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

The Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) Is a fierce fighting fish that, when feeding is always hungry. They compete with adult Striped Bass and Mackerel so when the blues are in, the other fish go into hiding. The first sign in Maine that the blues are in, is when you see a mackerel leap out of the water being chased and fast by a blue. Obviously there are other ways of telling the blues are in. Usually my personal first sign is while fishing for stripers, I start losing lures and snapping off lines.

This is a sign that it's time to put on a good steel leader and put some 2x or 3x strong hooks on everything. Blues can cover 10 or 20 miles in no time flat while hunting and exploring bays. They school in like sizes and feed together. For the recreational fisherman few, if any fish can match the blue pound for pound in a fight. When you hook a fish that can hit 20 pounds after a dozen years.... That's a lot of fight!

When fishing blues a word of caution should be heeded. Bluefish have very sharp teeth and you should never try to lip one of these fish. They have rows of cutting teeth. They an be picked up by the gill, or netted. Because of their fork tail, with some practice, once up to the boat they can safely be grabbed just ahead of the tail and pulled in backwards.

So where is all this heading? I have put together this article to share my personal preferred method for fishing bluefish here in Maine and the gear I use. So enough technical chat about blues and lets get on with it.

I usually fish, bluefish, stripers, and mackerel from my little 14 foot Starcraft aluminum boat. A good product of the 70's. The engine has been upgraded to a 30 hp mariner and all the seats removed and replaced with some decking and a holding tank / storage bin. The point is, any relatively reliable boat will do that you would fish the inlets and anything within view of the shoreline. I prefer the boat to surf casting simply for the sake of mobility and the opportunity to explore more.

The tackle box is unsually lined with steel leaders, leader material with crimping collars and some barrel swivels. Rattlin' Chug bugs by storm are terrific bluefish bait. I fish the 3 inch blue/silver with the hooks replaced with saltwater 3x strong more than any other bait. Next I fish my own plugs. When I opened my tackleshop I had images of everyone using my plugs, now I keep them for myself, friends and family and make them at my leisure. Essentially a hard wood gurgling popper with sturdy hooks. Personally I have found the blues to prefer baits in the 3" range. Larger baits seem to intimidate the average fish and make too much splash. Thirdly the next best method is something a kin to the old timers Pike method of skipping salt pork. Hook on a good hunk of fish (Or Pork) cast out and keep it plugging across the surface. Bluefish like noise. Noise to them means feeding shad or baitfish, and they want it. Whatever you bring... bring extras. Blues are hard on tackle.

As far as rod and reel goes I truly enjoy battling these monsters with medium or medium/light gear. The usual suggested line weight is at least 20lb test, a good suggestion for general blue fishing. To date my personal best is a 33 inch blue monster on 12lb test. This year I will be tackling them with flies. I keep a Mitchell open faced reel with Berkley Trilene Ultra smooth casting on a 6' medium weight rod for standard fishing. The braided line and 20lb mono comes out eventually.

I start by pulling my baits through tuna fish oil, casting out and "Walking the Dog". This is a technique where the popper when twitched shakes from side to side. Getting the popper to "Blurp" without a big splash also seems to work well. On windy days you may find the need to switch to noisy underwater crank baits to keep the blues coming. It's true that once feeding and you are in a school you could throw poo on a hook and catch a bluefish. But it often takes more patience and presentation to get the attention of one or more of the school and get them hitting.

Drag, drag, drag. Make sure your drag is set appropriately. These fish will pull your drag. If they don't they will straighten hooks or simply rip the hook out. When on a rod, these fish need to be fought in with some common sense. Horsing and forcing them in often loses the fish.

Some days you will need to cover many inlets and bays to find your school, but its always worth while when you hit.

Lastly, Bluefish always seem smart, whether they are or not is always up for debate. It always seems like blues are great at finding your motor, anchor line or some other structure to wrap around and pull free. Keeping an eye on your fish and where its heading is essential to your success. Also keep in mind that Blues are hard core fighters. They will often go for one or more last super hard runs when they get up to the boat. Just hang on and ease them back in.

Good luck, tight lines, practice catch and release and take a kid fishing.

By: Lloyd Metcalf
Lloyd Metcalf is the owner of "The Fishin' hole" Tackle shop and http://www.fly-fishing-flies.com. He has been fishing ever since his Dad put a stick and string in his hands.

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

If you are anything like me, you live for the action packed, heavy hitting, bone jarring topwater explosion produced when you throw a topwater bait. As far as I am concerned, it is incredibly exiting to watch the water splash upwards and the opportunity to see that lunker bass flash and slam into your bait! Getting a bass to take surface baits requires you to get their attention. Out of all the topwater baits on the market, few, if any, come close to creating as much surface disturbance as does the buzzbait. To a prowling hungry bass, this unique sputtering, splashing and gurgling noise that is created by a buzzbait is extremely hard to resist. I would like to educate and provide you with an understanding of the buzzbait so you can also enjoy the success of this awesome and versatile lure.

The buzzbait is designed specifically for surface fishing and lacks some of the versatility that it's cousin, the spinnerbait possesses. Nevertheless I have found that many times a buzzbait is often more effective than a spinnerbait when fishing over grassy, weedy areas, or visible timber. Why? First of all it is less likely to become fouled in the grass or weeds. Second, in stained water or thick vegetation, the sound created by a buzzbait not only alerts bass to its presence but it allows them to locate, track, and acquire the bait much faster. Third, there is something special about the way a buzzbait will ignite the predatory instincts of a bass. A buzzbait will work best in calmer waters, however I often use one when there is a slight surface chop on the water. Although, too much wave action will erase the disturbance action caused by the buzzbait, so let your common sense take over in this situation.

When the surface temperature of the water is in the 60-degree range and the aforementioned water conditions are in alignment, I will throw a buzzbait just about anytime. Buzzbaits are typically thrown when the sky is overcast or when you are in a low light condition. Most people use the bait early in the morning or late in the evening. Keep in mind, this is simply a theory and you can throw a buzzbait anytime of the day. Buzzbaits are very effective when thrown into thick or heavy grass cover during warm or hot weather. You just might be surprised by how effective a buzzbait is at drawing bass out of the densest grass or surface matting. This versatile lure is great for locating bass. They will cast far and can be retrieved faster than most topwater baits. This will allow you to cover a lot more water in a shorter period of time. Considering that a buzzbait has a single hook that is usually offset, this will allow the bait to be fished in all types of cover no matter how dense it might be. This really adds to the locator ability of the bait as well.

I think that the biggest disadvantage of the buzzbait is the fact that bass will often completely miss the bait or strike it short. Some newer buzzbait manufacturers have helped to greatly increase the hook-up ratio by off-setting the weighted head and hook from the wire which runs the head and hook a bit deeper in the water than conventional buzzbaits. You can also buy single trailer hooks that will ad percentages to your hook-up rate. For this addition, I would recommend the Gamakatsu trailer hook. One other issue with the buzzbait occurs when you fish the bait in very dense cover. Bass sometimes have problems catching the bait. You might have to slow your retrieve a bit when fishing in these conditions. There is almost nothing as disturbing as when you see that water part and you get that huge powerful hit on your bait only to discover there is not a fish on the hook! With that being said, you must also be extremely careful not to set the hook to soon. This action will basically pull the bait right out of the mouth of the fish.

I view the procedure for an effective hookset with the buzzbait almost the same as a hookset with a Senko style worm. As with all topwater baits, you need to try and delay or hold back on the hookset a bit. I wait until I actually feel the fish take to bait. A good rule of thumb is to always set the hook by feel, not by sight or sound. The faster the fish hits the bait, the longer I wait. Many times a bass will hit the bait when they are cruising along at a high rate of speed and miss the hook entirely. They will often come back around and take another swipe at the bait if you keep your retrieve steady and slow the speed down a bit to make them think they possibly injured the bait. You can really up your odds if you have the buzzbait coated with a great scent as well. If the bass gets a taste of the scent, they are much more likely to come back for seconds.

Buzzbaits come in several sizes, but the most popular are the 1/4oz and the 1/2oz. Some buzzbaits have a clacker built in to make them louder. Blades come in all different sizes as well as shapes. One trick I learned several years ago is to take a 1/8" drill bit and drill about 4 or 5 holes on all sides of the blades. This will force water through the blade holes and cause the water to bubble up. This will make the fish, which is looking at the bait from an underwater perspective, think that there is really something big going on near the surface. Buzzbaits are also available in one, two, three and even four blade models. The more blades a bait possesses, the louder they are.

When it comes to retrieving the bait, I like to retrieve just fast enough to keep the bait up on the water surface. If I do not get a reaction using this presentation, I then increase the speed until I get a reaction. There are times when I am "burning" the bait at full reel speed to get a bite. You might also try an erratic type of retrieve such as a fast-slow-fast or a slow-fast-slow system. You will always be a successful fisherman if you will just think your presentations out and give the fish what they want. Go ahead and experiment a little, as there really is not a "right" way to retrieve this lure. As far as colors go, you must experiment. If you have experienced success on a certain color of spinnerbait, I would try a duplicate that same color on a buzzbait. My favorite color of buzzbait is junebug or white/chartreuse with light blue.

I prefer using a baitcasting outfit when bass fishing, but when presenting a buzzbait, a spinning outfit is easier to use. I use a 7' spinning rod with a medium heavy action and a fast tip. If I use a casting rod, I use a 7' fast tip rod as well. My favorite rods for buzzin' are the St. Croix Avid and the Kistler Helium. If you prefer a heavy rod, you might consider the G.Loomis MBR844C GLX. The reason it is easier to use a spinning outfit is because when you cast the buzzbait out, you must engage the reel just before the bait hits the water. This will help to pull out any slack in the line and prepare you to begin your retrieve immediately. This action is much quicker if you have a bail on a spinning reel to shut quickly. Be sure to keep your rod tip up, as this will help you to keep the bait running on the surface. Be sure not to lift the rod up too high, as this could cause you to miss a strike as the bait could lift from the surface. Go out and try a little buzzin' and I am sure you will fall in love, when that "lunker" violently strikes your buzzbait!

By: G. Wayne Byrd
Wayne is a professional bass tournament fisherman. He is a major contributor to Fishin' Secrets with Eric Allee and Friends.
http://www.fishinsecrets.com

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

We know you've seen it out there, the bass fisher who wanted their sport to take over the world with headlines like: "bass fishing trip saves marriage" or "bass fishing saves kittens". Until recently however, there was no real cause to believe it was really true. As it would turn out, though, a bass fishing trip could save your marriage and bass fishing certainly saves kittens as well because if you're out there fishing, the kittens are safe!

Call me crazy, but a bass fishing trip really can make a huge difference in the lives of people. There is nothing like floating out on the water, relaxing and fishing to altimately give you a life altering experience that changes perspectives and ideas of millions every year. It has been said, "once you go bass, you never go back". There is something very revealing about letting that cool water breeze just drift on by and you take in the fresh air, the peace of everything around you is suddenly shattered by the screams of that bass on the fishing line. Ahh, yes there is nothing like it!

Your excitement builds as that peace fades away, and rightfully so. You are here for action, and there is no greater action in the world than the battle and the struggle between a man and the great fish on his fishing line. Not having this struggle, a bass fishing trip would be meaningless and frankly, life would be meaningless to many of us. For many, taking a fishing trip is not just another weekend away; it is a rite of passage and a religious experience.

Freedom

The feeling of freedom one can get from being out on the water with just a pole and a line separating you from man's greatest wonder, well besides women, the bass fish. This is such an overwhelming experience and many an angler has vowed to never leave the lake and never leave behind the sport that keeps the fire in their blood from burning out. There have been many a songs written that proves for so many of us that being on that lake is the most important thing in our lives.Separating an angler from his lake is like separating a mother from her child: painful, unnecessary, and a great deal of trouble.

Finding peace is a goal for many and many an angler has found peace the likes of which we may never find in our own lives. There are so many people who take trips to Mexico or Florida or other exotic destinations to get away from it all, but those places are useless to an angler without the water to sink that boat into and catch that bass. The finest hotels are nothing in comparison to a tent in the woods for the fishermen. We have a lot to learn about bass fishing and life from the story of the angler and taking a great bass fishing trip is a good start.

By: Robert Gravener
Robert and the Bass Fishing Team have been interested in fishing since 1992 we enjoy regularly sharing knowledge and experiences to the Bass Fishing community. Explore the world of Bass Fishing at www.CatchBassFishing.com

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