Rigging a live shrimp (prawn) for bait fishing

I get many requests from people asking how to rig certain baits for bait fishing, but the most requested bait rigging lesson would have to be hooking live shrimp or prawns. The reason for these requests is probably because live shrimp and prawns are probably one of the best and most versatile baits available to anglers. Where do you find the humans at the all you can eat seafood restaurant? Fighting over the fresh prawns! Fish are a bit the same and at times will ignore almost everything else you present to them. A live bait also kicks and flicks through the water attracting all the fish in the vicinity to investigate what is going on. Now all you have to do is catch the little things, but that is another post for another day. How to hook a live shrimp / prawn? I could tell you, but it is probably better if I show you. This great little video I found on youtube shows the process of hooking prawns and shrimp very clearly.

Posted on October 31, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing | Leave a Comment

Fishing Report: 25th October 08 – St Osyth, Essex

I’d had such a busy night on my last session at St Osyth I was itching to get back at the place and see if the whispers of a few bigger Codling showing were for real. If I’m being honest I really had too much to do at home but there are times when you just have to satisfy the need for a few hours on the beach and so in the end I decided on the compromise of one rod and a short session amongst the rock groynes just over the wall from the car park. I arrived at about 7pm and was surprised to find that I wasn’t the only angler with the same plan and that my favourite spot was already taken so in the end, after a short walk towards the Martello Tower, I had to settle for the last available bay where I quickly got myself sorted behind the brolly and got a 150 gram DVice, loaded with two good sized baits, out in search of some fish. In sharp contrast to my previous session here, the weather was definitely a bit more like Cod fishing weather and I was glad of the shelter of the brolly to escape what could best be described as “a bit of a blow”! It was pretty obvious from the start that the recent rough weather had broken up the Whiting shoals that had been here previously so it was never going to be a repeat of my last session, where Whiting were on the baits as they settled on the bottom, but I consoled myself that the lack of Whiting and the rough water might provide a better chance of Codling and stuck to it, chucking out decent sized Black Lugworm baits as far as I could manage into the wind every twenty minutes or so. The flood was uneventful except for one missed slack-line bite (it always happens when you pour a coffee!) and a couple of smallish Whiting, but I soldiered on in the now strengthening wind, and as soon as the tide turned at about 10:30pm a bit of current appeared and at last I started to get a few bites. A couple of sizable Whiting showed up and eventually a good bite about an hour on the ebb finally produced the sizable Codling I’d come looking for, which came in with a pair of reasonable Whiting attached as well, one hooked on the top trace and the other connected to the top hook of the same Pennel trace as the Codling. By now I’d had enough of being sandblasted and after a couple more unsuccessful casts in the hope of turning my solitary Codling into a brace I finally decided discretion was the better part of valour and headed back past the now pretty much empty beach towards the car park to meet my lift home, with a final tally of six Whiting (four sizable) and one Codling of about 45cm.

Posted on October 30, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing, Sea Fishing, Sea Holidays | Leave a Comment

Fishing Report: 11th October 08 – St Osyth, Essex

I’ve spent a lot of time fishing on my own this year so it was quite a welcome change to join a couple of friends for a reunion trek up towards the Bird Reserve end of Hutley’s Beach at St Osyth. I met Stuart and Paul (aka Stuartdv and Bread in fishing forum world) at Hutley’s car park at about 6pm on Saturday night and after a brief chat and gathering together of the gear we headed up towards the bird reserve end of the beach on what turned out to be an absolutely cracking night both in terms of the fishing and the weather. We were set up in time to enjoy what is probably the best sunset I’ve seen all year and, as usual at this spot, got the baits out and waited for the light to fade in hope that the fish would show us the usual courtesy of “switching on” as it got dark. We didn’t have too long to wait and the first few small fish started to show up as the sun dropped, the odd Whiting, a couple of undersized Bass, a Pouting and then, as darkness fell, the Whiting arrived in force and what was to be a busy night started in earnest. Throughout the flood tide the Whiting were on the baits almost as soon as they hit the water with regular doubles coming out (and a good few trebles to Stu and Paul) and at one point I was even getting double shots in on a Pennel rig fished with a DVice. As well as the Whiting there was the occasional undersize Bass and Pouting putting in an appearance just to make life a little more interesting and, as the tide neared the high mark with the resultant increase in the current the small Codling decided it was their turn. Ultimately that was what we had come for but although they did tug noticably better than the Whiting the bulk were too small and by about midnight (when we decided we were too knackered to fish any more) the only taker Codling had come to Paul, a fish of about 45cm, which he kindly donated to me. The general size of the Whiting seemed to be a bit bigger than of late and my tally by the end of the night was 2 Codling (approximately 32 and 34 cm), about 20 Whiting and 2 small Bass. To be honest it was a struggle keeping tabs on my own tally so I really couldn’t say what Paul and Stuart’s totals were for the night but I would lay money that they both did at least as well as me and Stuart seemed to be scoring regular treble shots in true matchman style. The fish may not be particularly large at the moment but I’m loath to complain as they are at least plentiful and it was a thoroughly enjoyable night of non-stop bites spent with very good company; there’s not that many times over the year that you get a night where you don’t get time to eat a sandwich.

Posted on October 29, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing, Sea Holidays | Leave a Comment

Walleye limit to increase on Chain O Lakes

Walleye limit to increase on Chain O Lakes, Increased limit might be on tap for next spring. The keeper slot on the Fox Chain O’ Lakes for walleye is two of 14-18 inches and one 24 inches or longer. I’m getting tons of reports on my site (foxlakefishing) of good healthy 17 “eyes And JD Spinners reports on some nice eyes through out the year   There’s been a lot of good walleye like that caught on the Chain the last couple years. In fact, the Chain never has had walleye fishing like this. So much so, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will increase the daily bag next year, according to district fisheries biologist Frank Jakubicek. Jakubicek said the regulatory process is nearly complete to increase the daily bag to three between 14 and 18 inches. It would take effect April 1. I attribute it to the high water,” the former science teacher said. “It concentrates fish in current neckdowns and makes the fisherman’s job a little easier, and fish are more aggressive under those circumstances.” “We have been catching a lot of fish in our spring (netting surveys),” Jakubicek said. ”And we are meeting or exceeding our goals for 2-inch (stockings).” This spring, they netted about 1,000 walleye in two nights. “Around 2001 or 2002, it would have taken us a week and a half to catch a thousand,” he said. Back then, a peak night would produce 20 walleye per net. This spring, it was 52 per net per night at peak. About three-quarters of the walleye netted are males, which rarely exceed 18 inches. That’s the purpose of the protected slot from 18 to 24 inches, while the one allowed longer than 24 inches allows trophies to be taken. Females reaching that size do not have as much fertility in their eggs. The protected slot (18-24) protects about 70 percent of the females of egg-bearing age, Jakubicek figures. posted by paul jones FLF

Posted on October 29, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing, Lake Fishing | Leave a Comment

The top five reasons I go fishing

This blog now hosts over 250 posts and I thought it was about time I shared some of my favorite things about this great sport. So here it is: Relaxation – Life is stressful these days and it is only getting worse. Fishing is my ultimate relaxation tool. It is sort of hard to stress out sitting on a lake, river, estuary or ocean with nature all around (apart from losing that fish of a lifetime of course!). It is also hard to think about what I need to do tomorrow, which makes this reason number 1! Fun – Lets face it fishing can be frustrating, but that is half the reason we keep returning to it. So the saying goes if fishing was easier more people would take up golf! However, fishing is great fun too! Family and friends – My old man is my best fishing partner and this has brought us closer together, even though not much is said out loud. There is something about sitting in a boat with someone for a long time. Fishing also helps you make great lifelong friends with the same passion! Excitement – I was once watching a great fishing show one day and the host was hooked up to an obvious monster. He turned to his fishing partner and said “When this no longer gets me excited I will know that I am dead.” That says it all really. Nature – For people that cannot understand my fishing addiction this is the reason I use to explain to them why I go fishing. I could write a book about the amazing things I have seen in nature while fishing. A pod of dolphins dancing right around the boat, turtles surfacing next to the boat and scaring the hell out of me with that sound they make, manta rays flapping water into the boat, monster schools of pelagic fish on a feeding frenzy and birds feeding on the scraps and that is just to name a few. These memories are etched in my mind forever and when I am too old to get into the boat any more will be some of my fondest memories! Have your own top reasons for going fishing? Please leave a comment.

Posted on October 28, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing, Sea Fishing | Leave a Comment

Redfish fishing video

Redfish (also called red drum or channel bass) are a favorite with anglers from from Massachusetts to Florida in the USA. These fish fight hard, grow big and respond well to a variety of angling techniques. They are often caught on lures and flies, but anglers using bait also account for their fair share of fish. They are a popular fish to target in “no motor zones” as these areas are often home to the largest fish. In these locations a canoe, kayak or small boat with oars/pole can be used to access these great fishing locations. While these fish can be found in relatively deep water they are most often targeted by anglers in fairly shallow water where they put up a great fight! I hope you enjoy the video!

Posted on October 27, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing, Sea Fishing | Leave a Comment

How to chum (berley)

Chum (or berley where I come from) is any fish material added to the water column to attract fish/sharks to your baits (in some cases lures or fly’s). Most people associate chum with monster sharks, but it can be used for all fish species in one form or another. Popular chumming substances include: old fish frames tuna/fish oil chook pellets (chicken feed) dry cat food seafood leftovers/scraps (prawn or shrimp shells are popular) bread Many anglers have a secret chum mix that is comprised of a variety of these substances blended together with fish oils. Others just freeze everything, put everything in a pot and mash it together and let it thaw out. You can also purchase pre-packaged dry chum pellets from most tackle stores which is a very convenient alternative. How to chum properly? There is an old saying – “a little often,” which can be applied to chumming. You can throw a little bit out the back of the boat at regular intervals or place it in a slow release pot. It can take a while to work, but it is important when you start chumming to keep the trail going even when the fish start biting! If you are fishing deep water or in large currents surface berley becomes less effective and a deep water berley pot can be used to get the chum to the bottom.

Posted on October 26, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing, Fishing Trips | Leave a Comment

Unhooking a fish

Yesterday I wrote about unhooking a fishing hook from your hand so I thought I would continue the trend today and talk about unhooking a fish. I have also previously written an article on releasing fish, which can be found at my previous post catch and release . Unhooking fish can be a daunting task for new anglers. I actually know a few people who were put off fishing because of this alone! Get yourself a good landing net (knotless mesh if possible for the fishes protection), a set of long nosed and needle nosed pliers and a good quality garden glove. Firstly the most important part of this process is not injuring the fish or yourself. Stay away from any spines or sharp gills and remember than some fish have big teeth! Always support a large fish and treat it gently. Use the glove (wet it first) to hold the fish and use the pliers to push the hook back through the hole it originally created. 9 times out of ten the hook will pop out and the fish can be released/put on ice. If the fish has swallowed the hook deep, but you still want to release the fish cut the line off as close to the hook as possible and the hook will rust and come free in a few days not harming the fish. Never try to extract a hook from deep within a fish as you could harm the internals and injure the fish. These two videos show the process and equipment quite well and even though they are based in Britain the same basic equipment and techniques apply around the world.

Posted on October 24, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing, Fishing Trips | Leave a Comment

Removing a fish hook from your hand (or body!)

Firstly I must apologize because this blog has been completely untouched for about a month now after a 90% drop in visitors overnight which I have been trying to solve for a while. Today the search numbers are back up a little so hopefully things are going in the right direction (fingers crossed). Enough of that boring stuff though! As an angler you have probably had a hook stuck somewhere in you at some point during your adventures. Many anglers visit the hospital to get the hook removed, but sometimes our fishing adventures take us far from the hospital and we need to remove the hook ourselves! This little technique is one every angler should know, but I am unsure if sticking the hook in your arm to practice (or demonstrate on video) is a great idea. I advise people to always keep a pair of these clamps in your tackle box, but this method can also be used with string or fishing line to pull on the hook.

Posted on October 23, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing, Sea Fishing | Leave a Comment

Pike Fishing – Short Lure Fishing Session

The last time I went fishing I was feeding carp on the top and floater fishing so it seemed a bit strange to be heading out pike fishing on my next session. October is traditionally the start of the pike fishing season though, I’d managed to miss my first piking session due to prior commitments so when the second Saturday in October came around I was ready and waiting to go with my lure bag . Most of my pike fishing is done with lures these days, they are just so convenient, neither you or your car ends up smelling of dead fish after a session and as far as I’m concerned that’s a good enough reason to stick with the lures!. For me, lure fishing is about searching out potential spots pike might be held up. It’s a very mobile approach and in a typical lure fishing session I’ll cover 3 or 4 different waters in the same day. This makes my sat nav extremely useful and I rely on this little gadget to get me around the north west from lake to lake with no fuss, if you’re an angler that visit’s a few different waters or travels any distance, a sat nav is a cracking device to have. The first lake I visited was one of my old stomping grounds for carp, a nice Cheshire mere that also contains a few pike up to mid twenties. Most pike in this water are small I thought it might respond well to a lure fishing approach. The first swim I tried was one of the car park swims, I knew from previous experience that a few pike had been caught here in the past so I investigated the swim with a large mepps aglia spinner. I started off on the right hand side of the swim fishing shallow at first and moving slightly further left with each cast until I’d covered the swim in an arc. Once I’d covered the swim I did the same again but I counted the spinner down a little to fish it at a different depth, I fished around the swim at all different depths but no takes where forthcoming so I had a wander round with my rod and decided to try near a set of lily pads as it seemed like an obvious ambush point for a predator like the pike. I started again on the right of the swim but nothing happened until my mepps aglia got near to the pads. On my third retrieve a small pike had a snap at my spinner, I didn’t hook the fish but I caught site of a characteristic green flash of a pikes flank. Previous experience has taught me that I’d probably get a take next time the spinner went through the swim. The take didn’t come first time through the swim, it came on the second run through. As the lure came near the pads the pike grabbed it properly this time and I had a short battle with a jack that had no chance of getting away as I was using a 20lb wire trace and 30lb breaking strain power pro braided mainline. I placed the pike on my unhooking mat and used a pair of forceps to remove my spinner, the forceps are ideal for avoiding a pike’s sharp teeth and I’d recommend them to any budding pike angler. Once the spinner was removed I weighed the fish at 4lb and took a quick photo, even though it was small, it was still my first pike of the season. My first lure caught pike of the new season took a mepps aglia spinner I couldn’t get another bite after the small pike so I tried a change of tactics, I switched my mepps spinner for a spinnerbait and tried in amongst the dying lily pads themselves. Spinnerbaits are excellent for this type of fishing as they don’t get caught up easily. I was able to retrieve my lure through the pads in the hope of finding another pike. I did see one pike strike in the pads but it was in an inaccessible area that I couldn’t reach and there was no bites for me in the areas I could reach so I moved on. The sat nav got me to my next lake in no time at all, I couldn’t fish this Shropshire mere without a sat nav because its in the middle of nowhere and very difficult to find. I’ve never known a county with so many single track roads as Shropshire!. The second lake was rumoured to hold a few pike but rumours were all I’d heard. There were a few carp anglers in residence on this lake so I had to give them a wide berth. You never can tell where carp anglers are actually casting too so as a general rule I won’t go within two swims of them. This didn’t leave me with much water, just the margins and a tasty looking set of snags that might hold a fish if I could get a lure close enough to them. I started with a mepps spinner again working from right to left then I worked the swim again at different depths, I went through most lures and plugs I had but with no luck at all. I have a feeling I might get lucky on this lake but it will be on another day when the carp anglers aren’t around as they were occupying all the areas that contained lily pads and I reckon the pads would probably give me my best chance of a pike on this lake. During the afternoon it had begun to rain lightly, it was that horrible drizzly type of rain and after an hour of standing out in it I was soaked so I quickly decided to call it a day rather than visit a third water. There will be plenty of time to catch more pike this winter so I headed home with just the one small jack to my credit but at least I was off the mark. Tight Lines. Mark.

Posted on October 19, 2008 Filed Under Fish, Fishing, Fishing Report | Leave a Comment

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