7 More Tips For Saltwater Fishing

8. Most anglers try to set the hook too soon. Wait a few seconds before setting the hook. A good indication of when to set the hook is when the fish puts pressure on the line.


9.When releasing a fish use wet hands to handle the fish. It helps the fish.


10. A tired fish needs more help when releasing it. Move the fish's body a little until his respiratory system is restored.


11. Occasionally soak your reel in fresh water for several hours to remove saltwater from the reel and line.


12  Check and cut back your line if it feels gnawed or rough. This prevents the line from breaking when landing a fish.


13. Try to use fresh bait instead of frozen bait. In the case of shrimp go to the local market and buy  shrimp that is fresh. You will get more strikes.


14.To use scented baits rig them like you would natural baits but reel them in slowly, as slow as you can.


15. When presenting lures and fresh bait try to immolate the fish's natural prey.
These tips should get you going to a more enjoying fishing trip.


 Happy fishing.


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Fishing Rod Basics

Ever been to your favorite fishing store and looked at all the fishing rods available and wondered which one to choose?
Here are some things to consider:
What size lures or bait are you going to use?
What type of fishing are you going to do?
There are three basic types of rods to choose from:
     1. Fly fishing Rod-start out with a prepackaged outfit in the 6 to 8 pound range. The larger pounds are for larger fish. Prices vary with the manufacturer.
     2. Spinning Rod - my favorite. These types of rods are the most popular today. They can be used either for heavyweight or lightweight fish. I  recommend a 7 to 8 foot rod so that it is not too long and not too short. They are great for inshore fishing .These rods are used with spinning reels  hence the name spinning rods. They are perfect for beginners  because of the backlash problem with casting reels. You can also cast a smaller lure such as 1 to 4 ounces on a spinning rod. Look at the base of the rod where the handle is. It will give the specs of the rod. The recommended lure weight and line weight of the rod. They can be used either for heavyweight or lightweight fish. Generally speaking a good quality rod with have graphite guides distance 1 foot apart. This is the part you run your fishing line through. Action is important and we will discuss that later.

      3.Casting rods-use these with casting reels. Pound for pound these rods are stronger then spinning rods. They have smaller guides since the line is coming straight off the spool. Also more guides are used to prevent the line from touching the blank. Casting rods are used for jigging and bottom fishing and handle heavier lures than spinning rods.
4. Surf rods-These rods are used on the beach and are designed to cast further out into the ocean. Bottom fishing is what these rods are used for. They range in size from 10 feet and up. If you plan to cast all day long a 12 to 15 can be hard to use. A good surf rod to get is a 12 footer with a lure weight of 6 ounces and you can also put it bait on it and stick it in the sand spike.

There are three main types of action of a fishing rod:
(The flexibility of a rod is its action and describes the bend of the rod when it loaded with a fish).
1. Fast action is where most of the bend is at the tip. The fishing rod is considered stiff.
2.Moderate action is where the bend is at the tip plus in the middle part of the rod.
3.Slow Action: This rod is the most flexible, it bends well into the butt end of the rod.
Which should you buy? It depends on the fish you are targeting. If you just starting out to fish I would recommend the moderate or medium action.




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7 Tips for Better Saltwater Fishing

In the following you should find some helpful tips for the pro and novice alike.

1. You want lures that are bright and shinny. Before putting them away in the tackle box rinse them off and dry them.


2 You will get more strikes if you don't use a wire leader. Use  50 lb monofilament instead. If using a wire leader don't use a swivel.  Make a loop in the line with a Haywire Twist, and tie the doubled mono to the line loop with an Albright knot.


3. For the best lure action use a loop knot when attaching the lure to the line.


4. When fishing turbulent water use top water lures. The fish see them better.


5. Use circle hooks when possible.Their hookup rate is as good or better than the conventional J-hook. They also won't tear up a fish's throat.


5.To keep bait fresh and alive, wrap the bait in newspaper instead of just setting it on ice in a cooler. The bait will last longer.


6. Cool water is critical in keeping live bait alive. Incoming water is the best way to circulate oxygen to the bait but it an aerator is used change the water every few hours to remove the waste and replace the oxygen in the water.


7.The best way to connect a large diameter line to a smaller line is to use a connector knot as it passes through the rods guide better.


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Basic Saltwater Gear You Need

Before you start fishing be sure to get a saltwater fishing license if required in your state.
Before you start your exciting journey into the fishing world there are some basic equipment you will need before you catch the big one.
A fishing rod and reel. When choosing a rod and reel make sure it is suited for saltwater fishing. Also consider if the rod and reel are balanced. If you purchased the combo at a tackle store then chances are it is balanced. If you are new the sport go to Walmart, an ebay store, or even local tackle shop. Tell the salesman what kind of fish you want to catch ad they set up with a good rod and reel combo.
If you are a amateur fishmen get a spinning reel; don't start out with a bait casting reel. They are too much to handle if starting out.Try to get a medium action rod about 7 ft or greater with fishing line of 12 lbs or more. You can use it in the surf and on the pier. In saltwater fishing I tend to wade alot in the surf with lures.


If you planning to bottom fish with bait or use lures you need a leader. Unlike freshwater fishing those saltwater fish have teeth and will bite your line off!!


You need a pair of pliers to handle the fish and a small tackle box to hold your lures, hooks,leaders, bobbers, and weights.


For bottom fishing the hooks you can use is a size 4 and I find the circle hooks work best, and for weights try #1 or more pyramid weight or a bank weight. If the surf is choppy and your bait is rolling around in the surf increase the weight size.


The best time to fish I find is high tide. If you want to catch flounder go at low tide.


If you plan on using lures try spoons, 2 in plastic grubs, top water plugs, and anything you like.Just reel the lure in slow.

The best bait for bottem fishing is to use is shrimp. All fish will hit shrimp. Hook 'em in the back with your hook and cast out there!!!


Other gear you will need is a small cooler with ice to keep your bait cool. Also good to put your catch in to keep your fish fresh.


Sunglasses, sun screen, hat, snacks, cellphone and something to sit on.


Hope this helps you get started in the wonderful sport of saltwater fish!!!!


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Finding the Fish

If you want to find the fish you have to read the beach!!




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Discover Techniques To Catching Spotted Seatrout

These tasty fish can be found in the Gulf of Mexico up the eastern coastline to Virginia.The average size is 1 to 2 pounds with some attaining 5 lbs. 17  lbs 7 oz is the world record. Seatrout are part of the drum family of fish. They are known as salmon trout, seatrout, black trout, winter trout, gator trout, and spotted weakfish to name a few. They have black spots on their tail, back, and dorsal fins. They have a white belly with silver, yellow body.
What is the time of year to fish?
You can find them in water temperature in the low 60's to low 80's. In the winter they migrate to deeper water.
What do they eat?
They eat shrimp, preferable live shrimp and other crustaceans. The bigger seatrout eat small fish such as mullet., pigfish, and pinfish.
Where To find them?
Near shore in grassy areas and sandy bottoms. They can be located near a pier or inshore where there is grass.
How to Catch Them?
.
Try fishing early mornings and late evenings. You can also catch them on overcast days.
They spook easily. If the fish sees you he will move. Sometimes they can be hard to catch.
One technique is throw a lighted float at night in the water and fish around the float with live shrimp.
People do catch them from the pier. Throw a float out with 2 to 3 ft of line on it with live shrimp early in the morning and make a popping noise with the float. This is a fast whipping action of the rod from 2 o'clock position to 11 o'clock position. That noise attracts seatrout thinking another one is eating.
For lures use floating castana and the boone spinana . Twitch the bait  erratically and wait. Red and white seem to be the best color. You can also use Mirr-o-Lure's Top Dog and walk it across the water. Try silver or gold spoons, or bucktails. For soft plastics try the curly tails with 1/4 oz jig head.
For Equipment use a 6 to 8 ft fast  action spinning rod with 10-20 lb fishing line. The hooks can be 1 to 5 in size.
One word of caution, in most states there is a size limit to them and how many you can catch.. Check with State Game & Wildlife people. Or you can ask your local bait and tackle shop for the size and creel limits. Happy Fishing!!!


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Three Methods of Catching Flounder

Ever want to catch flounder?


There are many ways of catching flounder but the three easiest ways are using a bobber, using the fan method on the beach, and dragging your bait under a pier or around a dock.
When using a bobber you want to position the bait about a foot to six inches  off the bottom. Use a 2/0 size circle hook. You can use cut bait, shrimp,  cut shrimp, mud minnows, and finger mullet. When using mud minnows or  finger mullet hook them thorough the lips. If you are using live shrimp hook them just behind the horns on their head. Just let the bobber set there until you catch a fish. If it is a flounder hitting your bait the bobber will go thump. Wait at least thirty seconds before you set the hook. You have to be patient with flounder as he has to swallow the hook.


Another method is using the fan method. Here you cast your lure or bait in different positions to cover more ground. For example cast at the 10 o'clock position and drag your lure or bait across the bottom as slow as you can until fully retrieved. If you don't catch any fish cast again at the 11 o'clock position and retrieve slowly again. If you don't catch a fish then continue this pattern until  after you get to the 3 o'clock position after which time you can physically move to the next area to fish, then start the fan method again. With the fan method you cover more ground thus probability of  finding the fish.


The last method of catching flounder is jigging near a post on the pier or a dock. You start at one end of a pier and jig a lure or bait next to a post or piling say maybe 10 to 15 times to catch flounder. If you don't get a strike then move on to the next post working your way down the pier or dock until you catch something. Another thing you can do is cast your lure or bail  directly underneath the pier between the post and reel it in slow as slow as you can. This will also produce strikes from flounder. Again they like to ambush their prey so take it slow and of course be patient when they do bite before reeling them in.


When catching flounder you might want to use a fishing net because they flop around a lot and get off the hook. But most importantly have a good time fishing; it's a wonderful past time and good luck to you!


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