Archive for May, 2010

A cinch knot is an important fishing knot. I use it all the time to attach my hook to my leader or my swivel to my line. It’s an easy knot to tie, but it isn’t really easy to explain in pictures or in words. (I know, I’ve tried both!)

Readers’ Opinions

What is the fishing knot you use the most often?

Video Critique

This is this the first video filmed, edited, and produced by The Outdoor Princess Productions and I’d LOVE your feed back on it. What did you like? What would we do better? Is it long enough or too long? Anything you can tell me about it will really help!

For the first video from The Outdoor Princess Productions I’ll be teaching you how to tie one of the most commonly used fishing knots. But, before I can teach you how to tie this knot, there are a couple of things you need to know!

Anatomy of a Fish Hook

A fish hook has 7 fundamental parts. Hooks come in various forms, sizes, and applications. As always, it is necessary to know the advantages and disadvantages of different hooks, and to know what it the correct hook for the species you are after.

1. The eye is where the fishing line is attached.
2. The sharp part of the fish hook pointing upward is called the point.
3. The small sharp protrusion immediately below the point is termed as barb. Be extremely careful with the barb. It is very sharp and pointed backwards so it will remain embedded in the fish. It can also embed in your clothing, skin, eyes, or weeds and other debris.
4. The gap is the distance from the point of the hook to the shank.
5. The shank is the straight part of the hook.
6. When the hook is in an upright position, the bend corresponds to its bottom part.
7. The distance from the gap to the bend is called the throat.

Hook Sizes Explained

Have you ever read a fishing tip that says something like: “The best hook sizes to use are between #8 and #16″?

If you’re like me, then when you need a #8 size hook, you just flip  open the tackle box and grab one from the package labeled #8. (Or, head to the store and buy a #8 hook!)

Have you ever wondered WHY a #8 is a #8? Here’s your answer!

There is no world or industry standard method of measuring hooks, but here in the US, the measures go from the smallest size 32 (which is barely large enough to hold between two fingers) and count down. As the number decreases, the size increases all the way down to a number 1 hook.

At this point the number changes to a designation of “aughts” or zeroes. A 1/0 (pronounced “one aught”) hook is the next larger size to a number 1. A 2/0 is larger still, and this numbering scheme goes as high as 19/0.

Hook size should be the first thing an angler thinks of when buying hooks. (The second thing is which hook is the right size for the fish you’re after.) Sizes from most manufacturers range from the very smallest freshwater trout hook at a number 32, to the very largest game fish hook at 19/0.

Now you’re ready for the video!

Have you ever thought about making your own fishing bait? Personally, I’ve never tried it, but my friend Bob swears by it. He has a super-secret recipe that he’s forbidden me to share! (But he gave a bit to The Queen Mother for Christmas so she’ll try it out in June when she and ESP Boss go on vacation!)

This week, I’ll be sharing with you five “recipes” for making your own fishing bait. In a few weeks, when the EatStayPlay.com “Royal” Family heads to Ashurst Lake to do some fishing, we’ll test all 5 baits head-to-head against a store-bought bait and I’ll bring you the results.

Before using these, or any homemade baits, be sure to check with your local fishing regulations to make sure that homemade baits are permitted. You also need to make sure there are no ingredients on a do-not-use list.

An important thing to consider when making your own bait is to keep track of your “recipe”. You don’t want to catch your limit of fish and then realize you’re not exactly sure what was in your bait!

I recommend that you store your baits in the refrigerator until ready to take to the lake. All baits seem to work better when they are warm (and smelly) but I don’t recommend storing the baits in the garage. The neighbors might complain!

In the photo below, my grandma (ESP Boss’ mother) caught this ENORMOUS catfish using store-bought bait. I can’t wait to see what I can catch using these recipes!

Fancy Catfish Bait

Ingredients

• 1 can Fancy Feast Cat food
• Flour

In a large bowl, pour the entire contents of the cat food can, including juice. Start adding flour slowly, kneading it by hand until it is dry enough to not stick to your hand, but damp enough to hold its shape. Form into balls just big enough to cover a treble hook. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Any-Fish Doughballs

Ingredients

• White bread
• Juice from a can of tuna fish (packed in water, not oil)
• Shredded cheese
• Garlic powder

Mix the juice, garlic powder, and shredded cheese into bread and form into balls.

(Across the board, all the people that swear by doughballs say that the stinkier they are the better!)

Gourmet Bait

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raisins
• Parmesan cheese
• Brown sugar
• Corn syrup
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Run the raisins and parmesan cheese through a food processor to make a paste. Heat apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, brown sugar and corn syrup over a low flame until hot but not boiling. Cool the mixture and then add it to the raisin paste. With your fingers, form into balls. This can then be thickened using either flour or corn meal till the desired thickness is achieved.

There are many recipes for catfish bait. You can make catfish bait; by following this recipe for catfish bait. You need some white flour, 3 ounces of water, 2 ounces of b.b.q. sauce and 2 ounces of garlic. All this has to be mixed to which required amounts of flour is added to get the desired thickness. Try this bait and you will find that it makes one of the best bait for catfish!

Another type of homemade catfish bait can be made using tuna, cheddar or limburger cheese, garlic powder, flour and vegetable oil. First you have to mush half of the tuna and cheese in a large bowl and then add oil till the required consistency arrives. Add a tablespoon of flour to every one-fourth cup of tuna and cheese and six shakes of garlic powder to a cup of tuna and cheese. You then freeze this catfish bait to be used when going fishing.

Cheesy Trout Bait

Ingredients

• Velveeta cheese (full block)
• 1 Tbs. anise oil
• 1 Tbs. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup corn meal
• Red food coloring (optional)

Place the cheese in a microwave safe bowl and heat it until it is melted. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients and the anise oil. Slowly stir dry ingredients into melted cheese, adding water as needed, until the mixture becomes a heavy dough.

Add red food coloring (optional) a drop at a time until the desired shade is achieved.

Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a rapid boil. While waiting for the water to boil, pinch off enough of the dough to form a small ball and roll it until it forms a ball. Form all of the dough into balls. Drop in a few dough balls into the water at a time. Cook the balls in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes and then place on paper towels to dry off the excess water.

Crunchy Bait

Ingredients

• Sweetened corn flake cereal (like Frosted Flakes)
• 1 can dog food
• 1 can cream of corn
• Garlic salt

In a large zippered bag, lightly crush the sweetened corn flakes. In a separate bowl mix the dog food, cream of corn and garlic salt. Add the crushed cereal until the mixture forms a heavy dough. Form into balls.

Readers weigh in:

What are your favorite homemade baits? Do you have any sure-fire ingredients? What is the best bait you’ve ever used and what did you catch with it?

ESP Boss discovered this set up for our trout tackle about nine years ago and since then we’ve had excellent trout catching success.

• Size 12 or 14 treble snelled hooks (the ones with line attached are easier to use and faster to change out when the fishing is hot)
• 1/8 oz egg weights
• 4 lbs test fishing line
• Swivel
• Berkley® Power Bait

On your fishing line, thread one or two egg weights. These will slip up and down the line. Then attach the swivel. Attach a treble hook line to the swivel. Cover the hook with the Power Bait, only using enough to completely cover the hook, about the size of an olive.

(The “fishing line” in the photo is actually sewing thread so you can see how the line is set up.)

I personally use two egg weights with my Eagle Claw fishing pole. I have a very flexible action and with just one weight, my casts barely clear the weeds on shore.

Under water, the weights go to the bottom, and the Power Bait floats above the rocks and weeds, making sure the trout can find it. I prefer the slip sinker method rather than pinching on split shot because I think the slip sinkers are more adaptable to the underwater conditions. If you pinch a split shot at 15 inches above the swivel, that’s where it is, with no flexibility.

I’m addicted to using Yellow Power Bait, not having much success on other colors. It’s a good idea to have at least a few jars of different colors in your tackle box, just in case. The other colors I use are: white, chartreuse, pink, and anything with sparkles.

If you prefer worms, salmon eggs, corn or other bait, they’ll all work with this set up, but floating bait works the best.

Readers Weigh In:

What tips do you have for catching trout? Is there a way to set up your tackle that just seems to work no matter what?

You can post comments on the blog or visit our Fishing Tips Forum.