An Introduction to Sport Fishing (extreme land sports)
No commentsBy Lupe Faulkner
If you like sport fishing, you surely will like to fish for redfish. Redfish is a common name for a range of species of fish throughout the English-speaking world. It is commonly applied to members of the deep-sea genus Sebastes, or the reef dwelling snappers, Lutjanus. It is also applied to the slimeheads or roughies (family Trachichthyidae), and the alfonsinos (Berycidae). This feisty species is one of the best fighters in the inshore spectrum and, if cooked correctly, a great addition to the barbeque menu. Even some restaurants have adopted the fish as a specialty. For example, at the famous Redfish Seafood Grill and Bar on Bourbon Street, New Orleans, they headline, “At Redfish, we serve up a parade of award-winning French Quarter specialties, including classics like Blackened Redfish, Crawfish Etouffee and Jambalaya.”
Young redfish, or red drum as they are often called, feed in the shallows on clams, crabs, mussels and shrimp. Red drum are an inshore species until they attain roughly 30 inches (4 years), then they migrate to join the near-shore population; spawning occurs from August to November in near-shore waters; sudden cold snaps may kill red drum in shallow, inshore waters; feeds on crustaceans, fish and mollusks; longevity to 20 years or more.
The fish gets its common name from the copper bronze large scales on their bodies, which are darker in cloudy water and lighter in clear waters, but the most distinguishing feature is a dark spot at the top of the base of the tail. For the fisherman, however, the most recognizable feature is the tail disturbing the water in the calm shallows and frequently breaking the surface. The sight of a dozen or more redfish “tailing” as this foraging behavior is called is enough to set the adrenaline coursing through the veins of the most hardened sportsman.
Catching redfish is like all fishing. You just have to be in the right place at the right time with the right bait and tackle.
A fishing rods strength or lifting power is determined by its action. A light action rod has a low strength, making it ideal for casting light lures and fighting smaller fish, whereas a heavy action rod is much stronger, and therefore suitable for fighting big brutes like Giant Mekong Catfish. Most rod manufactures offer rods varying from Light to Heavy, but the extreme classes Ultra Light and Extra Heavy do also exist. Use a light medium action rod because you could end up doing a lot of casting before you finally lure your trophy specimen onto the hook, and use the lightest line you feel comfortable with. Just remember to set the drag accurately (the pro’s will actually use a scale and set it to sixty percent of nominal breaking strain).
The right time is easy, fish the feeding grounds on the flats and oyster bars on the rising tide and till just after the tide turns and fish the hiding places in the troughs and sloughs on the ebb. The most reliable spots are on the edge of the mangroves close to deep water. This gives the combination of a great feeding spot with an easy escape route when threatened.
As far as bait is concerned, if you are fishing for the pan, use live bait. Live animals such as mealworms, red worms, night crawlers, leeches, maggots, crayfish, reptiles, amphibians and insects may be used as bait on all waters not restricted to artificial flies and lures. Toss your bait or lure as close to the mangroves as you dare, let it sink for a few seconds, then retrieve slowly. Redfish tend to wave their tails slowly when feeding. When the strike comes, you will know all about it, and the fish will do all the work of setting the hook. Your job will be to get the fish away from the mangroves and then to enjoy the fight of your life. This is when the challenge of light tackle fishing will tax your skill and fill your psyche with pride.
Happy fishing, and look out for the recipe coming soon! Just remember, if you are not going to eat the fish, release it unharmed. Always respect your local fishing regulations.
Visit the Bowhunting Tips website to learn about bowhunting hogs and bowhunting moose.
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The Thrill of Smallmouth Bass Fishing
By Lupe Faulkner
Smallmouth fishing is said to be best experienced in Southwest Louisiana. This is a place near bayous, canals, freshwater and salty lakes. The waters here draw numbers of smallmouth and largemouth bass ranging up to eight-pounds.
Smallmouth bass fishing is enjoyed by fishermen all over America. Searching and then finally catching the big smallmouth bass is a real achievement for the true blue American sport fisherman. It is considered to be the America’s number one fresh water sport. Believe it or not, this sport has grown 70% higher than any other fresh water sport in America.
The smallmouth bass is believed to be, pound for pound, one of the hardest fighting freshwater fish. The bass runs acrobatic leaps and does “tail walking” making it one of the most exciting fishes to pursue.
Before you go in search for thet elusive smallmouth bass, you must first know its characteristics or how it looks like. Smallmouth bass are habitually bronze to brownish green in color. It has dark vertical bars on the sides. Unlike the largemouth, the upper jaw of a small mouth does not merely extend beyond rear margin of the eye. The eye of a smallmouth is reddish. It has 13 to 15 rays of soft dorsal fins. Its length would go from 12 to 22 inches. And it normally weighs 8 ounces to 7 pounds.
Here are some guides and tips that can help you bag a smallmouth bass:
If you fish for smallmouth in the northeast, particularly in Maryland, you will find that small mouth bass do not stick too tight to cover their presence. This is more obvious in some of our the slack water reservoirs. This fish relates much more to a sudden or rapid depth change when they do go for cover.
Small mouth bass can be caught on a rock ledge that drops off quickly from about six to twelve feet.
When trapping a smallmouth bass that is about four or five pounds, try to swim along with them maki9ng your presence inconspicuous.
An effective trap for smallmouth bass are plastic worms or flies.
They are less aware when they are feeding or think they will be feeding.
This type of sport fish will be usually found on rocky structures with and without light weed lines.
The smallmouth has and exceptional sense of sight, smell, and hearing.
The smallmouth. like most fish, is light-shy.
Smallmouth bass are schooling fish by nature, so you are likely to catch several bass in the same locations.
Once you catch one smallmouth, chances are you will have a chance to catch more about the same size in the immediate area.
One of the most effective and most popular methods of tricking or catching a small mouth is to work over the top of these weed beds. Some fishermen prefer jigs, while others choose live bait.
Here’s a list that shows the best top water flies in order to trick small mouth bass:
1. Stonefly Bugger - size 6
2. Franke Hellgrammite - size 4
3. Clouser Minnow - size 6
4. Sneaky Pete - size 4
5. Crayfish - size 8
6. Popper - size 6
7. Zonkers - size 4
8. Bead Head Wooly Bugger- size 6
When is the right time to fish a small mouth?
Smallmouth bass are active in cold waters so, you might catch up with this fish in the early spring. Start searching for them when the water temperature is in the mid-40s. The smallmouth might just be about 20-30 feet deep in the waters, or might be waiting for the temperature to rise a little before emerging higher.
When the temperature begins to reach mid-50s, the smallmouth will start to move on to cooler or deeper holes, change your technique. Or else do not even bother yourself in attempting to search them out. All you will need is something to aid you in searching the bottom. It could be a bait or lure that will catch the attention of small mouth bass. A plastic worm will be a good strategy with this because even the most slow-moving bass will respond when you drag one slowly in its nose. Then when that happens start the battle in search for these small mouths.
But do not forget, you are in search for a completely different fish. They are not just an ordinary fish…. They are SMALLMOUTH BASS!
Learn about bowhunting elk and bowhunting pigs at the Bowhunting Tips site.
Getting Your Arms and Body Coordinated
By Jeff Parrish
Whatever your golf handicap is, you’ve probably experienced days when everything on the course seemed to fall into place. You’re golfing with a fun-loving foursome. You’re playing a great course on a great day. And you’re driving, chipping, and putting well. In fact, you’re doing everything well. It all seems so easy.
And, then, for no apparent reason, you lose it. You can’t do anything right. Your drives miss the fairways. Your approach shots fall way short. And your chip shots run by the hole and off the green. Good shots are far and few between. And when you finally hit a good shot, you shank the next, turning pars into double and triple bogeys. Everything feels confused, as if you’ve never hit a ball before.
One reason why we sometimes “lose it” is timing. In golf instruction timing means synchronizing your turning body and your swinging arms, resulting in a smooth release of the clubhead through impact and beyond. Timing helps generate control, accuracy, and distance. More importantly, it helps generate swing consistency, regardless of your golf handicap.
How do you know when your timing is right? When your timing is on, your swing is fluid and effortless. It feels like your hitting the ball on the sweet spot every time. And the ball is taking off. When your timing is off, your swing feels out of whack. You struggle to hit the ball, never mind generating distance or driving it straight. Your swing feels confused. In fact, everything feels confused.
Your confusion often begins with a loss of timing. In golf, loss of timing occurs when the upper parts of your arms separate from your rotating chest halfway through your back wing and follow-through. If you could see yourself in slow-motion, you’d see your left arm separate and lift from your chest in the backswing and your right arm separate and lift from your chest in the follow-through.
Recapturing your timing is essential to regaining that “everything is easy” feeling. It’s why we take golf lessons and read golf tips. The sensation you want to feel is that of the pressure being maintained between your upper arms and chest. The left arm should stretch diagonally across your chest on the backswing and the right arm in a similar position in the follow-through. This is called linkage. When it’s broken, timing strays and confusion reigns.
Another reason why we sometimes “lost it” is tempo. Tempo is the time it takes you to complete your full swing, from start to finish. When you’re playing well, you feel like your hitting the ball long, solid, and accurately. You find your tempo is pretty much the same on every full shot. But when your game is off, your tempo is off as well.
Generally, a player’s tempo reflects his personality. If you’re a fast moving, quick talking type of person, your swing will be fast and quick. If you’re a laid back, easy-going type of person, your swing will be unhurried, easy by nature.
When combined, timing and tempo help determine swing consistency. But neither is easy to develop. By working on both, you’ll develop the kind of swing even players with low golf handicaps will envy.
Here’s an exercise I use in my golf lessons to develop a player’s appreciation for his/her swing tempo:
Address a ball. Raise the clubhead off the ground slightly. Move it forward to a position a foot or so into the follow-through, and start swinging from there. Guide the clubhead back over the ball, complete your backswing, and swing through the ball all in one motion. Repeat this exercise a number of times. Eventually, you will start developing an appreciation of your swing tempo.
Here’s an exercise to develop your swing’s linkage:
This exercise is designed to train no more than a three quarter length swing.
1.Place a ball on the ground.
2.Take a 9-iron and assume a normal address position.
3.Next, place a head cover underneath each armpit,
4.Take three-quarter length swings with the 9-iron.
5.Repeat the exercise
You want to focus on making the swing without losing the head cover; this forces you, in turn, to concentrate on rotating your arms and swinging your body together. Synchronizing your arms and body maintains that all-important linkage between these key parts. Repeat the exercise until you feel comfortable.
Naturally, if you take a full-length swing, the head covers will fall out. So take only three-quarter length swings. Once you feel comfortable doing this, dispense with the head covers, but remember the feeling. Try to maintain it as you hit balls without the covers. Soon, you’ll feel your timing returning.
Find tips about bowling technique and bowling terminology at the Bowling Lessons website.
Sunday, May 9th, 2010 at 4:30 pm and is filed under sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
