Fishing and Tackle Tips

If you have a tip you'd like to share, email it to us or to the address at the bottom of this page. Let us know if it's alright to use your name. We will include it if you'd like to receive credit for your tip. These tips have been gathered from a number of sources.

Check them out to refresh your memory or to learn new techniques to make your fishing better.

Last week I was fishing on a sunny day, with temperatures in the nineties and little if any wind. When I got off the river, my Suburban had been sitting in the sun for hours and was toasty warm. I was perspiring, when I headed home. It took a cold shower and a change of clothing to cool me down. Summer is here and we have to deal with it. Here in Arkansas summers can get pretty hot. Over the years, I have developed strategies to survive summer fishing. Read the complete tip

Teaching your kids to fish in Kansas' productive waters

Thanks to the incredible number of well-stocked and easily accessed fisheries, Kansas is a great place to introduce your kids to angling. But you have to ensure they have a good time while fishing, if you want to spark a long-term interest in the sport. And to ensure they have a good time, you need to make sure they actually catch fish, rather than just staring at a bobber all afternoon. Read the complete tip

Old favorites are new again for cold weather fishing

John Berry

Recently I had a guide trip that included a very cold start. The temperatures began at about forty three degrees. In addition, it was raining. This made for a potentially miserable day. The trick to make it through the day was to dress properly. I chose to wear long wool underwear, a light wool sweater and a light down sweater under my rain gear.

Years ago, I had switched over to polypropylene base garments (underwear). It was the new miracle fiber it was machine washable, breathable and could wick moisture away from the body and it could be made from recycled plastic soda bottles. It was considered to be the thinking man’s alternative to wool long handles. Wool was itchy and not machine washable. Read the complete tip

Water Gremlin Offers LATE Summer Fishing Tips

Black bass are often released quickly after being caught by anglers, sometimes only out of the water long enough for a moment of admiration and a photograph. Read the complete tip

Meat stock cube chemical lure
This started off by being an applied science project in school linked to fishing for predatory species. I am happy for anyone to try it out. It takes some preparation but is worth the experiment. You can use it for river, lake or sea fishing from a bank, beach, pier or boat. Use the strongest line you have for dragging. Have a camera to get evidence of your catch. Read the complete tip.

Here is the one! Numeral uno! The cat's meow!..... The rig that will definitely make the difference between catching fish and not catching any at all. I simply call it the "Mo-Wak rig" because it's really two different rigs (which are the Mo-Jo & Wacky rig) put into one. Read Complete Story

Here are some tips for keeping warmer while you're doing that winter fishing courtesy of the Beaver Dam Store crew! Read the tips

- Fish generally move into the current, so make sure your lure doesn't surprise them from behind.

- On fishing and hunting trips with kids, take along pocket field guides so both the child and the adult can correctly identify fish, animals, wildlife tracks, plants, insects, birds and vegetation.

- Fish under residential docks on sunny days. For best results, skip your lure or bait under the dock.

Four Fly Fishing Tips

Obviously, the goal when casting a fly is to present the fly to the fish in a realistic manner. You are trying to simulate nature here. If you are going for trout in a stream, for instance, this means a drag-free float of 36 inches over a precise spot that marks the window of a feeding fish. Complete Story

FISHING, HUNTING TIPS FROM THE PROS

Spring Weed Fishing
Dean Capra of the ProGear by Wrangler® Outdoor Advisory Team says you can find many more fish in the spring if you remember a little school lesson about plants. Remember that plants emit oxygen. Therefore, if you find new submerged weed growth, fish it, because it is probably emitting oxygen into the water and is therefore probably holding fish. Don't overlook decaying vegetation, either. Dead vegetation generates heat and will attract fish when the water's cold, even if the oxygen content of that water is lower.

Slow Poke Fishing
Retired outdoor writer Bodie McDowell has been a press observer at 22 BassMaster Classics. We asked Bodie, "What's the single biggest thing that separates the men from the boys in the world of bass fishing?" It's lure speed, says Bodie, a member of the ProGear by Wrangler® Outdoor Advisory team. "A slower retrieve is the key to more fish, even with top water lures," said Bodie. "Patience is rewarded. I've seen pros make a cast then stop to open a can of Coke before beginning their retrieve. Then, with the first crank of the reel, bam!"

Downsizing Lures
If you're an angler who casts big lures on line testing 17- to 20-pounds, you can improve your chances of catching more fish by switching to a lighter line (like 4 to 6 pound line), a lighter rod, and lighter lures, says Bodie McDowell, a member of the Wrangler® Outdoor Advisory Team. "Not only will you catch more fish, even trophy-sized bass, you also may catch some bragging size panfish."

It may be getting colder outside, but that doesn't mean it is time to put up your fishing gear.

"The winter is just about my favorite time of year to fish, especially for crappie," said Robert Reece, aquatic habitat coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

According to Reece, crappie often begin to concentrate into larger schools in November and December.

"Sometimes it takes a little work to find them, but if you catch one crappie you're likely to catch a bunch more," Reece said.

The best place to fish for crappie is in deeper water adjacent to some form of structure such as a submerged tree. Reece and other Department personnel work year round sinking brush piles and doing other habitat work on reservoirs and rivers around the state.

"When it is cold outside, it is important to fish very slowly around the structure before moving on. I like to use small feather jigs, but minnows are a great choice too," Reece said.

Just because it is cold outside, doesn't mean you have to shiver your way through your next fishing trip. Heated docks are perfect for those who prefer to keep the feeling in their fingers and toes while fishing. Enclosed docks can be found on many lakes and reservoirs around the state and are excellent locations to catch a stringer full of crappie.

Winter Fishing - Fishing Tip: Many types of fishing tend to slow down dramatically in the winter as the fish become more dormant. In cold water, fish become lethargic and difficult to catch unless the lure passes right in front of their face. Crappie on the other hand, are great to fish for year round. They actually like the cooler waters and can be found in the cooler deeper waters in the summer time too. In the spring, during their spawning, like most fish, they move into the warmer shallow waters. Since crappie tend to prefer brush piles and other underwater cover, try to locate any structures. Ask bait shops where they can be found. Then rig up an ultralight rod with two to four pound test line. Try using a jig or live minnow with a crappie bobber. Fish with a lot of action to attract crappie in the 5-18 foot depths.

Three way rig was big producer on Cheney - Throughout the summer of 2002, anglers followed the adventures of Mike E on Cheney as he used a three-way rig to land fish when others were having no luck. He shared his rig several times on the Reports from kansas Anglers page. Here are the instructions, try it, you'll like it. Read Complete Story

If you are having little success fishing the bigger reservoirs try fishing some of the small local ponds. My brother I and caught a 3 and 4 pound bass in one. We had only been fishing for ten min. After 6:30 P.M. is the best time to fish. Try to stay away from plastic worms and things you think thy see all the time. I think one of the best is a SMALLER spinnerbait in either white or green. Don't spend three days fishing the same lake. If you don't have any luck the first time you go move to a different lake, but if you find one stay with it!!! GOOD LUCK.

Lure contrasts provide effectiveness
I've been fishing since I was 8 years old and began fishing artificials 25 years ago with Cotton Cordell's Big O crankbait and Bill Norman's Snatrix plastic worm. I've read hundreds of articles that gave reasons that fish attack lures, but my experience tells me that there are abstract qualities in a lure that cause it to be seen, tracked and bit. Read Complete Story

Largemouth Bass Virus (LMBV) Fact Sheet
1. What is Largemouth Bass Virus? - It is one of more than 100 naturally occurring viruses that affect fish but not warm-blooded animals. Origin is unknown, but it is related to a virus found in frogs and other amphibians and nearly identical to a virus isolated in fish imported to the U.S. for the aquarium trade. Although the virus is carried by other fish species, to date, it has produced disease only in largemouth bass. Scientists do not know how the virus is transmitted or how it is activated into disease. In addition, they know of no cure or preventative, as is commonly the case with viruses. Read Complete Story

Have you fished the million dollar bait?
A million dollar bass bait? "Right"... Especially just for catching bass? "Sure Thing"... Don't remark yet because I know what you must be thinking about this article already. You are probably saying to yourself "is this guy for real" right? The truth is that "It's True!" my dear fellow bass anglers (and future potential bass anglers.) Yes, there is a artificial bait used for bass angling on the market today that is actually worth a lot more than a million dollars. Not only that, this certain bait has proven itself over and over again for many years when used by some of the top bass pros but, most of you just weren't aware of it. In fact, I would be willing to bet that most (I said most) of today's serious bass anglers already have some of these baits in their tackle boxes or in their boats but they rarely use them. (By: "The Bass Coach" Roger Lee Brown) Read the complete story

Cheney - Here's a little advice to those fishermen who've been complaining about the White Perch in Cheney. Take some home and fry them up. They are delicious. I figured that since they look so much like a White Bass, They would probably taste like one too. Not So! They lack the dark strip of meat that Whites and Stripers have that gives them that muddy taste. If anything they taste similar to Crappie. From now on, I'll probably throw the whites back and keep the Perch! BOB

Tips for catching the increasingly popular smallmouth
During the past three years the virtues of the smallmouth bass have
been extolled in this space with regularity. And since these acrobatic
creatures have begun to abide with escalating numbers in several waterways
along U.S. Highway 75, stretching from Holton to Yates Center, they have
caught the fancy of an increasing number of anglers. Meanwhile other anglers
recently have called, asking for a list of tackle that they need for
pursuing this noble fish.

Here are the rods and reels that several local smallmouth aficionados
use: Read Complete Story

Bass Tournament "Shortcuts"
Have you ever noticed whether it be Club Tournaments, Divisional Tournaments (B.A.S.S. Federation, Red Man, Anglers Choice, etc.) and even the Pro Tournaments, usually you will see a hand full of the same anglers consistently "In-The-Money" most of the time. Then while you're driving home after fishing some of these tournaments without much success you ask yourself "What are these anglers doing so different than I am." Read The Article

Take better photos of your lunker!
A pair of avid belly boat anglers share hints for taking better photographs of your catch. Their choice of equipment might surprise you. Read The Article

Clean your reels annually for best results
Rod and reel repair technician Bob Neice of Midwest Tackle Service gives hints on rod and reel service. Read The Article

Keep your fish healthy in the livewell
Operation Bass shares hints on keeping fish healthy in the livewell. Check out the hints and keep your fish alive. Read The Article