How to Consider a Combination Fishing Line

Use the strongest and toughest line possible when fishing for game fish. You never know what you are going to hook or on what the line is going to snag. Of course the stronger a line is, the less distance it will cast and the more likely it is to snarl up on the reel. When fishing in a non-motorized boat or wade fishing on a budget you need one rig that you can use under as many situations as possible.

Things You'll Need:

Fluorocarbon leader of at least 25-pound test
20-pound monofilament
25-pound test steel leader
50 yards of 20-pound test fused microfilament

Choose the right material for the first 8 to 10 inches from the lure. The best material for all-around use is a fluorocarbon leader of at least 25-pound test. Any length over 10 inches makes it harder to cast because of the knot with the casting line. The fluorocarbon leader will work equally as well in bays or the surf. Most game fish will not be able bite through it. Use a 25-pound test steel leader when small shark or mackerel are around.

Put 50 yards of 20-pound test-fused microfilament line behind the leader. Braided line is too fragile and 20-pound monofilament is prone to snarl up and restricts the range of the cast. The microfilament will cast like 10-pound monofilament. It isn't as tough as monofilament, but you've compensated for that with the leader. The microfilament registers every resistance as it has far less give than the monofilament. Use no more than 50 yards because it is expensive.

Fill the rest of the spool behind the microfilament with 20-pound monofilament. It won't snarl up because the only time it comes off the spool will be when you hook a big fish and it will be under considerable tension, both going out and being reeled in.

Test the three knots thoroughly by jerking on them. If possible, attach the leader to a swivel and nail the swivel to a tree or post. Walk out all the line and put under hard tension several times. Place the drag on lightly and walk back to the swivel, reeling everything in.

How to Pick the Right Lure by Knowing What a Fish Sees

To catch a fish, you should focus on the way fish feed. When fish are in schools and feeding they will bite on almost anything they think is alive and can be swallowed. Fish are slightly more likely to hit on lures that are roughly the same color as the food they are eating at the time. Lures in white, silver or bone will do the trick. While shape doesn’t matter, the size needs to be about the same as their food.

Consider a fish's vision. Fish detect movement both to escape a bigger predator and to locate a meal. The size of whatever is moving is the biggest determinant of whether they run or feed. If something is large and moving very slowly on the surface, fish don't react until it is directly over them and then they move off a short distance.

When a fish detects sound or vibration in addition to movement, it will be more likely to move away. Without sound or vibration, the fish may assume the object is a log. Alligator gars instinctively understand this and get close to their prey by moving very slowly along the surface.

Consider reflected light. Most fish have shiny scales on their sides. Game fish use that shine to determine when they are in a good position to attack. Some baitfish have spots on their sides, which can confuse the game fish about where the fish's head is, especially when the baitfish are closely packed in schools. Some game fish, such as trout and redfish, also have spots, swim in schools and are often bait for sharks or dolphins.

Don't worry too much about the color of lures. Fishermen will argue about color, but it is doubtful that it makes much difference other than lures that are light in color and lures with two colors at different ends of the color spectrum are more effective in salt water.

Consider the appearance of the lure when fishing in clear and calm waters and when fish are schooling. When selecting a lure based on sight alone, choose a lure that is shiny or white and moves erratically. Picking a top water, shallow or deep running lure depends on the depth of the water and what the game fish are doing.

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Learn How To Make Your Own Sinkers

Sinkers, by the nature of their use are the most often lost than most of fishing lures so it really pays for you to make your own sinkers.

There are many types of sinkers available in most fishing stores, such as the ball or round, bell or dipsey, bank, diamond, oval, flat, rectangular, pencil, and pyramid.

The equipment required to make your own sinkers are:

1. a gas or electric stove - to melt the lead
2. a ladle - to hold and pour the molten lead

For making sinkers, especially the larger saltwater types, a big ladle is best. You also need lead. Scrap lead can usually be obtained from a junk dealer.

Alloys of lead and other metals can also be used although you usually get best results with pure lead. Finally to make the sinkers you need a mold of some sort.

These molds can be made of potato, wood, plaster or simply use a teaspoon. All the necessary materials and equipment are readily available. Depending on the rate of usage and type of material, some of these molds can last for a lifetime while others only a few times.

The quality will also depend on the type of molds used. If you are just starting out or testing a new lure design, using a cheaper potato mold may be good enough.

So hopefully this article will help to provide a simple ways of making your own sinkers.

Night Fishing Success Depends On The Moon

Why The Moon Is Your Key To Night Fishing Success?

Want to catch more fish at night, watch the moon! Sounds like a crazy idea, doesn't it? Using the moon, you are able to learn several things about fish at night.

During a full moon, you are most likely to find fish hiding in the shadows. Don't ask why it's true, but that's what we have seen. When you find shadows on the water (from trees, etc), you know exactly where you need to cast your line.

Keep in mind that if there is no moon, you aren't out of luck. This is when the Evening Secret works best, you will really be impressed.

If the moonlight is not shining down on the water and there are no shadows, the fish will be much more scattered in the water, making your job of finding them much more difficult.
On the other side of the coin, it seems like the fish are more likely to hit when the moon is hidden, either by clouds or a quarter moon. So, the real trick is to use the moon to determine how you are going to fish that particular night.

If you have a bright, full moon, head for the shadows on the water. If you are on the water and the moon is nowhere in sight, you can go straight to your favorite spot and fish like you normally do, but expect to get more frequent and harder hits on your line.

This tip is especially true for bass, but it works with virtually any kind of fish at night.
Some anglers swear they only fish during a full moon, others say no moonlight is best. I say, both are best, you just have to alter your style depending on how much moonlight you have that night.

Try it out for yourself and see if you get the same results. This one tip alone has helped many anglers catch some of the biggest fish in their life. Hopefully it will help you do the same.

How To Make Your Own Glow In The Dark Fishing Lure

Learn how to make a glow in the dark fishing lure that will keep the fish biting.

A glow in the dark fishing lure is a great addition to any angler's tackle box. Sometimes the odd glow is just what is needed to excite lethargic fish into striking. These lures can be used successfully at night, during the day, and in about any situation. In this article we will take a look at the different materials used for glow in the dark fishing lures. We will also show you how to make your own glow in the dark lure.

The basics

Glow in the dark is just what it says, an object or material that can be seen in the absence of light. The most common objects are nightlights or plastic stars hanging in a child's bedroom. These objects store light then release it when no light is available. The glow produced can be applied to fishing lures. This glow attracts fish at deep water levels where there is little light.

Why glow in the dark lures work?

Glow in the dark lures work for one simple reason, the fish are able to see them better in deep water. As the depth of the lure increases, the color and brightness of the lure decreases until it looks gray. This is because colors of light can only penetrate the water so far. A luminous object like a glow in the dark lure keeps its color and brightness in dark places. Fish are able to spot the lure better because of this.

Materials needed to build your own glow in the dark lure

These lures are simple to make and a deadly addition to any tackle box. Here's what we need to get started:

2 ½" wooden dowel ½" diameter
Two treble hooks
¼" Eyelet screw (x3)
Glow in the dark paint
Paint sealant
Knife
Sandpaper
Towel
Pencil


We will be making a small minnow type lure using an acrylic based glow in the dark paint. This paint is sold online and at some paint shops. It comes in more colors than your standard green including blue, pink, and yellow. These are all excellent colors for lures so choose one that suits you. Paint sealant can be found at a paint or craft store and is used to waterproof the glow in the dark paint and seal it for added life.

Another option besides paint is to use glow in the dark craft clay. This clay can be purchased at any craft store and is a quick and easy way to sculpt effective lures. Once a lure has been made with the craft clay, it is baked in the over until it hardens. Hooks can then be added and it's off to the nearest fishing hole.

Put it all together

It's time to build our lure. Start by imagining the basic shape you want the lure to be. It should be fat at the head and skinny at the tail. Grip the dowel firmly at one end and place the other end on the towel angling away from you. To form the tail, we only want to carve the bottom half of the dowel right now. Using the knife with your free hand, place it against the dowel and cut downwards to whittle your shape. It is easiest to carve two flat sides opposite each other on the dowel then carve the top and bottom. It's up to you how skinny you want the tail to be. Remember we are just making a rough shape right now, we will smooth out the lure with sandpaper later.

Once the tail is done, flip the dowel over and firmly grip it. Angle it away from you on the towel and begin to carve the head. There should be a bump about ¼" of the way up from the end of the dowel to represent the head and increase movement in the water. The mouth of the lure should taper away from the head and be rounded at the end. Grooves or notches can be added with the knife to make a spot for eyes. Fish concentrate on a minnow's eyes when they are looking for a meal so it's a good idea to make them glow in the dark.

We now have the rough shape of the lure. At this point a lot of sanding needs to be done to produce the final shape and smooth the surface. Start with rough sandpaper and then use some fine sandpaper to prepare the surface for paint.

The next step is to come up with a design and use the pencil to draw it on the newly made lure. Horizontal or vertical stripes work well as do spots and random patterns. Again the choice is up to you. One simple design is to make three or four stripes across the back and draw two oversized eyes. Several spots are then drawn on the belly. The stripes and spots are later filled in with glow in the dark paint to produce excellent results.

When the design is on the lure and you are happy with it, we can start painting. One or two base colors should be used that do not glow in the dark. These colors should be acrylic based but any craft paint should work. Start by applying the base colors to the dowel. Each layer is brushed on and then allowed to dry. We painted the bottom half of our lure with white paint and the top half with green. After the paint has dried, paint in the details with glow in the dark paint. We used yellow for the stripes and pink for the spots. The eyes were then painted to glow green. After the paint dries, we need to seal it. Follow the instructions on your sealant to apply it to the lure.
It is a good idea to use multiple coats of sealant to keep the lure looking like new for a long time.

After the sealant has dried, we can add the hooks. Two of the eyelet screws are used at the bottom of the lure. One should be placed near the end at the tail and the other is placed just behind the head. Drilling a small pilot hole into the lure will make it easier to screw the eyelets into place. The treble hooks can then be attached directly to the eyelets or by using a wire ring. The third eyelet screw goes on top of the lure in front of the head. This is used to hook into a swivel when attaching the lure to your line. Again, drilling a pilot hole makes it easier to screw the eyelet in place.

Test your new lure

You should have successfully built a glow in the dark fishing lure now. The paint must be charged in order to glow. To charge the lure, hold it close to a light source for 5 minutes or so. The 5-minute charge will keep the paint glowing for 6-8 hours and can be tested by taking the lure into a dark room.

To fish with the lure, tie a swivel to the end of your fishing line and clip it onto the lure. Since the lure is light, some sinkers should be added to the line to weigh it down. Then just cast it out and reel it in and wait for the fish to bite. With a little creativity and some effort, a good glow in the dark lure can be produced. And hopefully the sport of fishing is more interesting now that you can make your own glowing lure.

How To Make Your Own Hook Remover

Hamby's Hookout is made from a 12-14" length of 1/2" PVC plastic pipe. Cut a curve slot about 1/3 the length of the pipe as shown in (A). This slots wraps approximately 1/2 way around the pipe. A shallow notch (B) is made directly opposite the slot. The pin (C) is a 1/8" "roll pin" found at hardware stores . A large nail will also work. Drill two holes in the end of the pipe just large enough to force the pin or nail through. A little "super glue" will help hold it in place. The pin should be slightly off-center towards the slot side of the pipe and (D). Grind the outside ends of the pin flush with the pipe. Use fine sandpaper and buff the entire end of the tool, making sure that the edges of the pipe are very smooth.

To use the Hookout, feed the line through the slot and slide the tool down to the hook. The shank of the hook lays on the slot side of the pipe, the bend end in the hook runs over the pin and through the notch (D). Keeping the line tight, push the tool to back the hook out. As you withdraw the tool, keeping the line tight will create a "cam" action, forcing the hook point to lay flat against the outside of the pipe, preventing re-penetration (E).

Ugly Braid - The Only Braided Line Strong Enough To Be Called Ugly!

From the makers of Ugly Stik®, the world's strongest and most sensitive rod, Ugly BraidTM combines amazing strength with superior fishing performance.Using advanced technology in both braiding and coatings, Ugly Braid provides strength, durability and effortless casting. Near zero stretch and outstanding abrasion resistance means instant hook setting power as well as the Ugly strength to land your catch.The result: You Catch More Fish!

• Ugly ArmorTM Coating:Ugly Armor provides maximum abrasion resistance with enhanced flexibility as well as a unique anti-fatigue property. Ugly Armor allows Ugly Braid to retain its original color longer.

• Ugly Strength:Ugly Braid is the perfect line for fishing in heavy cover or deep water and can stand up to the stress that the toughest fish can put on a line.

• Line Diameter:The beauty of using Ugly Braid is that the line diameter is smaller than monofilament, but the line is stronger, has less stretch and lasts much longer.

• Round Shape:Ugly Braid's micro weave process with Ugly Armor permeates the braided fibers, to keep Ugly Braid's round shape, resulting in longer, smoother and more accurate casts.

• Knot Strength:A dependable knot is key to keeping fish on your line and Ugly Braid knots are incredibly easy to tie, and retain their strength and power cast after cast.

How to find fishing lures that provide consistent strikes!

Fishing lures can sometimes seem like they're more for showing off to other anglers than they are for attracting lurking fish. They come in every shade of color in and under the rainbow. Some have frilly ends or metallic sheens, while others are designed to practically glow and flutter along in the water.

While some men get as giddy about lures and children do over the wares of a candy store, we must all remember that lures do have practical purposes. And sure, lures may comes secondary to doing the right prep work before you cast away. It may be more important, for instance, to learn the habits, tastes, and patterns of your prey first. But it's is also important to choose the right shaped and colored fishing lures.

Picking the right color lure, in fact, could help you draw out that fish that otherwise wasn't going to bother with your line. Basically, you want to base your color selections first and foremost on what sort of body of water you'll be working with. The dirtier and more opaque the water, the brighter colored you want your lure. On the other hand, if you're floating on a crystal clear lake, go with less eye-catching, more natural colors.

The tone of the color, and the number of colors, depends on this basic rule, too. If you're wading into murky muddy waters, go for heavy colors, or dual-colored, lures. For example, dark purple, black, or midnight blue shades can do, with the dual color effect of a red or orange tail. Whereas, in water where you can see the fish swimming around your feet, go with translucence with colors such as gray, pink, and clay.

Not only will you have a selection of lures that look pretty and are worth showing off to your chums. Your fishing lures will work no matter where you're at.

The Best Fishing Tackle Box in its Class

Because the Fish Won't Wait!

Say goodbye to the days of fishing for tackle instead of fish! The innovative horizontally-loading design of the Readi-Lure® fishing tackle box ensures fast and easy access to all of your bait and tackle. With the unique twin 4-drawer storage system and multiple removable compartments, bait and lures of varying sizes and shapes are easily reached. The fishing tackle box is made of a durable, translucent polypropylene plastic that is both lightweight when empty and allows nighttime content visibility with the assistance of a flashlight. The state-of-the-art octagonal design provides a variety of compartment sizes for storage of up to 200 fishing baits while keeping the fishing tackle box well-organized.

The Readi-Lure® fishing tackle box runs circles around the competition. With over twice as many removable compartments as either the Plano tackle box or Shimano fishing tackle systems, for almost the same price, the Readi-Lure® fishing tackle box gives the angler instant view and access to all tackle box contents at any time of day or night. Unlike other fishing tackle storage systems, the Readi-Lure® is no stranger to bad weather. Thanks to the soft rubber silicon seals securely placed on the inside lids, your fishing bait and tackle will be unharmed by wet weather and damp conditions.

Fishermen Catch Rare Ancient Fish

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania — Fishermen have caught a rare and endangered fish, the coelacanth, off the coast of the Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar, a researcher said on Monday.

The find makes Zanzibar the third place in Tanzania where fishermen have caught the coelacanth, a heavy-bodied, many-finned fish with a three-lobed tail that was thought extinct until it was caught in 1938 off the coast of South Africa.

Since then two types of coelacanth have been caught in five other countries: the Comoros, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique, according to the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Program.

"Fishermen informed us that they caught a strange fish in their nets. We rushed to Nungwi (the northern reaches of Zanzibar) to find it's a coelacanth, a rare fish thought to have become extinct when it disappeared from fossil records 80 million years ago," said Nariman Jiddawi of the Institute of Marine Sciences, which is part of the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania's commercial capital.

Trade in the coelacanth is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

"Zanzibar will join a list of sites of having the rare fish caught in its own waters," said Jiddawi, adding the catch weighed 59.5 pounds and measured 4.4 feet. Four fishermen caught the fish on Saturday, Jiddawi said. Mussa Aboud Jume, director of fisheries in Zanzibar, said that the coelacanth will be preserved and put on display at the Zanzibar Museum.

A statement of the Institute of Marine Sciences said that 35 coelacanths have been caught since September 2003 in Mtwara, a southern region of Tanzania, and mostly along the coast of Tanga in Tanzania's north.

Coelacanths are the only living animals to have a fully functional intercranial joint, a division separating the ear and brain from the nasal organs and eye, according to an Institute of Marine Sciences statement.

"What color of lure did you catch those fish on?"

I hear that on a never ending basis when I am out talking to anglers across the state. You catch a fish and someone invariably asks you that question.

Color is over emphasized. While color plays a minor role in your ability to catch fish, its not the primary reason why fish bite the offering. The first question should be, how were you fishing the lure, or what depth did he hit it.

But lest I digress, the focus of this article is color and how its choice can affect your fishing success.

The best overall strategy for choosing lure colors is to match the available forage as best as you can. It is important to do this when close imitation is the key to getting fish to strike. More so in clear water than any other water type. In clear water, fish can get a really good view of your offering at a reasonable distance. If it doesn't look like its supposed too, chances are, they aren't going to strike at it. This is the main reason natural looking forage colors are your best bet in these situations.

In dingy water situations, the color match doesn't have to be so limiting. In these situations, you should try bolder colors. Fire-tiger patterns, yellow, chartreuse, even reds and whites excel. Usually in these situations, I opt for metallic tones, such as bronze, gold or silver, depending on the weather conditions. The brighter it is, the lighter I go for maximum flash. If it is overcast, you will usually have more success with bronze or gold. Countless days fishing spinnerbaits and cranks brought this important aspect into focus.

I am not one for mincing colors. I usually stick with natural patterns, but I have a few off colors I reserve for special occasions. One is a metallic blue vibratail jig that perfectly imitates the minnows available in the Missouri river during June and July for white bass fishing. While I never put my finger on why, I found out through trial and error that the natural colors available at the baitshop didn't produce, even though they mimicked size and color almost perfectly. Perhaps it was a visibility factor in the slightly tinged waters.Perhaps it is because white bass key primarily on small shad. To this day, I can go out to one of my favorite points and within a few casts with this color pattern, I can have one or two white bass caught and released.

Thus, the mystery of color continues.

Perhaps indeed, it related to the time of day and available light. Darker colors seem to predominate in the twilight hours and the evening hours while brighter colors seem to work better as the light increases.Perhaps. Perhaps not. Depends on the body of water you are fishing. An instinctive angler realizes that he has to let the fish basically 'tell him" what they want through their responses to his different offerings. That is the gist of it all.

For example, when crayfish molt, they typically have a blue shell for a few weeks. But not all crayfish molt at the same time. If you are using natural crayfish browns and reds and having some luck, odds are you are going to stick with those colors. But knowing that blue shelled crayfish are softer and more often the target of gamefish then their harder shelled brethren should make you sit up and take notice. Most anglers I have found or fished with don't realize they have to take those little hints mother nature offers and use them to their advantage.

Forage color should be more important that the hot "new color ' that is the current rage. Every year it is a different color. For example. If the primary forage of a body of water is shad, Bluish silver should be a primary choice. If it is Bluegill, then blues, oranges and lighter shades of red are a primary choice. If it is perch, then yellow and black and dark olive colors would be a good bet. Smelt and you know its going to be silver. See where I am going with this?

There are some pros out there that say even the time of year can make a difference, emphasizing that darker colors work better in cooler water periods such as spring and fall and that wilder hotter colors should be the norm for warm water periods. I can see their justification to that, although I have some serious disagreements with it, having had some of my best luck in cold/cooler water periods with such off colors as hot pink and pumpkin colored lures. (The reason I tried the hot pink was because every angler I watched was using chartreuse or yellow and I figured if I gave the fish something different, it might trigger them).

Which brings me to my next point. If everyone is using the same colored presentation to catch fish, sometimes an oddball colored lure can be your best bet. If you exhaust your options with natural colors, then there is no reason not to try a color the fish haven't seen, as long as you present it the most natural way possible. This depends on what type of bait/lure it is and combine your retrieve rate to match the water conditions.

Everyone has a "lucky" lure which brings me to my final point. If you have great success with one specific color, then stick with it, but don't beat it to death. There is familiarity factor that goes with such lures and usually, an angler who finds a specific color to stick with usually is fishing the lure in a correct fashion which result is more fish and greater confidence.

Until next time...

Keep those lines wet!