Fishing Blog

Scuba divers, when asked why they love the ocean and the beauty that thrives underneath the sea’s surface, would probably have varied answers. But most likely, the common reply would be that they are men of the sea. Whether there is enough logic to this kind of answer or none at all is left to the inquirer.

But scuba divers would unanimously agree and answer ’no’ when asked if they trust the ocean. Like the desert and its sands, the ocean and its waters are treacherous. They are calm and majestic now, horrible and ugly the next. But still, men of the ocean are drawn to the serenity the ocean provides. All the while embracing the fury that it can unleash on any given Sunday. And the ocean has more than storms and hurricanes on the table. It can fool the diver who underestimates it power. The more you stay in the water, Death steps nearer.

The Deep Water Blackout is a phenomenon that has taken lives of experienced and licensed scuba divers, some of whom are fitted with the right equipment and Reactor watches and all that scuba gear. Deep Water Blackout occurs when a diver loses consciousness while ascending from a deep dive, usually from 10 meters deep. Victims faint close to the surface, most of the time within the top 3 meters. Some victims even managed to break surface, only to sink again. The direct cause of the said phenomenon is the speedy drop of oxygen while ascending.

Deep water blackout, when it does not kill the diver due to drowning, also impairs the reasoning and judgment of the diver due to lack of nitrogen in the brain. The diver then experiences anxiety, fear, and loss of physical dexterity. It has been reported that divers who lost the ability to think straight while underwater swam deeper instead to the surface, thinking they are ascending. Survivors of the Deep Water Blackout had experienced hallucinations, saying they were seeing things while underwater.

Like the desert and its mirages, the ocean, too has illusions prepared for the unwary diver. Respect the ocean, love it even. But never put your trust on something that can kill you. Like the desert dunes that have buried travelers beneath its sands, the ocean, too has the cold abyss for its graveyard.

The Humminbird Piranha 30 portable is a great tool for any fisherman to have. The fact that it is portable makes it an ideal unit to use. Having a great, high quality fishfinder is something that every fisherman needs to have. Why? Because it cuts down on the wait and the searching and allows you to find your fish hot spot within minutes. Let’s take a look at some of the features that the Piranha 30 has to offer you.

First, its portable feature is one of the best out there. Yes, the rugged portable case protects your fishfinder while you move it from place to place. This is a necessity! But, it also features a built in transducer cable wrap with cover, suction cup transducer with mount to just about anything, and its no skid bottom helps to keep it in its place. But, really, these things are only the tip of the iceberg for this fishfinder.

The Piranha 30 is a high definition unit that offers a 160V by 132 H Display. A pretty good size for a portable unit! It offers the New SmartCast advanced Remote sonar sensor. This allows for 4 level grayscale sonar, water temperature and programmable light. All that may sound good but how well does it fit with your needs?

Its going to deliver for you a clear picture with a good level of grayscale. That means clarity. It will give you information you need to find you fish like the water temperature guage. And, to allow you to fish 24 hours a day, it provides a light as well.

It offers a 20 degree single beam sonar that can reach a depth of 600 feet. It will deliver for you a clear idea of what is happening and lurking in the water below with this type of sonar. And, with this, it also allows you to use the easy One-Touch control for access to the full set of advanced features as well.

You can easily position yourself to lure in your fish. You can easily seek out the fish, no matter where he is hiding.

For a portable unit, the Piranha 30 is the ideal piece of equipment to take on any fishing adventure.

The Humminbird Piranha 10 offers some of the features of your favorite fish finding tools in a portable, easy to use system. Here are some of its features that we think will prove to you that all this is a system that is simply a must have.

The display starts with a high definition 106V by 132 H. This is a nice sized screen that will give you a good picture of what’s below the waters!

It features a true four level grayscale. This provides you with a very clear, crisp look of the bottom as well as any structures and fish lurking below as well. This is essential so that you can find and lure them in!

You can use One-Touch control to access full sets of advanced features. You get access to all of the features you want so badly!

The Humminbird Piranha also features a water temperature gauge is included in the transducer. This will help you know if the water is warm enough for your fish or if you need move.

To make your trip easy, you’ll find that the portable offers a rugged, portable case which will protect your fishfinder in case it gets in harms way. It features a no skid bottom to keep it in place when you need it to be. This allows for you to be comfortable leaving it where you can view it while you use your hands for your fish lures. It also has a suction cup transducer that will punt to aluminum, wood, fiberglass so that you have a secure way to hold your fishfinder is place.

There are many reasons to purchase the Humminbird Piranha 10. It gives you a portable, easy to use system to locating your fish. It allows you to find, lure in and secure your fish. Imagine coming home after a hot day on the waters and still having time to relax in front of the television because it only took you half as long to find your fish!

If diving and swimming with sperm whales at the frigid waters of Alaska is the epitome of stupidity, then no one is more stupid than a famed photographer from New York who just did that. And the result was tons of amazing close encounter photos with the giants of the ocean. The term ‘stupidity’ is not the word you would want to associate with the said photographs; not if you know how the snapshots were taken. And that’s where the ‘stupidity’ part comes in.

The photographer (I forgot the name of the man, so sue me), along with his crew, flew to Alaska’s city of Anchorage, rented a small fishing boat and relentlessly scanned the icy waters of the Alaskan seas for signs of the sperm whales. Now to wholly grasp the picture of the situation, sperm whales are one of the biggest animals in the world, the largest toothed animal on this planet. An adult male sperm whale can grow up to 20.5 meters (67 feet) long and can weigh on an average of 13-14 tons (12000-12000 kg). Any man with a common sense will not venture out into the open sea looking out for these creatures. And any thinking man will know that one lash of its huge tail could make the ocean floor a graveyard for any person unfortunate enough. But the photographer from New York did. So it’s either courage or foolhardy stupidity. The latter seems to be the rational choice. But it gets more stupid than that.

Our brave and stupid (forgive the redundancy, it’s for emphasis) photographer along with his, her, fearless crew was able to spot a pod of sperm whales. The New Yorker went to prepare his underwater camera, his anti-cold scuba suit, his swimming goggles, and his scuba fins. No breathing apparatus, no safety cage, no snorkels. Heck, no scuba gear that could spell the difference between life and death.

His plan: to capture photos while swimming with the whales in au naturelle fashion. Can it get more stupid than that?

Of course, as mentioned earlier, he came back alive with no mishap, except for some body shaking after swimming in almost sub-zero waters. He suffered no irreparable damage, which is a blessing, one should say. The photographs were sensational and majestic. The photographer? Brave and daring, yes. Stupid? HELL YEAH!

Florida has gained an international acknowledgment for its exceptional saltwater fishing, but the outstanding freshwater fishing has not yet captured the widespread attention of the same amount of visitors. Residents of this state are in on the secret, however; that they have three very active freshwater clubs here in Collier County.

Tourists and out of state bass fishermen are very much welcome here with the amenities and lodgings available for them. Boats, equipments are for rent and this provides much convenience for travelers.

Since Florida has more than 7,500 lakes available, anglers sometimes face a tough decision about where to fish. It is really very important to consider the lakes. The following list of Top Bass Fishing Areas with Bass Fishing rentals aims to help anglers find a quality place to catch either a good numbers of bass or to catch a trophy bass.

1. Lake George

Lake George is one of the many natural lakes on the St. John’s River. It has extensive vegetation that provides excellent habitat for bass. Wade fishing in eelgrass with plastic worms fished on the surface, and other top water artificial lures are productive. Fishing with live shiners is an excellent method for catching trophy bass during the spring spawning season.

2. Stick Marsh Reservoir

Anglers in this river can locate bass throughout the reservoir among a variety of habitats including woody stump fields, submerged canals and hydrilla. Summer 2004 hurricanes drastically reduced levels of hydrilla throughout the reservoir, however, which can affect where bass are located. Anglers should keep this in mind when trying to pattern fish. Plastic worms, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, soft jerkbaits, and topwater propeller baits are effective. Wild golden shiners are the top choice for anglers looking to catch a trophy fish.

3. Lake Tohopekaliga

Most anglers here target trophy bass use live golden shiners during early spring. Shiners are fished inshore near native vegetation or topped-out hydrilla . Plastic baits (worms, crawfish and lizards) flipped along grass edges, hydrilla, and bulrush will also catch quality-sized bass. Spinnerbaits, soft jerkbaits and chugging baits can also be very productive at times

4. Lake Kissimmee

Lake Kissimmee is the largest of five main water bodies on the famous Kissimmee River in central Florida. Lake Kissimmee is nationally renowned for producing high quality fishing. Tournament anglers on Lake Kissimmee are posting winning weights of 18 to 20 pounds of bass. Results of an angler survey indicated that bass anglers had an excellent catch rate of 0.54 fish/hour during spring 2004.

5. Rodman Reservoir

Rodman Reservoir, east of Gainesville and south of Palatka, covers 9,500 acres of prime largemouth bass habitat. Since its creation in 1968, Rodman Reservoir has been known for trophy largemouth bass.

6. Lake Tarpon

Anglers in this lake are most successful in flipping or pitching plastic worms along canal and bulrush edges. Offshore bass fishing is productive for anglers who fish around ledges, humps, coontail, and eelgrass beds. Popular lures offshore include shad-imitating jigs, crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwater baits. Fishing with wild shiners and live shad is also effective.

7. Lake Walk-In-Water

The lake is located south of Orlando and east of Lake Wales, and it is just south of S.R. 60. Lake Walk-in-Water has a national reputation as an outstanding spot to catch largemouth bass. Anglers frequently catch up to 25 bass a day with several ranging from four to eight pounds. The lake also produces many trophy bass exceeding 10 pounds each year. A 15- to 24-inch slot limit regulation and a three-bass daily bag limit are in place to help maintain quality bass fishing. Anglers may keep three bass per day, either under or over the protected slot range, of which only one bass greater than or equal to 24 inches is allowed.

8. Lake Istokpoga

Istokpoga is the fifth largest natural lake in Florida and has an average depth of only six feet. During angler surveys conducted from October 2003 throughout May 2004, anglers caught 124,993 bass, of which almost 55,000 were 2 pounds or heavier, and 1,448 bass were over 8 pounds.

9. Deer Point Lake

Deer Point Lake is a popular largemouth bass fishing destination in Florida’s panhandle area near Panama City.

10. Suwanee River

The Suwannee River is a pristine, black water stream flowing 213 miles in Florida from the swamp-like region at the Georgia border to salt-marsh tidal creeks at the Gulf of Mexico. This river is known for trophy largemouth bass.

11. The Everglades

The Everglades are south Florida marshlands intersected with over 200 miles of canals. Most anglers fish in the canals rather than in the marsh. Anglers work canal edges with plastic worms, soft jerkbaits, and minnow imitations. Flipping the vegetation is also a popular technique.

Wherever you decide to go, you can be sure that you can have the time of your life fishing and all at a convenience. You can just rent out a boat and eliminate the need to tow your own boat or worse have to buy your own. Other gears are also available as a rental for your own convenience and ease. There are also many lodges and inns plus cabins you can rent out for a weekend or more.

Wireline trolling is a technique that is used by many thousands of New Englanders every year to catch striped bass. It can be very productive if you know what your doing, but many people think you simply put the line out and motor around in your boat to catch fish, and are surprised when they see others catch fish after fish in the same area and apparently doing the same thing and even using the same rig. Well, there must be something different. Knowing where the fish are holding, what their feeding on and the speed to troll at are just some of the considerations to take into account.

Where are the Fish. You have to go where the fish are, not where you want them to be. You also have to go when the fish are there, not when you want them to be there. For any kind of Bass fishing, early morning is usually the best. Early in the season they may feed throughout the day, but as the season progresses and the sun gets higher in the sky you won't find them feeding during the day unless there is tide and a lot of bait or a weather pattern to entice them into activity. You may find them holding on structure and be able to catch them but its pretty certain that there is something in the way of food down there to keep them interested. If the fish are holding on structure, you have to present your offering over that structure, if you are off by 50' there is no joy. If you are trolling and mark and catch fish, turn around and keep going over the spot until you stop catching. Don't go trolling away unless your damn sure there is something better to head to. And! don't spend too much time trolling around a spot and not catching.

Tides and currents. Bass are ambush predators and a current will provide them with the opportunity to lay in wait for a small creature to be swept past their position so they can gobble it up. It is the current generated by the tides you need to pay attention to. An example of this would be the Block Island North reef. The currents there provide areas which bass like to use as ambush points, and some of these are places to troll wireline.

Trolling Speed. Never troll at the same speed all the time if it isn't working. Often fish will follow your offering and are waiting for that trigger that tells them that their prey has detected them. Speed up, slow down, change speeds, speed up during your turns. You will be surprised how many times you hook up fish immediately or very soon after a speed change. Sometimes only going at a particular slow speed works, or a particularly fast speed. The most important thing to do is pay attention to what is going on when you hook up. You need to notice if it is always during a speed change, only when you go fast, only when you go very slow, etc. If you speed up and turn, and the inside line picks up a fish, you may not have enough line out since the inside line will usually go deeper, the outside line shallower.

Current can be used to control your speed. If you want to go very slow, troll directly into the current. There is one area I fish trolling to the same spot and slowing down as the boat gets near it, going into the current. At times we are barely moving forward, and when I reach the spot on my GPS one or both rods will go down with fish on (tide is very important in this case.) There are times when you will catch most of your fish only trolling in one direction in relation to the current. Pay attention to what is happening when you hook up.

Trolling Depth. This is extremely important. Your depth finder can mark a million fish below 30' but if your trolled rig is only 20' deep you will end up being very frustrated and catching very few fish. Your offering must be presented in the "strike zone", which is the area close enough that the fish will be interested in hitting your lure. This strike zone can be very large when fish are feeding aggressively, or very small if they are "turned off".

If you see fish smashing bait on the surface, try letting out a small amount of wireline and troll around the feeding fish, not through the middle of them. So many fisherman shut down the fishing very quickly by trolling through the middle of breaking fish. It is the most idiotic thing they can do. You need to have the lure down near the bottom if you are targeting Bass that aren't feeding aggressively near the surface. If you are in water under 30' deep, it is only necessary to be within 5' of the bottom unless the fish are very sluggish. In deeper water. light penetration becomes an issue and it is necessary to get as close to the bottom as you can without dragging.

The rule of thumb is to let out 10 feet of wire for every 1' of depth. This is varied by boat speed and the weight of your lure. Naturally, going slower will cause the rig to go deeper and fast will cause it to run shallower. Remember, if you aren't dragging bottom once in a while, you're trolling too shallow.

Matching the Hatch. You need to troll an offering which is representative of what the fish are feeding on. If there are hordes of sand eels then you shouldn't be trolling 6" soft plastic shads. Bass most often eat bunker, sand eels, and squid. Lures that represent these species are ones you should have available to you. If you catch a keeper, open up its stomach and see what it has been feeding on.

Sport Fishing. This is supposed to be a sport. Keeping the boat in gear and continuing to troll after you have hooked up a fish is winching, not fishing. I have seen so many bass skipping across the surface of the water as they are being reeled up, it's absolutely ridiculous. You should be fighting the fish and not the boat. Where is the fun in that? So the advice is take the boat out of gear after you hook up.

By following the guidelines presented here the reward will be more success for your fishing trips. The last and most important piece of advice when your not catching is this: remember to ask yourself: "what do I need to change?" Are you going too fast, using the wrong rig, trolling too shallow, etc. Watch what other people are doing, it may give you a clue. Catch 'em up!

As a group, anglers are a lazy bunch. (I bet that caught your attention).

They (meaning anglers other than you) choose the path of least resistance, opting to drop a line in water closest to the road, the trail, the campground or parking lot.

Even the more industrious anglers don't walk far enough away from public access points, giving up to the lure of the water after only 10 minutes of walking. This gives you your first few identifiers for a secret trout hot spot.

If you want to get away from the crowds and find your own secret spots, all you need to do is combine a bit of studying with a willingness to do a bit of exploring. It all begins with maps.

So get out a national forest map and a topo map, spread them on the table, and get ready to discover your own secret trout spot.

Mapping the Water

I can't tell you how many hours I've pored over national forest maps, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) maps, and topographic maps in search of that one stretch of river that most anglers perceive is either too high up or inaccessible.

That chore is made easier nowadays since topo maps for any section of the United States are now on CD-ROM.

When you see a blue line (a river) flowing through a tight group of brown lines, the river is moving through a canyon. Study closely. Do the lines open up along the way? Do the brown lines go from a straight pattern to a wavy pattern, leaving a greater distance between the contour lines?

If so, this could mean the river slows up enough to have some good holding water. Oftentimes, even if the meadow is smallish, the beavers can build some amazing dams.

Blue lines can be running through V-shape brown contour lines, and if the lines are fairly close, be assured the water is running swiftly down the mountain. So look for where the V's widen out a bit, where the contour lines are a bit farther apart. That can mean a flatter section.

Looking for Lost Lakes

Many lakes are off the trail, with no established trail leading to them. Look hard at the topo map (or CD-ROM). Often, glacially formed lakes will be in groupings of several lakes. Often, a hike-in of only 15 or 20 minutes will put you on water that hasn't seen an angler all season. We have found a couple of great spots near Silver Star, which was the first incorporated town in the state of Montana and a 10 minute drive from the Fish Creek House.

And many of them will be stocked every so many years. A tiny alpine tarn can hold some nice fish, especially if the lake is lightly fished. Most anglers would rather toil away at the big-name, bigger lake than hike a few hundred yards or one mile to a lesser-fished lake.

Even fast-flowing streams have sections that hit level ground where the river slows and widens. Fast-flowing streams can be slowed by beaver ponds. Beaver ponds can hold big fish even if the impounded stream is tiny. Even if a tiny stream rushes down the mountain, if the beavers have made their homes, the water is deep and fast enough to hold some nice fish.

Here at the Fish Creek House, you can find a lake right here on the property since Fish Creek flows thru here.

Fly fishing is very different than fishing with a lure or worm type baits. The fly fisherman uses a artificial fly consisting of bites of feathers, foam, hide, fur, yarn, and other materials to be tried on to a hook that make it appealing to the type of fish you are catching. Every fly fisherman has his own type of flies he like to use some purchase them and then some of us like to tie our own. Fly tying is more of an art with basic training which most people can learn over a short period of time.

Dry fly fishing is the best classic form of fishing. The artificial fly is cast so that it floats on the surface of the water. As the fly passes over the fish it will rise to the surface and strike or take the fly.

With the fly rod you will attempt to stop the fish from spitting out the fly and get it tired enough so you can land it in your net. With fly fishing you will see all the action as you cast the fly and play the fish for a strike. The fly is very visible on the surface to the fish. You will see the fish take the fly on the surface however trout and other fish tend to feed under water so if you see the fish rising to the surface it is time to use a dry fly.

Wet flies will sink under the surface of the water an may be passed in front of the fish there bye causing the fish too strike at the fly,

Nymph fishing is very popular after the flies lay eggs on lakes or in streams and they hatch out as nymphs. As the nymphs make their way to the surface the fish will take them. When they get to the surface they will hatch into a flies.

When nymph fishing the imitation nymphs you us will be weighted to stay below the surface of the water. This will be far more of a challenge for you as the action all take place under the surface of the water and you will not be able to see if a fish is about to strike.

Most fish can be caught on a fly but the most common are trout, salmon, chars, and most game fish. In most areas the trout are the most popular and you will find them feeding mostly on small insects in shallow water. If you live on the coast you find salmon fishing with a fly rod a very rewarding challenge. Hooking a 30 or 40 pound salmon on a fly rod will give you a work out running up and down the beach trying to play the fish out to land it .

The fly fishing sport has gained ever increasing popularity over the years. Most will agree it just not about catching the fish but in the delivery of the fly and the skill and knowledge in the pursuit.

Some fly fisherman regard fly fishing as the holy grail of fishing. It is more relaxing and some say a better past time than golf. The sport of fly fishing see people from all walks of life. Some say it is more environmentally friends than the other type of fishing because it does less harm to the fish then other styles of fishing.

The art of fly fishing will get in to your blood and you will peruse the quite of the streams or the solitude of the ocean beaches to capture you prey. Most anglers will catch and release if they are fly fishing.

Are you ready to come home with the biggest load of fish you have ever caught? The Humminbird Matrix 87 is the perfect combination of features that allow you to find and catch the fish you are after. By giving you the tools to get the job done, you will be sure to bring home the big one tonight. Here are some of the features and how they will benefit you.

First off, the Matrix 87 offers some of the best technology for fish finders. It has a GPS chartplotter and sonar. Why is this so great? Simple. GPS helps you find your hotspot. The Sonar will help you to find out what’s below, in details. This gives you the most opportunity to catch the right fish. You can rest your boat in the right spot so that you land your line right where the fish are. Sonar will provide you with up to date information on where they are headed and what they are doing down there as well.

You also get high visibility color in your five inch display. This gives you more detail. Find out what’s going on in clear detail. Is it the fish you want? Is the bottom full of hiding spots?

The Built-in UniMap will give you great direction as far as finding out where you are. It will give you four nautical miles of coasts, lakes and rivers. See where you are headed. Find out where the fish is headed as well!

You can use your Matrix 87 to help you locate your favorite hotspot of fish. Or, it will help you to find the best place to catch them by giving you sonar images of the bottom. It will allow you to go to your fish instead of waiting for that fish to come to you. It makes your job just that much easier.

And, when you get home with a cooler full of huge fish, you’ll be glad that the Humminbird 87 did its job!

Fishing is peaceful and inspiring sport regardless of the type of fishing your doing. Well, with one exception &ndash grunion runs.

El Grunionino

Throughout the year, the fish known as the grunion run in San Diego and much of California. This little silver fish reproduces by “running” up the beach during the high tide in the middle of the night. Literally thousands of the fish simply come storming up the beach with the waves to lay their eggs in the wet sand. It kind of looks like the beginning of a triathalon except the participants are going the wrong way and are pregnant.

The fish picked up their name from Spanish settlers because of, well, the grunting noise the make when doing their thing. It is a bit saucy now that I think about it. Anyway, the grunion averages five inches in length and has a silvery hue that shows in the moonlight. With thousands in the water, it looks like the a really fat person wearing way to many sequins while dancing to disco music.

You’re Inner Barbarian

“Fishing” for grunion requires you to get in touch with your inner barbarian. Under California law, you are not allowed to use bait, hooks, poles, nets or anything. Instead, you must physically catch the grunion with your hands. This, of course, results in you and others running around the beach like a crab while trying to snatch the grunions. They are exceedingly quick and slippery. You’ll be huffing and puffing before you know it.

Grunion are an extremely plentiful fish, but there are still rules to follow. As mentioned above, you have to go mano-a-fisho. No poles, nets or other items can be used. Second, you have to get a fishing license from the California Department of Fish and Game. Third, you can only go grunion hunting from May to September, the legal season in the area.

If you think getting in touch with your inner fishing barbarian sounds like a good time, here is the scoop on good spots. In San Diego, you should hit the beaches in Del Mar, La Jolla, Mission Beach or in front of the Hotel Del Coronado. These are all high end areas, which means the grunion must have excellent taste.

Running around the beach like a madman can be tiring. Bringing along fluids [okay, beer] is highly recommended.