There are lots of great benefits to work with a fishing guide. One of the best reason is simply to catch much more fish! Using a quality guide, you are going to certainly go home with extra cats. You can even learn plenty from a fishing guide. Regardless if you are simply starting out angling, or are a qualified catfisher having years under your belt, you will constantly discover something new. Afterall; fishing isn’t something you can learn about by studying textbooks or viewing videos. You can find much more with one day using a good fishing guide than you would using a whole library of fishing videos. Obtaining a guide is really a little costly, running from$ 100- $ 600 a day, but you can reduce expenses simply by splitting it with a few nice friends. Fishing guides is sometimes provided together with fishing vacation packages. Tips on how to Find the best Fishing Guide One of the best method to get the best guide is via recommendation. If a fishing friend of yours mentions that they have gone out using a guide, and was satisfied with the trip, that is the best option. An additional smart way to get a fishing guide would be to ask at the local bait shop. Bait and tackle shops do a lot more than just sell you gear. Think about it as the local fishing knowledge center. They will most likely be ready to suggest many good guides for you so you can take your pick. You can even check out the local yellow pages.

Nevertheless you choose to find your guide, ensure that these are licensed before you hire them. There are two reasons for this. For one thing, a unlicensed fishing guide might not understand his left from right. If he is licensed, that ensures that you have someone who knows something about something. One another reason is you have to ensure you are fishing based on local and state regulations.

If you are a more experienced angler, a good fishing guide can assist you in finding catfish in their local region. Every body of water across the country differs from the others, and a local fishing guide will likely be knowledgeable and experienced in their area. Simply consider it- a fishing guide spends the majority of each day out by the water fishing.

Have you always loved fishing? So how about catching a 40- lb king
salmon or even a lot larger? Yes, that is exactly what you will get if
you ever choose king salmon fishing. But, exactly where specifically
are you able to find an adventure like that? Well, there are several
locations you can go for king salmon fishing, such as Alaska to begin
with. Next, there is California, New York, Washington, Oregon, and
British Columbia, Canada, only to list some of them!

But, it’s in Alaska the biggest king salmon was first ever caught and
recorded to date, weighing over 96 pounds caught inside the Kenai
River. So what causes king salmon fishing really difficult is usually they are the largest of their type, which is Pacific salmon, therefore named king salmon! The Alaska king salmon spend between 2- 5 years inside the ocean, as a result their size vastly varies. The typical size of salmon in Alaska is about 20 pounds, even though king salmon in Kenai River usually weigh within 50- pound range.

King Salmon Fishing For Newbies

King salmon fishing might be too much in your case, but listed here are some things you might want to understand. After hooking, you might struggle for like over 30 minutes as the salmon swims away swiftly downriver, so you need to be ready for the wild ride of your whole fishing experience. Furthermore, ensure that your arms are powerful enough to support large and weighty king salmon. You really don’t want your arms out of their sockets before you get your hands on your own catch, would you? King salmon fishing whether in Alaska or in some other place, is thought to be an opportunity of a lifetime, mainly when you hooked a record breaker one.

Bait choices vary from live bait fish to sand fleas, cut bait and blood worms. If you’re fishing schools of fish, artificial lures will in addition work well. Rods need to be between 10 and 12 feet lead and weighty enough to get at slightest 6 ounces of weight plus your bait at slightest a hundred yards. When choosing a weight and sinker, a multivolume pyramid with a drop rig with the bait and leader up the line is the mainly popular.

When is the best time of year to surf fish?

I’d say locals almost unanimously agree it’s the fall. The way I think about it is, fish are a lot like people. They come out most when temperatures are comfortable — not too cold, not too hot.

In a fish’s environment, that definitely means the fall and moderate days in the springtime. Rick Wilkinson, surf fishing instructor at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher, calls summer fishing “the doldrums.” It’s too hot out. But if you fish early in the morning or in the evening when the air and water cool down, you’ll have better luck.

Carp Fishing is a fate of things. It’s knowing where to discover fish seasonally, and knowing what baits to benefit from. Carp fishing can engage easy or very complicated rigs and tackle. Often, it’s spending period with friends and family with the excitement of enormous fish thrown in. Now and again carp fishing involves stalking by sight, fly fishing, or waking up from a nap to the sound of screaming drag. There are alot of ways to fish for carp, and so many people already fishing for them.

But as anglers grow to be serious regarding carp fishing, they will seek more complex methods of presenting baits to more productive locations. The range of specialised equipment that targets these needs is immense. It includes tackle that’s as straightforward and inexpensive as tiny plastic rig components to high-end radio-controlled boats that distribute baits and rigs to places that are difficult to cast to. Man-sized boats are not generally employed in the pursuit of carp fishing, so a huge assortment of rod holders, chairs, cots, and shelters are used to make the stay on the embankment more comfortable.

When does winter carp fishing start?

Whatever the weather winter is a great time to fish. Less people on the bank and if you are lucky enougth to catch one it means so much more and two should be at a good weight and in its winter colours, a true reward for putting in the extra effort.

Whatever the weather winter is a great time to fish. Less people on the bank and if you are lucky enougth to catch one it means so much more and two should be at a good weight and in its winter colours, a true reward for putting in the extra effort.

If you would like to benefit from fishing as often as possible, freshwater fishing is typically a quick journey down the road, that can be certainly reached within an afternoon or less. A brief trip means more time to fish and the more likely it is that you will be able to go in the first place.

The water has an exceptionally low salt content, or no salt content at all and are fit for species of fish usually found in freshwater.

In the majority cases, where ocean water and freshwater start to mix, which is well-known as brackish water, there might be situations where both saltwater and freshwater species of fish can be found together. This is especially true for species of fish that can tolerate less salty, or more salty, conditions very well. In general it is deemed freshwater fishing or saltwater fishing based on the species sought by the angler. It is conceivable that both disciplines can be practiced in the same water.

Perhaps the mainly consistent questions and the first thing to think about when considering saltwater fishing, is gear. Knowing what equipment to choose really can make a difference in the successfulness of your fishing. One great rule of thumb is to get educated before you buy. Do research online, shop around, and consider renting from a charter or rental service, at least initially, to help defray the start up costs of saltwater fishing and allow you to find a perfect match before making the substantial investment that comes with saltwater fishing.

Basically, you just need superior, more heavy duty equipment when saltwater fishing. You also need to be meticulous about equipment maintenance when saltwater fishing. Fishing equipment for saltwater usage needs to be built for the job otherwise it will not be able to cope with it.

The majority tackle manufacturers consistently sell more five or eight weight rods in nine foot lengths than any other. There is a purpose for this. If you are fishing for something other than the largest game fish, these rods will pretty much do the deed for you, depending on conditions and the type of fish for which you are fishing. If you are fishing for something like speckled trout in a bay like setting where waters are relatively calm, a five weight rod will work quite well. If you are fishing in grass flats or surf areas where conditions are much windier, an eight weight will provide the substance you need for such conditions. Still, if you can only choose one rod, you might want to consider a set up such as a “Salt-6″ Recently manufacturers have made great six weight rods that have hardware specially for salt water fishing. With fighting butts and this special hardware, a salt six is a great choice.

When it comes to reels for saltwater fishing, it is essential to note that they do not have to be expensive or sophisticated, but since salt is very corrosive, they must be made of appropriate materials such as corrosion resistant parts that are easy to keep clean with consistent rinsing and care. As a general rule, if you can choose only one reel, if you choose a single action reel that is andonized, has a disc drag, and can carry in the region of one to two hundred yards of backing, you should be happy with your choices.

For fishing the salt flats and bays, nothing works better than a weight forward floating line. If you are fishing in the surf, you might be happier using a slow sinking line to help keep your fly below the choppiness of the water and keep your line from being dragged all over the place by the surf.

Costa Rica is a beautiful Central American country sandwiched between Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the North. Unlike either neighbor it is a stable democracy with a flourishing and safe tourist trade.

For fishermen everywhere Costa Rica deserves to be on their lifetime must see list. Numerous fishing records have been and continue to be set in Costa Rican waters. The very name of the country, Costa Rica, means rich coast in Spanish. The name is apt. Travelers can see some of the most diverse wildlife anywhere on the planet. This is very good news for anyone planning a fishing trip there because visitors have a wide variety of opportunities to choose from when deciding exactly where they want to go and what they prefer to try and catch.

Costa Rica has both a Pacific and an Atlantic or Caribbean coast. Of the two the Pacific is by far the more popular and easily accessible option. You can catch fish in the country’s interior lakes and rivers but most people prefer the coasts because there’s where you’ll find the widest selection of fish. The capital of Costa Rica is San Juan. Many visitors fly directly into the capital and go onto the coast to complete their adventure.

The small town of Quepos is the center of the fishing tourist trade on the Pacific coast. Because it is adjacent to Manual Antonio, one of Costa Rica’s eleven spectacular national parks, it is very easy to get there from the rest of the country. Here you’ll find some of the best sailfishing in the world during the dry season from December to June. December to April is the height of the fishing season, when the winds and rain of the rainy season die down and fish begin to show up in large schools. This is a very popular time for trips so make any travel plans far in advance. Expect to see a wide range of fish in these waters including Tarpon, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, Marlin, Roosterfish and Barracuda.

Other places on the coast where you can effortlessly find fish and plan a trip include Golfito near the Panama border and the towns of Tamarindo and Flamingo near the northern part of the country. Flamingo is home to Costa Rica’s biggest marina.

Once you get to any fishing destination you can either stay in one of the numerous resorts catering specifically to the fisherman or simply go on one of the dozens of boats available for fishing trips on a daily basis. You can also find many places where you can custom design your own trip to encompass an individualized itinerary. If you are not an experienced fisherman do not worry. Most boats will have someone on board to help you learn or improve your technique. You can bring your own equipment but most boats will have nearly anything you want aboard for you to use. Fly fisherman may wish to bring their own custom tied flies, rods and reels.

The vast majority of boat crews in Costa Rica use the catch and release technique for billfish such as Sailfish, Marlin and Tuna to make sure fishing stocks stay at high levels. They will take a picture of you and the fish you caught but the fish itself is thrown back. Other fish like Dorado or Mahi-Mahi and Wahoo can be directly caught and eaten. Sailfish and Marlin are especially sought after because of their spectacular coloration, large size and the test they present even to even the most veteran fisherman. Costa Rican waters are home to five different kinds of Marlin including the Pacific Blue and the Striped. In addition to fish, the waters off Costa Rica teem with rich sea life. While out at sea you can often spot whales, dolphins and turtles.

The highlight of the Atlantic or Caribbean coast fishing is the chance to catch Tarpon. Tarpon are huge fish that average over eighty pounds. Several kinds of intelligent and hard to catch Snook also inhabit the waters off this coast. This area is more difficult to get to because there are no direct roads so you’ll have to fly there or travel by boat. The three major fishing areas you’ll want to investigate before you leave are Barra del Colorado
near Nicaragua, Parismina and Tortuguero. Tortuguero is the most popular resort on the East coast because it is also the nesting area of the green turtle. Tarpon can be caught using either the tackle or fly fishing method. Tarpon are fun to catch but not edible. Snook on the other hand are not only consumed but said to be quite delicious. Costa Rica is home to eight varieties of Snook including the Caribbean Snook which routinely grow to over forty pounds. Both fish are caught year round but the best time for catching either one is also during the dry season.

Where ever you chose to fish there are things you should know about before you go. First of all English is widely spoken in Costa Rica so you probably won’t need any Spanish lessons. Second the dollar is widely accepted in many places but it’s still a good idea to exchange some currency into Colones once you get there. Third, while Costa Rica has a tropical climate, pack warmer clothing because nights can get quite cold. The Costa Rican climate is divided into two seasons: the wet and the dry. The dry season runs from December to June and the wet from July to November. Trips can be planned during the wet season because the rain will often hold off until late in the afternoon.

Where ever you chose to go, fishing in Costa Rica is sure to leave you not only with great pictures and meals but also with great memories.
by Stacy Herlihy

The yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) is one of the most economically important fish in the world; hundred of thousands of tons are taken by commercial fishermen worldwide every year. If you open a can of tuna, if it’s not albacore it’s probably yellowfin. This species, also called Allison tuna, has a wide range: it’s found in a thick band around the equator throughout the world, inhabiting warm seas from the US-Canada border latitudes in the north to Australia in the south, and frequents depths from the surface down to 100 fathoms – a full 600 feet. Yellowfins are heavy-bodied silvery fish with blue-black backs, white-spotted bellies and bright yellow dorsal and anal fins. They sport saw-toothed rows of yellow finlets from those fins to the tail on top and bottom, as well as a broad yellow stripe from eye to tail on their sides. They can get up to nine feet long and 400 pounds, and the smaller ones are often confused with a close relative, bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesis). These heavyweights of the deep are eating machines, chowing down squid, skipjack tuna, smaller yellowfins, mackerel, pilchards and crustaceans at a prodigious rate. A yellowfin that is 18 months old can weigh eight pounds; a four-year-old can be as big as 140. Fish in the 90-100 pound range are common.

Commercial fishermen use purse seine nets and longlines (up to dozens of miles long) to fish for yellowfins. But their sport fishing value is also high: their speed and fighting ability, their sheer size potential, and their palatability have made them a favorite game fish among saltwater sport anglers. Add that to the fact that they’re common, easy to find, and eager to take a hook, and you’ve got a prime candidate for a fisherman’s favorite. Some folks will travel hundreds, nay, thousands of miles to find them. This article will discuss how to catch these tasty monsters of the deep.

Your Gear and Bait

First, let’s discuss tackle. Yellowfins are fierce fighters; even small yellowfins can put a strain on your gear. Because they’re one of the primary targets of charter boats, if you elect to go the charter boat route the captain and crew will almost certainly have the proper gear available to loan you. If you’re going out on a private boat and need your own, you’ll have to equip yourself with a 50-pound class, two-speed trolling reel (such as a Shimano TLD 30 II or TLD 50 II LRS), a broomstick-thick rod, and line in the 25-50 pound test range at least. (Some daredevils actually fish for yellowfins with fly rods, but that’s a whole other story). Expect the fish, whatever its size, to test your gear’s mettle, and yours as well. You’ll need to use strong leaders, and if you opt to use live or dead bait, you’ll need huge No. 9 or No. 10 hooks (about 3 inches long, and wickedly barbed) baited with squid, skipjack, mackerel, balao, or other baitfish. Yellowfins will also go for artificial lures, some of which are larger than most freshwater fish.

How to Catch the Big Ones

If you’re serious about catching yellowfins, you’ll need to head out well offshore; they rarely venture any closer in than about 10 miles. Despite this, they can be relatively easy to find, because they cause a lot of surface disturbance. Although the larger fish may be loners, they usually feed messily at the surface in large schools; one observer has said that a feeding yellowfin school looks like “a fish blender.” Often seabirds will be hanging around above them, taking advantage of the scraps, so their presence can be a strong indication of feeding yellowfins. However, you’re more likely to find them in the company of dolphins (the mammals, not the fish). Yellowfin schools often hang around below pods of dolphins, making it difficult to net them without catching the dolphins too. This is why commercial yellowfin fishermen rarely use nets nowadays.

Tuna usually bite better in low lighting conditions, especially if they’re not feeding at the surface, so late afternoon is a good time to go after them. Once you’ve located your prey, you can try two popular methods: drift fishing or trolling. Drift fishing uses cut bait, some of which is thrown into the water as a “chum line” to attract their attention. This is called “chunking.” You can also cast with live bait. Whatever your method, if you decide to go with live baitfish, hook them sideways through the nose, under the dorsal fin, above the anal fin, or through the breastbone. You can also try trolling at slow speeds (5-9 mph) using either live bait or artificial lures, such as strip baits, large spoons, skirted lures, and plugs. Don’t worry – the tuna are more than fast enough to keep up with the boat. When you troll, you should let out a quarter of your line behind the boat; a hundred yards or more is excellent.

When yellowfins hit, they hit hard, usually hooking themselves with no help from you, and yanking the line off the reel at a rapid rate. If the line becomes slack, the fish is probably swimming toward the boat; reel in the slack rapidly, and make sure the hook is set. Always keep the line tight. A truly large fish might give you the fight of your life, battling for as long as several hours before it wins – by snapping the line or leader – or you do, by getting it up to the boat. If it’s a relative small fish, you can probably lift it over the side yourself; it it’s a truly large specimen, you’ll need a gaff, a stout curved hook on a heavy pole. The gaff is hooked into the gill slits or the side of the fish, and the fish is hauled aboard. The really big ones might require several gaffs and several people to bring them on board.

You’ve Got Your Yellowfin – Now What?

Yellowfin make great eating, but they also look great hanging on your wall. Whatever you decide to do, get your yellowfin on ice right away so it stays fresh for either your filleting knife or the taxidermist’s. If you decide to eat the fish, you should bleed it by making six-inch slits on either side and let the blood drain out before icing it. Yellowfin tuna is a firm, dark-red meat with a strong flavor, and tastes mighty good whether it’s cooked or eaten raw. Although it’s not held in as high regard as bluefin tuna, the Japanese adore yellowfin for sushi or sashimi and most of the best yellowfins caught commercially are snapped up on the docks by Japanese buyers. Hawaiians also favor yellowfin, which they call ahi, and eat it both cooked and in a spicy, sushi-like dish called poke (pronounced pokey). Because it’s so versatile, it can be prepared as steak fillets, broiled, fried, baked, you name it.

Yellowfin tuna are some of the most popular game fish in the world, and given their tremendous fight, size, and tastiness, it’s easy to see why. Next time you go out on the ocean, why not try for yellowfin? Once you tie into a big one, you may never go back to other game fish. And whether you bring that big yellowfin home to eat or to hang on the wall, you’ll have a fish story to be proud of.
by Floyd Largent

There are many places where you can go fishing for walleye in Pennsylvania so you will not have any trouble finding a great place to throw in your line.

Here is a list of lakes and reservoirs located in Pennsylvania where you can find walleyes:
Lake Erie
Pymatuning Lake
Shenango River Lake
Youghiogheny River Lake
Lake Arthur
Blue Marsh Lake
Allegheny Reservoir
High Point Reservoir
Tamarack Lake
Lake Wallenpaupack
Glendale Lake

The walleye record for the state of Pennsylvania was caught in the Allegheny
River where there are many more large walleye just waiting for you. If you are a serious angler looking for an opportunity to catch that trophy fish, the lakes and rivers located in Pennsylvania will provide you with a good chance to do so.

You will find the walleye located mostly in the deep lakes that have sandy or rocky bottoms. They tend to thrive better in the cold water but they can be found in some of the warmer water as well. Like other species the walleye spawn in the spring time so they are more plentiful during this season and easier to find. If possible the walleye will move out of the lake and go to the feeder streams to get ready to spawn. However, not all of the walleye will be able to do this and so the ones that cannot will migrate to the shoals or shallow bars where there are fairly clean bottoms.

Bait Used to Catch Walleye in Pennsylvania

The walleye is not a very picky eater and will usually eat anything that it can catch and get in its mouth. As the walleye matures their favorite food is other smaller fish. When they are still young they feed off of plankton and then move up to small insects, worms and minnows.

When Pennsylvania walleye fishing you should use the following types of bait to receive the best results:
Crankbaits
Spinner baits
Spoons
Grubs
Plastic worms
Jigs
Live bait

It never hurts to experiment a little and try out different types of bait to see which one provides the best results. The walleye may be attracted to one type of bait one day and completely reject it another. As a rule using the bait that resembles the natural food source for the time of year will work the best.

Techniques for Catching Walleye in Pennsylvania

Normally, the best time to catch walleye is when it is dark or cloudy so night time fishing is recommended. One reason for this is because they have great eyesight in the dark and therefore feed the most during these times. When the wind is blowing enough to make waves the light cannot penetrate the water as easily and so this is also a good time to go walleye fishing.

Obviously the two most important pieces of equipment are the rod and reel. You must choose wisely in selecting which rod and reel to use.

For the beginning fisherman you need to select equipment that is versatile and can be used in the most common situations.

For starter I would select a six foot medium action rod. If you have a ultra light rod or pitching stick you will be equipped poorly unless you are fishing those specific situations. A simple six foot graphite spinning rod of medium action will suffice for 95% of the situations a fisherman will encounter.

The reel is of course your other major piece of equipment. In my opinion your most important choice. If you are a beginning fisherman I recommend using an open faced spinning reel. Closed face spinning reels are basically toys and not sufficient for catching very large bass on a regular basis. Bait casting reels are the best reels available, but are prone to backlash and very tough to use for a beginning fisherman. The object of fishing is to have fun; using equipment that is within your capabilities will allow this to happen. Select an open faced spinning reel that has a good drag system and holds at least 150 yards of ten pound monofilament fishing line. Shimano makes a wide variety of these reels that are not very expensive yet do the job required of them.

Fishing line would be your next piece of required equipment. Line comes on a wide variety of styles and strengths. For the beginning fisherman I recommend using low visibility green monofilament line. Ten pound test line should be sufficient for most of the situations you will encounter. I have found Trilene line to be the best on the market.

If you are going to fish with live bait there are pieces of terminal tackle you will need. You will of course need hooks of several different sizes to match the different types of bait you will use. No matter what type of fishing you will do a hook sharpener should always be in your tackle box. This is perhaps the piece of equipment that too many fisherman do without. More fish are lost due to improperly sharpened hooks than any other factor. A live bait fisherman will also need an assortment of weights, swivels and bobbers.

Bass Fishing