"Reel In" the Perfect Fishing Vacation
Do a web search to plan a fishing vacation and you will find hundreds of thousands of sites. Planning a fishing vacation, whether to your local lake for a day or off to Belize for a 15 day exotic excursion, can be a trying experience. How do you narrow down the choices to find the fishing destination that is right for you?
Do a web search to plan a fishing vacation and you will find hundreds of thousands of sites. Planning a fishing vacation, whether to your local lake for a day or off to Belize for a 15 day exotic excursion, can be a trying experience. How do you narrow down the choices to find the fishing destination that is right for you?
After all, "fishing is not a matter of life and death, it is much more important than that."
The best way to select a fishing destination is to begin by identifying your priorities. Is this to be a warm weather experience, or do you prefer to go ice fishing? Do you want to fish Saltwater (surf, deep sea, reef) or Freshwater (lake, stream, river, etc.)? How many anglers are joining you, or are you a single angler?
If you are going as part of a group, it would be a good idea to sit down with everyone else who is going and discuss precisely what it is that each person wants out of the experience. It is not enough to simply decide you want great fishing, because that can mean very different things to different people.
Does great fishing mean catching a fish on nearly every cast, or catching only one fish all day--provided that one fish was a giant? And what constitutes a "giant" to you? Would a 20-pound chinook salmon make you happy, or would it have to be a 50-pounder?
What fish species are you interested in fishing for? Although this sounds like an overly simplistic question, it definitely needs to be discussed if this is to be a successful group outing. Do you want to catch lake trout, walleye, northern pike, bass, salmon? If members of the group have different ideas, you should pick a location with multiple species.
What is your preferred method of fishing? (trolling, spin/bait casting, light tackle, fly fishing, etc.) Do you want to fish from shore, from a drift boat or raft, or wear full length waders?
Your level of fishing experience is also a crucial consideration. Choosing the right guide to help with equipment choices and techniques is critical. The more experience you have, obviously the less advice and help you will need.
Other considerations include, will any non-fishing companions be joining you, and is this strictly a fishing trip or will other leisure or even business activities be involved?
A final consideration--what is your realistic budget? Let's face it, money is a deciding factor for most of us. You need to be honest about how much you are prepared to spend--and how to spend it. If you have $1,500 to spend on a trip, do you want 3 days at Lodge X with most of the comforts of home, or 7 days in a tent camp where you cook your own meals, but have a better shot at a trophy fish?
Once you have established clear priorities about the fishing and accommodations, and roughed out a budget, it's time to start looking at what individual venues have to offer. Search the Internet to find exciting and affordable locations. State or provincial tourism departments or fish/wildlife agencies are excellent resources to find fishing lodges within specific areas. Even the U.S. Forest Service website has valuable and free information about thousands of fishing locales within the U.S.
Before you go, you need to check to make certain that all of your equipment is in safe working order. You might be a long ways from the nearest tackle shop. First, check your rod and reel. Both of these pieces need to be in top condition. Also check the type of line you should be using (you will probably want to take several different types).
Finally, check your tackle box, especially hooks, flies, sinkers and lures depending on the species of fish you are after and the conditions you expect to encounter.
Best wishes for a great trip, whether it be steelheads in Alaska or giant snakeheads in Thailand, you're ready for the ultimate fishing experience!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The Thrill of Trout Fishing
The thrill of trout fishing! It is the best, isnt it? No matter where you plan to go trout fishing, you know you are more than likely going to enjoy your trip. The sport is a sport of its own, set aside from other types of fishing. Some believe trout fishing is the most difficult of any type of fishing. Regardless of if you believe this or not, there are many reasons to love trout fishing.
The thrill of trout fishing! It is the best, isnt it? No matter where you plan to go trout fishing, you know you are more than likely going to enjoy your trip. The sport is a sport of its own, set aside from other types of fishing. Some believe trout fishing is the most difficult of any type of fishing. Regardless of if you believe this or not, there are many reasons to love trout fishing.
To begin with, trout fishing is all about being smarter than the fish! You need to know how that fish is going to react long before it does. How do you know this and do this? For one, you need to know about the animal itself. Trout are very smart animals. They know that they are prey, so they will avoid anything they think is going to harm them. So, you, the fisherman, need to be smarter and catch the trout unaware. That is why when you are trout fishing, you will more then likely cast from quite a distance. Trout come up to the surface to feed. If they lay their eyes on you, they are gone. No hope of catching it. Instead, casting from a distance is important to keep you out of the picture.
Trout fishing is also a demanding sport because it takes knowledge. Its not enough to know about how the trout react, but you have to know what equipment you need. When you go to your local sporting goods stores or tackle shop, you will find that there is often a large line of products designed for trout fishing. The lure that you use will need to be something that will enter the water unnoticeable and without causing a splash. The trout fishing line you use will need to be pretty much clear, but strong. There is much more equipment specific things you can invest in to help you with your trout fishing. Simply look around the store to see what jumps out at you!
Some of the best things about trout fishing are the trips you can enjoy. You can plan a trout fishing trip to last a day, a weekend, or a week. You can book your trout fishing trip to be in a nearby lake or river. But, think about booking a trout fishing trip out of the country! If not, perhaps you would like to consider an out of state trout fishing trip. Not only are these the best ways to enjoy the sport and all types of trout fishing, but you get to see some of the most beautiful places in the world!
It goes without saying that trout fishing is one of the best sports out there. If you are a beginner looking to learn, the best knowledge you can obtain is experience. Yes, you can purchase all that equipment, but nothing will teach and help you more then experience in trout fishing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ken Austin
1stdiscountshopping 1stinroses
Night Fishing Preparation
I have to admit this subject bores me to tears. Amazingly, the simple fact is that every time I interviewed a fisherman about night fishing tips he mentioned preparation at the top of the list.
As boring as the topic can be, make it a habit to go through this section as a checklist before embarking an a night fishing excursion. I am guilty of forgetting some essentials from time to time make sure you dont!
Early morning, evening, and night fishing can be extremely fulfilling (in terms of the FUN you have and the amount of big fish you CATCH). It all depends on how prepared you are for the trip. Here are some tips to make sure that you have an amazing experience, and catch a ton of big fish.
Before I begin, I wanted to give you a chance to take your night fishing to the next level. The Evening Secret (eveningsecretfishing/specialsecret/Night_Fishing_Preparation.php) is the best kept secret in all of fishing.
Equipment Checks & Stuff You Must Consider
Go through each tackle box you are going to take and locate every item you need, making sure everything is in the proper place. It is important to be even more organized than normal because with night fishing you must rely on your sense of touch and sound to find what you are looking for. The more organized your gear and tackle is, the easier it is for you to find what you need. It is so frustrating to not be able to find your pliers, hooks, extra line, etc. in the dark! You must have visual knowledge of where these things are!
Make sure to bring several light sources on your trip. Have some extra flashlights and a good high candle power beam. Dont forget to bring extra batteries!
Pre-tie enough leaders and rigs to last the entire trip. This will save you tons of time, and youll be glad you took this extra step of preparation!
If you dont have a first aid kit, get one! If you have one, double check it! You are more prone to injury at night, and be prepared to handle little cuts and bruises especially if you are on a boat!
L.E.D. headlamps are very effective. If at all possible, have one on hand. The headlight helps with unhooking (and much more) they are convenient than a handheld light. There are some L.E.D. headlights that put out great light, and the batteries last a long time. Also, tying on lures can almost be impossible in total darkness without the help of a headlamp that keeps both hands free. The less time an angler spends changing lures and retying in the dark, the more time the angler will spend fishing.
Because fish caught tend to be bigger at night it would pay to step up a line class. This puts you more in control of the fight and will save time in getting the fish to the boat.
Boat Preparation (if you fish off of a boat, be prepared to be prepared!)
Night fishing from a boat can be very productive and safe if you have the right equipment, you are organized, stick to a set plan, and are confident about the area you intend to fish.
If you are going out on a boat, make sure it is in good working order! This goes without saying, but it is so important I will say it anyway You dont want to get stuck out there at night. Really, you should always check your boat no matter what time you go out fishing. However, you want to be especially sure to double, triple, and quadruple check everything if you are going on an evening trip!
Know the layout on the boat; it is important to avoid accidents. In your artificial lighting your reaction time to problems and unmanned rods bending is going to be at least double. Take some time to place your gear appropriately, and take note of where everything is before the sun goes down. Everything takes twice as long at night as it is.
Bow and stern lights are required and essential equipment on your boat and they must be lit when visibility is reduced. Striking unseen objects at night is the most often reported nighttime accident and unlit boats lead as those unseen objects. The temptation to venture forth without proper lighting is not only illegal, but also extremely foolish.
A proper and fully functional warning device (horn) becomes a vital piece of equipment in the darkness. It can be used to warn approaching craft as to your presence and also can be used to draw attention in the event of problems arising. Although not required unless off shore, visual distress signals (flares) should be on board.
An approved type fire extinguisher that is currently dated should be onboard and in a convenient and ready location. During a fire is no time to find out that the extinguisher will not function because it is out of date.
A paddle is required (for smallish boats), not optional equipment, and again should be in a convenient and accessible location.
An anchoring device with adequate line in both size and length for your boat. Deployment of the anchor should occur at the first sign of trouble to keep your boat in its present safe location. Too often then anchor is the last thing thought of and boats end up drifting into dangerous situations.
Some sort of bailing device should be on board. Pumps are useless when the battery goes dead.
A radio with weather band capability is not only recommended for day operation but is an essential piece of equipment at night. Those clouds that look harmless that you see floating over can be hiding a serious storm. The whole world could know about it but if you have no means of hearing the warnings you can be caught by natures worst.
Navigation tools, which are helpful in the daylight, become absolutely essential for safety at night. Obviously your best choice for nighttime operation would be a GPS. However, a compass would be a considerable assistant in the dark. Not only is everything different out there at night, but also things such as fog can move in with no apparent warning and without a means of determining direction you are dead in the water.
Personal floatation devices (properly fitted) for each person on board are at the top of the list and should be worn by everyone when fishing at night. Finding someone that has fallen overboard in the daytime is generally easy, but in the dark can be quite difficult. A throw able flotation device is also required equipment and should be in a convenient location.
Make sure that your boat batteries have a full charge before leaving home. In most states your boat lights have to remain on throughout the night. Running a black light, electric trolling motor, fish finders, and other gadgets can take a toll on the battery through the course of a night trip. It may be wise to carry an extra battery aboard just in case.
Insect repellent is a must. You should never leave the boat ramp without a good bottle for those trips when the bugs are biting more than the bass.
Make sure you are anchored securely and not drifting. This is critical if you are fishing close to headlands or structure where there is turbulent water. When you are settled, get a radio check and try all lights on board before it gets dark, so if there is a problem, it can be fixed before nightfall.
First aid kit, basic tools, manuals etc. are all recommended.
Check The Weather
As obvious as this one is, too many people forget to do a simple check of the forecast. Try to pick a night where the weather forecast is good. It is tough enough to move around in the dark as it is. Bad weather makes it even harder. This can really make or break your fishing trip.
About The Author Copyright 2005 EveningSecretFishing FishingLong-Time Fisherman and friend of EveningSecretFishing (eveningsecretfishing/specialsecret/Night_Fishing_Preparation.php) Feel free to use this article on your website or anywhere else - but all links and bio information must remain in tact.
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