If you're anything like me, you where a fishing vest to carry all of your fishing gear. If you do any walking during your fishing trip, a tackle box just doesn't cut it. So you need to wear a fishing vest. You can find them at any decent sporting goods store or of course on the internet. I believe this idea began with fly fishermen (or flea flickers as my mentor used to refer to them), but I'm not positive about that. In any case, it's a very convenient idea, and if flea flickers are the reason for it, god bless 'em. So what do you need to carry in your fishing vest? Pretty much anything that you think you may need on a given fishing excursion. This will vary depending on the type of fish that you're fishing for, but there are some basics. I'll begin with them.

1) Weights and swivels - your going to need weights and swivels of various sizes. I keep them in empty film containers. They are a very convenient way to carry both weights and swivels.

2) Hooks - the same deal on this one, unless you know exactly what type you're going to use. The important thing is to have some back-ups.

3) Spinners/Spoons - your going to want a few small plastic boxes (that fit in the pockets of the vest). Then stock said boxes with spinners and spoons of varying sizes. Make sure you have at least 2 of each option that you choose to carry. Just think of Noah. If the fish are biting on a certain lure, and you get snagged and lose that lure, you'll be glad you have a back-up.

4) Stainless steel pliers or hemostats. This is obviously to remove hooks from the fish's mouth. When I trout fish, I prefer hemostats, but it's totally a preference thing. Just make sure that you carry one of the two.

5) A bait bag of some sort. This is the easiest way to carry live bait. You just hook it on your vest, and you're good to go. If you don't want to buy one from somewhere like JRWfishing.com, just read my other articles to find out how to make one.

6) Matches and/or a lighter in a Ziploc bag. You just never know when you might need a fire. Better safe than sorry.

7) A power bar of some sort. Just like the matches, better safe than sorry when you suddenly get hungry enough to eat a dead horse.

8) A small waterproof flashlight. Just like the previous two, better safe than sorry. If you're 2 miles from your vehicle and it's suddenly dark, you'll be glad you have a flashlight with you.

9) Nail clippers on a retractor. This way your clippers are always right there and ready to go. Your dentist will thank you as well. Dentists aren't too fond of fishermen biting their excess line.

10) A wader repair kit - You only need to pop a hole in your waders one time, when you're 2 miles from your truck and it's 40 degrees and raining outside to know that this ones true. Just take my word for it.

If you have at least these 10 things in your fishing vest, you should be safe and good to go. Of course, you may add things to your hearts desire, but these basics should get you through and make for a very safe and happy fishing trip.

By: Trevor Kugler - Co-founder of JRWfishing.com Trevor has more than 20 years of fishing experience, and now specializes in ultralight trout fishing. http://www.jrwfishing.com - products and information to save you time and help you catch more fish. email - tkugler@jrwfishing.com

Featured by the Fishing Directory from Lifestyle at Resources For Attorneys, a legal and lifestyle resource.

It will never cease to amaze me how many people when trying to catch Speckled Trout don’t take the time to check on tides, the moon stages, or even think about the temperature of the water.

Speckled Trout are very temperamental fish and are very sensitive to changes in water temperature as well as barometric pressure. Go fishing for them right before an approaching front in the Fall and you will see what I mean as they will eagerly eat anything you throw at them. If you try to fish for Specks during the day when the moon is full you are likely not to have much luck because they have been feeding all night, particularly in the summer when it is hot.

That brings me to another subject, the water temperature. Aside from trying to catch Speckled Trout or really just about any other fish in the middle of the day in Summer, even fishing for them in the late afternoon will not bring as good of results as fishing for them in the early morning beginning right before sunrise. This is due to the cooling off of the water overnight which allows the fish to become more active.

If you live in an area that has narrow passes or outflows you really are in luck. Set yourself up on the outgoing side on an outgoing tide and you are sure to catch your limit quickly as the trout sit there waiting for the baitfish and shrimp that come pouring out. I fished an area called Rollover Pass near Galveston, Texas where we limited out every day. If you have the opportunity to fish there for Specks I highly recommend it on an outgoing tide.

I live in the panhandle of Florida in a small town called Navarre, we don’t really have any areas like that but we do have a lot of canals which brings me to another tip. Just as Speckled Trout are sensitive to heat they are also sensitive to cold. In the winter the fish move into the shallow waters of creeks and canals and you can catch them there fairly easily. I have friends who are net fishermen that catch dozens of them by accident in the winter while casting their nets for mullet.

Now, let me leave you with some bait suggestions. If you are a fan of artificial bait I recommend either a white Mirrorlure with a red head or a clear Cocohoe minnow with a red tail. For live bait, which I prefer you cannot go wrong with live shrimp or pinfish. Pinfish are my personal preference because they last longer and typically catch bigger fish plus you don’t have the problem of other unwanted fish eating them like you do with shrimp.

By: Gregg Hall
Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. For more on fishing or hunting or fishing in Florida go to http://www.fishingandhuntingplus.com.

Featured by the Fishing Directory in the lifestyle section at Resources For Attorneys.

Summer walleye, this is the time for the most popular game fish in Canada. Tens of thousands of anglers consider this their favourite fish to catch for the sport and mostly for the fact that it is one of the greatest fish to eat.

This tip comes from an experience while fishing walleye in Northern Ontario, on Manitoulin Island, in went out early in the morning hoping to pick up a few walleye early.

I headed for a shoal that I fish frequently; it is about 20 to 25 feet of water, and drops off to about 70 feet deep. After about and hour or so, I had 2 small walleyes to show for my effort. Guessing that the cool front that moved through over night had affected the fish, I started to fish the drop off and along the length of the shoal, and still no fish. With the help of technology (fish finder, sonar) I found that there were groups of fish suspended at 20 to 25 feed in 75 feet of water. I finally surmised that the fish holding at this level would be very hard to get to, and when suspended like this they are usually not in a feeding mood.

The next problem was that to reach these fish with my jigs and no bottom structure to follow was near impossible, although down rigging or trolling would preset my bait at a better level, if they were not actively feeding it was again a tuff sell for these walleyes. What is needed in a situationlike this is a slow presentation of the lure or live bait. What I needed was a bait delivery system that would consistently put me at the right depth and slow enough to keep the bait in the strike zone for a long time, so as to tease them into action. I also wanted to be able to make long casts to allow long drifts through these suspended walleye schools.

I decided to give a slip-bobber a try; it's simple and deadly when used right. Most anglers don't use this walleye technique enough it works. The slip bobber, slips up and down the line from your hook to a bobber stop you set for the desired depth. I needed to get the bait down 25 feet; with the slip bobber the stopper you use to set your depth is so small that it will pass through the rod guides and onto the reel without no problems at all. And if you find your depth is not quite right you simply move the stop up or down.

Now with the slip bobber controlling my depth accurately, I was able to drift my bait (live bait, jigs, and plastics work well) right through these schools of walleye at nose level, also able fish very slow giving these finicky walleyes lots of time to make up their minds about having a snack. It was a large school of walleyes and the result was a couple of hours of super walleye fishing.

If you think about it slip bobbers can be used with your favourite live bait for walleye fishing. Either a plain hook or jig tipped with a minnow, worm or leach can be fished in the same way for precise depth control. Plus slip bobbers are not restricted to walleye fishing. They are great for all sorts of fishing, when conditions call for depth control, long distance casting or a really slow presentation. I have used them for trout and salmon in rivers, and even on bass in small clear pools where a long cast and slow movement is needed. I have taken a lot of nice bass from under and alongside the numerous swimming rafts and docks around different lakes I have fished and used this method quite successfully. These tactics also work great around bridge pillars, piers and supports, and weed lines, and dams. By casting so easily and smoothly they are great for kids, they love to see the bobber twitch and disappear.

Once you start walleye fishing and any other species, you will likely find all sorts of situations where they will be the answer to speed and depth control. Pick up a couple and try these tips, you will not regret it. Just go fishing!

By: Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips has been fishing Canada coast to coast for over 50 years. Fishing Canada provides solid advice for walleye, pike, muskie, a variety of trout, bass and more. Ideas on when and where to go on your next trip to Canada.

Featured by the Fishing Directory from the lifestyle section of Resources For Attorneys, a legal and lifestyle resources directory.

As with most forms of fishing you will need to know about the equipment, in particular the rod, reel and line. Tackle suitable for other forms of fishing is generally not suitable for fly fishing.

The fly rod is the means by which to deliver the fly in a cast, the line and is the tension controller after the fish has been hooked. Rods are usually made from either phenol impregnated bamboo, hollowed fibreglass and carbon fibre or graphite. The only real difference between these types for the beginner are the cost and the maintenance methods. The fibreglass rod is recommended for the beginner, basically due to the lower cost. The beginner can master his casting technique without incurring large costs. The rod should weigh about 140 grams and should have 7 line guides as well as the tip. The reel seat should be at the very end of the butt, with no projection to inhibit casting or to tangle the line.

G were made of plaited pure silk impregnated with pure linseed oil, which was allowed to harden. Plastic coated lines have been in almost universal use since the introduction of synthetics. The lines are made from woven nylon or terylene centre with a breaking strain of 10 kg (22 lbs). A plastic material containing air bubbles coats the centre, the quantity of bubbles being varied to make the line either float or sink. The control with this type of manufacturing enables the sinking lines to be either fast, medium or slow and come in varying colours according to their use.

The lines are also tapered and the various tapers are suitable for varying types of casts, the double tapered line being the most widely used. The weight of the line is the controlling factor when seeking a balanced combination between the rod and line. The standard identifying system now is use is a combination of a numbers and letters. Which stand for weight and type of line. Rod manufacturers usually indicate which weight line is best suited to each rod, the graphite rod being more versatile than the cane or glass rods. The code DT6F indicates a size 6 double taper, floating line; DT6S a sinking line of the same style and weight.

The fly line is usually quite bulky and brightly coloured and to avoid scaring the fish by the splash and the bright colour, a leader should be used to separate the line and the fly. This leader is a tapered monofilament line and continues the taper from the line down to the fly. Reels are necessary but not an important part of the gear, basically they are just a storage device for the line. The line is controlled by hand and wound on the reel when not in use. The weight od the rod and reel should be such that it feels balanced An incorrectly weighted road and reel will lead to inaccurate casts and a very frustrated fisherman. A reel should be of sufficient size to hold a good quantity of line and have a good line guard.

Safety is paramount and the learner should not practice casting with a fly on the line unless the point, barb and bend have been removed. A substitute for a fly is even better. No need for water to practice your casts and a football ground or park will suffice so long as the surface is grassed and the line isn't being retrieved across gravel or dirt.

The three fundamentals for casting a fly are: the rod acts as a long spring, the whole line acts as the weight or sinker or lure of other types of fishing and the timing of the action.

By: Michael Russell, Your Independent guide to Fishing.

Featured by the Fishing Directory from the lifestyle section of Resources For Attorneys.

The fact that fish will strike at moving objects has been known to man since the dawn of time. Evidence of this has been found throughout the world. Polynesians troll pearl shell jigs with tortoise-shell hooks from paddle canoes. Other races trolled from a variety of sail and oar propelled vessels, long before the advent of the motor. Now anglers can troll at various speeds and to depths of up to 60 fathoms with long lines and metal traces or downriggers.

Trolling is equally productive in salt or freshwater. It is synonymous with game-fishing but can capture a variety of fish of all sizes and in all depths of water. Technological advances in boating equipment, navigational aids, depth sounders, water temperature gauges, as well as in the tackle used by the angler has fuelled an explosion in the number of trolling offshore anglers who head out every day to feeding grounds miles from the coast.

Trolling can be done with dead or live baits and lures. The bait/lure combination has been developed over the years whereby a skirt or plume of feathers can adorn the head of the bait. This can serve two purposes, it attracts the attention of the fish and prolongs the life of the bait. As the bait is dragged through the water the skirt breaks the water ahead of the baitfish and reduces the amount of drag and friction on the bait, providing a streamlined, faster trolling action. This action excites the fish and encourages a strike at the moving bait.

Recreational and commercial fishermen both take advantage of the combination of live and bait trolling. Live bait trolling can be particularly successful where baits such as skipjack, slimy mackerel or yellowtail are trolled near drop-offs, peaks and troughs or near bait schools. Usually carried out at speeds of less than 3 knots, it is best that the angler hold his line clear of the rod to enable awareness of the panicked movements of the bait as a predator approaches.

Live baiting is best done with a high drag or free spool and a long period allowed between the fish taking the bait and the strike back, unless the fish hooks itself straight away and runs. Trolling with dead baits is the most-used method when fishing for billed fish. Many anglers troll with a combination of live and dead baits and usually at speeds between 3 and 6 knots.

One method to rig up dead baits is to hook the bait to the top of the head and from the throat or belly. Upon the strike, if the fish is not hooked, the line can be retrieved along the surface to tease the fish into a second strike. If the bait is sliced by a mackerel or a wahoo, the hook-up can be achieved when the fish returns for a second strike on the mutilated head.

The advantage of trolling with lures is that they can be trolled at high speeds and cover more ground and do not break up or disintegrate as do the live or dead baits. Lure trolling is to troll instantly. Bait trolling can be time consuming to setup and needs ideal conditions. If fish are following but not striking at lures, it would be best to vary the speed of the boat or to draw the line in at fast then slow speeds to give the impression of fleeing bait from the fish. Lure trolling should be conducted with a V or W pattern to reduce the chance of tangles. The outside baits or lures are further out, with the inner lines moving back in closer to the boat. It is also advisable to have the heavier lures in the centre so that the lighter, surface lures will skip over the others during turns.

Drags should be set to firm and the boat gunned or accelerated upon the strike to counteract the action of the fish and to eliminate stretch. Lures should be rigged on heavy monofilament nylon or wire traces to avoid cut-offs. An advantage of wire leaders is that the wire sits well in the water and does not detract from the movement of the lure. All trolled lures should remain within 70 metres of the rear of the boat because the propeller wash has brought the fish in to the back of the boat already.

Many inland fish live and feed close to the bottom. Lures must be able to go to lower levels. Trolling distances vary but where there are underwater obstacles, having too much line out can be disastrous. If the lure doesn't get caught up by an obstacle, a hooked fish with enough line can dart behind an obstacle and cut off. Of course, fish usually prefer this type of environment with lots of dead tress and snags for hook-ups.

Surface and shallow-diving lures do not work so well in inland areas as with other freshwater species. Inland fishing requires sub-surface lures, floating-diving lures which go way down and can work through a variety of depths.

Anglers who are skilled in both techniques tend to use trolling to investigate depth, type of water and location then resort to casting and retrieving. Some of the best lure-fishing waters in New South Wales Australia, are the clear, upper reaches of the western rivers near the tableland regions. Native fish thrive in fast flowing waters with high oxygen content rather than on the flat country where the water flows at a slower pace.

By: Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Fishing.

Featured by the Fishing Directory from the Lifestyle section of Resources For Attorneys.

The Alaska King Salmon is the official state fish and ultimate prize for any fisherman looking for the excitement of landing a big one. King Salmon in the world famous Kenai River are plentiful and huge. Sport fishermen in the Kenai have caught trophy salmon weighing nearly 100-pounds, and it's not unusual for anglers to haul in 40 and 50 pounders. Thousands of people travel to the Kenai River and, with a licensed river guide, pursue its most prized bounty-- the King.

What do you use for bait? There are a few types of rigs that are best for attracting Alaska King Salmon. Spin-N-Glows, Vibrex Spinners, and plugs are three effective lures that usually provide optimum results. Two common fishing techniques used on guide boats on the Kenai are back trolling and drifting; while a third and relatively new method called back bouncing is also proving to be effective.

Back trolling usually incorporates Spin-N-Glows and salmon eggs or plugs. Some other effective lures for back trolling are Magnum Wiggle Worts, Flashtrap Spinners, Tadpollys, Kwikfish and Flatfish. In addition to the lure, you may also, depending upon the current, depth of the water, and location on the river, utilize divers, trolling weights, and diving lures. Baits that move erratically and rotate, especially those that create the illusion of a water creature in distress, will help attract salmon.

When back trolling, the guide has the boat work against the current, running the motor at the same speed or a bit slower than the river. This helps hold the boat in the same position on or to move slowly down the river. The boat should be moving downstream slower than the current while the lures are downstream ahead of the boat. Usually the bait moves close to the bottom of the river with a diver or weight attached 18 inches away from it to allow for proper depth. You'll know you've got a King Salmon on your line when the rod goes down and stays down.

Drifting is similar to back trolling except the bait is allowed to gently bounce off the bottom of the river while the boat drifts with the current. Weights are used to keep the line at the correct depth. This technique is difficult to master since it's not necessarily east to differentiate between a fish taking the bait and your line hitting off the bottom. A pause in the movement of the line often indicates a hit.

With back bouncing, the bait is bounced off the bottom as the boat is slowly backed over a hole. Sink-N-Glows, a Vibrex spinner or similar lures when properly weighted often yield good results. When fishing, if you feel a tug set the hook chances are there is a salmon there.

If using a plug, you'll want to utilize K-15's or K-16's - you need something large. Divers work well to get the plug to the right depth and colorful, gaudy colors are recommended due to their ability to attract attention.

If you're planning on fishing the Kenai River and can't locate the right type of lure at home, don't worry. Some of these items may not be accessible in your region of the country but bait and tackle shops throughout the Kenai have no lack of Spin-N-Glows, Vibrex spinners, Tadpollys, Kwikfish and more.

If you elect to book your fishing trip through a licensed guide, you'll find that their knowledge, skill, and supplies will result in a less stressful and a more productive trip. When you go fishing for the Alaska King Salmon you want to exploit every opportunity you have to make your limit, enjoying some of the best fishing on this earth.

By: Paul Mroczka sponsored by www.alaskafishon.com. Alaska Fish On is a licensed and registered Kenai river Alaska fishing guide service.

Featured by the Fishing Directory from the lifestyle section of Resources For Attorneys