image from : keywestsailfish.com

The Best Trolling Fishing Lures

Author: Bill Ridger

Most fishermen know that trolling is a very effective way to catch fish regardless of where you are. Trolling works in both lakes, streams, in the ocean. If you have no idea what this form of fishing is all about, then I will be happy to explain momentarily, but first, lets discuss the matter of this article. In this article, I will be going over some lures used for trolling and how to go about using them.

One of the best trolling fishing lures is the spoon. Mostly used in the ocean and in rivers for salmon, the spoon reflects a great amount of light and therefore attracts a lot of fish, especially in the ocean. Many species of fish, such as mackerel, barracudas, and king mackerel are attracted to this reflection and often strike at the lure.

Another great trolling lure is the crank bait. Crank baits are great because they do not require any down rigging. Rather, the lip on this particular bait keeps it down. The lip on the front of a crank bait enables it to dive down. A fast speeds; a spoon will rise up to the surface and attract less fish. Therefore, fishermen have to use something to keep it at a certain depth. Crank baits are most often used for trolling in lacks. Species of fish like bass will strike at these lures.

When trolling in the ocean, another great lure is the squid. You have probably seen these umbrella like lures being used to catch marlin and sail fish.

The last trolling fishing lure that we will cover is the umbrella rig. This rig works great almost anywhere because it has a unique tactic. There is a group of lures upfront with one hanging to the rear. Fish often attack the one in the rear because they sense the weakness.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fishing-articles/the-best-trolling-fishing-lures-2798828.html

About the Author

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Fishing With The Right Line - Sure Way To Get A Catch

Author: Abhishek Agarwal
Irrespective of your place of choice, be it the deep waters of the open sea or the clear running waters of the fresh water rivers, you are bound to face challenges on every fishing trip. How you deal with the challenges depends on your fishing experience. The crux of solving every fishing problem is having the correct amount of patience and knowing the habits of the fish you are after.



It is important to get yourself well versed with the fishing laws of the place you plan to cast your line. Different places have different fishing rules and laws that need to be adhered to. It is also important to learn some fishing etiquette before you start t on a journey angling for the different fish at the various places in the countryside. Only then must you begin to learn the ways to use your fishing line and tackle.



If you want to make a success of your fishing hobby you must have the correct equipment for the job. You must know which fishing line is best suited for the particular fish you are after because getting the wrong fishing line will result in many problems such as lost catches and tangles popularly known as 'birds nests'



Basically you will find that the market has 4 different kinds of fishing lines to offer. These are 'monofilament' braided, fluorocarbon and fused fishing lines.



Monofilament Fishing Line

This is by far the most popular fishing line on the market and has been around for many moons. This kind of fishing line is well suited for almost all fishing situations. There is only one problem with this kind of fishing line, it tends to stay the shape it is stored in. So when you unwind the line after some tine you will find that he line stays curled or 'spooled'.



Braided Fishing Lines

This is the strongest fishing line available. They do not stretch and easy to see in the water as it floats easily. The disadvantage of this kind of line is its strength. It can cause serious abrasions on anything it rubs against such as the angers hands and fishing rod guides.



Fused Fishing Lines

These are very similar to the braided fishing lines with the only difference being the manufacturing process of the line. These are a number of filaments that are fused together with glue rather than being woven together. This makes it difficult to cut through with a sharp object and it also tends to slide around on the reel making it difficult to wind tightly. Fish can spot the line easily which makes catching them quite a challenge.



Fluorocarbon Fishing Lines

These are gaining popularity among as it is virtually invisible to the fish and easy to store. So, once you have experimented with all the four categories of fishing lines you are sure to choose the Fluorocarbon Fishing Line as your preferred fishing line.
About the Author:
Abhishek is an avid Fishing enthusiast and he has got some great Fishing Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 116 Pages Ebook, "Fishing Mastery!" from his website http://www.Fishing-Masters.com/772/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fishing-articles/fishing-with-the-right-line-sure-way-to-get-a-catch-776101.html

Trolling for Hard Water ‘Eyes

image from : lochmorar.org.uk

Trolling for Hard Water ‘Eyes
by Colin D. Crawford

Trolling has always been a way to find fish that are neutral or lethargic in the summer time. Trouble is when the water gets hard and ice forms it is really hard to go out and start trolling. Most ice augers even today do not cut a groove in the ice, but instead allow the anglers to drill a series of holes quickly and easily. This series of holes can be used by the angler to start his trolling run.

Using a depthfinder through the ice allows a degree of precision you can only dream about in the summer. While trolling, for example, you get a vague idea from your depth finder of the structural elements, like points and indentations in a drop off, and if the wind isn’t to stiff, you can more or less repeat a pass or hold your boat directly above a piece of fish holding structure. In the winter, however, you can literally mark an X above the tip of a point and walk a trail along a break line. You can map every detail of a reef and know for the rest of the winter where to dig your holes.

Such precise scanning of the bottom is possible because the depth finder reads right through the ice. Just squirt some liquid on the ice, place the transducer face down in the puddle, and note the reading. You can then move another 2 feet and take another reading. It’s possible to hone in on fish or on the most likely place to catch them before drilling a single hole.

Let’s say I’m working a sunken island that tops out at eight feet and is covered with vegetation that ends at 14 feet. I’ll drill holes all over the top of the structure that I’m going to jig in, and I’ll drill some more holes along the edge of the weeds where I’m going to place a tip-up.

I'll put the tip-up with a shiner minnow right on the edge of the weeds then go jig a lure in the shallower holes. You give the tip-up a half hour to produce something and if the flag doesn't pop, then move it to another hole.

If I don't get a bite on the mid-lake structure I know the fish are relating to the shoreline. Here you're fishing weeds, weed lines and drop offs. Drill a series of holes along the weedline first to give you an idea where the points, inside turns, and edges are. Then drill some holes here-and-there over the top of the weeds. Set the tip-up and shiner right on the edge and go jig in the weeds.

I like the spoon, which is a heavy metal vibrating blade bait, to search in the weeds for a couple of reasons. First, this lure is heavy enough to poke through any mats of vegetation and get right down underneath where the weeds thin out and the fish wait to ambush unsuspecting prey. Second, the lure vibrates and makes a sound that draws these aggressive feeding fish into the lures range.

I work a hole for about 15 to 20 minutes. I don't have a depthfinder transducer in the hole when I'm fishing like this because the lure is often under or in the weeds and it's impossible to see the lure or any fish.

In lakes where the weeds are sparse a depth finder can help you see the lure and show a fish if it moves up to the bait, but typically you're fishing in water less than 12 feet deep, so you can't really see fish on the sonar unless they are right on top of the bait.

Sometimes the tip-up gets a lot of action and the shallower jigging is not producing. When that happens I'll use the jigging rod in the deeper holes. On the weedlines I like to use a quarter ounce Northland Fire Eye Minnow and tip the treble hook with the head of a minnow.

Of course at this time of year it is hard to troll to find active fish, but in a sense you can apply the methods that you use in the summertime. Drill holes from the shallowest portion of the structure you are fishing and then continue to drill holes at various depths as the structure drops off into deeper water. Then instead of "trolling" along the structure you can use tip-ups to cover from the deepest to the shallowest point. Tip-ups enable you to cover more water than you could with a minnow and float. A flag can be seen from several hundred feet away. Most states allow you to use two lines and if you have a number of fishing buddies with you, you can cover the structure at various depths and in effect troll the edge of the structure.

For more information on fishing those hard water ‘eyes or any other species that swims, stop by Guides Choice in Eagle River, Wisconsin and ask to see the latest gear in for ice fishing or the upcoming fishing season.



This Fishing Article is brought to you by Colin D. Crawford
Source : http://www.walleyehunter.com/articles/crawford17.html

* Jig fishing made simple

image fishingwithrod.com

I remember my early days of bass fishing small farm ponds that were near enough to my home that I could ride my bike. I only carried two baits, a "Baby Lucky 13" and a "Jig and Pig". I would fish the the 13 as long as the topwater bite held up and then switch to the jig. Most days I caught enough to be satisfied but a few times I would pedal home with nothing. I guess thats why we call our sport "fishing" instead of "catching".

When I began to fish tournaments several years later, I put away the jig in favor of 4 and 6 inch worms and spinnerbaits. Was this a mistake on my part? You bet it was. This is not to say you can't be successful with those baits because I have, but in my opinion, the jig is undoubtedly the best lure ever invented.

In the last two years I have made the jig a mainstay in my TX fishing and as a result I'm winning more money and thats a pretty good combination, don't you think! Early on in my TX fishing I always seemed to have a limit and sometimes I would win or place high in the money but most of the time I always seemed to come up just short. With many team tournaments now going to 5 or 6 fish limits instead of 10, it is in the anglers best interest to focus on QUALITY over QUANTITY. I used to think you had to catch 30 fish a day to win a tournament and I'm here to tell you, nothing is further from the truth. All an angler needs is 5 QUALITY BITES, and let me tell you one thing I know for sure, 5 jig bites will outweigh 5 worm bites 9 times out of 10.

Now, lets get down to the basics. I try to keep my jig fishing simple stupid. I usually only focus on three things.

PRESENTATION
RATE OF FALL
COLOR

There are also two other key elements that we will look at later but for now lets focus on these three.

PRESENTATION

In my opinion presentation is the most critical factor in jig fishing. On days when fish are very aggressive all you have to do is present the jig close to where you believe the fish are holding and he will move to eat it. Other times however, your presentation must be surgically precise. A slighty errant cast on the anglers part may lead to an empty livewell come weigh in time. How many times have you made 10 casts to the same target and come up em- pty only to catch a 5lber. on the11th cast. Was your success the result of persistence, or was your 11th cast presented in a slightly different manner than the previous 10. I'm sure both reasons have merit but before you lay the jig down for the day, try to focus on being as precise as you can. Don't just aim for the stump, aim for a tiny part of the stump such as a twig or a dark spot. Remember, "AIM SMALL MISS SMALL'

RATE OF FALL

I'm convinced a slow fall will yield more strikes but there are times however that a jig rocketing to the bottom will get hit when nothing else will. Several factors affect the fall rate of a jig, such as, the weight of the jig, the size and bulk of the trailer you use, and the size of the line on your reel. I predominantly use 1/2 3/8 and 1/4 ounce jigs, and then adjust line and trailer size to achieve the sink rate that I think the fish prefer for that day. I usually want a slow fall in cold water and a quicker fall as the water warms. In all jig fishing, bottom contact or bait awareness is ctitical if you can't feel your bait you probably wont feel a fish either.

COLOR

Presentation in my opinion is the most critical factor in jig fishing, but color also plays a significant role as well. My Bass Stalker Jig box is stocked with only 5 or 6 different color combinations and 5 or 6 trailer colors. Stick with the basic color combinations such as, Blacks, Blues and Browns with contrasting skirt strands of chartreuse, red or blue for dirty water and translucent colors of Watermelon and Pumpkinseed for clear. Some of the jig colors that are designed to imitate crawfish patterns can be very effective as well. I think the most important to keep in mind in your color choices is to have some kind of contrast, more in muddy water less in clear. Remember keep it simple but don't be afraid to experiment either. If you hear that a particular color is working well where you are fishing, by all means try it, but keep the basics in mind as well.

In closing keep these simple thoughts in mind during the fishing day.

LOCATION

I would rather throw the wrong bait in the right place than the right bait in the wrong place. That sentence simply means, if there aren't any fish where your fishing then none of the above means anything. First and foremost you must locate the fish. Focus all your efforts on finding an area that you are confident the fish are holding in and con- trate your efforts there.

CONFIDENCE

I can not stress how critical confidence is to the fisherman. If you do not believe the area your fishing contains a population of fish or you do not have confidence in the bait or technique you are using, I can just about guarantee your efforts will yield a poor showing at weigh-in. Convince yourself that you have made and will continue to make the right decisions throughout the day.

I hope this article will help you to become a better jig fisherman now and in the future. I would be remiss if I didn't mention those who do so much for me.

Kevin Best is sponsored by:

Angler's Choice Bass Boat Superstore

If your in the market for a new or used boat, give Bill,Sandi, or Daniel a call at 1-540-632-5600 and you'll see why all their business is repeat business..

Triton Boats

Take one out for a test drive and I won't have to say anymore

Bass Stalker Jigs

Go to www.bassStalker.com and you will see a quality jig at a fair price. Jigs are available in rubber or silicone in an assortment of different colors.

Kevin Best
by Kevin Best, Angler's Choice Bass Boats Superstore Pro Staff

Adopted from : http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/articles/T140.htm