Fishing

Now that you have caught your dream fish, do you know how to clean? Good job. You must be so proud of yourself. You have just landed the biggest fish of all. How do you clean it? You certainly don't want those ugly fish scales all over your wife's clean kitchen. Now? what to do. What about cleaning the fish before you leave your fishing spot. You will need a great knife to start with-a fish fillet knife. Spread out some old newspaper. Use a fish scaler or knife and work against the grain of the scale....

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When most people think of saltwater fly fishing their minds drift to tropical climates and fish species such as tarpon and bonefish. While the Pacific Northwest lacks the hot weather and the typical saltwater gamefish, it more than makes up for it with outstanding fly fishing and spectacular scenery. I have spent some time fishing in warmer climates, but I always want to return back to Washington State. Whether it's casting along the beaches of Hood Canal for sea-run cutthroat or fighting the swells and currents casting flies for coho salmon in the Pacific Ocean, I cannot get enough of the saltwater fly fishing opportunities available right here....

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You have just rolled out of bed, poured you coffee and there it is. You knew it was coming, but it is real, it is here. What am I talking about? It's not taxes, the Grim Reaper or even your in-laws coming for an extended stay. It is the first foggy Fall morning. If you have spent any time in the Northwest you know what that means. From here on out the weather will never get quite as hot as it did all summer, and the nights will be cooler. Sure, we may get an Indian Summer and some nice days, but the fact is, things are cooling off....

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Cutthroat Trout: Cutthroat Trout are generally found only in highalpine lakes or in some selected areas of the Pacific Northwest. The Cutthroat Trout is the original trout of the Rocky Mountains. Unlike Brown Trout which were originally introduced to theEastern United States, Cutthroat Trout are originally from theWestern half of the United States. What separates the Cutthroat Trout from other trout is thatCutthroat Trout are found primarily in remote and pristinelocations. Unlike their larger cousins, the rainbows and thebrowns, Cutthroat Trout tend to fare poorly in highly competitiveenvironments - especially when predatory fish like Pike areintroduced into their waters....

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In the text below I shall try to give a short overview of some of the basics when breeding crayfish. Particular species may have other behaviours and demands. It should be said that my main experience as an aquarist is with relation to fish, but I shall try to convey what little knowledge I have. Sexing Crayfish Sexing crayfish isn't always easy. The genital openings are located in different places on the body depending on whether it's a male or a female. Males have their genital openings behind/under their posterior pair of legs....

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As we stated in our article on Pacific Steelhead flies, the steelhead fisheries of the Great Lakes region has developed differently. First off the Erie steelhead has only been around a little over a hundred years. First planted in the 1880's, the steelhead nearly died off in the 1950's due to pollution in Lake Erie. But since the 1980's, intense stocking efforts by Ontario, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have been the reason for this area being nicknamed Steelhead Alley. Erie steelheaders use a wide array flies in their pursuit of this most worthy game fish....

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You knew it would come to this sooner or later.... I was sitting in one of my favorite fishing haunts the other day, getting yet another report from a recent Alaskan fishing trip, when I overheard a conversation between two local guides. "Todd sure had a great Springer season." "Yeah, nobody seemed to be catching any fish except him?!" "And did you notice the size of his HEAD...it's getting HUGE!!" "Must be all that rowing he's been doing all summer." "Yeah, that time spent on his BOWLEX in the off season is really starting to pay off....

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Like all bass fishing, bass fly fishing has exploded in popularity. The largemouth bass is considered by many the greatest of all gamefish. Once limited to just the Eastern United States, the largemouth bass has been introduced all over the continent. When most people think of bass fishing they think of, stiff fiberglass rods, heavy lines and large lures. But more and more fisherman are finding the advantage of fly fishing for this game fish. Advantages of fly fishing: Fly fishing allows the angler a wider variety of food imitations....

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If you have ever had the priviledge of hooking up on a big tarpon then you know the exhilaration and thrill of testing yourself in battle against one of the most sought after gamefish in the world. This distinction is easy to see at first glance as the tarpon starts a series of spectacular acrobatic leaps in the air that will have your heart pounding, your rod bending and your drag screaming. You better hold on! Since the tarpon's habitat is so close to the shoreline, fishermen of all types and skill levels can catch them....

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Night fishing is becoming more and more popular recently, and for good reason. Not only do you get cooler temperatures, less competition and congestion for the best areas, but there are also many more opportunities for bigger catches. When it comes to night fishing, do you need special bait? Yes and no. Depending on where you go, you may need to adjust the colors of your lures and plastics. In general, many fishermen like to use heavier tackle at night because it is easier to 'feel' the lure. Also, by using stronger equipment, it will be easier to land the bigger fish you will come across at night....

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In order to better understand why swordfish concentrate their feeding habits in certain depths on any given night or why the bite is better during different times of the month requires you to better understand how the effects of moonlight influence swordfish. Before you can understand how moonlight affects swordfish, you must understand the moon and its phases. The moon revolves around the earth in 27 days. The first phase of the moon at the beginning of its new revolution is what we call the "...

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Method 2 The second method that works really well for me is drift fishing. Lets start by explaining how drifting works. It's really pretty simple: you cast out bait and drag it behind or from the side of your boat while the wind pushes you along. Where to Fish The majority of Cat-men that I know all use the same rig, although their tackle will differ from one guy to the next. Whatever tackle they use, they are all dragging some kind of bait on the bottom. The big difference between most drifters and myself, however, is that I usually do not drift in water any shallower than 30 feet deep while most others like to fish much shallower, such as 10-20 feet deep....

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In 2004, I fished more lily pads than ever before? Why? Well, because I caught fish in them. I probably caught over 100 fish in the lily pads this year alone. Two were over 5 pounds and one over 6 pounds. So what did I do different this year? I'm glad you asked......I used a lure called the scum frog, green and white, not only that but I fished it different than ever before. You see, I used to go slow, I mean real slow, my way of thinking was that even though the bass is a fast swimmer, he would have a hard time catching up with the lure through the pads, if I retrieved it fast....

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These are busy times we live in. Running a full time business, having a five and a half year old daughter, and becoming the world's most prominent "fish bloggering idiot"--has certainly cut into my fishing time. It seems that the time I spend fishing has slowly been withering away as, more and more responsibility has been shrinking my free time. I have been wrestling with how to juggle these tasks and like most folks--realize there just isn't enough time in a day. So, I have decided that there is really only one solution to this dilemna, and have decided in the interest of catching more fish I am going to make a drastic change....

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For those of you that don't know this, fishermen by nature are a frugal lot. Being penny wise and pound foolish is standard fare, and I am no different. I recently noticed that the felt soles on my wading boots had become worn out on the bottom. I found this out the hard way, of course, discovering this while fishing on the river, going into my rendition of the "slick rock disco", and falling into "the drink".You would think I would have noticed that my felt soles had worn out and that I was now wearing hockey skates in the water, but with my wading boots being much like my car, I just get in them and go....

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