January Contest--Fishing Tips

[Fishaholic]

Faced with where to get inexpensive lead for pouring your jigs and bullet sinkers...stop and look around the railroad crossing for wheel weights that have been jarred loose from rough tracks.

[bass1cpr]

 Want more action from a soft jerkbait or senko tie your hook on with a loop knot. Leave the loop about 1/4 to 3/8 " long.

[Mike Cork]

There is some great tips here, keep them coming you all are doing awesome

[Fish-N-Fool Lures]

another great rig to use on sinking stick baits when fishing wacky style is to get some heavy rubber O rings at your local hardware store that are just a little smaller around then the senkos are.  Roll the o ring to the middle of the bait and put the hook in the o ring only this makes your stick baits last about 10 times  longer and doesn't hurt the hook up rate at all.

[Ron Fogelson]

I know that catching bass is hart stopping that's why most of us do it.  But calm down & don't horse it to the boat.  Let the drag do its job & use the rod as it was meant to be used by flexing during surges. Once you get it under control only then should you bring it along side the boat & net or lip you prize.

[Fishaholic]

when using a lot of large surface plugs, a styrofoam cooler is a great recepticle for hanging them inside around the perimeter of the the cooler out of harm's way.

[Ron Fogelson]

If you find that you are setting the hook to soon on a top water bite, take you eyes off the lure.  By watching the lure out of the cornor of you eye or by looking away completely and looking forward to the next likely area to cast to, you are putting an additional reaction delay in your hook set that should slow you down just enough to increase your ratio

[bass1cpr]

 The loop knot wil also give you top water baits zara spook, chug bug, pop R, better action.

[Fishaholic]

When trying to cover great expansive flats try using a windsock over the side of your boat and drifting slowly across the flats rather than using up the battery life with your trolling motor.

[bassguy2004]

When fishing at night, I like to use the largest and noisest jig and pig combo I have. The rattles give the fish something to zero in on and being so bulky, its more like a meal.

[BassBUFF]

Golf ball retrievers (around $10) make excellent lure retrievers. Just cut a slot in the ball cup and slip it over your line and run it down to your stuck lure. These things extend out 10-15 feet.

[Ron Fogelson]

Hook sets are free, if you line jumps, pops, twitches, fails to fall as deep as preceding casts or just feels off, set the hook!

[Fishaholic]

When fishing from shore, or near shore always concentrate the majority of your casts parellel to the shoreline...this keeps your bait in the fish zone longer than spot casting.

[Mike Cork]

Don't forget tips about your boat, the equipment in it, how you clean it how you park it. There are tons of tips ideas and areas that are related to fishing out there.

Don't forget you get and entry for each tip!!!!!

[calincalif50]

Always keep a large magnet capable of hoisting at least 80 pounds in our boat.....never know when you might need to retrieve that rod and reel that went over board

[Fish-N-Fool Lures]

when nite fishing try use a 12 volt black light that shines toward the shore, you can get these at most mail order tackle shops.
I use stren blue line with the black light. It makes that line GLOW in the dark and you can see every little movement the bait makes.
You can also see to cast pretty well and it will not spook the fish.

[bassguy2004]

When push comes to shove you can make a dandy marker bouy from a piece of styrofoam, braided line and a bell sinker.

[Fishaholic]

Much overlooked is the art of fishing surface baits when there's a good chop on the water...this is actually a superb time to be fishing wounded minnow type baits.

[Mike Noble]

Try a 3-way swivel for carolina rigging.  That allows you to have a "short" leader with smaller bait like a french fry and a "long" leader with a worm or lizard.  Double your catch.

[Mike Cork]

A lot of tips are things you do every trip with out thinking about it but others may not have learned it yet

[Fishaholic]

Always pay close attention to nature...if off in the distance you see a lot of bird activity, rest assured there's active fish in the same location.

[Ron Fogelson]

Next time you change your plugs in the boat/truck car mower, put a couple in your boat.  Got a lure hung deep, just slip you line in the end of the spark-plug & tamp down the little metal piece, let it slide down your line and give it a shake.  The added weight will often break you lure free.

[bassguy2004]

To secure a stinger hook you can use plastic "holes" punched from a plastic coffee can lid.

[calincalif50]

Got one of those small 12-14 foot rental type boats...consider decking it out with lightweight ply and some resin....use aluminum studs ( like the ones used to build homes) as your frame work construction adhesive as the glue so you don't have to rivet, and make the main support on the seats with rivets and bingo you've got a deck that's sturdy and lightweight.

[bassguy2004]

To be sure of a sharp hook carry a small hook file in your pocket, so you won't have to look for it in your tackle box when it's needed.