WORM FISHING BASICS.

Like most methods of fishing, some require additional skills like “reading the line”. Others require us to use our “sixth sense” to detect those soft or delicate bites from bass. Well welcome to the world of worm fishing, because this is a combination of everything I just mentioned and more! NOTE: When I use the word worm, I am also referring to other soft plastic shapes and creatures, which can be fished by these methods. The need for sensitivity with worm fishing is the number one skill you must perfect if you are to be successful, whether you’re using a four-inch or a twelve-inch worm. When I first began fishing worms as a child dangling them under a bobber, the worm did all the work. Now, when using the plastic worm, you will have to make the imitation look so good that the fish just cannot refuse it.

So you wanna be a guide?

Ahh, the life of a fishing guide, what a piece of cake, go fishing and get paid for it. What could possibly be better? Well, I’ve completed 16 seasons (now retired) and let me tell you right now, there’s more to it than you’d think.

Don’t get me wrong, I dearly love my time on the water with clients, but there are times….

Bass Fishing In Winter

Fishing for bass during the late fall and winter months can be a daunting task. During the regular season, you have identifiable structure to fish, vegetation is in bloom and the sun offers you shaded areas, which will produce fish during the heat of the day. Winter however does not give you any of those visible signs.

So what do you do? Well once again, you must turn to your understanding of the bass and its lifestyle during these “lean months”. When I use the word lean, I am referring to the food chain which can be drastically reduced by the elements. Exceptionally cold weather can kill smaller fish and aquatic life leaving the bass only a limited diet for three or four months. You will often hear bass fishermen talking about the “big feed” prior to winter, when bass will eat anything and everything to carry them through to spring.

90% of the Game is 100% MENTAL! (with thanks to Yogi Berra!)

It had been a tough few weeks leading up to the CFT (Canadian Fishing Tour) two day tournament on Lake Ontario, here in Canada.

I had discovered a small army of largemouth bass under two trees and decided to hang my hat on them, staying there for the next few weeks, supplying me with enough fish to win this tournament. Sadly when I went there the week prior, they had vanished!

A New Field Editor for OutdoorFrontiers

We have a new contributing field editor to the OutdoorFrontiers family who will be sharing information on the wonderful world of bass fishing. Say hello to Charles Graham MacLeod-Stuart. Charles is known throughout the USA and Canada as “The Bass Doctor”.

OutdoorFrontiers Video News

Previous members of OutdoorFrontiers.com will no doubt see many changes in the site. However, if you were a member before, you’ll see we’ve added some features that I’ve been wanting for some time.

Something that this new website does give us here at OutdoorFrontiers is an increased video capability! And that’s something that I’m really excited about.

First Ice is on the Way

The first winter storm of 2009-2010 is now beginning to abate. Water temps in the inland lakes have fallen sharply, and before week’s end, some of them will begin to form their first crust, eventually expanding to cover the entire body of water. Before you know it, the raspy-crunchy sound of augers will begin to be heard. I can hardly wait~

Somewhere right now, somebody is looking longingly at their ice fishing gear gathering dust in the garage or a spider-webbed basement, and that familiar itch is beginning. It’s the type of itch that calamine lotion and Benedryl won’t eradicate, quite the opposite in fact, only winter air with a sharp bite, accompanied by quickly reddening cheeks will satiate this winter malady.

Episode 1 of OutdoorFrontiersTV

The official show description simply says, “Episode 1 – Manitoba Bears & Bows – Come along with Steve as he travels to Manitoba Canada for his first spring black bear hunt with Rupertsland Outfitters.” But that doesn’t even tell half the story.

To say it was an unusual and exciting hunt is an understatement! Deep in the bush in Manitoba, Canada with Rupertsland Outfitters, it was an adventure simply getting to the stands for the hunt. We would travel on atvs anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours just to get to the stands, and that was a ball in itself. It was during this hunt that I discovered a Polaris Sportsman 400 will float with me on it!

New Wisconsin Record Buck

On September 20, 2009, in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, bowhunter Wayne Schumacher heard the sound of a twig cracking underneath his treestand. Looking down, Wayne could see part of a buck’s rack and knew it was no ordinary deer!

For a few tense moments, the giant buck tested the wind and finding nothing, proceeded to head for a nearby food plot. At 15 yards, the buck paused, quartering away. Wayne (trying desperately to ignore the antlers), drew, anchored and sent the arrow on its way. Confident the shot was good, he watched the buck bolt away, looking “like a moose running through the grass.”

Your Ice-Fishing Success Depends Upon You

I’ve been on the water often enough over the decades to know that the barometer will affect your fishing success, but the degree to which it plays a part, often depends upon the fisherman him/herself. The need to slow down one’s presentation is often difficult to recognize, much less make a very necessary, immediate transition, especially when you’ve been out several days in a row with the fish banging your lure or minnow as soon as, or before it hits your favored fishing depth.

I frequently state, “I let the fish tell me what they want.”