Fishing Articles

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Choosing the Right Fly Fishing Outfit

Written by
Charlie Robinton

Charlie Robinton has loved fly fishing since he was 10 years old. He turned his passion for fishing and the outdoors into a career as a fly fishing writer and instructor.

Published on

July 25, 2017

When choosing a new fly fishing setup, today's angler is faced with a multitude of options, and the choices are enough to make a neophyte's head spin. This article will explain the most important factors to consider when looking at different rods, reels, and fly lines, as well as how to match them together to create an outfit that meets each angler's specific needs.

Understanding Fly Rod Length, Weight, Action, And Construction

A fly rod is arguably the most important tool a fly fisherman owns. Modern fly rod designs vary greatly depending on the intended use, so it is important to understand the mechanics and basic design characteristics of fly rods when selecting between the different options available.

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Switchin' to Glide

Extend your spring pike season into early summer by borrowing these baits from the muskie playbook

Leavon Peleikis

A large, dark shadow appeared in the crystal-clear water behind my glide bait, getting closer and closer as the lure walked seductively from side to side. With every snap of my wrist, the Phantom Softail changed direction, and the looming shadow moved with it. Then I cranked up the speed as the lure drew closer to the boat, changing its slow, wide, methodical action to a tight, erratic scramble. It was just too much for the big northern pike to resist. Fish on!

Caught on a Canadian Shield lake near Magnetawan, Ontario, that 43-inch fish ended up being my biggest pike of the season. And I landed it at the end of June, a time when most other anglers have already traded in their spring pike gear. For the fortunate few of us who stick it out, however, there's still plenty of action to be had. With a few minor adjustments to your spring pike program and the addition of the often overlooked but productive glide bait, the early-summer period from the beginning of June to the middle July is a great time to catch numbers of northerns, as well as trophy fish.

Glide baits are by no means new to the sportfishing scene. Muskie hunters and saltwater anglers have been using them for decades, but only recently have they started to gain popularity with pike anglers, and for good reason. Their side-to-side action is absolutely deadly for triggering big northerns to bite—if you know when, where and how to fish them.

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10 Secret Catfish Baits You Didn't Know About

Everyone has their own special bait that they swear by. For some people it's chicken liver, other people prefer raw chicken breast. Other people would never fish with anything but doughballs.

This variety of preferences isn't news to anyone, but they all work to varying degrees. As anglers, we love experimenting with what will work best. Sometimes we run out of ideas and need to turn to new sources of inspiration.

Check out the following list to see 10 tried and true catfish baits that you may not have thought of on your own!

1. Canned Dog Food

Channel catfish have taste buds studded throughout their skin, and they love the smell of this particular bait. The best type of dog food for your line is a chunky one, not a paste. If you've only got the paste kind, you just have to put a little extra work in, by placing it in cheesecloth before putting it on your line. Dog food also works really well as a chum for attracting schools of fish.

2. Cow's Blood

While this may sound a little gross at first, it's been proven time and again that blue catfish go nuts for cow's blood! People from Arkansas that swear by this bait regularly hook and bring up 35 pound fish. To prepare this unique bait, just fill a 2.5 gallon bucket with blood, and allow it to congeal. Grab chunks of the congealed blood and place in pantyhose to keep it solid, and thread it onto your hook.

3. French Fries

Fried spuds are beloved by all, including creatures with fins! The grease, coupled with the interesting smells put off by it is sure to cause some big bites. For best results, try using french fries in a channel where you know flathead catfish like to hang out. Another great place to try is by waterside restaurants, where fish may already be accustomed to eating these tasty treats.

4. Garlic & Chicken Skin

Chicken skin is an excellent and resilient bait. Unfortunately it doesn't have much of a natural aroma, so you'll have to more accurate with where you're fishing. To increase your chances, soak the chicken skin in garlic water overnight, giving it a pungent smell, and increasing its chances of getting a great bite!

5. Green Apple Bubblegum

Fish appreciate the strong flavor of this gum, the same as humans. This bait is particularly convenient because of its packaging and long shelf life. Not only does it lure in some large catfish, it can help the fish stay on the line due to its sticky nature. If you find that fish don't like green apple, other fruit flavors can also work well!

6. Liquor

Marinating various types of meat is a favorite for fishermen all over the world. Strong smells that represent humans typically aren't favored, such as perfumes. Something that many anglers overlook is the attraction that fish have to booze. MD 20/20 grape is great for chicken breasts, Aniseed liquor for bait, and beer to salmon steak. These are tried and true recipes for success!

7. Ivory Soap

Anyone who's spent time with a line in the water has heard of the secret of hand soap as bait. Nobody's really sure why they love it so much, but people have spent great amounts of time trying to figure out which one will have the most success. Ivory soap has a high success rate, as it doesn't have certain chemicals that are discouraging to catfish.

8. SPAM

While it's intended for human consumption, this processed meat product is also a favorite for catfish everywhere. The state record in Arkansas was set by a single individual using SPAM as bait, and caught a hopping 116 pound catfish. SPAM has plenty of oils and other fats that will quickly and easily bring catfish to your hook. Carp will also be drawn to it, and that means you'll have to check on your bait often!

9. WD-40 and Preparation H

If you've read this far, you'll notice the theme is that catfish love strong smelling bait. These two household goods go a long way towards enhancing other traditional bait such as hotdogs. While no one is really sure why fish love WD-40 (and using it isn't great for the environment) Preparation H contains some shark liver oil, which may bring catfish swimming around.

10. Spoiled Shrimp

This strong smelling bait will spread its pungent aromas around, bringing fish from far and wide. If you have a good relationship with your grocery store, they will happily give it to you to use as bait, or use some shrimp that you forgot about. It might not make your nose particularly happy, but some people agree on leaving it in the sun for several days before using it as bait.

Don't overlook weed walleyes in fall

"The combination of still-green weeds and wind were a baitfish magnet."

by Jim Edlund

Some of early fall's best (and overlooked) walleye fishing can happen in or near weeds. But not just any weeds — they have to be green — as in alive, and still producing oxygen and attracting baitfish. .

"Lake Commandos" TV host Steve Pennaz discovered this first-hand while recently fishing the glacial lakes of northeastern SD.

"We saw numerous boats working the deeper breaks and basin with spreads of cranks on boards. We decided to do something different and look shallower, primarily because we were shooting a multi-species show."

Pennaz and guest Colonel Scott St. Sauver worked shallow flats for the first couple hours of the day with just one fish to show for it.

"Then we hit a narrow stretch of a sunken island with grass on top and breaking quickly into deep water on both sides.  It produced four bites in a short period. We didn't get another bite until we reached a second area that was also narrow, had grass, and broke quickly into deep water. It produced three fish.

"And here's what cool about digital mapping like Garmin's Lake Vu. When I studied the areas that produced fish the similarities stood out, so I looked for other spots like it, including shoreline-connected areas.

"One stretch on the windward side of the lake broke quickly into deep water. We started pitching in that area and found still-green shallow grass — a mix of thin-bladed vegetation, coontail, and what I call 'South Dakota cabbage' in 8-12 feet."

"Pitching down wind or directly into the wind was key. The current formed by the wind was moving the weeds around so casting parallel to the weeds cut down on hanging up.

"We used 10-lb. fluoro leaders tied to 10-lb Nanofil superline also helped slice through the salad and facilitated long-distance casts."

Pennaz' multi-species program involved throwing 2.5" Berkley Power Tubes, small swimbaits, and 4" Gulp! Minnows on 1/8- and 1/4-oz jigs. Soon he and St. Sauver were catching fish, each of the walleyes 20″ or better.

"Wasn't just walleyes, either. We found a number of big crappies and bass in the same weeds. My guess is the combination of still-green weeds and wind were a baitfish magnet, a multi-species buffet."

"The tendency in the post-summer and fall period is to head to deeper water, but don't overlook whatever green weeds you can find — especially after turnover when water temperatures and oxygen levels equalize throughout the entire lake. There are times when walleyes can be found in ultra-shallow water and weeds, even during the day."

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Photo by Bill Lindner

 

LEECHES VS. MINNOWS VS. NIGHTCRAWLERS

 
By: Greg Bohn, the Master of Slip Bobber Fishing:
 

Slip bobber rigging is simply a live bait delivery system. The most perfect rig will be worthless if your minnow, leech, or nightcrawler doesn't look attractive. It won't entice a bite. As a result, taking care of bait and hooking it properly are critical. If the bait is dead or sick-looking, you'll spend all day staring at bobbers.
 

I'm often asked how I decide what live bait to use. Contrary to popular thought, choosing a minnow, leech or worm isn't based solely on the season. The decision actually rests more on water temperature, and that can change from day-to-day or even hour-to-hour. Water can be cold in the morning and warmer at noon, especially in spring. I've had guide trips when minnows worked in the early morning onto to have walleyes switch their preference to leeches by mid-day after the water temperature rose a few degrees. Always have at least two kinds of baits in the boat to be safe.
 

Surface temperature can be misleading. Water is far colder one or two feet off the bottom where the bait is than on the surface, which warms as the day progresses. Check the temperature in late afternoon for the most accurate reading.
 

With that said, there are some rules of thumb. For example, minnows are typically a cold-water bait. They're the choice from opening day when water is 40 to 50 degrees until the temperature reaches 60 to 64 degrees.
 

Leeches become number one by May and produce well through summer to October.
 

Nightcrawlers have their place, but it isn't around panfish-infested weed beds in July. However, crawlers work well on deeper structures such as humps and rock bars, sand bars and after dark when water is 65 to 80 degrees.

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