Lake Eufaula is a 45,181-acre reservoir located on the Chattahoochee River along the border of Alabama and Georgia. This U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir stretches from Phoenix City, Alabama, to the Walter F. George Dam at Ft. Gaines, Georgia.

Officially named Walter F. George Lake after a Georgia U.S. Senator, it has been called the "Bass Fishing Capital of the World." Lake Eufaula was completed in 1963, to provide electric power and aid in navigation on the Chattahoochee River and runs along the border of Alabama and Georgia.

Numerous public access areas, marinas, campgrounds, and parks are available to facilitate boating, fishing, picnics, and other outdoor activities. A fishing license is required if you are between 16 and 65 years of age if you are fishing with artificial bait and rod and reel.

If you like to fish in structure, meaning humps, flats and channels, this is your lake. Upstream there are numerous feeder creeks and major tributaries feeding this lake in addition to the Chattahoochee River itself. A good way to start out if you are not familiar with this large lake is to stay in the channel while you are running on the pad since it can be very dangerous for inexperienced boaters to navigate.

Anytime you see a lake like Lake Eufaula, with such world renowned recognition for big bass, you can expect it to get pounded regularly by hopeful bass anglers from all over. At times (like during the spring season), there can be as many as a dozen or more bass tournaments on this lake on any given Saturday or Sunday. So try to hit it during mid-week to avoid some of the traffic and have a chance at the big one!

There is recent surge of two types of aquatic weeds growing throughout Lake Eufaula. Eurasian milfoil and Hydrilla are spreading throughout the lakes mid to lower portion every year. These weeds can grow during the winter season and in deep water. The good side is that anglers like it, bass like it and the small fish and crayfish the bass dine on like it. Milfoil and hydrilla weeds also hold bass during the middle portion of the day, making them easier to locate.

Give Lake Eufaula a try this year, you will like the results!

By: Ed Majors
Ed is an avid bass fisherman from Birmingham, Alabama and operates a popular website devoted to bass fishing in Alabama. Visit him at http://www.bamabassfishing.com for more tips and techniques on bass fishing.

Fishing information courtesy of Resources For Attorneys, a legal resources and lifestyle resources information portal.

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Do scents really work? Do scents attract fish? I am asked these questions many times from novices and pro fishermen alike. I know that most any articles you read stress the importance of scent to one degree or another.

A lot of scientific research shows some fish are drawn to chemical sources from hundreds of yards away. Other studies indicate fish can recognize aquatic plants and other fish in the same school by individual smell. A fish’s ability to smell is documented to be approximately 1,000 times better than a dog. Fish Biologists also proved in some fish species that a fish’s system of smell can double and even triple as the fish age. So how does a bass smell?

Bass have two nostrils on each side of their snout. One is the anterior nostril and the other is the posterior nostril. Water flows into the anterior nostril, over the olfactory nerves, and back out through the posterior nostril. No link exists between the sets of nostrils and their throat. As the water holding the scent molecules flows across the olfactory nerves, a message is sent to the brain, where the scent is classified as a positive or negative scent. Bass then act on the sense by a conditioned response.

Let us look at the normal behavior of a bass. Bass find their prey by sight or sound first. The last sense activated is smell. It still plays a critical role in a bass’s life. When a bass hears or feels the presence of bait he comes over to investigate the movement or sound. As the bass moves closer to the bait, he is expecting the final stimulus, smell, to be coming from the bait. As he strikes and crushes the bait, he is expecting confirmation of the flavor of the prey by his sense of smell. Smell is an important final stimulus.

I also know that certain scents like gasoline or oil will repel bass. When reading articles, most of them will stress the point of keeping your hands free of such things as gasoline, oil, nicotine and sun tan lotion. You can buy hand cleaner specially formulated for fishermen to clean their hands periodically. If you eat in the boat while fishing, certain foods or sauces will provide a negative smell. The best advice is to use some of the hand cleaner and wash your hands frequently. In some research circles, thought is that when a bass is caught and released, it emits a chemical into the water that is interpreted by other bass as a negative smell therefore the other bass quit biting. I have seen this happen on numerous occasions. You are catching fish from one area, maybe two or three, and you release the last one caught and you get no more strikes. You know there are still fish there but they just quit you cold. This has happened to me more than once.

In response to a positive smell, bass generally will hold onto a worm emanating a positive scent for a longer time. This gives you an advantage of being able to get a good hook set and catching the fish. Three scents that appear to be positive scents are salt, anise, and garlic. Anise and garlic may be masking scents rather than attracting scents.

Now think about this: The smells or scents are transmitted to the fish by the water surrounding the fish. Now the old adage about oil and water comes into play. Many scents are oil based and although some of the oil molecules do disperse on their own, they frequently do not last long. This makes it necessary to add these scents quite frequently. Water based scents are just as bad or worse. These scents can, without drying the bait off, be thrown off the bait by casting. If you are buying these types of scents, it is going to get expensive. The scents that utilize fish oil as a base stay on the bait quite well and disperse readily in the water leaving a “scent trail”. Baits that have the scents “built in” like Yum or Gulp baits work very well also.

If you look at most worm packaging, you will notice that a lot of them have built in scents of one kind or another. Most of these contain garlic or salt and work well.

This is what my wife and I found out after a few years of experimenting. When we practiced for tournaments, one of us would use a scent product while the other would not. After 4 or 5 months, we discovered that the one using the scented worm was catching more fish. Not extraordinary numbers more but enough of a modest amount more to notice. We noted that the bass tended to hit the worm harder and hold on to the worm longer thus providing many more opportunities to get a good hook set. We obtained a sponsorship from Fish Formula and utilized the crawfish formula scent while we worm fished. We also found another product called “Worm Oil” manufactured by Baitsense and used it with modest success. I honestly don’t know whether either product attracts fish, but I do believe the products do make the bass hold on just a little longer thus providing the time to get a good hook set. If scents work to any degree, that may give you an advantage thus putting a few more fish in the live well. I think it is worth a small investment.

One word of caution about using most scents. The scents can be messy and you must be very careful with some scents, as they will stain your boat’s carpet. I had better luck putting the scent into a round plastic container and just dipping the worm into the scented formula. When I finished fishing for the day, I would put a matching cover on the container and store it until the next trip.

By: Carlton Holliday
Carlton “Doc” Holliday and his wife, Darlene “Dee” Holliday only tournament fished together for 5 years. In late 1992, Carlton had a heart attack thus the early retirement ended along with the professional fishing career.
Carlton “Doc” Holliday and his wife, Darlene “Dee” Holliday are both retired and live at Joplin, Arkansas two minutes from Lake Ouachita near Hot Springs, Arkansas. Visit us at http://www.bassfishinglakeouachita.com or email us at carltonholliday@yahoo.com.

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After proudly bringing you catch home and bragging about it to all of your buddies, what are you going to do with it? If you plan to eat it, one of the most important things is to keep it fresh. This will avoid spoiling and the strong fishy smell. The best way to guarantee freshness is to keep the fish alive until it is cleaned.

Avoid spoiling:
Freshwater fish can be placed in the livewell on the boat, or on a stringer to keep it alive until you are able to clean it. If you cannot keep the fish alive, clean it and place it on ice right away. If you are not going to keep the fish, release it quickly to avoid harming it. Saltwater fish should be put on ice right away. Most will not stay fresh kept in a livewell or on a stringer.

Clean up:
Insert the knife into the vent of the fish, and cut up along the belly to the head. Remember to keep the knife shallow because placing it too deep will puncture the intestines. Spread the body open and remove all of the entrails. The kidney (if your fish has one) is located by the backbone, and can be scraped out with a spoon. Cut off the head, and rinse the fish in clean, cool water. Surround the cleaned fish with ice, and place in a cooler or ice chest. Drain melted ice from the cooler, and do not store the fish in ice water.

Scaling or skinning:
Scaling a fish is beneficial because the scales retain an abundance of bacteria. Scaling most small types of fish and leaving the skin on, locks in moisture and keeps the fish from drying out. To scale the fish, hold it down and scrape upward starting from the tail and going toward the head. If you don’t have a fish scaler you can use a spoon.

It is a good idea to skin larger fish such as catfish and bullhead because it improves the taste and removes the layer of fat under the skin. The fatty layer of the skin is where most of the contaminants are stored. To skin a fish; clamp the head down, cut through the skin behind the pectoral fins, and peel the skin down toward the tail with pliers. To remove the head, backbone and entrails; break the head off and pull it away from the body, taking the insides with it.

Filleting:
If you have a larger fish, you will probably choose to fillet it, and get the meat without the bones. Using a fillet knife, you will need to cut your fish behind the gills to the backbone (do not go through the backbone). Keeping the knife inside the fish; cut through the ribs toward the tail. Do this on both sides. Then cut the ribs away from the fish. Place the skin side down, and cut through the fillet a quarter inch above the tail to the skin. After you wash the fillet in cold water and dry it with a paper towel; you may choose to cook or freeze it. Fish tend to last longer when frozen with the skin on.

Freezing Tips:
The smaller the package, the quicker it will freeze and slow the deterioration process. If you choose to freeze a fish make sure it is wrapped tightly in an airtight freezer wrap or bag. Vacuum packing is the best method to lock in moisture and reduce freezer burn. Remember to date the package so you will know how long it has been in the freezer. White fish last longer and will stay good in the freezer for several months. Oily fish tend to go bad after a couple of months. After removing it from the freezer the fish should be thawed as quickly as possible by placing it in cold water. You should never place it at room temperature, or in hot water. Thawing in a refrigerator overnight can be done, but is less effective than cold water.

There are a couple of important tips to follow when cleaning and preserving your catch. However, if you take the necessary precautions you will have a delicious fish dinner. Always remember to keep the fish fresh. Unless you are going to cook it right away; freeze it as soon as possible.

By: Kristy Bateman
Kristy Bateman is the writer for Earl's Blog on SellUrBoat.com. These articles are unique and helpful to anyone interested in learning about boating and or fishing. Please visit SellUrBoat.com to view a variety of unique articles from Kristy. SellUrBoat.com is The Simplest Solution to Buying and Selling 'Ur' Boat.

Fishing information courtesy of Resources For Attorneys, a legal services and lifestyle information portal.

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One of the great things about Canada fly in fishing trip packages is that you are really getting the opportunity to return to how nature used to be, untouched and without the interference of human habitation. There is a variety of types of Canada fly in fishing trip opportunities, two of them are walk/wade trips and the other is the float trip. This usually involves first flying in to a remote location, then heading out for some fly-fishing.

There is nothing like the feel of walking out into the river or wading out into the lake and throwing out a line to see what you can bring in. Canada fly in fishing trip packages that involve fly-fishing may involve the following locations Owens River, Piru Creek and Deep Creek, along with the Delaware River, Stillaguamish River and Idaho Falls.

Depending on the Canada fly in fishing trip you,choose you may be hitting a rustic cabin or a hotel, resort, or bed and breakfast for your fly-fishing. For a listing of what locations are ideal for a Canada fly in fishing trip check out the fishing guide or travel guides for the locations, points of entry, times of year that provide the best fishing and the types of fish that are available in a particular area. If you are looking to travel during the summer and early fall June through September one fly in fishing location you should consider is Hearne Lake. Here trophy-fishing trips are available and the catch is Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Walleye, artic grayling and lake white fish.

Depending on the type of fish you are going after you may want to consider the timing of your trip. In June, typically the catch is going to be Northern Pike, Lake Trout and Walleye. Artic Graylings show up in July and run through September and Lake Whitefish provide the catch from the end of August through September.

The best way to experience a fly in trip or a fly-fishing trip is to be aware of what the catch is and find someone familiar with the area that can provide you with tips and locations that provide the best fishing.Canada provides some of the best fishing opportunities, locations and catches in the world. If you are a serious angler or someone who just enjoys camping out and fishing there is something for you in Canada's fishing trips.

Depending on the type of experience you are looking for you may want to consider the various travel options that are presented. There are even travel agents that deal specifically in fishing tips to these remote and pristine locations whether it is fly in, fly-fishing, or deep-sea, lake or river or inland sea, Canada has something to offer everyone.

By: Sandra Stammberger
Sandra Stammberger owns and operates http://www.guidedfishingcanada.com Canadian Fishing.

Fishing information courtesy of Resources For Attorneys, a legal services and lifestyle information portal.

Are you looking for a few laughs? Check out our fishing jokes section. For jokes on other subjects visit the Jokes index.

As any true fisherman will tell you, there’s really nothing as rewarding as spending your leisure time engaged in trout fishing. There are some basic trout species that are available throughout the United States. These are Brown, Brook, Bull, Cutthroat and Rainbow trout. The methods of fishing trout are more or less similar for all the above mentioned species, although there maybe few differences in size, colors and overall disposition of the fish from different groups.

Here are a few trout fishing tips to help you rise above troubled waters and catch more trout, especially when fishing in rivers or streams:

1. Presentation: Fishing trout is quite literally a battle of wits between man and fish. Trout are an intelligent species of fish and in order to hook one, it’s important to present your choice of bait in the most natural way possible. Especially when fishing trout with live bait. This is why the use of gang hooks is recommended so that your bait appears natural without making the fish suspicious.

2. Smell: Trout usually posses a very strong sense of smell and they usually “sniff” bait before biting. But if the fish sense any unnatural odor coming from the bait, lure, line or hook; they will be reluctant to bite 9 times out of 10. For instance, if you’ve just had a smoke, your hands will smell similar to an ashtray and this scent will get onto the bait when you touch it immediately thereafter. This will often drive trout away, which is why it’s important to rub your hands with dirt or weeds from time to time to get rid of any unwanted unnatural smells.

3. Fishing Gear: Trout fishing usually calls for super light fishing gear and bait unless you intend to go fishing the huge Great Lakes visiting Brown Trout where you will definitely require much heavier gear. In most cases though, a 5 foot ultra light fishing rod coupled with ultra light reel spooled with four will do just fine. With regards to the hook, a size 10 hook should do swimmingly and as for the lure, smaller lures are recommended as well. If you want to use spinners or spoons, it’s important to use those that are no heavier than ¼ ounce and if your choice of bait is minnow-type plugs, then you should ensure they don’t exceed 4 inches in length.

4. Clothing: When fishing trout in river or stream situations, it is recommended to avoid wearing clothing with plain white or loud colors. This is because wearing such bright colors like orange or white will make you stick out like a sore thumb against the background making it easy for the fish to spot you in daylight. So, it would be wise to wear drab colors such as grey or brown in order to blend in with the surroundings as far as possible. This will make it harder for the trout to identify you and increase your chances of getting more bites.

So, the next time you go trout fishing, keep these tips in mind and you can be assured of getting a far greater number of bites than you usually do.

By: Lee Dobbins
Learn more about fishing by visiting http://www.fishinggeartips.com - a website that offers fishing tips including information on choosing the right fishing gear as well as tips on beginner and trout fishing.

Fishing information courtesy of Resources For Attorneys, a legal resources and lifestyle resources information portal.

Are you looking for a few laughs? Check out our fishing jokes section. For jokes on other subjects visit the Jokes index.

The bulrush (bullrush, reeds) is often confused with cattails. Bulrush tends to grow in slightly deeper waters and have more of a circular cross section as compared to the semicircular section of the cattail.

Depending on the time of year and bass feeding habits, bulrush often dominate in fish catches over cattails. I believe it's primarily due to the depth of the water (it grows in deeper water). The larger bass tend to migrate to the first structure they come to when actively feeding, and the bulrush is often closer to these deeper water migration routes.

My personal favorite technique for fishing bulrush is to pitch a Texas rigged worm. I tend to use a harder, straight tailed worm over a ribbon tailed one. The reason is that the ribbon tail will often wrap around the bulrush stem thereby wasting time and aggravating the fisherman as well as spooking fish. My favorite worm for pitching is the Zoom trickworm in the Junebug (purple/green flack) pattern.

The weight I use with the Texas rig varies with water depth and wind. The shallower the water, the lighter I go. A lighter weight gives the worm a more natural fall and can get more strikes, however if too light, the worm may catch on the bulrush stems and not finish it's way to the bottom. The windier the day is, the heavier I go. This gives me better control during the pitch as well as better feel for what's biting on the other end of my line. Too light of a weight on a windy day will throw off your pitches and often get your wrapped around a bulrush stem.

The only time I resort to heavy weights is when I'm flipping matted cover in the bulrush. I'll use 1/2 - 1 oz weights in this type of situation. If matted cover exists in bulrush, you've got to get your flippin stick out and flip the mats. If you don't you will lose out on many opportunities to catch above average bass.

In working the bulrush patches/lines start back from the bulrush approx. 10-15 feet and pitch. Pitch forward of the boat if possible and restrict any side pitches or back of the boat pitches. The reason for this is that the bass are often spooked by the boat passage, and by pitching sideways or towards the rear of the boat you are often pitching to spooked fish or fish that have moved due to being spooked.

Always be a line watcher, whether pitching, casting or flippin a soft plastic. Any twitch of the line or sideways motion of the line often indicates a strike, so reel down and set the hook even if you don't feel the typical thump!

When pitching, work both deep into the bulrush patch and to the outside edge of the bulrush. Try to make contact with the stems whenever possible, but don't neglect the open pockets and also work right in the middle of those pockets.

If you follow these tips, I'm sure you will be doing more catching with less fishing!

By: Paul Bruessow
The Largemouth Herald- Paul Bruessow
See my sites at http://www.floridabasslakes.com or floridabassfishing.us.

Fishing information courtesy of Resources For Attorneys, a legal resources and lifestyle resources information portal.

Are you looking for a few laughs? Check out our fishing jokes section. For jokes on other subjects visit the Jokes index.