Go Fishing with Topwater Lures, and Catch More Fish

Topwater lures are often the best way to catch bass. They are most effective early in the day or late in the evening when the water is cool and the bass are near the surface. The lures include stickbaits, poppers and buzzbaits, all of which work best near the water surface.

Instructions

1 Pick a topwater lure that resembles the color of the bait fish for the bass you're seeking. The color should also match the major forage in the water.
2 Cast the lure as far as possible into clear water with as little structures as possible. Casting farther will often result in more strikes because you are covering more ground.
3 Reel in the lure if it floats for a few seconds with no strike. Some of the methods are the "stop and go" (reel, stop, reel, stop), "walk the dog" and "twitching." To walk the dog, make the pole perpendicular with the line and twitch the end as you reel in the line. In twitching, let the lure sit and twitch the rod.
4 When a fish strikes, wait at least 2 seconds to set the hook. The bass sucks the lure into its mouth before it bites. If you set the hook immediately, you just pull the lure from the fish's mouth.

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Understanding Basic Cast in Fly-Fishing

In fly-fishing, casting is a back-and-forth motion of the rod and line that allows you to place your fly where you'd like. It takes a good deal of practice to get just right. This is the basic cast.

Instructions

1 Let out 25 feet of line in front of you. Practice out of the water and with-out a fly on the line so that you won't have to worry about getting caught up in anything.
2 Grip your rod as if you were shaking hands with it. Set the rod's handle in your palm and close your fingers around it, keeping your thumb on top.
3 Face the direction that you want to cast, putting your weight on the balls of your feet. Keep your wrist still and stiff; don't allow it to bend. Your elbow, not your shoulder, should be your pivot point. Picture hammering a nail.
4 Think of the movement of your arm in casting as being like that of a clock's hands. If you view a fly fisherman from his or her left profile, the caster will move the rod between 11 o'clock on the forward cast and 1 o'clock on the back cast.
5 Hold the rod at 11 o'clock to begin. From the tip, the loose fly line should trace down the rod until you can grab it with your free hand. Hold and keep it above waist level.
6 Pull the rod back to 1 o'clock, release the line and wait there until the line straightens behind you. Now accelerate the rod forward to 11 o'clock and wait for the loop formed by the arcing line to straighten out.
7 Bring the fingers of your free hand toward the reel and grasp the line between your index finger and thumb.
8 Pull in your outstretched line in 6-inch lengths so it forms a big excess loop right above the reel. You're not pulling more line off the reel or putting any back'you're simply gathering slack to ease the next cast. Pull in only as much as you need to place your cast.
9 To end casting, stop with the forward cast at 11 o'clock. All the slack you pulled in will sail out with your fly (when you have one on the line), which should land right on your target. Assuming, of course, that you've been practicing.

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An Alaska Fishing Trip Packing

All serious fisherman need to make a trip sometime in their life to Alaska, the Land of the Midnight Sun. To make the most of your adventure, preparation and packing the proper gear are essential. If you plan to spend a week at an all-inclusive fly-fishing lodge, your packing list will differ from someone spending the day fishing for halibut without a guide, but the following information is useful for anyone heading to Alaska.

Instructions

1 Check fragile fishing items like rods in protective hard cases for safer airline travel. Carry on all expensive reels, glasses, waders, jackets, licenses, itineraries and boxes of lures or flies that are hard to replace if the airline loses baggage.
2 Take plenty of warm clothes even if traveling in summer since Alaskan weather can be cool and wet any time of year. Plan on layering for warmth and to make it easiest to shed or add layers with changing conditions.
3 Buy a rain jacket made from breathable nylon since it will stay waterproof without the clammy feeling of rubber. Expect plenty of rainy weather during most of the Alaskan fishing season.
4 Pack waders for river or stream fishing. Waders made of breathable nylon will stay more comfortable on a warm day or when hiking. Many waders require separate boots. Felt-soled boots provide the best traction on slippery rocks.
5 Bring a waterproof bag for accessories like pliers, sunglasses, camera, extra tackle, gloves, hat, nonaerosol bug repellent, food, liquids and other personal items. A duffle bag and cooler are fine for fishing out of a boat, but a vest or backpack will work better if hiking onshore.
6 Consider the wild nature of an Alaskan fishing trip and pack safety and survival gear accordingly. Pack a first aid kit, map and compass and plan on buying waterproof matches, fire starters and a knife once you arrive. Be certain that someone in the group knows how to use them.
7 Select a fly-fishing guide who will permit you to keep the fish if that is your preference. Some guides will insist on releasing fish, so if you want a fish dinner make sure you are getting a guide who allows it.

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Tips to Fishing on a Moss-Covered Pond

Many moss-covered ponds hold trophy fish. The main requirement is that the moss is not so thick that it completely robs the pond of oxygen. Fishing in the moss is a nuisance if you do not know how to make a proper approach. Once you learn how to deal with the moss, it will cause very few problems and you will learn that it provides excellent cover for predatory fish. The moss will help to hide your presence and you can use it to your fishing advantage.

Instructions

1 Attach weed guards to all of the lures you will use in and around the moss. The weed guard is a simple, stiff piece of monofilament that guards the point of the hook from becoming tangled in vegetation. When a fish strikes, the guard does not prevent the hook from penetrating the fish's mouth.
2 Concentrate on the edges of the weed beds to draw fish into the open. Predatory fish will hide in the weeds and burst out when prey swims past. With the fish in the open, they will be much easier to land.
3 Fish on top of the weeds with poppers and top-water lures. Look for lines in the weeds where fish may have swum recently and try to draw them to the surface.
4 Use line that is several pounds heavier than typical. This will allow you to pull fish from the moss without breaking the line.
5 Find a small opening in the moss. Jig directly over the opening but stand several feet back to prevent casting a shadow. Fish will gather in these small openings to capture extra oxygen and sunlight.

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How to Knot the Backing to the Fly-Fishing Reel

How to Knot the Backing to the Fly-Fishing Reel. The first step in stringing your rod is to attach backing to your fly-fishing reel. This allows you to take up some of the space on the reel with a material called backing and conserve on the amount of line you'll need to wind around the reel.

Instructions

1 Look at your reel to determine how much backing you'll need. The bigger the reel, the more you'll need to attach. Shoot for having your reel filled to about a 1/4 inch below the spool's rim. If you put too much backing on, the complete fly line won't be able to be spooled onto the reel. You'll be attaching the backing using the "arbor" knot.
2 Take the tag end (the loose end of the line, the part used to tie a knot) of the backing and wrap it around the center post of the reel's spool once.
3 Take the tag end of the backing and tie an "overhand" knot to the standing end (the rest of the line) of the backing, creating a loop around the reel. (The overhand knot is tied like the first step in tying your shoe: take the tag end, wrap it once around the standing end of the backing, and then send it back through the loop and pull it tight.
4 Leave enough length on the tag end of your overhand knot to be able to tie another knot with it.
5 Take the tag end and tie another overhand knot, pulling on the standing line so that both knots meet each other and go down tightly around the spool. When finished, you'll have tied the backing into a loop around the center of the reel. Tighten knots with one steady and continuous motion. You can also moisten the knot before pulling it tight to avoid a deformed knot.
6 Clip the ends of your knots, leaving about 1/8 inch so that they won't slip. You want them trimmed close to the knot, but allow a little room for them if they move when they tighten.
7 Test the knot before fishing - if the knot slips, you can cut it off and try again without losing a part of your line.

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Fishing Line on a Reel Installation Guide

Fishing is an outdoor activity that can provide many memories. Fishing refers to the act of catching fish using a rod, reel, tackle and bait. Different techniques and equipment are used to catch fish depending on the type of water. Setting up this equipment correctly may be intimidating, but catching a fish is rewarding. Fishing line requires specific knots in order to hold correctly. Installing line on the reel is the first step to setting up the fishing gear.

Instructions

1 Thread the fishing line through the loop holes on the rod with your hand. Start with the top hole and thread the line through each hole down to the reel.
2 Open the bail on the spinning reel by flipping it to the open position with your hand.
3 Thread the line into the reel and loop it around the reel spool and bring it back into position to be able to tie a knot.
4 Wrap the end of the fishing line around the line coming from the spool three times in a circular pattern. There should be three loops. Pass the end of the fishing line inside the three loops just created to make a hang-mans noose knot.
5 Slide the noose down onto the reel spool with your hand. Tug on the knot to be sure the knot is tight.
6 Insert a pencil through the hole in the fishing line spool.
7 Have a partner hold the pencil with the fishing line spool installed keeping tension on the line.
8 Close the bail on the fishing reel with your hand. Turn the lever on the reel to reel the line onto the spool with your partner keeping pressure on the line. Keep the tip of the pole in line with the fishing line spool.
9 Refer to your fishing reel owners guide for the amount of line that should be installed. Continue reeling the line onto the reel until the suggested amount is installed.

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