, have slight ruts and imperfections. The process is similar to sharpening a knife on a sharpening stone.

Chemical sharpening is the process of taking a mechanically sharpened hook one step further by dipping it into a specific type of acid, making the metal ultra smooth and sharp. A well crafted chemically sharpened hook can sear through flesh and rigid bones quickly, meaning fewer close calls for fish and more catches for you.

Whiting Farms Feathers

A fishing fly made from a high quality grizzle rooster cape will outperform a dyed fabricated feather time and again. Whiting Farms feathers are the absolutely highest quality in fishing fly materials and are standard among fly tying craftsman.

The difference between Whiting Farms feathers and imitations is that Whiting Farms chickens have been specifically bred since the 1960’s to achieve the precise color patterns most attractive to fish. Whiting Farms feathers keep their shape and move naturally in the water.

Environmentally controlled storage facility

A fishing fly is made up of organic feather material, glues, and metals that can be negatively affected by unfavorable storage conditions over long periods of time. Facilities that are too hot can cause glues to dry and crack. Too damp of an environment can cause the metals to tarnish.

To maintain their high quality, fishing flies must be stored in a controlled environment with adequate temperature, humidity, and air quality. Materials should be well packed to ensure that they arrive in tact with the feathers fluffed and hooks perfectly shaped.

Choosing the right fishing fly may very well make the difference in the quantity and quality of fish you catch on your next trip. Before investing in your fishing flies do some research on the craftsmanship of various companies and look for the essential elements that make an effective fishing fly.

Author is a small business internet marketing consultant and the cofounder of nGenuity Solutions.

For additional information on fly fishing flies please visit http://www.BlueFlyCafe.com

Successful Fishing: The mysterious “e” Factor.

There has always been a strange, and to this day, unsolved mysterious theory in the fishing world.

My wife knows of this theory and she thinks I am crazy, paranoid, and maybe even a little hard up.

The theory is based on secrets that have been held by a small but priveleged group of men, who have sworn secrecy and taken blood oaths, in order to keep the modern societies from crumbling.

I reveal this secret at great peril and with no apparent regard to the ramifications that may take place, out of an act of final frustration.

I am tired of getting outfished by my wife!!

I see you there, looking puzzled and confused–but let me explain.

I first started noticing, what I will call the “e” factor– back in 1976.

Fishing for Brown trout in the Eastern Sierras of California, I always did relatively well, catching numerous 19 and 20 inch fish. My, then girlfriend and soon to be wife, would join me on fishing/camping trips and always seemed content to let her man “bring home the bacon”.
I would arrive back at fish camp and proudly display to her my ability to be a “provider”, while she in turn would humor me with her admiration. Occasionally, she would tire of the camping scene and would ask to join me in the hunt for Browns. Confidence in tack and bolstered by her admiration, I would always say sure–figuring she wanted to witness “her man” in action.

I would catch a few fish and she would let me bait the hook and give her pointers.
“Just throw it upstream a little bit, let it drift right in there—yeah there ya go- give it a little slack–let him take it innnn…. NOW SET THE HOOK!!”

Oh, she would act excited and further bolster my confidence. Now I was also a great guide and instructor!!

Then I would go back to fishing, kind of tap her on the head and say: “There, just keep doing that.” She would fawn over me and I would strut cocksure back to my fishing hole.
Pretty soon she would be squealing –”OOH I have another one!”

I would walk over and remove the fish, and before I could wipe my hands off she would be back in the water,and catching more fish. I am sure you can understand that this would get old after awhile….so I would then instruct her on the removal of the fish, so I could go back to “providing”.

The “e” factor would now mysteriously appear.

Nada, nothing, kotonashi!! Not even a bite–for me that is.
Meanwhile, the “squealfest” continued over on the little misses pole.

I would put special twists in the bait, concentrate like David Copperfield trying to bend a spoon, and toss in to the very spot I instructed her to fish in, and the results would be the same.

She would squeal and I would give her an insincere “atta girl”. Of course pretty soon she would tire of catching fish, give me a bouyant- practically flipant- “Oh, I’m getting tired,” and bound off back to camp leaving me to clean HER fish and haul them back to camp. I would seethe and “bear down”, determined to at least catch a bigger fish–but after awhile- I would be so wound up from failure, that I would steam back to camp completely demoralized.

My” girl”, would then go into damage control, and work to bring my confidence level back up, with the usual ” I was soooo lucky, I’ve never caught fish like that before…”

Right.

Since that time, the same cause and effect has occured too many times to be a coincidence. I fish, she comes along and outfishes me.

AND–It was not just with her. If I happened to be fishing in the same boat or locale with the female species present, I would always get outfished. It got to the point where if I saw a woman or if my wife was fishing, I just resigned myself to playing cribbage or “guiding”–so to speak.

After twenty years or so of this trend,and after talking to most other fishermen, I realized this was not just happening to me. So, like unlocking the DaVinci code and after examination of years of evidence I am here to reveal the secret.

Estrogen.

Yes, the “e” factor, is the female hormone–estrogen.

What else could it be??

For centuries, wise men have known this and kept it a well guarded secret. Women will always outfish men….because of the”e” factor.You can change sides in a boat, throw your fly or bait into the same water, or sabotage her equipment–the results will always be the same, women will outfish men. Unless she fakes it. Of course a woman would never do that!!

Right.

Why do fish react to the “e” factor?

I have no idea. But some tiny little estrogen tricle charge, carries through a fishing rod,down the line and past the hook, sending some sort of message to the underwater world that makes it impossible for a fish to resist. Estrogen should be outlawed as an unfair fish attractant!!

Paranoid—my eye!!

So there you have it. What happens next is up to society.

Women may take to the sea in boats named after their men– left tearfully at the dock.

While we men folk prepare the evening fare and tidy camp–women could be out until dark wrestling large salmonids, and complaining of the loss of good daylight.

While we complain about our spouses at “Bunco night”, our ladies will be tying and trying new combinations of chenille and fur!!

…And we’re not talking fashionable clothing here!!

We can’t even count on menopause to level the fishing playing field anymore.Women are having estrogen replacement therapy–under the guise of better health– to keep their fish catching superiority from diminishing!!

I know I have been irresponsible here, and like “Deep Throat” from the watergate era, may not realize the way history has been altered, but the frustration was just to great.

Why speak now??

Well… the increase in the number of women that are taking up fly fishing, and fishing in general, is getting astronomical and growing at an alarming rate. So, the only hope is to make an appeal to the more sensitive side of the female species, and ask that they back down. They need to understand that they have an unfair advantage, in the “e” factor, and we men have sooo little left….please let us have the fish!!!!

That’s it…that’s my appeal, and I can only hope that women everywhere will respond positively to this cry for help, and we men can brim confidently once more.

Until then, I have begun estrogen replacement therapy myself…. I’ll be damned if I will continue to be outfished by my wife!!

A guys got to do, what a guys got to do….

A.J. Klott
Author, writer of fishing humor,and “fly tack” peddler.A.J. writes about the people,characters and modern day events that surround the fishing world. His first book is due out in December of 2005.
If you need a laugh or a fun gift, visit his website at:
http://www.twoguyswithflys.com