The Dbottino Weblog

When heading out for an evenings go at a local small water Trout stream, you might consider the following tips.

I suggest you use a Double Taper fly line versus a Weight Forward line. This fills up the spool a little quicker with less weight and is better suited for the many Roll Casts an evenings fly fishing on small streams usually requires. Also, use either an 8# or 12# backing line if you can find it. Not a real big deal but keeping the weight down on small stream outfits is useful.

Small stream fly rods do not normally require a very long casting stroke. A key to accurate casting with these short rods (5′ to 7′) is to execute both your back cast and forecast with a very short casting stroke, the shorter the better. Smooth acceleration to an immediate stop, almost like punching a wall, then hold the rod stopped until the cast is almost completely laid out….then drop your elbow (without extending your arm or body) to present the fly.

Another tip………to increase speed and accuracy very quickly…..AS YOU ARE EXECUTING YOUR BACK CAST……OPEN YOUR 3 LOWER FINGERS……control the rod with your thumb and fore finger. (keep the back of the rod handle up against the fleshy part of your hand) HOLD THE ROD WITH THESE TWO FINGERS THRU THE BACK CAST. ………Just as you are finishing your fore cast……SHARPLY SQUEEZE…..THE 3 FINGERS TOGETHER AGAINST THE LOWER PART OF THE ROD HANDLE and your thumb against the top of the rod handle……
THIS GIVES A FINAL, RAPID ACCELERATION TO THE STOPPING
of the rod…..SPEEDING UP THE LINE AND IMPROVING ACCURACY….TAKES A LITTLE PRACTICE BUT REALLY IMPROVES A CAST IN A TIGHT SITUATION.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you…I call this “The Squeeze Cast”….tricky name I thought……Best Joe @ Castitagain.

Joe Loughran is a Federation Of Fly Fishers Certified Fly Casting Instructor. Owner/operator of Castitagain, a web centric Fly Fishing business and publishes “Casting About In Cyberspace, a bi-monthly newsletter. Can be reached at http://www.castitagain.com

Saltwater fly fishing is all the rage these days. This excitement is quite understandable because there’s hardly anything more thrilling to a saltwater fly rodder than a bluefish blitz, a tailing red drum off the coast of NC, or a bonefish battle on the flats of south Florida waters.

If you are just getting started in saltwater fly-fishing, there are a few tips that will make your conversion from freshwater easier and more productive.

Get some gear just for fishing saltwater
You’re best bet is to get another fly rod and reel for your saltwater fishing adventures. Your freshwater gear is undoubtedly going to be lighter than may be necessary to deliver that big fly in a stiff offshore breeze, and you’re better off leaving your high-dollar equipment out of the punishing salt air.

Get a good 10 weight rod
There are a number of reasons you need to use heavier tackle. One is because you will need to make longer casts with larger flies in typically windy conditions. Another is because when you see that fish you need to deliver the fly IMMEDIATELY. Doing that will be considerably easier with heavier equipment.

Put your money in the rod
If you have to make a choice between spending money on rod or reel, choose rod. You can get away with a less expensive reel but you will not get the control you need with a cheap rod because it will flex more when you try to cast. The rod is more important than the reel.

Buy a reel made for fishing saltwater
You will still have to clean it after use but it will hold up better than one designed for freshwater.

Buy the best fly line you can afford
More expensive fly lines last longer and perform better than cheaper lines, it’s as simple as that. Your lines are the one place you can’t afford to pinch pennies. Also be sure to keep your lines clean and dressed with a good line dressing if you expect top performance from your lines.

Keep direct contact between your rod tip and fly.
Beginning saltwater anglers often do not realize the lighting speed at which a marine game fish is apt to strike. Every little bit of slack from our rod to the fly means a greater chance your hook-up will be unsuccessful.

Keep your rod tip pointed toward the water
Your best chance of hooking a saltwater game fish is by not lifting your rod from the water and setting the hook by stripping the line, keeping the rod pointed down before lifting it. Eliminate as much slack as possible between your rod and the fly and you will find your attempts will be more successful.

Try the shooting head system
Because of the heavy head section, a good caster can achieve a good 80 to 90 feet of distance with only one false cast. You may often find yourself in a situation where an 80 foot cast is sometimes not enough for open water fishing so a long cast with a shooting head is what is needed.

Fabulous flies
Keep in mind what your game fish eats and mimic it (most of the time). Sometimes the fish will only bite the bizarre, but usually you’re better off with flies that look like minnows, shrimp, crabs, worms, and various other small saltwater creatures.

Whether you are just getting started and testing your fly-fishing “wings” or are a veteran who simply loves the sport, give saltwater fly-fishing a try this fall or spring. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more exciting fly fishing adventure than a saltwater one.

E. A. Edwards is a free-lance writer with a variety of professional and personal interests. You will find more information about fly-fishing and fly-fishing gear on http://www.fly-fishing-guide.info

Originally published in Procats Online Magazine

Summertime angling for trophy-sized blue cats on huge reservoirs can be tough. Peer across an expansive lake and the sheer vastness will seemingly swallow you whole. Where do you start? Do you just go out and look around with a good locator and hope to see some arches and begin fishing? Based on past experiences you know two things. Sometimes you have to drift. Other times you’ll have to anchor. How do you know which to do first and what types of structure are you looking for that will hold big burly blue cats?

Procat pro-staffer Jeff Williams ardently targets big blues on Truman Reservoir and Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. A lifetime of big-lake catfishing has taught him a thing or two about catfish behavior in reservoirs, and according to Jeff you can put more fish into the boat if you learn a few keys to summertime blue cat location. Before we get into the fishing part let’s look at the two lakes Jeff fishes.

Lake Ledges

Many lakes around the country have different bottom styles from sheer drops down into as much as 180 foot of water on canyon terrain reservoirs, to relatively shallow featureless bowls with subtle drops in depth. Not all lakes are built alike but trophy-sized blues behave in similar ways wherever they swim – especially when it comes to relating to the same types of cover and depth according to the season you are fishing.

Ledge Blues

While Jeff targets cats in a variety of situations during the summer period, he reports that during the warm-water post-spawn period, drift fishing is in his most productive pattern for most days on both lakes for numbers of fish.

He looks for areas where the bottom has subtle rises and drops going from just below and well above the thermocline. “During the hotter water period, the thermocline is everything.” Jeff uses his locator to mark fish on gently sloping ledges with the right depth before he deploys his baits and begins a drift. “You can find fish holding on steep ledges in the summer but steep ledges are difficult to get the right drift to stay in contact with numbers of fish. I prefer gentle rises and drops in a long diverse bottom contour area. Once you catch a few fish, make a note at what depth you’re catching them in. If you’re catchin’ fish in 16 foot of water around a 12 foot hump – you’d better find some more 16 foot of water to drift around in.”

Why Drift During Summer

Jeff anchor fishes ledges, flats, trenches, wood cover, and steep drops during most of the year except during the hot-water post-spawn period. Big blues will hold on specific cover part of the time and roam around in tight areas looking for food before relocating during the cooler months which allows him to set up on a good number of fish. He still has to look for fish with his finder during the colder water periods but once he finds them, he can anchor up and fish a specific area. Jeff’s theory about blue cat metabolism may hold the key to understanding why he does better while drift fishing during summer and the opposite during the cooler water period.

“I think as the water gets hotter, their metabolism rises with it and the blues need to roam around searching for food a lot more. It seems that I have to move around a lot more as well so I drift over areas targeting the active fish and don’t worry about fish holding in one area. In hot water, when the fish are active – I can set up on them and by the time I’ve caught a few fish they’ve moved. When the fish are acting this way I feel like I’ve made the right choice by drifting.”

The Controlled Drift

Jeff admits that drift fishing for blues isn’t really targeting big fish specifically, but he is still targeting structure that holds big fish. He finds an area that is showing the right drift scenario according to his experience on his lakes. He looks for fish arches on his locator holding the right distance off the bottom according to the thermocline. He likes to see fish on the graph holding either really close to the bottom. “Somebody out there might have some success with these loosely suspended fish but I haven’t done well trying to target them yet.”

Make sure to read Part 2 of this article to learn more about catching monster ledge lunker blues!

Copyright © 2004-2005 Jeff Williams and Procats

Feel free to include a link to the rest of this article above the copyright information: ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com/ledge-lunker-blue-catfish.htm

You have permission to publish this article free of charge as long as you are not selling it and that you include the author bylines immediately visible with the article and, if published in an electronic medium such as on a web site, you provide a link back to www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com in the author bylines, both where the web address is listed as well as well as with the text “Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service”:

Jeff Williams runs a Truman Lake Hybrid Bass and Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service offering lodging and guided trips in Missouri. To book a trip, learn more tips, or find out how Capt. Jeff would fish your own local waters, call 1-866-HOOKSET or visit http://www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com today!

Fishing in Alaska is a dream come true for many an angler. The air and environment is clear and beautiful. The water is sparkling and what lies in that water is what has hundreds of people flocking to the state for the best fishing of their life. It is not unheard of to land a 35 pound King Salmon here and you will be amazed at the fish that are teaming in the waters.

In fact, you can catch that king salmon at up to weights of 50 pounds! You’ll also find huge fish including halibut, northern pike, Graylings, shiner perch, sturgeon, herring, and many, many more. Cod, walleye, flounder, crabs and shrimp are just teaming for you.

As for where to find them, you will need to check out the southeast region of Alaska. There are many locations to fish here and you can target just the fish species you are after. This is a warmer winter area of Alaska as well. But, still summers are cool and excellent for getting halibut on the move. Salmon migrate here to spawn and you’ll find a wide range of trout here too. Head to the locations between Bristol Bay and Cooper River where you’ll find many fish. You can also fish the coastal waters for halibut and ocean fish.

Make sure to check out Lower Cook Inlet. This is a popular location where you will be able to find Dolly Varden, a type of salmon. You’ll also find trout too in this area. You can dig for clams or fish for halibut and salmon off the coast. Another excellent location is in the Western and arctic regions. You’ll catch your fill of trout, pike, graylings, char and burbot here.

What To Take With You

Of course you will need your rods, freshwater and saltwater depending on where you head. Make sure to take twice as much tackle than you think you’ll need. Flies, weights, lures, a net, fishing line of several types, as well as pliers, waders, maps, and a compass are also necessary. Make sure to stock your first aid kit and include enough water in case you can leave the fish! For clothing, don’t forget you are in Alaska and you do need warm clothing, a fishing vest, sunglasses, hiking books, bug repellent and sunscreen. Check on getting the right fishing licenses too. Don’t forget your camera because these are truly some amazing locations not to mention the size of fish you’ll catch!

For bait, take a wide range of live bait. This could be prawns, night crawlers, crayfish, and razor fish. Look for frozen baits too. In artificial, take with you a wide range including lures, flies, streamers, spoons and spinners. Go for natural bit from the area if you can. You’ll find plenty of locations to purchase it in the area and of course you can find your own if you like. Don’t over bait though.

When heading off to fish in Alaska, it’s often wise to take with you a professional or to book a tour. These individuals can help you find the hidden locations where your fish are lurking. And, they can make sure that you see some of the best fish out there. Take the time to check out a few locations online and insure the organization’s quality. Then, head to the beautiful Alaskan country to get in some of the best fishing of your life.

Niall Pesci is a keen fisherman who is always looking at new tools to help him catch more fish. Visit Fish Finder Review for more information and great deals to help you find fish finders or other GPS and Sonar marine navigation systems. www.fish-finder-review.com

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