Top 10 Holiday Gifts for the Fisherman in your Lfe

Merry ChristmasDo you have a special fisherman in your life you are shopping for?

Don’t know what to get them for the holidays?

Well, we have a few suggestions that will peak their interest.

 

 

 

 

• LifeProof Life Jacket Waterproof iPhone Case

LifeProof Life Jacket Waterproof iPhone CaseSometimes Water and Electronics don’t mix very well; this can be especially true

for that special fisherman in your life. This iPhone Jacket enables your fisherman to

find their phone when it is dropped in the water.

$40 at amazon.com

 

 

 

• Morankniv Comfort Fillet Knife                                                                                                Morankniv Comfort Fillet Knife

After your fisherman catches that wonderful catch; they may want to celebrate by

cooking that fish up for dinner. This knife helps them do just that, while not 

expensive, this has a wonderful grip along with the flexibility and sharpness

needed to fillet that catch.

$25 at Industrialrev.com

 

 

• Simms ExStream Jacket                                                                                                          Simms ExStream Jacket

With the latest Temperatures reaching 20’s and 30’s, it’s always nice to know that

special fisherman is protected from the cold elements while doing their favorite

pastime of fishing.  It will definitely keep them nice and toasty while fishing

$250 at Simmsfishing.com

 

 

 

• Primus Flip N’ Drip Coffee Maker                                                                                            Primus Flip N’ Drip Coffee Maker

Your Fisherman will be nice and awake for that big catch after a nice brewed cup of

coffee from this bad boy.  The coffee will still be hot after your fisherman arrives at

their favorite fishing hole.

$37 at Amazon.com

 

 

 

• Rapala’s Digital Fish Gripper                                                                                                  Rapala’s Digital Fish Gripper

How is your fisherman going to know they catch that awesome fish if they don’t

know how much it weighs? This Scale is made from high-end steel to withstand

fresh and salty water and is battery ran so no need to plug it in.

$55 at Rapala.com

 

 

 

• Gerber Flik Fish Multi-Tool                                                                                                     Gerber Flik Fish Multi-Tool

Your Fisherman will love you forever with this little multi-tool that allows them

to perform many tasks that they need for fishing. This tool packs a punch with

long-nose pliers, flip-out scissors, cutting tools, and much more.

$65 at amazon.com

 

 

 

 • Jar-Bait Carrier                                                                                                                       

Jar-Bait Carrier

Make your fisherman’s life a little easier with this handy little case which allows

them to keep their bait on hand and easily transported from fishing hole to fishing

hole.  This  model (1170) can hold 10 jars and another model(1490) handles 16 jars.

$14.99/ $19.99 at berkley-fishing.com

 

 

 

• Coleman LED Quad Lantern                                                                                                   Coleman LED Quad Lantern

Don’t let your Fisherman stumble around their boat or campsite without these.

This Lantern has not just one light but 4 which help on night fishing or just trying

to find the bushes.

$ 49 at Amazon.com

 

 

 

• Photo Phone Case                                                                                                                  Photo Phone Case

Let your fisherman be delighted with fishing memories every time they

see their phone with this phone case. You can choose a blank case and

upload a photo or give a gift certificate so they can upload their favorite picture.

$ 35 at insiremycase.com

 

 

 

• Arm Anchor                                                                                                                            Arm Anchor

Never miss another fish! Let your fisherman relax with this awesome little device.

It adds power and leverage to your fishing pole.  Reduces fatigue and strengthens

your grip.  It attach’s  8” from reel; instructions  and screws, included. 

It makes it easier for them to catch the big ones!

$20.99 at http://fishingarmanchor.com/buynow

 

 

Do you have a particular item that you want Santa to bring this year but it’s not on this list?

Why not let Santa know by writing it in the Comment Box below.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Fishing!

Bass Fishing on a Budget

tackle box

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishing on a budget can be hard if you don’t know how to shop for the supplies wisely.  I  will tell you how to get some of the basic fishing equipment that is needed for bass fishing, all roughly around 100 dollars.

Basic Fishing Rod

You can get a basic rod/reel combo from your local retail store for about 30 to 40 dollars. As cheap as that sounds, when you’re on a budget; you get what you can afford. Sometimes an inexpensive rod/reel combo can be just as good as a 100 dollar combo but only if you shop smart.

Lures

As far as lures, you only a few good ones that can be purchase at your local retail store or fishing store.  You only need the basic assortment that that would only total about 20 to 30 dollars.  The lures you need:

Spinnerbaits are the most productive lure in your arsenal of lures.  Spinnerbaits may run from 2 to 4 dollars and come in various colors.

Worms– Plastic Worms are another great lure in your arsenal and only for 2 to 4 dollars and like the spinnerbaits can come in a various colors such as grape and black.

Crankbaits – this lure can come in a variety of colors and shapes which can intimidate beginner anglers.  Just stick to colors that mimic river herrings such as purple/silver, green, white and green.

Topwaters- just get a few in naturals colors like green or gray and buy a few of these in different sizes.

Jigs – are great for bass in heavy cover. A Jig imitates a crawfish so the colors that should be used are natural colors such as brown, white, and black/blue.

Tackle

Hooks, Sinkers, swivels and line are considered tackle.

Hooks– it is always a good idea to have a assortment of hooks in a variety of sizes ranging from #2 to 4/0 sproat.

Sinkers come in all sorts of styles and sizes such as Sliding Bullet weights. it is a good

idea to buy a pack of 1/8 ounce, 1/4 ounce and 1/2 ounce weight along with a pack of Sliding bullet weights. Sliding Bullet weights are used in Texas and Carolina rigs

Swivels are used in a Carolina rig. Buy a pack of swivels and they will last for a while.

Line is used to connect your hook, sinkers and bait together to your fishing pole so it is important

to have a good line; a good size of line used to catch good sized fish is 8 pound mono. But if you are fishing in heavy cover, try 12 pound test.

Tackle box

All this stuff needs a place to be stored in a good tackle box. A small tackle is the suggested size that is recommended. They run about 3 to 10 dollars at the local retail store.

Have fun Fishing.

Information provided by Christian Erickson http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/budget_tackle

Freshwater Fishing in a Nutshell

Freshwater fishing can be broken down into two main categories; heavy tackle fishing and light tackle fishing. Heavy tackle fishing will normally cover largemouth bass, catfish, walleye, northern pike (pickerel), musky (muskellunge), carp, salmon, and striped bass. These are the more popularfish in the category, not necessarily the only ones.

Light tackle fishing would cover a group of fish such as yellow perch, white perch, crappie (also known as specks), trout, white bass, bluegill, and a multitude of other panfish species. There are also others that I would include in this category that can technically be a part of both categories, such as smallmouth bass.

While the types of fish can be broken down into these categories, fishing tackle and fishing accessories cover the entire spectrum. A crappie will eat a crankbait the same as a largemouth bass will eat a crankbait, and a trout slurps a worm with the same vigor as a walleye slurps a worm. It is all in how you apply the lures in size, color, and presentation that determines your target species.

Speaking of target species, always keep in mind that, in freshwater fishing, there is no fish filter. In the northern U.S., slow rolling a spinnerbait in pursuit of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, you inevitably are going to catch “by-catch” such as northern pike and walleye on that same spinnerbait. Also, in the southern U.S., jig fishing for crappie will lead to catching a wide array of panfish species, such as perch and white bass, on the same jigs throughout your fishing trip. This applies to just about any region, water body type, and fishing technique.

Regardless of what species and what style of fishing, fishing accessories can also be applied across the board. Products such as the Arm Anchor can provide relief from strained muscles and leverage for handling large fish such as largemouth bass and even muskellunge. Yet, in a different scenario, it provides added control and sensitivity when using light tackle and finesse in pursuit of crappie and trout. Some fishing accessories are essential, and in my opinion, the Arm Anchor is one of them.

By Robert Crawford

 

Good Fishing Spots

Arizona offers such a diverse fishing spots.  Up in the northern country you have cooler weather and down near the Mexico border you have heat with less water.  There are some of the best places to fish in the country with plenty of lakes and rivers.  In Arizona, there are many options in fishing styles.  The natural beauty of the desert and high country landscape and plenty of sunshine.  Nowhere else in the country can you find as many days of nice fishing weather as in Arizona.

The Big Lake in the White Mountains offers some of the state’s best large-mouth bass and rainbow trout.  Crescent Lake has a beautiful supply of brook trout.  Avid fisherman will travel for many miles to get to these lakes, for they offer nice temperatures year round.

The Alamo Lake which was created due by the Alamo dam, is in the southwest part of Arizona.  There you will find catfish, sunfish and tilapia; a fishermen dream to catch these.

Another good fishing spot is the Colorado River with its many outlets and inlets around the state you are sure to find the perfect fishing spots for striped bass, crappie, sunfish.  Catfish seem to be the most popular fish that come from the river but sometimes depending on where your hook lands; you may pull up some beautiful rainbow trout or largemouth bass as well.

No matter what your tastes are  in fish; you are sure to find something in the beautiful Arizona & Colorado areas are great places to fish!

Bass Fishing Needs a Support Group

A little fishing humor by Robert Crawford

Most people think that fishing is fishing. You buy a fishing rod, put some line on it, you buy some bait, and then you cast it in the water and pull in a fish. Let me tell you my friends, this is not true fishing. Anyone who is a true fisherman (or fisherwoman) can confirm this. And of all the fisherman out there, the ones that fish for bass can really attest to the addiction.

Once you become a bass fisherman, there is almost no help for you. You open your tackle box and you have your wife’s make-up color palette beat hands down. What other man could keep a serious face talking about chartreuse? Not to mention the pet names that float across the water when he has hooked a “nice ‘un”. If the wifey was around and heard that all the names he used to call her were now reserved for a set of fins and gills, forget the couch, he is about to see much more of his bass boat because that’s his new bed.

Aside from the emotional strain it may put one in off the water, nothing trumps the addiction’s monetary side effects. As much as women get the blame for spending a lot of money on “needless things”, one has not seen the true offender until they have been involved with a bass addict. What woman needs 15-25 different colors of the same shoe? Translate that into bass lures, and a grown man will dream of the newest color that has hit the sporting good shelves. So what if he already has 17 of the same lure in different shades, and multiples of each?!

If any of you have been affected, or know someone who has, please lend them a shoulder. Make sure your wallet or purse is in eyeshot while you are there, the culprit may need some new fishing hooks.

 

tackle box

Angling 101

By Bonita Staples

I am often approached at boat and tackle shows or fishing seminars by both adults and young people wanting to know how to get started in fishing. Where can you go to get the basic information on how to fish, not just the equipment and tackle needed, but how to get started from scratch? What kind of fish to fish for, what do they look like, how do you rig the bait or lures, how do you tie a knot, what kind of rod and reel?

To most of us in the fishing world, these are things we learned growing up. But many adults have missed the outdoors and now they don’t know where to go to give their children the things they missed in the outdoor world. I will try to cover some of the basics in this article, but I can’t do it all by myself, I need your help! It’s up to those of us who do know to teach those who do not about fishing.

There are lots of different kinds of fish to fish for. Catfish and carp are plentiful and primarily prefer prepared or live bait. Crappie are fun and it’s easy to learn to catch them, too.

Now we will talk about the fish I like to pursue, bass. Bass are part of the perch family also (bream and perch), just on the larger side. We will start with the striper, hybrids and sand bass. Hybrids are a cross between a striper and a sand bass and typically do not spawn, although there have been some documented cases. Stripers and hybrids prefer live shad, perch and at times cut up shad. Stripers are typically found in river lakes. Sand bass like minnows, but are fun to catch on artificial lures like small jigs, spoons and lipless crankbait-type lures. When they are surfacing (chasing shad), they can wear you out.

Smallmouth and spotted bass are usually found in deep clear-water lakes, some rivers, they are tough to catch, picky eaters and typically stay in deeper water. Black bass (my favorites) on the other hand, are probably the most pursued freshwater fish in the south. although they will hit live shad and shiners, most anglers use artificial baits. There are hundreds of bass tournaments around the USA every weekend and we still haven’t figured out how to outsmart the black bass. It’s what we all encounter that make black bass so much of a challenge.

Black bass can be found in shallow to deep water at all times of the year. Spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, diving crankbaits, Texas- and Carolina-rigged woms, grubs and centipede type baits all work well, some better at different times of the year than others. Colors can vary also, but the best rule of thumb is dark colors on dark days, light colors on bright days and sticking to the colors that most closely resemble the food source of the fish.
The best place to get a first hand look at all of these fish is to visit the Freshwater Fishing Center south of Athens Lake outside of Athens, Texas. You can see the fish in their natural habitat as well as get information about each species.

Lets took at the fishing equipment and tackle that you might need to get started. If you are just starting out and don’t know or are not going to concentrate on a particular fish group, I would recommend getting a Zebco 33 rod and reel package, about $35.00 It comes with 10-pound line and will be good for most of the fish mentioned. The other basic tackle that I think you need include the following. Some size #6 or #8 live bait hooks, a couple of crappie rigs, a few 1/4- and 3/8-ounce bell weights, a small cork or float. This will cover any live bait fishing you may do and should cost less than $10.00. I would recommend that you use artificial, less trouble and not as messy. To get started with artificials you will need a package of 1/0 offset worm hooks, some 3/16-ounce bullet worm weights and a package of 4-inch watermelon and pumpkinseed Venom worms called Slammers, for Texas-riggedworm fishing. One or two, 1/8-ounce shad pattern spinnerbaits and a couple of 1/4-ounce chrome/blue back lipless crankbaits. For crappie, perch and sand bass, a few small white and chartreuse jig heads with the same color small grubs. This should cost you less than $20.00 and give you the basic tackle to entice a variety of species.

As your knowledge and skills improve, so will your choice of tackle change to adapt to the ability that comes with experience. If you’re helping to get a new angler started, just keep it simple in the beginning and make it fun.

This should get you started with some basics. I think the best advice I can give for now is to read as many magazine articles as you can and watch the fishing shows on TV. Rent or buy fishing tapes to watch and gain as much knowledge as you can about fish and fishing, you never can learn enough. This would be easier if I was in front of you explaining the art of fishing and doing some show and tell, but for now this is my canvas, I hope I have painted you a good picture.

Bonita Staples fishing

Bonita is sponsored by Cobra Boats, Mercury Motors, Bowie Marine, Hamby’s Protectors, Solargizer, Falcon Rods, Bob’s Machine Shop, Minn Kota, OutdoorTexas.com and Tournament Chasers.

 

Ice Fishing

A blonde decided she needed something new and different for a winter hobby.

She went to the bookstore and bought every book she could find on
Ice-fishing. For weeks she read and studied…..hoping to become an expert
In the field.

Finally she decided she knew enough, and out she went for her first
Ice-fishing trip. She carefully gathered up and packed all the tools and
Equipment needed for the excursion. Each piece of equipment had its own
Special place in her kit. When she got to the ice, she found a quiet little
Area; placed her padded stool; and carefully laid out her tools.

Just as she was about to make her first cut into the ice, a booming voice
From the sky bellowed,
“there are no fish under the ice!”

Startled, the blonde grabbed up all her belongings; moved farther along on
The ice; poured some hot chocolate from her thermos; and started to cut a
New hole.
Again the voice from above bellowed,
“there are no fish under the ice!”

Amazed, the blonde wasn’t quite sure what to do, as this certainly wasn’t
Covered in any of the books. She packed up her gear and moved to the far
Side of the ice. Once there, she stopped for a few moments to regain her
Calm. She was extremely careful to set everything up perfectly – tools in
The right place…chair positioned just so. Just as she was about to cut
The new hole, the voice came again: “there are no fish under the ice!”
Petrified, the blonde looked skyward and asked,

“Is that you Lord?”

And the voice boomed back, “No. This is the manager of the skating rink.”

blonde-fishing