A small but smart step to making your gear last, thanks.
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Early season wading, watch for the depressions in the back bays you may not know about.
Dont use a light when fishing the dark hours. I heard they have very sensitive eyesight.
Hey rip you can use it when you are unhooking your fish or re tying something that broke off. The thing that gets a lot of guys mad is if you are fishing near other guys and shine your light or headlights on the water like a lighthouse. If fish are feeding in close at night it could push them offshore.
Other than that, get yourself a cheap led headlamp with different intensities and a red light as well. $15 at wally world and you're good to go. Use the red instead of the white for most things you would do at night, you should be golden.
And turn away from the water when using it.
I have learned to do exactly what you guys said. I bought the headlamp. It has three settings with the third being red lights. Pretty cool toys. Is it march yet. Man I cant wait to start fishing already.
Line tips - Store line in a dark place under moderate temperatures.
While fishing, check your line often for nicks and abrasions by running the last several feet of line between your thumb and fingers.
Replace the line on each reel when it shows signs of wear. (Buying line in larger spools will avoid waste of excess line left on smaller spools.)
Always buy premium line. You get what you pay for! A couple of extra dollars now may save a lot of cursing later.
Do not expose line to chemicals such as gasoline, which may cause it to deteriorate.
Clip off several inches of line and retie to the lure frequently, especially when fishing heavy structure or catching fish or if a knot appears in the line.
This has been discussed before but decided it was worth talking about again. Fishing logs can be a great help. Here are some details on how to get started and what to log.
- Designate a notebook to be used as your fishing log.
- 2
Mark general information at the top of a new page before you start fishing that includes: Date, Water Name, Specific Location (“below dam”, “7.3 miles after turnoff”, etc), Start Time, and Fishing Partners.- 3
Make mental notes of each fish caught and how you caught it. This includes: lure or fly used, type of water, water depth, lure depth, retrieval type and retrieve speed, and time caught. Alternatively, you can keep a small notepad in your tackle box or fishing vest and quickly jot down this information after catching each fish.- 4
Observe weather conditions while you fish, including air temperature, cloud cover, wind speed, and precipitation.- 5
Observe water conditions while you fish, including water temperature, water level, and water clarity.- 6
Observe insect hatches while you fish.- 7
Use a fine mesh net to seine the water for insects or small fish which may be an important food item to imitate.- 8
Write down the aforementioned information in your fishing log when you change fishing locations or at the end of the day.- 9
Complete the fishing log entry at the end of the fishing day by writing down information such as: End Time, Best Hours Fished, and General Notes from the day. It may also be useful to sketch a map of the area fished and indicate good fishing locations and poor fishing locations.
Transfer the written fishing logs to a computer for easier searching and analysis. The best option is to use computer software designed specifically for maintaining fishing logs. There are web sites designed for this as well as standalone software programs. A more basic and less desirable option is to keep all of the fishing data in a spreadsheet or other document.
Keep track of specific locations fished by using either a GPS receiver or by tracking mileage using a car’s odometer.
In the US, most river water levels can be found at the USGS web page.
Keep a small notepad and pencil in your fishing vest or tackle box to make note of weather and water conditions as well as fish catch information.
http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-Fishing-Log
Spend the time out on the water. Don't think you will be a pro after a month of being out there. The more time you put in ;the more you will learn.
Don't get set in your ways. Patterns and good bites change from year to year depending on the conditions and bait.
Tie good knots
Don't forget a big cooler and ice for all the fish you catch.
Picking out the right tackle is important.
Choosing your flats fishing tackle
Just as any mechanic will tell you that having the proper tools makes the job easier, having the proper fishing rod and reel will make your day on the water more productive and enjoyable. With hundreds of sizes, makes, and models to choose from, how does one know which one will work best?
If your budget allows for only one rod and reel, you must first determine what type of area you will be fishing most frequently and what species you will be targeting. For general flats, when targeting species such as trout and redfish, choose a spinning rod of at least seven feet that will allow you to make long casts. Select a rod with a medium action which will throw light lures a reasonable distance yet still has a fast tip to give topwater baits the proper action. If you are going to be spending most of your time targeting snook around docks or mangrove shorelines, a shorter, stouter rod will assist you in presenting your baits and pulling the fish out of the structure.
Spinning rods come in one, two, and even three piece models. Unless you need to break down your rod for travel, I suggest a one piece model. Higher priced rods will have more guides that have better resistance to corrosion. Although you can buy some cheap indestructible rods, spending a bit more money will get you a rod that is lighter and casts more efficiently.
Most saltwater spinning reels are sized with a number system with a 1000 being the smallest and 8000 the largest. A 2500 size reel works well for flats fishing. Filled with ten pound braided line, this size is light enough to allow for comfortable casting all day yet can hold enough line to handle any redfish or trout.
When selecting a reel for flats fishing, a smooth drag is essential. In general, as the price of the reels increase, so does the quality of the drag, the smoothness of the gears, and their resistance to corrosion. To keep your reel in top working condition, wipe the exterior with a wet towel after each exposure to salt water. Periodically lubricate the pivot points and line roller bearing with a small amount of reel oil. Purchase a cover and keep it on your reel when you are transporting it to prevent scratches. A well maintained reel will give you many years of use.
http://www.examiner.com/x-38147-Flor...rss-Recreation
When the water is cold for the early season, a good choice is clams or worms.
Hold your rod. Don't leave it in the spike. You will miss hits in turn you will miss fish. This technique is used in the early part of the year.
That's a good point rip however, if you happen to fish several rods and can't hold them all keep a close eye on them. If that poles bends you better be ready to run and set the hook.
Rip,
I'm okay now. Let's go fishing.
Dreaminofishin, I emailed you like three times. I went on Sunday. Didn't catch any but it was a blast. The end of this week is going to get a little cold again which might put the brakes on what has been turning out to be the start of the season. I will try to contact you the next time I plan to go which will be REAL SOON. FEEL BETTER.
When fishing with topwaters, make sure you wait a second then set the hook. Otherwise you risk pulling the lure out before the fish has a good grasp of it.