How Catch Fish

If you want to learn how to catch carp, it's important to know where you are most likely to find them. Anglers often develop an interest in carp  because they are widespread throughout most of North America, and because they can tolerate a variety of water conditions. While the common carp is a very adaptable species, it will be helpful to keep in mind that ideal carp habitat can be identified by areas of slow-moving or standing water in freshwater lakes, ponds, or rivers.

Finding carp isn't difficult, although carp can be very shy or hesitant feeders. If a carp detects even a slight amount of movement through your fishing line, you may lose your opportunity to catch one. One of the most helpful carp fishing tips for shore anglers is to place their fishing rods in special rod holders on the shoreline, called rod pods, so that the fishing lines are kept still while waiting for a bite.

HOW TO CATCH CARP IN A LAKE

Wondering how to catch carp in a lake? First, make sure you have the right tackle. You can try using a medium to medium heavy spinning rod with 10-pound braided fishing line, about two feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon leader line, and a 3-way rig  connected to a medium-sized circle hook. On the free leg of the rig, use separate piece of leader material to attach a sinker. The 3-way rig will help keep your bait on the bottom where carp most often feed.

When learning how to fish for carp in a lake, the next thing you will need to know is what type of bait  to use. Canned corn or dough balls are two of the best baits to use for carp, but always check your state fishing regulations to make sure that these baits and methods are permitted.

Once you have your tackle and bait, you just need to find the right spots to catch carp. Carp aren't any different from other fish in that they prefer lake areas where there is some type of structure that offers food and protection. Another example of helpful carp fishing tips is to look for sections of the lake that include overhanging tree branches, weed edges, or logs. Then, cast out your line and wait for a bite.

HOW TO CATCH CARP IN A RIVER

Once you have learned how to catch carp while fishing a lake, you can try river fishing for carp using the same type of tackle, 3-way rig, and baits. The primary difference when learning how to catch carp fish in a river is to take into consideration the fact that rivers generally have stronger currents. Stronger currents mean that carp need to expend more energy to adjust themselves against the flow of the river.

Since river carp expend more energy, they need to feed more frequently and tend to be found in those areas of a river where there are consistent sources of food. Look for river inlets and outlets, or places where the river connects with another body of water. The currents in these types of areas will regularly deposit food sources, and carp will often be found nearby. Learn more about Streams & Rivers different structures.How catch Fish

Handles Fish

Every time you go fishing you become an ambassador for our sport. Your actions on the beach especially, but also on the boat, govern how the public judge us. The most critical factor is our handling of fish.

Most anglers realise also, that it's in our own best interests to preserve that part of the catch that we cannot, or do not want to keep for eating. It may be a small contribution to the overall fish stocks, but nevertheless it is a worthwhile contribution and does not add to further depletion.

We look here, at the best way to handle and conserve the fish we catch, and how to return them safely to the water.

Netting a fish instead of using the gaff

TO GAFF, NET, OR LIFT?

There is a case for using a gaff on massive boat conger and 20lb plus shore eels. But this needs to be done by somebody who understands the need to place that gaff in the underside of the eels jaw where there is soft membrane and little else. A small neat hole here does no harm. Those of you who think such precision is impossible should take a trip out with Newhaven's Terry Lee (Sea Breeze 3) or Glyn Lloyd from Cardiff. Gaffing the conger in the body, as in the old days, is unacceptable now to most anglers and also to those skippers that want to remain respected in angling circles.

Giant skate will also need to be nicked with a gaff in the leading edge of the wing, but again, a neat hole here does no harm and is less of a wound than most that occur naturally on the seabed as fish make their living. Treated like this, the conger and skate can return to their home fit and healthy to fight another day. Stingray and monkfish may need to be gaffed too. Tagged fish, initially gaffed aboard, returned, and then re-caught are the best evidence that careful gaffing does no harm. That's where the need to gaff ends.

Surely sharks will have to be gaffed? No way! Small sharks can be lifted by two men easily enough. One grabs the dorsal and the other the tail and gently lifts the shark aboard for unhooking, then return. Bigger shark are left in the water and the trace cut near the hook. Any regular shark angler knows the numbers of shark swimming around quite happily with long-liners hooks in their jaws. The difference is angling hooks should be bronzed patterns that are quickly shed by the shark, whereas long line hooks have a coated finish that resists corrosion.

Potential record shark to be brought home need only be tailed with a strong rope tailer and then lifted aboard when ready via the tail and dorsal. Besides, tailing is a more secure way to handle big fish, because when gaffing, a simple twist of their powerful body is enough to free them from the gaff. Archaic mid body gaffing procedures are unacceptable in modern behaviour and photography anyway.

Some skippers, like Dave Taylor, who runs "Aldebran" out of Aberystwyth actually "nets" porbeagles up to 90lbs in a massive, purpose built landing net. Once in the net, the netting gives a good grip and spreads the sharks weight. This illustrates the ease with which cod of 40lbs, pollack over 20lbs, ling etc, can be landed. And without that inevitable risk of loss when using the gaff.

Tope can also be secured by grabbing the tail and dorsal and lifting them aboard. Done like this, the body stays supported and you get a good grip. Also, by holding the dorsal you have the tope held in mid body which stops it twisting round and trying to bite you. Huss should be grabbed by the tail and hook trace and lifted, and thornbacks and other rays the same, though use a gloved hand to grab the tail on these.

HANDLING FISH

The priority when landing both boat and shore fish is make sure that they cannot thrash around and injure themselves. You'll find all fish become subdued if you cover their eyes with a damp cloth.

Fish have a protective coating of mucus or slime on the body that is a safeguard from infection, and by handling the fish with a damp cloth or wet hands, this slimy coating is left intact. Handle a fish with normal dry hands and some of that coating will adhere to the hands and leave the fish open to attack.

Some thinking shore anglers have taken to using a large piece of chamois leather, or a coarse fisher's pike\carp bag to lay the fish on whilst the hook is freed. This does less damage than laying the fish down on the sand or shingle.

To see some anglers perform when actually handling a fish makes you wonder why their fishing in the first place, such is their fear of fish. A confident, but gentle grip is essential for clean unhooking. Round fish should be gripped between thumb and fingers over the head and just to the rear of the gill plates. This allows the hand gripping the fish full manoeuvrability.

Dogfish, having that habit of twisting their abrasive tail around your arm, should be held by folding the tail round to touch their head and gripped so for unhooking. Silver eels, there is no easy way, but use a piece of damp chamois leather to grip the main body and gently grip the head between index, middle finger and third finger.

REMOVING HOOKS

The best tool for all hook removal in smaller species is a pair of quality long nosed pliers. Use these every time, because they're far quicker than your fingers for anything other than a light lip hook hold. For tope, shark, rays etc, a long handled pair of normal pliers are good and keep the hands away from any teeth.

The best place to grip a hook is not on the shank, but in the middle of the bend where gentle, but persistent pressure away from the hook hold will lift the hook point free. Twisting the hook does no good at all. If a fish has pulled the hook point fully through the lip, then it's quicker to snip the hook trace off above the hook, and pull the hook through point first followed by the shank.

If a flatfish has got a hook down deep, then it's best to cut the hook off at the knot and free the fish with the hook still in. Consider that flatfish, in fact all fish, will eat broken mussel and razorfish shells and hard backed crab with ease, and you realise just how insignificant a hook is to a fish. Evidence suggests that fish can shed a hook within hours anyway, providing it is a bronze pattern and will corrode. Coated or commercially plated pattern hooks and stainless steel hooks should never be used.

RETURNING FISH

A few inconsiderate anglers persist in throwing unwanted fish back into the water. Some fish like, pout, poor cod, whiting etc, can be damaged this way. The correct method is to walk into water at least a foot deep and preferably beyond the surf if possible, support the fish in the open palms of the hand along the belly and tail facing into the oncoming water, and simply hold it there until it swims away. It takes only a few seconds before the fish readjusts itself and is gone.

Watch out for dogfish which have a habit of swimming back inwards towards you after release. If you walk them out into deeper water this will not occur. Likewise pout!

Rock marks often sees the angler many feet from the water and returning fish like wrasse and pollack needs a different approach. Here, you use any available rock pools that are deep enough and near the low water line to leave the fish in until the flooding tide frees them. They come to no harm and even big fish like huss and conger will stay dormant and patient until the tide arrives.

The boat is the same. Dropping a fish overboard should be avoided. Hold the fish by the tail and pectoral or dorsal fin in the case of tope, smoothounds and the like, or with the open palm supporting the belly with round fish, and just lower it into the water and hold it until it voluntarily swims away of it's own free will. The head should again point into the oncoming tide, ie, towards the bow. This applies to small fish like whiting too, that need to be placed in the water on return, not dropped!

TIPS

If you want to retain fish alive for photographs or weighing, then place them in rock pools, or in a 5 gallon plastic bucket that has fresh sea water changed frequently.

Mustad have introduced a barbless hook based on the Viking pattern but redesigned for tope and ray fishing. This hook, numbered 79514, is being used for all manner of fish now including blue sharks, huss, smoothounds and small conger eels.

When fishing purely for fun, such as when tope fishing, breaming, after rays, or when dogfish are being caught in numbers, if you're using a standard barbed hook, pinch the barbs on your hooks flat. You'll find you lose very few fish but unhooking them is easy.

If you lay an eel on the beach prior to unhooking it will roll up into a slimy ball, but if you hold the hook trace and lift the eel into mid air it will unroll itself and fall straight for ease of handling.

Saltwater Fishing Tips, Tricks and Tactics

                                    Saltwater Fishing Tips, Tricks and Tactics 

Use the Right Fishing Knot - The best way to make sure you don't lose that next world record fish is to make sure you're using the right knot. You need to learn a fishing knot that can retain 100% of its strength when tied, and only the bimini twist (aka 20 times around know) can do just that. The right knot can make the difference between a big catch, or a big disappointment.

 Keep Live Bait in Tip Top Shape - If you're using live bait it's important to keep it in the best shape possible. Make sure to always keep live bait out of direct sunlight and if you have aquatic bait like minnows then make sure to buy a water bait aerator to keep sufficient oxygen levels. If you don't have an aerator then make sure that you change the water every 2 hours. Warm water can't hold as much oxygen as cool water.

 Talk to the Locals - You should talk to your local tackle shop employee in order to find out what's going on in the area you plan to fish in. They'll know what's going on and what the best bait to use is at the time of year you're fishing in. You might even want to consider joining a local angler's club where anglers get together to swap stories, plan trips and drink beer.

 Finding the Spot for Fishing - One easy way to snag some monster saltwater fish is to research the type of structure they like to live in and then locate those structures where you plan to fish. There are tons of resources on the internet to locate natural and manmade structures in your area. Avoid paying for any maps that claim to have secret locations and/or structures, nine times out of ten you can locate these structures with free research.

 Watch Your Leader - If you're using a leader then it's important to keep an eye on the knot area of where your line is tied to your leader. This area and about a foot or two above it tends to get damaged pretty quickly, especially if you're surf fishing. You'll want to cut off any bad or frayed areas and retie your leader. Don't lose a big monster catch because you were too lazy to check your leader knot.

 Preserve the Experience for Others - The only way we can sustain commercial and recreational fishing in the future is to work together. Use a circle hook when fishing to prevent injury to the fish, if you have a barb hook then simply crush it with some needle nose pliers. Never keep your catch out of the water longer than you can hold your own breath. The slime that covers a fish protects it from bacteria and infection, so do your best to not remove this slime. Also, don't forget to practice catch and release, especially during spawning seasons!

 Protect Your Investment - Good saltwater fishing tackle isn't cheap, so don't get yourself in the situation of having to replace it. It's a good idea to soak your reel in a bucket of freshwater for 2 to 4 hours after saltwater fishing to ensure you get all the saltwater off of your line and reel.

Animated fishing knots-Iphone

 52 Best Fishing Knots = Most fishing knots and best value in the store. Plus 2 emergency hook removal techniques!

 Animations are a great way to learn to tie knots. The Animated Fishing Knots App makes learning to tie knots easy and fun! Each of 52 fishing knots has its own animation video, a picture of the finished knot and a description of the knot’s use.

 The following 52 best fishing knots are included (the most fishing knots of any App in the store):

 Knots for tying on tackle:
•Baja Knot
•Berkley Braid Knot
•Centauri Knot
•Davy Knot
•Drop Shot Rig
•Egg Loop
•Eye Crosser Knot (Knot Wars winner)
•Fish N Fool Knot (Knot Wars winner)
•Harvey Dry Fly
•Improved Clinch Knot
•Jansik Special
•Knotless Knot
•NanoFil Knot
•Offshore Swivel Knot
•Orvis Knot
•Palomar Knot
•Pitzen Knot
•San Diego Jam Knot
•Snell Knot Uni version
•Snell Knot Traditional version
•Trilene Knot
•Turl Knot
•Uni Knot
•World’s Fair Knot

 Knots for tying two lines together:
•Albright Special
•Blood Knot
•Double Uni Knot
•J Knot
•Nail Knot
•Seaguar Knot (Fluorocarbon to mono)
•Slim Beauty (Awesome leader knot)
•Surgeon’s Knot
•Willis Knot
•Yucatan Knot

Knots for tying loops in line:
•Bimini Twist
•Dropper Loop
•Homer Rhode Loop Knot
•King Sling
•Non Slip Loop Knot
•Perfection Loop
•Rapala Knot
•Spider Hitch
•Surgeon’s End Loop

 Miscellaneous
•Arbor Knot (Tie line to reel)
•Bobber Stopper Knot
•Hook Removal (two techniques, animated)
•Knot Tyer Nail Knot
•Two Strike Indicator Knots
•Two Tenkara Knots

 Features:
 - 52 carefully selected best fishing knots - Knots are listed and searchable alphabetically by name or by category and use. - Pause, and play the video with controls - Info page shows completed knot and gives information about the knot and its use.

go to;-Animated Fishing Knots

The Hook

                                                                       kahle

                                                                  circle hook

                                                                     oshaunessy


Getting a Good Hook Set is a Key to Catching Fish

With the possible exception of sheepshead, setting the hook on a fish is at once both the easiest and the most misunderstood action that anglers can take. I watch anglers all the time, and I find that different anglers have different techniques even when fishing for the same fish.

Hook Types

If a fish was caught, the hook had to be set; that’s simple enough. But who set the hook? Some anglers are simply lucky enough to catch a fish because the fish itself set the hook running away from the pull of the line. In the case of circle hooks, the fish sets the hook by design. But, on standard hooks, it takes a conscious effort to set the hook on a fish that bites. More important than anything else is probably the condition of your hook. Most anglers fish with the same hook – sometimes on multiple trips. Just how sharp is that hook? It should hang on your fingernail when the point is placed there. Get a good hook sharpener and use it!

Fish Species

All fish differ in at least one aspect. Important to us here is the shape, size and relative strength of their mouths. Seatrout have a very tender mouth, and hooks can easily be pulled if too much pressure is applied. At the other end of the spectrum is the tarpon, whose boney mouth is more often than not unable to be penetrated by a hook. Flounder and fluke present yet another type of hook set. They tend to hold the bait for a short while before getting it all the way into their mouth. Hence, a delayed hook set is necessary. Billfish present an entirely different set of rules because of the way they strike a bait with their bill and then circle around to eat the bait. In between all these we have a whole variety of fish that fall into a general category I call bottom fish.

Bait Types

There is a difference in the way a fish takes, as an example, a cut bait versus a live bait. They can usually inhale a cut bait and the bite that you feel needs a quick hook set. Live bait with a single hook, on the other hand, needs to be eaten; so, the hook set needs to be delayed to enable the fish to get the entire bait into its mouth. Artificial lures need a quick hook set to prevent the fish from spitting the lure when it realizes it has been fooled.

Water Depth, Line Length and Rod Size

Most anglers fish with monofilament line. That line has a stretching quality that can be significant in deep water. If you are fishing relatively deep water (fifty feet or more), you need a longer rod with more backbone. That hook set needs to be hard and long to overcome the stretch in the line, and the longer, beefier rod can help. Braided line can help the stretch problem, but can still be affected by currents that put a bow in the line. Either way, you have to overcome the depth to set that hook.

Basic Rules

So, here are some basics you can follow and questions you can ask yourself to help you set that hook and bring a good fish to the boat or pier.

* Know the fish you are pursuing - does it have a soft mouth or a hard mouth?
* How deep are you fishing?
* What kind of line are you using?
* How about that hook - Circle or standard?
* What kind of bait are you using – can the fish get it all in one bite?

Simple rules make hook setting an easy task. These basics can help if you pay attention and react accordingly. Tight lines!