My love of fishing began just about 50 years ago when I moved from Toronto to a foster home in the country. It was a 100 acre beef farm with a river running through the back end. I spent a lot of hours fishing for catfish. It was were I went get rid of stress.

Those memories of fishing are as fresh in my mind today as they were 50 years ago. Take a kid fishing and change a life.

I couldn’t wait to get out of that foster home and eventually moved to New Brunswick Canada where I still had blood relatives.

It was New Brunswick where I learned how to use a fly rod for the first time and spent the next 5 years finding and fly fishing every trout streams, brook and beaver pond I could find. I also spent a lot of time fly fishing for Atlantic salmon but that’s for another post.

Trout Fishing Tip #1 – Patience Wins The Day

As many years as I have been fishing I still get more excited the closer I get to a fishing spot.

I used to be the first to the water and usually the first to catch a fish but I wonder just how many bigger, wiser fish I spooked being in such a hurry.

I remember watching brother-in-law Joe, the guy who taught me to use a fly rod. He was slow and pokey but it turns out that he was more methodical about fly fishing and would always catch the bigger fish. it took me a few years to calm down enough to pay attention to him.

Joe would get all geared up, then he would creep down to the edge of the water, find a comfy rock and have a coffee while watching what was going on in and around the water.

Trout Fishing Tip #2 – Being Stealthy Wins The Day, Again

I learned a bit of patience from Joe but I learned to be a stealthy fly fishing from a college professor who was an avid fly fisher.

My professor asked me if I wanted to go fly fishing after supper as he knew I carried my fishing gear everywhere I went.

Well he took me to a spot I have fished many times and caught some nice fat 12 and 13 inch brookies. Nothing any bigger than that there, I thought.

Well I was about to find out there were much bigger brookies in that brook.

We didn’t take the same path I usually took to fish this spot. He took me up river a bit where we crossed to the other side and came back down to where I usually start fishing.

Before getting to the brook he started to crouch and almost crawled to a tree right on the river bank. From behind the tree he pointed out a little riffle of water going under an overhanging tree on the other bank.

He made one false cast to get the line out and then changed his direction and landed a small dry fly at the beginning of the riffle and let it drift under the tree. A huge splash and he had on a brook trout that could eat the trout I usually catch there.

I was blown away when he netted the first 18 inch brook trout I had ever seen.

He said to give that spot a break for a few minutes and we moved to the next spot where he did the same thing. Kinda crawled to a spot he could get a good cast with his fly, without being seen by any fish. Heck I used to just walk up and start casting.

This time he hooked into a 16 inch brookie.

The next spot it was my turn. I did all the stealth and tried to keep low in the tall grass. I had a bit of trouble making a cast in that position and my fly slapped the water. Big mistake when you’re fly fishing spooky fish like brook trout.

I did hook a 13 inch brook trout. Guess he wasn’t as smart as those bigger brookies who took off when I smacked the water.

Trout Fishing Tip #3 – Learn To Read The Water

Back to brother-in-law Joe who taught me to fly fish with a bit of patience. Well Joe also taught me about reading my surroundings. Something I have taught many people over the years.

He’d sit there sipping his coffee and reading the river for potential fish locations were we could take a fish.

Once he had them pointed out we would watch those spots. It was amazing to me when we would see a brookie take something from the surface, exactly where he showed me.

The more I observed the better I got at observing which showed in the numbers of fish I was catching on the fly. I actually got to the point where people I took fishing were impressed with my talents, talents I had to learn from others.

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Well I’d say Casey is looking pretty pleased with himself after landing this huge 45”. 38 1/2 lbs striped bass on Sunday September 10, 2011. I would love to have been there with my video camera.

Congrats to Casey

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Image by heathzib via Flickr

Just one week left and I can get my ass out of this chair and hit the water for another season of fishing. I don’t like NOT fishing for half the years so I tend to leave my fishing gear packed away until the last minute so I don’t think about it so much.

I have it all in my office now ready to sort for the new fishing season. I always feel like a little kid at this time of year although my body sure tells me different.

Our Son Is In College Now

I’m happy as well as proud that our son has gone back to school to get a trade. I quit school in grade 9 and never went back. Took a lot of crappy jobs over the years because of that dumbass move. So great job Steve.

Unfortunately it has kind of drained us as he moved back home because his student loan was barely even enough to pay for school and supplies. I don’t know how they expect these kids to survive on their own. We are certainly glad to help. I just had to say NO to buying any thing new for fishing this year.

He better be ready to take care of us when we become old farts or maybe a few awesome fishing trips would cover it.

I have two float tubes and this year Steve wants to go fishing with his buddy Robin. Wish I had a third one so I could go with them. I’m sure it would be a blast.

Still have to get Jamie out in the float tube for a day of pickerel fishing. It is so much fun at water level, with all the late strikes and soakings.

Yup, just one week to go.

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A swivel is two rings or clips that attach in the middle of a ball or barrel, and rotates separately from each other. One end of the swivel attaches to the fishing line while the other end is attached to tackle or bait.  The swivel helps to prevent line entanglement.   It also helps to prevent the sinkers from sliding down the line.

Fishing swivels should not be used when you are fishing commercially or for large game.  The swivel provides a weakened link on the line, providing a easy snap. However, they are perfect for when you are trolling.

There are three main kinds of fishing swivels: barrel, crane and ball-bearing.  The barrel swivel is the most affordable, but it is not always the most practical. The barrel swivel doesn’t rotate as freely as the other types of swivels, therefore it does not always work in the way it was designed to be used.The ball bearing swivels is the strongest, making it the best for fishing for big game.  The crane swivel is a lot like the barrel swivel, but it has a much smoother movement.

Swivels are available with snaps, either rounded or angled.  Snap swivels make for a much faster change over when replacing bait or tackle. It may be best to use black, rather than shiny swivels as they will not reflect sunlight and attract fish higher up in the line that may chew through it.

Swivels are a great tool to keep in your tackle box, but they should be used sparingly.  Swivels can change the way bait flows in the water; scaring the fish away, rather than attracting them.

While the swivel’s rotation helps to prevent a mono-filament from getting tangled when reeling it in, the swivel itself can get caught on the line, particularly with snaps.  Angular snaps protect better against clips spontaneously opening than do rounded ones.

Swivels can be very useful tools for angling, but care must be taken to attach and use them properly.

It can be a laborious task to clean a fishing reel and ensure that you maintain it after each trip. However, most fishing reel faults can be put down to the fact that it was not cleaned properly and now has corroded parts or instead under-performs. This is an anglers most frustrating problem. Even more so if it is one of their favourite baitcasting reels that has been affected.

Preparing your fishing trip however should incorporate a full cleanse of your tackle and equipment, and the most important is probably your fishing reel. A good reel should last you for a long time due to the quality construction, however, like any mechanical device it also needs to be looked after.

There are however, a few things you can do in order to keep your reel in tip-top shape.

After you have removed the reel from the rod, you will need to take the handle off – these usually have a reverse locking system so you just need to unwind it. Next, with a damp cloth, wipe over the visible areas of the reel. When you do so, be sure that you use clean water and especially not salt water as this will corrode inside.

Next, you will need to remove the side plate. Depending on your reel, some will un-clip, unwind or perhaps even unscrew. If in doubt, check the manual. To clean the inside of the reel, remove any dirt with a swab and be sure to get out any other debris. Apply some bearing grease, or WD40 to the bearings and gears while you are inside as well to keep them fresh as this is one of the main causes of reel failure. When you have done this part, put the side plate back on.

Before reattaching the handle, give it a good wash too. Its likely to be covered in dirt, bait and a whole lot more!. Just rinsing in water should suffice, but again make sure it is clean water you are using.

As demonstrated in this article, it really doesn’t take much to keep your reel clean after you have used it and it is going to last so much longer. If you ever have a reel stop working while you are trying to retrieve a fish, perhaps its time to look into the maintenance of your reel. Fishing reels, especially some baitcasting reels, are not cheap, so look after them.

When it comes to salmon fishing, remember that there are quite a few things that you need to be resonant of in order for you to be successful. Like any partisan who is after a certain rocking horse, or for that matter an experience, salmon fishing is sure as shooting something that comprises many composite workings. There are quite a few affairs that you need to know, like for representative where on the button you can fish for salmon. Other than that you need to also be careful of what kind of gear you need. And to be genuine, the list does not end here either.

You should be alert that like most rocking horses there are certain dangers that are linked to salmon angling. In most cases, fishing for salmon takes place in the wilderness. The truth is other wildlife such as bears may be crossing that particular area. This is why you need to get an accomplished opinion of what arenas are the best and also the safest when it comes to salmon angling.

Another way in which you can find out Selective Information is to check out a few of the tourist offices that are offering salmon fishing as an attraction. They are sure to offer the said experience at a lower rate for locals. This is where you need to do an individual search on your own. Having said that it is also worthwhile to check out within your neck of the woods if there are many salmon angling radicals who band up unitedly and venture into areas where salmon is abundant. Besides the adventure you are sure to come across many boosters as well.

If you seem to come crosswise many dead ends when it comes to brilliant for opportunities with reckon to salmon angling, try joining a few blogs and word boards online. You are sure to come across many articles on what you should do in order to be prepared for salmon fishing. Not only that there are quite a few leads you will be able to gather from interacting with a vast array of mortals who are into salmon fishing. Selective Information on which areas are shorter, what gear to take, which itineraries are better and even adjustment spots can be easily told apart by talking to enthusiasts of sportfishing.

Finally just make you are know what your status is with wish to salmon fishing. Ask yourself whether you are an amateur or whether you are following this just as a avocation and not as an occupation. All this Selective Information will sure help you when it comes to gaining more data for yourself.

Holy crap did it rain on my parade Sunday.

Well it was quite that bad, the rain was that bad but my day of fishing wasn’t bad at all. I was catching more fish from my little float tube than the guys that passed me in their boats. I told them to start fishing the weeds but they looked at me like I had two heads. Not sure what that was about, but they won’t move any closer to the weeds. Later I thought maybe it was because of their motor. My motor, my two legs, were adjustable for the shallower water.

I wasn’t going to go fishing but we borrowed my friend Gary’s car for the weekend so we could pick up some gardening things. We worked hard all day Saturday and while we were having supper I decided I would go fishing Sunday as the weather looked good. I keep saying I won’t listen to the weather guy any more but I keep falling for his lies.

I got up pretty early as I thought I might get in some good fishing before the wind picked up and I did. I think I got about 5 hours of fishing and catching in before I had to move to a more protected area.

Well someone should have been there with a video camera to watch me move from one side of the road to the other without taking off my flippers and I didn’t walk backwards so it looked pretty strange.

I got in the water on the more protected side and headed to the first protected spot. I think I had about 3 fish when the skies opened and the rain came down so hard it hurt. Of course I was about 15 minutes at top speed from the shore. That’s one thing I don’t care for about the float tube, it takes a long time to go any distance. Of course it’s great in the shallow and weeds where other boats can’t easily get in and out of.

I wasn’t far from shore at all yet I could barely see the shore through the rain. I was soaked to the skin and maybe deeper so all I could do was laugh. I think I stopped laughing and really started working those flippers when I heard thunder, I hate being on the water when it thunders.

I still had about 7 hours of great fun before I headed back home.

Oh yeah, it sucks fishing alone. I much prefer to share the experience so I don’t look so goofy yelling fish on, plus I suck bad at trying to take pictures with one hand.