Freshwater Fishing Tackle Box Start Up

The freshwater angler looking to put together a tackle box needs to focus on the tackle that every fisherman must have. Once you have all of the basics you'll need to deal with the various scenarios you'll face during the course of an outing, you can begin to add tackle specific to different types of fishing.

Instructions

1 Buy a tackle box with compartments so you can keep all your fishing tackle in separate compartments and have it readily available when you need it. Get plastic compartment boxes if you have a tackle box that has room inside for them. Label them if you have more than one so you can quickly identify the contents while fishing.
2 Put together a first aid kit for your tackle box. Add such products as sunscreen and sunburn lotion, Band-aids, zinc-oxide, gauze and wound-care materials. Buy tweezers for your kit to remove splinters.
3 Purchase an assortment of terminal tackle. Terminal tackle is the term for fishing tackle that goes on the end of a line, such as hooks, sinkers, weights, swivels, bobbers and split shots. No. 4 and No. 6 are good hook sizes because both are appropriate for many different species of fish.
4 Equip your tackle box with the basic fishing tools. A line snipper to trim knots and cut line from hooks and a utility knife are two such tools. A pistol-grip hook remover to get at hooks deep in the mouth of your catch is extremely helpful. A combination spring scale and tape measure comes in handy to measure your catch, and needle-nosed pliers that bend hooks and remove them from fish complete this assortment.
5 Decide what type of fish you wish to target before buying your lures. Choose a variety of different colored spoons if bass, pike and trout are on your list. Soft plastic creature baits such as worms and lizards entice largemouth bass. Buy small jigs if you want to catch panfish such as perch and crappie. Choose a selection of spinnerbaits to attract trout and pike as well as bass.

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Fishing Rod Tip Fixing Guides

Fishing is extremely hazardous. Not for you, of course, but for your fishing rod. Overhead tree branches, boat railings and other obstacles can snap the tip off your rod in an instant. Fortunately, most broken tips can be easily replaced, even while you're out in the field.

Instructions

1 Inspect the broken tip and practice fitting it back into place-- you'll need to achieve the original alignment when you replace the tip.
2 Using a lighter or a match, heat a glue stick until it begins to drip.
3 Place one drop of glue onto the broken end of the rod, making sure you don't get any glue on the fishing line. Fit the rod tip into place.
4 Hold the two pieces in position until the glue hardens. This should take only a few seconds.
5 Check the alignment. If the fishing line moves freely, you're done.

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Starting a Fishing Guide Business

Many people who fish consider being a fishing guide one of the most desirable of all careers. The profession involves fishing, or talking about fishing, for a living. It involves being on the water hundreds of days every year, and teaching people who have not done much fishing more about the sport. But becoming a fishing guide is not as easy as simply declaring yourself a fishing guide. There are a number of factors you must keep in mind to start a fishing guide business.

Instructions

1 Learn as much as you can about the waters on which you plan to guide. Learn what types of game fish are in them and about the best spots for catching them. Since you likely will be guiding for a variety of fish species, you must know how to catch them. Make sure you know which lakes in your area your clients are most likely to want to fish on. If you are not familiar with all of them, consider hiring someone who already is a guide and can show you around.
2 Acquire the proper equipment. Your boat should comfortably fit at least five fishermen, including you. You also should have the proper equipment and bait to catch the fish species that your clients want to target. Also, make sure you have the property safety equipment, including life jackets for all people aboard and a fire extinguisher.
3 Contact a local business association, like a chamber of commerce, and ask about the steps you need to take to make your fishing guide business legal. These requirements vary from state to state.
4 Call your insurance company to set up the proper policy for your business. You likely will need additional insurance for your boat, as well as liability insurance.
5 Market your service. One of the best ways is to join your local chamber of commerce. Create brochures and business cards. Distribute them at the chamber, local bait shops and sporting goods stores. Be sure to including testimonials in your marketing collateral, since they will add legitimacy to your business. If you haven't had a paying client, take someone out fishing and tell them all you need from them is a testimonial.
6 Stay working at your present job. If you work weekdays, schedule your guide trips for weekends. As your business grows and you have customers who want to go fishing during the week, start taking days off from your regular job. Consider leaving your regular job for full-time guiding once you make enough from guiding to support yourself or your family.

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Tips On How to Catch a Gar Fish

A gar is a long and slender fish with a long bony mouth. Gar are considered by some to be a trash fish, meaning a less desirable catch, or a scavenger as they will eat just about anything either living or dead. Gar are found in many rivers and streams and are found living among bass, bream, perch, and many other species. Fishing for gar is not as difficult as many may think and gar are great fun to battle when hooked.

Instructions

1 Locate a creek, stream or river where there are gar. Talk with local fishermen to obtain information on where to find gar. The fish will often be visible swimming just under the surface of the water.
2 Rig the line by tying on a 1/0-2/0 size bait keeper hook using an clinch knot. To tie the knot, pass the line through the eye of the hook with 3 to 4 inches of line extending through to the other side. Wrap the short end of the line around the main line for 6 to 7 turns and feed the end of the line through the small loop formed above the eye of the hook. Moisten the knot and pull tight. It is not necessary to weight the line for fishing.
3 Place a minnow, small pan fish, or cut piece of fresh fish on the hook. Make sure the bait is securely attached to the hook.
4 Cast the bait to the gar. If the fish is motionless in the water, place the bait just slightly in front of the fish and allow the bait to slowly settle in the water. If the fish is swimming, throw the bait further in front of the fish.
5 Allow the gar to take the bait and wait a couple of minutes. Gar typically chew on the bait and then turn to swim and will chew some more. It is important that the gar swallow the bait before you set the hook. Once the hook is set, reel in the slack and play the fish to the bank or boat where it should be netted.

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How Do You Learn to Fishing in Virtual Villagers

Four "Virtual Villagers" games are available from game developer Last Day of Work. In all four games, villagers must learn to fish to ensure a steady source of food. The way the villagers gain this skill differs from one game to another. The steps below are organized to cover each of the games. If you are at your wit's end, these tips will keep your villagers from starvation.

Instructions

1 Clear beach debris in "Virtual Villagers 1: A New Home." Once you have earned enough tech points to reach Farming Level 3, assign a villager to clean debris from the beach. You might have to drag your villager there a few times until he "learns" how to do this task without supervision. Once the beach is cleared, villagers can be dragged into the water, where they will eventually learn how to fish (with your guidance, of course).
2 Clean up the algae in "Virtual Villagers 2: The Lost Children." Villagers can fish at first, but the ocean soon becomes clogged with algae. To clean up the fishing grounds, you first must be at Farming Level 3 and have a Master Scientist or a Master Farmer. Take one of these masters to the pond, where she will learn to catch algae-eating fish and take them to the ocean. After a number of algae-eating fish have been transported, the ocean will be clean and fishing can commence again.
3 Get rid of the sharks in "Virtual Villagers 3: The Secret City." This time dangerous sharks keep your villagers from fishing. You will need a magic potion to get rid of the sharks. Potions are created in the alchemy lab (you must solve another puzzle to restore the lab). You also we need to have reached Nature Level 2 or Magic Level 2 to find the correct ingredients. If you are using the Magic option, combine one Berry and two Roses. For the Nature option, use one Pitcher Plant and two Black Orchids. Once made, villagers will carry the potion to the sea and the sharks will vanish.
4 Make fishing nets in "Virtual Villagers 4: Tree of Life." You can see fish leaping in the water when you start the game, but they move too quickly for villagers to catch them. First, have builders repair the piers (this can be done at any point in the game). To make fishing nets, you must first have mastered the technology of creating cloth (Puzzle 8) and have achieved Level 2 in construction. Once you have at least six bolts of cloth, builders will start to make the nets if you drag them to the piers. Once the nets are complete, farming villagers can be dragged onto them to collect fish.

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Catching the Big Fish on "The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass"

The "Legend of Zelda" series is known for its numerous mini-games and side quests, and the player's ability to fish in "Phantom Hourglass" is one such side quest. The goal is to catch the biggest fish in the game, Neptoona, which is over 20 feet long. Only one Neptoona can be caught in the game, making it the rarest fish there is.

Instructions

1 Travel to Bannan Island and talk to the Old Wayfarer, then kill all of the monsters in this area. Once you have cleared the area of monsters, a Mermaid will appear in the water on the shore--but will hide in the water if you get too close to her. Throw your Boomerang towards her and she will talk to you and reveal that she is human. Lead her back to the Old Wayfarer to receive the Fishing Rod.
2 Travel the sea and observe the dark blue shadows of fish within the water. Move closer to the shadows to be given the option to fish. Press the "Fish" button to begin fishing. When the word "PULL" appears, take the stylus and drag it towards the bottom. Move the stylus in circles to reel the fish in. If the tension meter is full, stop moving the stylus in circles and continue to pull it to the bottom. Continue to do this until you have successfully caught a fish.
3 Continue to fish until you catch a Loovar fish. When you catch one, show it to the Old Wayfarer on Bannan Island to receive a Big Catch Lure, which will allow you to catch bigger fish.
4 Fish in spots with larger shadows until you catch a Rusty Swordfish. Go back to Bannan Island and show the fish to the Old Wayfarer. You will now be able to start fishing for Neptoona.
5 Fish for Neptoona in spots with large shadows in the shape of a swordfish. The shadow for Neptoona will be black instead of dark blue. Once you have caught Neptoona, show it to the Old Wayfarer to receive a Heart Container.

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Starting Campaign to Stop Illegal Net Fishing

Drift net fishing is an extremely effective yet destructive fishing technique where long nets, sometimes 50 miles wide, are placed in waters with floats at the top and weights at the bottom. The nets are then left to drift and they capture anything in their path. The practice is effective at catching tuna, swordfish and salmon but it also captures dolphins, turtles and other creatures that are killed as a byproduct of the fishing endeavor. While the practice is widely illegal, it is still commonly practiced and stopping it requires a lot of effort.

Instructions

1 Join an activist group that is committed to stopping illegal net fishing. One person alone is limited in overall effectiveness, but a larger group can coordinate events and get more attention to the issue at hand. Advocacy groups are always looking for people to lend a helping hand. Earthtrust is one of the larger advocacy groups dedicated to preventing net fishing.
2 Donate money to net fishing advocacy groups, who always need resources to continue their operations.
3 Write letters to your local politicians explaining the dangers of net fishing and any known problems in your area of the activity being conducted. If there are local problems with net fishing, you'll need the attention and assistance of local politicians and law enforcement to combat it.
4 Plan fund raising events to support the advocacy groups you have partnered with. This can range from a simple yard sale to a more involved public protest, depending on your resources and how prevalent net fishing is in your area. Every little bit helps and also raises awareness of the cause to the general public.

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Guides to Grow Worms for Fishing

You can raise your own supply of fishing worms so you never again need to stop at a sports shop or convenience store before a fishing trip. Red wiggler worms are a good natural bait for plunking and drift fishing. Although smaller than the European night crawlers commonly sold as live bait, red wigglers are similarly tough enough to stay on a hook. Most importantly, red wigglers thrive in a simple container referred to as a worm bin. A worm bin can be any sturdy container that can keep the contents moist and allow some ventilation. Starter worms are available from garden stores, fishing supply stores and through mail order from vermiculture companies.

Instructions

1 Make, adapt or buy a container for the worms and their food -- the larger the worm bin, the more food it can hold, allowing you to raise more worms.
2 Gather biodegradable bedding for the worms such as waste paper, fallen leaves, paper egg cartons or used pizza boxes.
3 Moisten the bedding thoroughly by hosing it down or soaking it in a bucket and then place it in the container.
4 Bury table scraps, spoiled fruits and vegetables or coffee grounds within the bedding in the bin.
5 Add the worms by gently pulling the wad of worms and any other material from the package and burying it in the bedding.
6 Moisten the bedding, let time pass and occasionally add more food scraps. Within a few weeks the worms will begin laying enough eggs in the bedding to replace the worms you pull out to use for your live fishing bait.

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How to Make a Custom Fishing Pole

Building a custom fishing pole requires steady hands and patient attention, but the result is a rod built exactly to suit, at a reasonable price. Planning and preparation are the keys to success. The project requires some tools, but a workshop full of equipment is not necessary. Materials for rod building are readily available. A novice rod builder who takes his time and follows instructions can produce a rod that will fish well and last for years. Successfully building a custom fishing pole can lead to making more specialized rods at home.

Instructions

1 Select a blank for the rod that is an appropriate length and weight for the type of fishing you plan to do. Outdoor outfitting companies sell blanks and complete kits, and some rod-making companies sell blanks.
2 Locate the spine of the blank by placing the tip on a hard surface and rolling the blank in your fingers. The blank will "jump," indicating which way the blank's natural bend goes. Mark the top of the natural bend with a piece of masking tape. This will be the top of your rod.
3 Mix a small amount of epoxy in the mixing bowl and use it to mount the tip top to the end of the rod. Align the tip top with the top of the blank's spine.
4 Make a wrap of masking tape on the outside of the blank where the reel seat will fit. Mark the top of the reel seat on the center line. Align this with the spine of the blank. Glue the reel seat in place with epoxy. If there is a separate slip ring at the bottom of the reel seat, glue it to the butt end with epoxy.
5 Use the rat tail file to ream out the cork handle so that it fits snugly in place over the blank and against the reel seat. Use epoxy to glue the cork handle in place. If the cork handle does not fit snugly, build up the blank with masking tape wraps before gluing the cork handle in place. The cork handle must fit well, with just enough space to allow glue between the surfaces.
6 Use the flat file to smooth any rough edges on the guides. Align the stripping guides with the blank's spine, and space them on the blank. For a seven-foot rod, place the first guide 4 inches from the rod tip, the second at 9 inches, the third at 14 inches, the fourth at 19.5 inches, the fifth at 25.5 inches, the sixth at 32.5 inches, the seventh at 40.5 inches and the eighth at 50 inches. Place the snake guide closest to the handle. Secure the guides with thin strips of masking tape. If desired, attach the hook keeper to the underneath side of the blank, near the handle, and secure it with masking tape. Using the wrapping thread, secure the guides to the blank. Start each wrap about 2/16 to 3/16 of an inch from the end of the foot. Bring the free end of the thread over the top of the blank. Wrap the thread smoothly and tightly around the foot of the guide, then clip the thread. Finish each wrap with the whip finisher, leaving the loose end of thread concealed under the wrap.
7 Cut V-shaped notches in both ends of the cardboard box. This will hold the rod while you apply thread sealer, and while the sealer is drying. Mix the thread sealer, and apply it with a small brush to cover the thread wrappings. Apply a smooth, even coat, and do not allow the sealer to drip. After the sealer is applied, the rod must be rotated one quarter turn every 15 minutes for two hours, or until completely dry.

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Catching a Fish With Bare Hands

Do you want to catch fish with your hands? It's been done for centuries. "Tickling" trout was the poacher's favorite fishing method. Charlie Murphy described it as a "sensuous and extraordinary technique for catching fish that involves hypnotic predation by seduction." With "noodling," you seek out the fish rather than wait for the fish to come to you. Read on to learn how, then get your frying pan ready.

Instructions

Tickling Trout

1 Learn the fishing regulations concerning trout in your area. This can be done by going to city hall or checking online.
2 Go to a river or brook where trout can be found. You may learn this by asking people who fish or the owners of bait shops or by going to sites such as Wild Trout Streams (see Resources below).
3 Observe where the trout are feeding. Lie down on the bank and extend your arm into the water. You'll probably be most comfortable and able to move quickly if you are on your side.
4 Wiggle your fingers slowly. Be aware: if the water is cold, your arm may go numb.
5 Move your hand slowly--very slowly--closer to the fish when it draws near, wiggling your fingers all the while.
6 Tickle the fish's belly with your fingers when it is near enough. Quickly scoop the fish out of the water and land it on the bank.

Noodling

7 Learn the fishing regulations for noodling in your area. In some states, the practice is illegal or limited. The information can be found either at your town office or online.
8 Find out when catfish spawn and where they might be found. You can find this information online at such sites as Catfish World or by talking with biologists, local fishermen, or bait purveyors. When catfish spawn, the female lays eggs in a hole, then the male moves into the hole to guard it. You need to find these holes.
9 Get into the water where you think catfish might be found and start feeling around for likely holes. Hold your breath while doing this and consider wearing goggles to help you see better underwater.
10 Feel in the hole carefully. Make certain there's a catfish in residence and not a snapping turtle.
11 Grab the catfish by the mouth or gill cover and pull it quickly from the hole and to the surface.

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Simple Steps to Making Rubber Fishing Lures

Rubber fishing lures are actually made of soft plastic. A thick milky white colored liquid, Plastisol turns into a thick clear liquid when heated. When the heated Plastisol cools, it forms a durable non-toxic clear soft plastic. Before the Plastisol cools, you add color and or glitter. To form the Plastisol into a soft plastic fishing lure, you pour the liquid material into molds. The shape of the mold determines the shape of the soft plastic lure.

Instructions

1 Coat the inside of both halves of a plastic mold with non-stick cooking spray.
2 Align the two mold halves. Slide one C-clip over each side of the aligned mold halves to keep them from coming apart.
3 Mix the Plastisol thoroughly with a wooden stir stick.
4 Heat the Plastisol. Pour the desired amount of Plastisol into a microwave safe measuring cup. Set the measuring cup in a microwave. Set the microwave to one minute, start the microwave and allow the Plastisol to heat. Stir the Plastisol and heat it for an additional 30 seconds. Insert the tip of a cooking thermometer into the Plastisol. If the temperature is below 325 degrees Fahrenheit, continue to heat the material.
5 Add coloring and glitter (if desired) to the heated Plastisol.
6 Coat the O-ring and plunger of a mold injector with non-stick cooking spray.
7 Set the cylinder of a mold injector on a worktable with the open end of the cylinder facing up. Fill the cylinder 3/4 full with the heated Plastisol.
8 Slide the end of the injector plunger containing the O-ring into the top of the mold injector. Flip the mold injector over and push down on the cylinder until Plastisol comes out the tip of the mold injector.
9 Slide the fill opening of the plastic mold over the small filling orifice of the mold injector.
10 Push down on the plastic mold until Plastisol fills the reservoir on top of the mold.
11 Set the filled plastic mold aside to cool.
12 Remove the C-clips from the mold, separate the two halves of the mold, pull the cooled bait from the mold. Cut the excess plastic from the soft lure (sprue) with a razor knife.

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How to Make Free Fish Chum

Try using fish chum on your next fishing trip. The key is to use it at the right place and time. It has to be fresh or all that will turn up will be trash fish, sharks and crabs. Chum, when used properly, will definitely increase your catch in the bays and surf of the Gulf Coast.

Instructions

1 Obtain the raw material (pun intended). If you have just cleaned some fish, use what you aren't going to eat that can be ground up in a blender. Other excellent sources are mullet or shad that you have caught with your throw net. Bait fish caught in a bait trap or fresh shrimp heads also are excellent.
2 Chop up your chum material and place it in the blender with just enough bay or surf water to grind everything. Use the coarse grind setting. Put the mixture in small plastic freezer bags and freeze immediately. Make as much as possible as it can take you a long time to clean up the blender.
3 Go fishing. The trick is to not waste your chum until the odds are good that game fish are around. If the fish are schooling and in a feeding frenzy, you don't need it. Wait until you have caught one game fish, then use a bag of chum. You can tear off the freezer bag and put the frozen chum in you bait trap and hang it about halfway between the surface and the bottom. Another method is to have it almost thawed and sprinkle it around your boat or dock. It helps to splash the water a little. The sound enhances the attraction.
4 Keep in mind that the chum must be fresh. If you have access to a pier with electricity, you can grind up your chum and throw it directly into the water. Fresh chum attracts all game fish to one degree or another. The idea it to make them go into a feeding frenzy. The same thing happens when they are tearing up a school of shrimp, mullet or shad, and bits and pieces are all around in the water.

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Using a Fishing Tape

OK--you finally wore down the wife. She's letting you get a flat screen television. Now, it's just a matter of getting it mounted to the wall. You'll need a couple of things including a fish tape and a friend to help. A fish tape is a narrow piece of plastic that allows you to pull cables behind the wall, ceiling or floor. Like the name implies, you're fishing for cables. Read on to learn how to use a fish tape.

Instructions

1 Drill or notch the studs. Make sure the hole's diameter is twice the size of the wires you plan to pull through it. You may have to drill several holes to achieve the correct size.
2 Prepare the cables. You can save a lot of energy and time by pulling the cables through the wall, ceiling or floor in a bundle. It's easier than doing it one-by-one. So, determine what will have to be pulled through before you get started.
3 Push the fish tape through the run. Do not attach cables to it yet.
4 Tape the cables onto the fish tape. Make sure you tape the connectors behind each other, instead of bunching them all together. Keep the bundle as small and narrow as possible, so it goes through the wall smoothly.
5 Pull the fish tape through the run again. Do it slowly to ensure the cables stay attached.

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