This article will explain some simple crappie fishing tips that will enable you to catch more crappie. This article will focus on anglers that don’t have a boat, because for most of my fishing life, I’ve been in exactly that predicament. No boat to help you get to the “right” areas. The first thing to understand is that most areas throughout the United States have accessible crappie fishing water for those of us without the help of a boat. On many lakes and reservoirs there are man made piers that provide excellent crappie fishing opportunities. Your local bait shop should be able to point you in the right direction. Once you locate your local fishing pier, and know that people fish for crappie there, follow these tips, to help you catch them.

A crappie’s favorite meal is live minnows, there’s no doubt about that. You’re going to want some small jigs in a variety of colors as well, but a crappies favorite meal is a live minnow. Therefore you’re going to need a minnow bucket to keep and carry your minnows. Once you have a couple of dozen live minnows, you’re ready to head to the fishing pier.

The best time to catch crappie is at night. Under certain conditions they can be caught all the time, but as a general rule, most anglers fish for crappie off of these piers at night. The first trick, as you will quickly find out, is to position a light above the water once night falls. There are “crappie lights” that a person can purchase, or you can simply attach a propane lantern to a rope, lower in off of the pier, and position it right above the water. The purpose of doing this is to attract bugs and small underwater creatures to the light. That, in turn attracts bait fish to feed on the bugs and small underwater creatures. That, in turn, attract larger fish (such as crappie) to feed on the baitfish. You then lower your live minnow, attached to a bobber, into the water and wait.

What about rigging your live minnowall What’s the best way to do this? A set of #8 or 10 gang hooks is the best way to rig a live minnow. A set of gang hooks is simply two small hooks tied in tandem. You simply hook the minnow’s lips through the top hook and leave the trailing hook alone. As long as you’re using size 8 or 10 hooks, they won’t be noticed by the fish. When crappie fishing, the minnow must be alive and swimming around under your bobber. If the minnow is hooked in a manner which doesn’t keep it alive long, you’re just wasting the money you spend on bait. Hooking it through the lips keeps the minnow alive for a very long time, and presents it in a completely natural manner. A set of gang hooks is the best way to present your minnow to the crappie, and with two hooks, will increase your hook up rate as well.

These simple tips will help you catch more crappie, and we all know why we want to catch more crappie. These little black and white fish are absolutely delicious. We fish for some fish for the fight or their beauty, but crappie? We fish for crappie so that they can grace our dinner table. Crappie are easily one of the best tasting fish that can be caught in freshwater.

Rainbow Trout are one of the most enjoyable fish to catch in freshwater, especially if that water is moving. Although rainbow trout can be found on lakes and ponds in my opinion they are meant to be caught in the flowing water of a river or stream which is what I’m going to discuss in this article. I’m not going to discuss the act of flicking feathers back and forth either. I’m going to discuss the most effective way that I’ve personally ever seen for catching Rainbow Trout, especially when it comes to the flowing water provided by rivers and streams.

The technique is really quite simple and only requires a few things. Here’s what you’re going to need: small barrel swivels, split shot sinkers, gang hooks, and live worms (I suggest having a way to carry your worms, such as a bait bag, but this obviously isn’t an integral part of the technique). Simple enough, rightall I think the fact that the technique is so simple is also what makes it so effective.

The goal is to bounce your live worm off the bottom, as it flows naturally downstream. First, take the end of your line and tie on a small barrel swivel. Now tie on a set of size 8 or 10 gang hooks (you can make your gang hooks yourself or buy them from JRWfishing.com). Now add enough split shot to get you to the bottom. Start with 2 and see what happens. Some experimentation is involved until you get the correct amount of weight. Now add a live worm, and your good to go. You want to cast this rig parallel to yourself and let it flow naturally with the current as it bounces off the bottom. You will get snagged from time to time, it’s inevitable. As my mentor used to say, “If you’re not getting snagged, you’re not fishing in the right place.”

The technique described above is the most effective technique for catching rainbow trout in moving water. The same rig, with an egg sinker instead of split shot will work well for lake fishing also. The gang hooks allow you to present the live worm in a completely natural manner, the way God intended, which is a huge advantage to the angler. Using this technique will not only enable you to catch more Rainbow Trout, but trout of all kinds as well.

When it comes to walleye fishing, jigs have been the most consistent type of fishing lure for a very long time. They are effective in both the shallows and in deep water, in warm and cold conditions, fishing during the day and at night, and literally the whole year round. Learning the basics of jigging is an essential step in becoming successful at walleye fishing. Here are a few things to keep in mind that will help you do just that:

Jigs come in various shapes, designed for specifically different fishing situations. Choosing the right one can make all the difference.

The most common shape is the ball-style jig. These are very versatile and can be used in the current or in still water. If in doubt, this is almost always a good walleye lure option. Ball-style jigs can be casted or trolled and are great for vertical jigging as well.

When you’re fishing in the weeds for walleye, a good choice would be a swimming jig. These use a long, flat shape that reduces your chances of snagging and lures those walleye out from their hiding spots.

Pancake jigs are designed to cut through moving water (also called “current cutters”), and are best used while walleye fishing in rivers and streams.

Fishing lure size is another important factor. A 1/8 oz. jig is a pretty good place to start in most fishing conditions. The most important thing to consider is whether you are getting all the way to the bottom. If you can, try going lighter with a 1/16 oz. Or you may need to go a bit bigger with a 1/4 oz. or 3/8 oz. These four walleye lure sizes should cover most situations, but it doesn’t hurt to have other options as well.

If you’re fishing at night or in murky water you might try a bulkier walleye lure with fluorescent colors for increased visibility. No matter what, it is always a good policy to keep trying new fishing lure colors. Light conditions change very quickly underwater and good part of walleye fishing will always be a guessing game.

After you have the right walleye lure picked out, consider tipping it with either live bait or a plastic substitute. Both options have their advantages and you’re better off having both available to you. When it comes to live walleye bait, minnows, leeches, and night crawlers will work best. Generally minnows work best in cooler water (spring and fall), leeches in warmer, and night crawlers in either. You should experiment, however, with all three regardless of when you are walleye fishing. Sometimes you just don’t know until you try.

Plastic substitutes are nice because they require less maintenance and can be just as effective as live walleye bait. This will make it nicer on your hands when the weather is chilly and you don’t want to be fumbling with minnows all day. New products like Gulp! work incredibly well, looking and acting very natural while using a specialized scent that attract walleye even better than the real thing.

All of this will be in vain if you don’t find the fish. Electronic fish finders can be a fisherman’s best friend. Once you’ve found them and you’re fishing lure is in the water, you should vary the lure motion on your retrieve. First, let the walleye lure it sink all the way down. Try popping it off the bottom then let it sink, dragging the fishing lure along the bottom with subtle shakes, and slowly lifting and dropping it as you reel in. These methods take some practice to perfect but will help make your fishing lure look more natural and attractive to those walleye.

Knowing your fishing lure and how to use it is an essential part of becoming a successful angler. The more you know, the more fish you’ll catch. The more fish you catch, the more fun you’ll have fishing. And that, my friend, is what it’s really all about.

Most people put their fishing gear away as the cold weather of winter approaches. This is really too bad since winter can be a great time to get out there on your favorite body of water and catch those “slabs.”

During early and late winter look shallow for crappie. Target the shallow bays, coves, and channels with cover such as weeds, brush piles, stumps, etc, in 3 to 8 feet of water using small jigs tipped with minnows or waxworms on light line in the 2 to 4 pound test range. If you don’t catch a fish within 15 to 30 minutes move to a different location. Keep moving until you catch a fish. If you catch one, more than likely there will be more crappie hanging out in the same area.

Midwinter is the time of year when the weeds die off and the crappie will move to deeper water, generally, out in the main basin or river channel of the lake or body of water that you will be fishing on. Locating crappie during the midwinter months can be a bit more difficult. A good depth finder is essential and will make locating crappie much easier. Look for breaks, drop offs, ledges, and humps over a soft bottom. Crappie tend to hold over soft bottom areas. Target depths of 12 to 20 feet in these areas. Use jigs tipped with minnows or waxworms on light line and fish along the edges of the breaks and drop offs and just above the humps. Once again keep moving and trying different locations until you catch fish.

Some of the best spots on Lake Erie for great walleye fishing are located in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The most popular spot in Ohio is the Toledo shipping channel. You have to travel out a few miles to reach the channel were the walleye seem to be in abundance, but it is worth when you bring back some nice sized fish. The best way that most anglers say they hook the walleye is by trolling the waters in the shipping channel. The channel has some good fishing, but if you want something a little closer to the shoreline, you might try a few other hot spots.

Another great place to fish walleye is Fairport Harbor in and around the central basin. The area has rocky formations that attract the walleye between Conneaut and Fairport. You will not find any offshore walleye fishing here, but the further out you go, there are great areas for hooking a walleye. Again, in this area, most anglers say they catch more fish when trolling. Some of the best fishing on Lake Erie is also around Sandusky. The port by the western end of the basin is better for catching the walleye.

On the Pennsylvania side of Lake Erie, anglers have been known to catch a walleye north, off the point of Presque Isle. It does have calmer waters in this area and you can sit in one place around the point to hook a walleye. The fishing around North East Marina is sometimes good, this all depends if the walleye migrate that way from the central basin. Some walleye that never leave the area were said to be a rather good size catch. These few areas on Lake Erie seem to be the general areas were anglers go to look for walleye.

Some the anglers that fish Lake Erie have said that they troll in the central basin and use deep diving lures and spoons, dipsy divers and a worm harness. Over in the western basin they drift while using cast or troll crankbaits over the reefs while using a spinner with a fitted bottom bouncer and a worm harness. They say they can get a eighteen to twenty-eight inch walleye out of the central and western basins. Although they will tell you that best spot during falls is between Huron and Vermilion.

Walleye fishing on the Michigan side is much different from that of the Pennsylvania and Ohio side. The walleye are easier to find and are abundant around certain areas. The best time of year to hook a walleye is May and June along the shallow waters of Lake Erie after the walleye are done spawning. The leading hot spots are Monroe, Sterling State Park, Bolles Harbor and Luna Pier. The best anglers practice a slow troll while using a ThunderStick Junior. This practice is only good until June when you need to change bait and methods of fishing the waters.

If you are new to fishing or just haven’t yet cast your line out for crappie, you no doubt want to take time to learn a few basic crappie fishing tips for beginners. These fish are fairly easy to catch, which makes them a great type of fish to start learning with. However, there are some crappie fishing tips you will want to follow, as there are some specific things you can do help make your time on the water more productive. Here are some great crappie fishing tips for beginners:

Pick Your Season. This type of fish is far more active in the spring months, and this means that they are easier to catch. Generally, May is the peak month for fishing crappie, but April and June are also excellent months. However, you can catch this type of fish in any season.

Pick Your Location. Crappie love to hide under piers, so if you can find a lake with pier, that’s often an excellent place to cast your line. They also are commonly found near the shoreline. Often a boat isn’t really needed to catch this type of fish.

Pick Your Equipment. Crappie are generally light nibblers, and this means that you will want to use a lightweight fishing rod and a lightweight line. If you use the medium or heavy duty rods and lines, you may find that you can’t feel their bite. The result is that they may swim off with your bait repeatedly without you catching anything for the day.

Pick Your Lure. Crappie just love to eat minnows, so if you can find live minnows at a bait and tackle shop, you will be serving up just what they prefer to eat right on your hook. You may also want to talk to local fisherman or even the bait shop owner to see if the local fish in the area are biting on any other types of bait. Often they can provide you with some really specific information that can come in pretty handy.

As you can see, there isn’t too much involved in fishing for this type of fish. However, when you follow these specific crappie fishing tips you will find that your day on the water will be far more productive. These are a fun fish to attract and reel in, and they make a tasty meal, too. So keep these tips in mind as you plan your upcoming fishing trip!

Trout fishing is a popular activity enjoyed by many people around the world. Although, some people might not exactly describe their trout fishing experiences as being enjoyable all the time. Trout fishing can in fact be quite frustrating at times. Here are 4 trout fishing tips to ensure that you have a positive trout fishing experience, and to help increase the number of trout you catch.

Trout Fishing Tip #1:

The ideal trout fishing gear should be lightweight. Heavier gear is really only needed if you are fishing for brown trout that reside in the great lakes. A 5 foot ultra light rod paired with an ultra light reel is the preferred trout fishing setup for many experienced anglers. You will have no problem catching very large trout with this type of setup. The recommended hook size for live bait is a size 10 hook. The next piece of trout fishing gear to consider is the fishing lure. It is preferable to use smaller lures when trout fishing. Accomplished anglers normally do not fish for trout with spinners and spoons heavier than a 1/4 ounce. When trout fishing, also try to avoid using minnow type plugs longer than 4 inches. One of the top trout fishing tips is to use light fishing gear.

Trout Fishing Tip #2

Pay attention to the size and color of clothing you wear when trout fishing. If you are trout fishing and wading in the water, the color of clothing you are wearing becomes very important. Avoid wearing plain white clothing or anything with bright colors. These color stand out too much, and will actually repel the fish away from you. Therefore, it is a good idea to wear clothing that blends in well with the surroundings. The colors that best accomplish this are usually dull browns and greens. Another of the top trout fishing tips to remember is to only wear dull-colored clothing, and avoid any clothing with bright colors.

Trout Fishing Tip #3

One of the most overlooked things while trout fishing is the smell of your hands. Any unnatural smells on your hands will be transferred to the bait and will work to repel the trout. You need to remember that trout and most fish in general have a very acute sense of smell. If you are a smoker, be sure to rub dirt or mud on your hands after smoking. Before trout actually bite the bait, they will first sniff out the bait. If you smoked a cigarette and than touched the bait, it will smell of cigarettes, which is a major repellant for trout. The third of the trout fishing tips to remember is to avoid any unnatural scents.

Trout Fishing Tip #4

The way the bait is presented is also something that cannot be overlooked when trout fishing. Trout are very intelligent fish, and so the bait needs to appear to be as natural as possible. The use of gang hooks is a great way to make your bait more natural and presentable to trout. It is extremely important that no part of the hook be showing, so be sure to completely cover any signs of the hook with your bait. The last of the trout fishing tips is to ensure that your bait appears to be as natural as possible.

Surf fishing started out a few centuries ago as a method for sustenance. In modern time surfcasting has transformed into one of the most popular techniques of sport fishing. This is due to the abundant and various species of surf fish available, easy access to the beach and does not require advance fishing skills to get started. A few basics surf fishing tackle are all you will need to let you start catching fish.

Many avid surf fishermen prefer fishing rods between 7 to 11 feet long, longer rod will cast at longer distance and shorter length rod will provide greater rod control. The action of the rod which determines the power of the rod is rated as fast, medium and heavy action. I recommend beginners to use a 9 feet rod with medium action rating. This rod will have enough backbone and sensitive enough to let you catch a wide range of saltwater fish.

Your surf fishing tackle should include the saltwater reels. It is a good idea to invest in a decent quality reel, using a cheap reel with improper seal and non coated gear will not last long in the harsh surf conditions. It is a good idea to visit the fishing shop and test out a few different types of reels and rods together. Ensure that the rod and reel combo feels comfortable because you will be holding and casting it all day. Fishermen prefer using spinning and conventional reels for surfcasting, there are advantages and disadvantages to both type of reels. I prefer to use the spinning reel because I find it easier to cast heavy lures long distances.

You can use braided and monofilament line for fishing the surf. Braided line does not stretch as much as mono but has higher tension strength and costs a bit more. Braided has a course exterior and can be abrasive, therefore make sure that your reel and fishing rod guides are designed to handle braided line. I like to use monofilament line with my surf fishing rods because I can cast heavy sinkers and lures further. I recommend using a 8-10 lb test line with your medium action rod, this should be light enough to catch small perch and strong enough to land stripers.

Surf conditions can change at any moment and the types of bait to use will also be dictated by it. Live baits such as mullet, sand crabs, shrimp and squid are very effective for surf fish. Some bait will work better on certain day or season. A safe bet is to visit the local bait shop and buy what is available. Artificial baits such as jigs, spoons, crankbaits and plastic grubs and worms can also great results. You should try different tactics and lures to find the one that works best.

Fishing for crappie is one of the more enjoyable forms of fishing because of its relaxed nature and the ease of the catch. This article will help those that enjoy crappie fishing catch more fish. One of the nice things about crappie fishing is the accessibility of it. You don’t need a fishing boat to catch a lot of fish and it can be done right from a dock or shoreline. If there is a local bait store nearby, be sure to ask someone there, where some good fishing locations are. They are usually more than happy to help out.

The main diet of a crappie is small minnows. If you are going to use lures to catch crappie, it is best to use smaller lures that will mimic the minnows that they normally eat. Attaching a live minnow to the end of a lure is another good tactic that can help attract more nibbles.

Some of the best fishing happens at night when the crappie feed just before settling down for the night. Pier fishing in the evening will provide a lot of bites and many chances for catching crappie. One crappie fishing tip that has received a lot of mileage by many is to use a lantern near the surface of the water to attract bugs and small fish. This attraction will eventually bring crappie nearby that like to feed on those small fish. This will give the angler plenty of opportunities to catch crappie.

As was said earlier, smaller tackle works best for crappie fishing. You will want to makes sure that the hook sizes you are using are not too big. Crappies are not big fish, so if you use a hook or lure that is too large, then a crappie will never be caught by it. A hook size that is between 8 and 10 is the best option to go with. If you’ve decided to attach live bait to your lure, then use two hooks. One will be dedicated to holding the live bait while the other is there to hook the crappie.

Crappies are often called “papermouths”. They get this nickname because of the fact that their mouths are very delicate. If you feel a nibble on your lure, don’t tug too hard on your line to set the hook. This will often times rip the hook right out of its mouth. You generally don’t need to set the hook at all with a crappie. Just start reeling in and the crappie will hook itself naturally.

Crappies are known for being one of the best tasting freshwater fish. Every angler should enjoy a good tasting crappie every now and then. Hopefully this article will help you catch many crappies on your next fishing trip.