Where Are The Fish?

Location, Location, Location. I can't stress this enough. If you can't find the fish you are wasting your time.Why go home empty handed? In order to find the fish you have to read the beach. There is a lot of water out there that don't hold the fish. To read the beach visit http://readingthebeachtofish.webs.com.


Another method to use in finding the fish is the fan method.This is done by not casting in the same spot every time and you will find the fish. If using lures, cast your lure in the nine o'clock position and do the presentation of the jig you have selected, retrieve it, then cast in the ten o'clock position. Repeat the presentation, retrieve the jig and cast out in eleven o'clock position. Continue to cast out and retrieving until you get to the three o'clock position. If you don't get any strikes during these casts then you might want to move to another location until you find the fish.


Look for bait fish in the water. Usually if you find the bait fish there are fish in the area feeding on them. Also, watch for birds feeding by diving into the water. They are a good indication there are fish in the area.


I hope these tips help you. Good  Luck fishing.

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What Saltwater Reel to Buy

Saltwater fishing reels are categorized into two distinct kinds, spinning and bait casting.
Spinning reels are opened faced. You flip the bail and the line goes out when you cast. When you close the bail it stops the line from going out and makes it stationary.


Spinning reels handle smaller baits for light saltwater fishing. They are easier to use and are great for inshore saltwater fishing. They handle a line capacity of 8 to 15 pounds. They can be top ultra light reels, top light reels, and top heavy spinning reels.Top ultra light reels handle 6 pounds or less test line, top light reels handle 6 to 15 pound test line,  while heavy spinning reels handle 15 pounds and up. Heavy spinning reels are used for surf fishing to trolling and deep water fishing.


Bait casting reels are harder to use than spinning reels. With bait casting reels you have to put your finger on the line on the spool to control the action of the line. If not careful you get a backlash. This happens when you don't allow the right pressure from your thumb onto the reel. The backlash can become a real mess. This type of reel is more accurate and your line with the lure will go further out than the spinning reel. You can also use heavier line with this reel. Many saltwater fishermen use this type of reel for heavier lines and bigger fish .

Three things to consider when buying a reel are what kind of fish are you targeting, your method of fishing,and experience. Targeting the species of fish requires different rods and reels that enable you to catch fish under certain conditions. Your method of fishing plays an  important part. If fishing from a boat you are able to fight the fish better than fishing from land. Last but not least is your experience. If you new to fishing get the spinning reel. When you purchase either reel I would practice by putting on a weight on the end of the line and cast a few times with your new reel in the backyard or open space until you feel comfortable with it.


How to take care of your new reel?

After each fishing trip you need to take care of a new reel. Start by clipping the line off where it might  be worn, this is usually 10 to 12 feet from where you attached the lure. Wash the reel with baby shampoo on a wet rag. Again, using another wet rag,  wipe down the reel with tap water. This will get the salt off your reel. Do not spray the reel down directly. This might cause the salt to get inside the reel and ruin the inside .It is better to wipe it down with a wet rag. Then lubricate the moving parts with reel oil and wipe the excess with a dry rag. Then the reel is ready to go for another fishing trip.


Where to buy your saltwater reel? I would go to your local fishing tackle shop and ask the salesman questions about the reel you are interested in. I am sure he will steer in the right direction. Go luck fishing!


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How to catch Red Drum

Red drum also known as red fish, range from Maine to Florida including the Gulf of Mexico. They are part of the croaker family  and can be identified as reddish in upper body with a black spot on their tail.They usually don't migrate with spawning  from late summer to fall. Males mature at 4 years up to 30 inches with females maturing at 6 years and averaging 35 inches. They usually travel in schools and are a lot of fun to catch as they are fighters.


Red drum feed in shallow areas and eat shrimp, small crabs, and clams. You can find them where there is sandy, rocky, and muddy bottoms and they are bottom feeders. The fishing season is year round, but fall is the best time to catch them.


How do you catch them?
You can fish from shore or from a drifting boat. I've caught them near boat docks. You have to be quiet thought as they spook easy.


Fish on the bottom and use fish finder rigs with cut bait, crabs, squid, shrimp or clams. Live shrimp can also be used with a cork, although the best method is fish finder rig. You can also use spoons, buck tails, flies, or jig's.


For equipment I use a 6 to 7 foot moderate rod with 20 to 25 pound test line. If surf fishing use a 10-12 surf rod with a spinning reel with line in the range of 20 to 25 pound line.
Red drum are a lot of fun to catch as they put up a fight and their meat is very tasty too.


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When to Fish the Tides and Lure Selection

Here are some things to consider when surf fishing.


Tide is important. Most people fish the window 2 hours before high tide through 2 hours after high tide. The premise being the fish come in to feed during this time.


Weather is important. If it is cloudy it will dictate what color lures you will use. For soft plastics use dark colors such as black, gold and different shades of gray and bright colors such as chartreuse, chrome and white on sunny days.


Also considering the color of the water. If it is clear use a color that resembles the bait fish. If the water is stained use a neutral color such as blue and red. They appear neutral to the fish because of the water color.


Good Luck Fishing!!!


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Surf Fishing The Quick Start Guide to This Exciting Sport

I remember starting out in surf fishing wondering where do I catch the fish? What techniques do I use? What type of tackle is required? Where do I find the bait? When is the best time to fish? How do I catch more fish? How do I catch the bigger fish like the old salt pros do?
I wanted to know the following:


What tackle to use without spending an arm & a leg!

How to catch free bait!


How to read the surf and find the fish!


How to know the best times to fish and when the bite will be on!


How to know when to change your technique and when to do it!


How to make your own surf rigs!


What lures to use to catch the big fish.


I was a newbie and wanted a lot more information I couldn't find them on the internet. Who has time to do all the research? I wanted to catch bigger fish now! The solution is Surf Fishing A Beginners Guide. This e book answered all my questions and so much more. Randy Meyers is and experienced angler who has done it all and much more. His e book is packed with all kinds of information for newbies and experienced anglers a like. Take a look at it at Surf Fishing

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Secrets to Catching More Fish

The weather and the moon phase affects the fish eating habits. You will tend to catch more fish during this time.


When a front moves in it affects the air temperature, barometic pressure, wind and sometimes temperature of the water.The fish are more actively feeding a few days before the front arrives.
This is the best time to fish. The fish will sense a change in the weather and will feed more heavily.


After the front moves through wait a couple of days for things to settle down before you fish again. The fish have to become accustom to the weather change.


The moon phase also plays an important role.The best time to fish is dawn and dusk, but the moon phase will also play a role.You will increase your chance of catching more fish during the moonrise and moonset. Fish 90 minutes before each and you will catch more fish. The weather and moon do affect the fish and their eating habits.




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Who Else Wants To Catch More Flounder?

There are two types of flounder. Summer flounder and Southern Flounder. The Summer Flounder is more aggressive but both require patience to fish. Summer flounder mature sexually at three years. The average fish is about 16 to 20 inches in length and weight between 4 to 6 pounds.
Both like hang out in 50 to 80 degrees water temperature. They migrate in inshore shallow areas during the spring and out to deeper water in the winter.

Flounder follow the bait fish. You find the bait fish in the water you will find the flounder. The bait fish are squid, shrimp, sand worms, smelt, sand eels, bloodworms, mud minnows, finger mullet, crabs and menhaden.


The best live bait to use are mud minnows in the spring then menhaden in the fall. Hook the bait in the lips. With shrimp hook them in the horn. Some people use small (finger) mullet in the summer months. Pro fishermen try to use whatever is abundant in the water to attract flounder. Most of the time you check and change your bait every 15 to 20 minutes. If you don't catch any fish within a hour it is time to move. They are just not there.


What type of tackle to use?

Basically all you need is a 7 Ft medium action rod with 12-14 lb test line on it. The reel is your choice but you don't need anything fancy just a saltwater reel.


The standard type of rig to use is sliding 1/2 to 2 oz egg sinkers on a steel leader with a tie on a #1 to 3/0 wide-gap or circle hook.. If you plan to make your own rig use 20 lb monofilament line as a leader. You can also add beads to the leader if you decide to make them yourself. If you want to learn how to tie knots the best place to learn is animated knots by grog. There are all kinds and types of rigs you can buy at a tackle store.


The best lures to use are small spoons, spinners, and anything with a feather on it such as a bucktails.
You want to work the water on an outgoing tide . Look for eddy's in the water or around any structure in the water. Flounder usually ambush their bait in the current. Work your bait slowly on the bottom. Flounder will mouth the bait at first so be patient, real patient to reel them in. When they do strike it will be real subtle with a slight pull on it. Again you have to be patient when reeling them in.

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How to Catch Saltwater Pompano

Pompano ranges from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico but is found mainly from Chesapeake Bay to Florida. Some people call them Florida Pompano. They average about 3 pounds. The best time to catch them off the Carolinas is late summer to early fall and in Florida  it is spring and fall. Pompano like water temperature at 81 to 90 degrees F.

They can be found along sandy beaches, oyster bars, and in turbid waters such as bridge pilings. For the bridge pilings try to find good tide movement.
.
A pompano has a flatten oval shaped body with a small mouth and a deeply forked back fin. Their color are usually a silver shading with fins that are gold toned.They resemble a permit but not as big. (Permits average about 25 to 30 pounds).


The equipment you will need is a 7 to 8 foot fast action rod with a spinning reel with 8 lb monofilament line. Put on a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce egg sinker above the swivel tied to your leader. The leader should be 12 to 18 inches of 20 lb monofilament tied directly with your line using a surgeons knot or a uni knot. Tie on a #6 hook for your bait.


For live bait use fiddler crabs, sand fleas, sandworms, bloodworms, and small pieces of shrimp. Fiddler crabs can be found on deserted beaches at low tide. Sand fleas can be dug up with a shovel at low tide on the beach while sandworms, bloodworms, and shrimp can be purchased at your locate bait shop. To fish for pompano allow your bait to rest on the bottom for a couple of minutes, then slowly retrieve it. Pompano will hit hard and are always searching for food.


For artificial bait you can use 1/4 to 1/2 ounce yellow or white bucktail jig. One trick is to trim the hair of the bucktail to the bend of the hook. Pompano are short strikers so you will catch more fish. You can also Texas-rigged rubber worms.To find out how to rig a Texas rig rubber worm go to wikihow or you tube. They have some examples you can view.


If you catch a pompano you can be sure there is a school around as they swim in schools. The best time to catch them is early morning or late afternoon on a flooding tide. Look along the beach for a lot of sand fleas holes and cast there. They usually congregate there in the water waiting for the sand fleas to be swept offshore in the water.


Pompano are not hard to catch so go out there and try your luck. Happy Fishing!!!


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