A recent question sent to my private email had me typing an answer. The answer became so long and involved that I realized if one person had this question, that there were probably a bunch of other people out there with the same questions about nets.
It seems that this should be a pretty simple answer, I mean; a net is nothing more than a flexible basket with a hoop and a handle. Pretty basic stuff, right? Well, yes and no.
My first introduction to lipless crankbaits, was when I won twenty of them in a raffle on Lake Cayuga in upstate New York. The following week, I tried in vain to catch fish with this noisy, skinny looking object. What I did catch was wood, weeds and rocks. So the lures remained in the bottom of the tackle bag collecting dust like so many baits that I believed were for catching fishermen, not fish!
Is this the year you get your offspring on the ice? Each season I try and take youth on the ice who have either never been ice fishing, or don’t have an outlet to go. I don’t worry about broken lines or lost lures. I do however keep initial forays close to home and take along lots of extra gear in case they get wet feet by stepping into a hole. It happens, but what’s important is for them to know that winter fishing can be just as much fun, if not more fun than fishing in the summer.
With so many lures available on the market today, it is often a daunting task to decide what is good for a particular situation, time of day, water clarity and temperature. The jerkbait is a lure that can produce quality fish for almost all situations, in both still and moving water. What is more, the adaptability of this bait makes it a “go to” when crankbaits or spinnerbaits are not producing.
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.
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….
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.
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!
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”.
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.
Outdoor Frontiers is not only a web site, but a multi-media outdoor destination, where we combine television and the internet. Welcome.
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