Crankbait comes in a large variety of size and color, so selecting what crankbait to use can be overwhelming. Because of their realistic look they attract a lot of strikes, and work best in times when fish would naturally be eating. Crankbait are very effective because fish like the noise they create when moving under water. It is important for some crankbait to hit things as the move along to give them a natural movement and to attract strikes.

Crankbaits can be found for any depth of fishing, from the top of the water to the floor of the lake. The larger and longer the crankbait is the deeper the bait will go down. Ask local fisherman what the colors the local fish like and experiment until you find what works best. In clear water it is usually best to use more subdued colors and in murky waters or at night using brighter colors, but don't be afraid to experiment.

When choosing the size of the crankbait to use, the easiest rule to follow is to buy them the size of the food that the fish you are trying to catch would eat. If you are going to fish very deep you will have to use the larger ones to reach the depth.

When using crankbait it is very important to keep the hooks very sharp and to make sure that they run straight when under water. Crankbaits rods should have medium to slow action, meaning that the rod bends near the middle. The slow action helps the crankbait be cast out farther and keeps the hooks from being torn out of the fish's mouth when you are reeling them in. Make sure your rod is able to handle heavy bait and has a good backbone. Most anglers use a reel with a lower gear ratio to add power and to insure that the hook is not pulled out of the fish. It is also important that your reel has enough room to handle the line needed for the long deep casts that some crankbait require.

By: Jeff Hendrix
Read more crankbait and bass fishing tips at http://www.bass-fishingtips.com

I have been saltwater fly fishing now for over thirty years and have had the opportunity to fish with and talk to many fishing guides and other saltwater fly fishermen about the best flies to use to catch Permit.

As a general consensus there seem to be three different types of flies that are always mentioned. The patterns most often mentioned are, Crab Flies, Clouser's minnows and Shrimp patterns. I will also discuss a fly pattern that is not often mentioned but that I have great success with, the Lefty's Deceiver.

Let's begin with the crab patterns. There are many different types of crab patterns from crabs tied with yarn, feathers, feathers and yarn, and my favorite, crabs made with foam. Probably the best known crab pattern is the Merkin Crab. This crab is tied with a yarn body, feathers on the end, rubber legs, and dumbbell eyes. Because of the weighted eyes, this crab can be worked a little faster that many of the other crabs. The Merkin Crab is so well know among Permit fisherman that there are even permit tournaments named after it. My personal favorite crabs are the ones made with a coated foam body, and either foam or rubber legs and claws. If you can find foam crabs make sure the colors are correct and there is enough flash in the body coating to give plenty of reflection and flash in the sunlight. Because the foam crabs are not weighted, you can either work them very slowly or you can add a split shot from five to twelve inches from the crab. The shot will allow to strip your line to pull the crab under the water and then stop allowing the crab to float back to the surface. Great technique and you should give it a try.

The second most mentioned fly is the Clouser's Minnow. It seems that a lot of people do not have the patients to work their flies slowly. If you do not have the patience to work a fly slowly that the Clouser's would be a good choice for you. Because of the dumbbell eyes the Clouser's Minnow can be stripped fairly fast, but be careful not to strip too fast. The colors I would suggest would be, chartreuse and white, yellow and white, orange and white and orange and yellow. There have been many nice permits taken Clouser's Minnows.

The imitation shrimp fly patterns are flies that can also be very productive when Permit Fishing. Again there are many different ways of tying shrimp lies. I prefer the ones that are tied with the head of the shrimp at the back of the hook so that when you strip the fly it swims backwards like shrimp do. Also I look for a shrimp fly that has some type of coating on the back that will give the appearance of shell. Always select lighter colors from light brown to white to even a light olive color.

Now for one of my favorite permit flies, the Lefty's Deceiver. The Lefty's in many ways resembles the Clouser's minnow with a few differences. The mail difference is that the Lefty's does not have the weighted eyes meaning that you can work this fly much slower than the Clouser's. Again my colors of choice would be chartreuse and white, Yellow and white, green and white and orange and white.

All of the flies that I have talked about will catch permit once you learn how to properly present and work the flies. I hope you find this information useful.

Clear water, tight lines and calm winds, Brian

By: Brian Smith
Brian has been saltwater fly fishing for over thirty years. He also owns a website dedicated to fly fishing.
fly fishing

Folks, it's time to get out the fishing gear and go catfish fishing. With the waters warming up comes more activity. I have always found early spring to be a great time to go catfish fishing. The water is beginning to get warm and the catfish are more active. Strike now though as when the water really gets warm in late spring or early summer they will be spawning and are more difficult to catch.

Night fishing is best as this is when they do most of their feeding. Catfish will eat anything including soap but the best baits are live baits. If you can't get live baits go to the grocery store and buy a tub of chicken livers and a small bag of shrimp. Soak the shrimp in vanilla extract the night before you go and see if you can find some old nylon stockings laying around for the chicken livers.

When you put the shrimp on the hook make sure you don't bury the hook. The catfish won't notice and I have seen too many people miss catching catfish because of this. When you use the chicken liver wrap it in a small piece of the stocking and it will hold up better with much less chance of slipping off of the hook when casting.

Catfish fishing takes some patience but if you haven't gotten a bite in 30 minutes reel it in and check your bait. If you still have it cast again into a slightly different area. Repeat until you find that spot.

By: Douglas Burns
Doug Burns is founder of CatfishAngling.com. A leading source for tips, tricks and information on catfish fishing. Doug has been an avid angler for 35 years and cares about what you want.

There are TONS of mistakes people make when bass fishing, but I'll make it quick, don't wanna take up too much of your time, so I'll just point out the top five most common bass fishing mistakes...

HUGE MISTAKE # 1: *NO PATIENCE*

The number 1 biggest mistake I see people make would have to be tossing their line out and then reeling it right back in!

What you should really do is, toss your line out and let it sit there... where ever it lands and wait, wait, and wait (30 seconds and more at times). This alone will do wonders to your fish count if it doesn't already!

It's usually tough to see under water even for fish, which is why you NEED to put this next tip to use at all times...

HUGE MISTAKE # 2: *LACK OF POPPING*

When you toss your lure into the water don't just let it sit there... Reel in your line until there is no slack left, then snap and even jerk your wrist towards you to stir up some vibration, and commotion in the water.

By doing this you will create loads of curiosity around your bait, fish will come to see what's going on and quickly see a delicious little meal(your hook) bouncing around and it will immediately turn into a feeding frenzy, your lure will be irresistible to them!

HUGE MISTAKE # 3: *THE CONFIDENCE BAIT*

I see it all the time, most fisherman have a go to bait that they can always count on to catch fish when nothing else is working. This is fine until this bait turns into the only thing you use...

It's always a wise decision to keep your go to bait as a go to bait and keep switching your lures constantly (every 10-15 minutes) if you aren't catching anything!

HUGE MISTAKE # 4: *LOSS OF FOCUS*

Don't lose your focus, I know fishing is supposed to be a relaxing sport and hobby but you still need to pay attention to what your doing, at least some what...

I've realized I always tend to do best when I first start fishing, Why? Because I'm psyched to be out on the water fishing (off shore or on the boat) I'm totally pumped!

But what happens when it's been a few hours or more?

You get tired, relaxed, and calmed down which in turn causes "LOSS OF FOCUS". If you can just remember where you need to be casting, to jiggle your bait, and every once in awhile change up your lure if your not having much luck, you should be just fine!

HUGE MISTAKE # 5: *NOT ENOUGH CHANGE UPS*

No luck? ...Keep moving! If you aren't catching anything change it up, leave that spot...

I don't care how many fish you caught or what you heard about a spot if you don't get anything within 15 - 20 minutes...LEAVE, and leave fast, There's nothing there, not today at least, don't waste your time!

These are just a few of the mistakes people tend to make when fishing for bass... if you'd like more FREE advice along with loads of bass fishing tips, tricks, techniques, news and more... check out my site below!

By: Nick Mack
Nick Mack is an experienced bass fisherman. He is actively involved in local tournaments and his bass fishing tips and tricks are all over the net. If you want to know more about catching huge bass all the time you can get FREE tips on his website at... http://www.Pro-Fishing-Tips.com

As trout fishing season begins in most areas of the country, many anglers are looking for tips to help them catch more and bigger trout. Well, this article will provide some of those tips that many trout anglers are looking for. In this article I'm going to reveal some proven tips and techniques that have been gained through more than 50 years of combined trout fishing experience.

For the most part, these tips are for the river and/or stream trout angler. Catching trout from the flowing waters of a river or stream is amazingly relaxing and enjoyable and is my personal favorite way to fish for trout. Not to mention the fact that whenever most people think of 'trout fishing', they automatically think of fishing in a river and or stream for these beautiful fish.

The first thing to keep in mind is that trout have very keen eyesight and can easily detect movement and or colors on the bank. This means that as anglers we want to stand out as little as is possible. Being draped in camouflage isn't necessary, but wearing drab clothing that doesn't stand out is a great idea. Wearing "loud" or colorful clothing is a big mistake if you're looking for more and bigger trout.

Do you pay any attention to your hands when trout fishing? Or more specifically any scents that might be on your hands? Well you should, because unnatural odors on you bait will cost you bites. A good practice is to grab a handful of grass or dirt and rub it into your hands before baiting up. This will help eliminate any unnatural odors that might be on your hands.

The next thing to keep in mind is your ability to see into the water. This is where a quality pair of polarized sunglasses comes into play. The quality aspect of the term 'quality polarized sunglasses' is highly important. When it comes to polarized sunglasses you get what you pay for, it's as simple as that. Any manufacturer that you've heard of will do the trick. There are some amazing deals available for anyone willing to look for them. The point is that polarized sunglasses are a must for catching more and bigger trout.

The next thing to keep in mind is that you're on the water when the trout are the most active. How do you do this? Simply by paying attention to the weather and moon. These two forces of Mother Nature have an incredible impact on the feeding behavior of trout, and understanding how this all works is of a huge advantage to any angler. The bottom line is that by fishing when the trout are the most active will result in you catching more and bigger trout.

The final thing to keep in mind when fishing for trout is the type of hooks you use. Gang hooks should always be used when trout fishing, especially when using live worms as bait. Gang hooks enable you to present live bait in a totally natural manner, which makes a huge difference in bite rates. Also, large trout only bite bait that appears completely natural, which was what gang hooks allow you to do. If you're looking for more and/or bigger trout begin using gang hooks, it's as simple as that.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.....Montana!


By: Trevor Kugler
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.....Montana!

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Fishing for many has always been a way to relax and unwind. There is something about that whole atmosphere that allows us to forget all our worries or at least suspend them for a time. Just looking at the water causes the mind to let go and release tense and stress. I suspect that some people have learned this fact early in their lives. Their local fishing spots are actually a haven of peace and calm.

The stress of our daily lives can be lessened by fishing. Something happens during the fishing experience that causes our stress to ease up; a bit. When we are fishing, the water moving back and forth seem to genteelly rock our minds' into a peaceful mode. Men and women from all walks of life can learn a lot about the stress reducing effect of fishing. Perhaps many could use a regular routine of fishing to reduce our life stresses.

The peace and calm of fishing has long been recognized as a benefit for humanity. For most of us, the atmosphere of fishing is very quiet and serene. We are almost mesmerized the quiet, the water's movement, the sometime gentle breeze. The mind begins to look at itself. The peace has a healing effect on the soul. The reflections of life, past, present and future begin to float across the mind.

There is another benefit to fishing, that being, the ability to separate. The whole act of fishing allows one to separate from their problems, concerns and worries. This separation allows one to put things into prospective. It also allows one to reexamine things, actions and commitments. Separation is sometimes a good thing, because is adds the variable of time; time to reflect and time to think.

Finally, fishing time gives us a chance to revitalizes our minds, bodies and soul. It is something to that old saying "it the motion of the ocean". That gentle rocking of the sea, lake or river is an energizer to the soul. There is a body healing that takes place during the fishing experience that man just can not explain. The body always seems to gather some strength during fishing time.

If we want to add a positive and beneficial activity to our lives, we should all consider the joys of fishing.

By: Daniel Belcher
I retired from the United States Navy in 2003, after serving over 21 years of enlisted active duty onboard several different ships and a few shore assignments. I am married. My wife and i have two daughters. We have two dogs, Chow Chow's, to be exact. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts (Focus area Psychology) from Excelsior College class 2004. Email belwrites@yahoo.com