History of Fishing Rods

In the last few decades fishing rods have undergone a transformation from the heavy beasts they once were to light finesse rods we now take for granted. While heavy rods still have their place most anglers are switching to light graphite models.

The earliest fishing rods can be dated back to ancient Egypt, China, Greece, Rome and medieval England (they were called angles which is where we get the word angling and angler). The first accepted pictures of angling with a rod date back to 2000 BC from Egypt. These early fishing rods were made of wood, bone or stone. The simplest rods were made out of a tree branch.

By about 800 BC fishing with a rod, line and hook was a common practice and is well recorded. The rods were made of different types of wood that was tied or bound together. The line was made from horsehair or finely woven flax. There is even evidence that a form of lead sinker was used at around this time. This is also around the time that fly fishing was developed after anglers learned that certain fish would eat flies off the surface of the water.

Throughout the years fishing rods changed very little until the 17th century when a wire loop was added to the tip allowing the line to be let out and back in very easily. By the end of the 18th century rods with guides along the length of the rod were common and this lead to the invention of the fishing reel.

In the 20th century rods underwent their most important transformation when the commonly used bamboo was replaced by fiberglass and, the lighter, carbon fiber.

How to catch marlin

Marlin are arguably the most iconic fish in sportfishing circles. Men have been known to shed a tear after an encounter with one and each fish caught is etched in an anglers memory forever.

There are four species of marlin that make up recreational catches; the blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin and white marlin. All of the marlin species fight extremely hard and the two bigger species (blue and black marlin) can grow well over 1000 lbs!

Marlin Fishing Techniques

Marlin are an aggressive fish that respond well to teasers and plastic skirted lures trolled across the surface of the water. Most anglers consider the action of the lures on the surface far more important than color. Trolling speed is about 7-10 knots and allows the marlin boats to cover a large area.

Marlin anglers also troll natural baits such as striped tuna, bonito and Spanish mackerel. Sometimes natural baits are used in conjunction with a skirted lure to enhance the trolling action.

Marlin are also caught on live baits; either slow trolled, at drift or at anchor. Live baiting usually takes place once the marlin are located with teasers or at an area that marlin are known to frequent such as a FAD.

Marlin Tackle

Marlin are big fish and require quality rods and reels and a lever drag reel is almost essential. Most marlin anglers use a minimum of 24 kg line and 200 lbs monofilament or fluorocarbon leader. Remember that marlin will make light work of any flaw in your tackle, line or knots.

Night Fishing For Catfish

Catfish seem to be on my mind lately (see the biggest catfish ever caught post) and this post is no different.

Night fishing for catfish

Catfish were once strictly a night time angling target exclusively, but day time fishing has become a much more popular method for catching these great fish. However, there are many reasons to go night fishing including;

• The water to too clear.
• It is too hot during the day.
• Too many anglers and "pleasure craft" on the water during the day.
• Catfish (and other fish for that matter) will often be more willing to feed at night.
• The bigger catfish are consistently caught at nighttime!
  

To catch catfish at night try following the tips below;

• Try to be quiet catfish don’t have the best vision, but they are sensitive to noise.
  
• Try a big smelly bait to give the catfish the best chance of finding your bait - try shad, fresh fish fillets, chicken livers even hot dogs will work.
• Use a rig with the hook on the bottom (this is where the catfish are looking for food).
• Try not to shine your light in the water - this can scare the catfish.
• If you are fishing a river try working the pools below the damn where the bait fish will be schooling.

Good Luck - hopefully you will catch a big catfish like the one in the video

What do plankton eat

Plankton are classified as any drifting organism that inhabits the waters of the earth. These organisms combined are considered to be some of the most important organisms on earth due to the food supply they provide. They are generally very small and many can only be seen with the aid of a microscope.

What do plankton eat

Most people know that plankton are the most abundant food supply of the ocean, but not many people know what these little organisms eat. Most plankton can make their own food like plants through the process of photosynthesis (converting sunlight into food energy). Planktonic animals cannot make their own energy and feed on smaller plankton. The smallest plankton eat bacteria and detritus (non living organic matter).

How to fly fish for steelhead

Steelhead, called ocean trout in my home of Australia, are simply ocean going Rainbow trout. The time spent at sea causes their color to become silvery and their red band to fade. They have been introduced into every continent on earth (excluding Antarctica) and present a challenge to anglers around the world. They are most commonly targeted on fly tackle and provide great sport and excellent eating.

How to fly fish for steelhead
Steelhead are a difficult fish to catch and that is what makes them so special. They can be hard to find, finicky at certain times and down right frustrating. There are many "steelhead anglers" who have actually never caught a steelhead, and this fact alone is a testament to their appeal. Even though I have been lucky enough to catch one or two on a trip to the southern parts of Australia I am, by no means, an expert on the topic. So I went about finding the best articles from the web for you to read.

Steelhead Articles
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3 - This whole site is gold for any steelhead angler!

I hope this helps!

How to fish a river

It would be hard to find something more relaxing than walking along, in or sitting on the bank of a river casting a fly, lure or bait. While all rivers require slightly different fishing techniques there are many techniques that will remain the same.

How to fish a river
Whenever you are fishing it pays to think like a fish and this is no different when fishing a river. Remember that the food will be flowing past the fish very quickly and they will not have much time to decide whether to eat it or not. Whether you are fishing with bait, lure or fly remember to make your presentations look as close as possible to the natural food sources in the river. Sometimes fish will prospect with their mouth (they don't have hands after all) eating everything that flows past, they swallow the food and spit out the rest. When the fish are in this mood you will need to be aware of any indications of a bite and strike early. When the fish are not feeding you can try to annoy them into biting with repetitive casts over the same area.

Upstream or downstream
You can fish upstream and move downstream or downstream and move upstream and your choice will probably depend on the river you are fishing. Talk to local anglers and tackle shops for a bit of advice or just sit and watch some of the locals for a while. It also pays to learn and remember the following fly fishing ettiquette rules for upstream and downstream fishing:

• If a pool is being fished downstream by wetfly anglers, start upstream of them.
• If a pool is being fished upstream by nymph anglers, start downstream of them.
• Start your angling in the opposite direction.
• Don't start fishing a pool downstream when someone else is fishing it upstream
• Don't start fishing a pool upstream when someone else is fishing it downstream
• If in doubt, ask where to fish so as not to cause a disturbance.

Other river fishing etiquette
Nothing spoils a relaxing day like someone having a go at you for doing something wrong. Unfortunately not everyone is patient with new anglers so it is worth learning the following river etiquette tips to avoid this kind of trouble:

• Respect other anglers already on the water.
• Enquire politely about their plans.
• At stream mouths, join a line of anglers at the end unless there is a large gap.
• Ask if it's okay to join an already occupied pool.
• If a pool is full, wait on the bank or move somewhere else.
• If you join others fishing a pool, don't fish the water someone is just about to fish.
• Do not monopolise a stretch of water, even if you're catching fish there.
• Move upstream or downstream with every few casts unless you are alone.
• When sharing a pool, accepted practice is to take a step every time you cast.
• Leave plenty of room for your neighbour to cast, and to play and reel in a hooked fish.
• Do not fill a gap left by an angler landing a fish - let them return.
• If other anglers offend through inexperience, have a gentle word with them

Fly fishing rod weights

Fly fishing rod weights - General guide

1 - 3 weight

• small flies
  
• short casts

4 weight

• small to medium trout
  
• small to medium flies
  
• short to medium casts

5 - 6 weight

• excellent all around trout rod.
  
• Handles small to larger flies
  
• short to longer casts

7 - 8 weight

• long casts and windy conditions.
• 7 weight is a great compromise sized rod for trout and light saltwater
  

9 - 14 weight

• large freshwater fish
• salt water fishing
  
• large flies
  
• long casts in open areas.

Choosing a fly fishing rod

Choosing a fly rod to match your required fishing situation/s can be difficult at times, but there are some questions you can answer to make the decision easier.

What type of fly fishing will you be doing?
No one is going to argue with me when I tell them that a trout doesn't quite match the fight of a marlin or even a tuna. Before purchasing a fly rod think about what kind of fishing you will be doing with it the majority of the time. Whether it is saltwater, freshwater, maybe even a bit of both you will be able to find the rod that suits you for most situations. If you want to catch trout, but would also like to do some light saltwater sports fishing you can make a compromise by choosing an all-rounder rod instead of a specialist rod. If you plan on doing some very different fishing (eg. trout then marlin) you will need two different fly fishing rods.

What type of action do I need?
I will try to keep this simple

Slow action fly rod (full flex)

• Great for smaller fish and smaller rivers
• Enhances the fight of even the smallest trout
• Designed for short casts

Medium/Moderate action fly rods

• Good all round rod type for many different situations
• Make longer casts
• Additional strength in the rod for fighting the fish

Fast action fly rods

• Stiff - lots of fighting power
  
• Allows really long casts in any conditions
  
• Easier to cast (due to the stiffness)
• Generally not used for trout, but for saltwater fly fishing

Which material do I want?

Fiberglass - has some fans

• cheap
• heavier
• strong

Graphite - most popular

• light
• strong
• easy to cast
• more expensive

Bamboo - the original

• heaviest
• expensive
• handling and feeling is amazing

I hope this little article has helped you in some way. Remember that you will most likely be able to get away with one all round rob, but if the fly fishing bug bites you will eventually upgrade to 3 or 4 specific models for more specific situations.

Carp night fishing

Carp fishing at night can be a cold and miserable time if you don't make the necessary precautions, but night carp fishing can also be a rewarding time with some thumping fish available for the dedicated angler.

There are two ways to fish at night for carp:

1. Stay awake and use audible and visual bite indication.

• Visual bite indication can be as simple as a glow stick attached to the tip of your rod or you can purchase specially made illuminated floats.
  

2. Sleep and rely on audible bite detection to wake you up.

• For this method you need bite alarms. These come in a variety of form with increasing prices, but they all do a similar job - alerting you to a hookup!

Staying warm
This is the biggest problem with night fishing anywhere (I was cold when I went night fishing the first time and that was in the tropics!). You need a good shelter (read tent), and something to sleep in like a heavy duty sleeping bag. It is probably also a good idea to use a camping bed (stretcher bed) to raise yourself off the ground to be a little more comfortable and warm.

Tackle for night carp fishing
This remains basically the same as day time fishing with the addition of light in the form of glow sticks, and illuminated floats. Attach a glow stick to the tip of your rod and you have a cheap bit detection system - you can even buy specially made ones for this job. Always take a torch and lantern to see what you are doing!

Methods for fishing at night
You know I could tell you some fancy secret, but it would be a lie. Catching carp at night is really not that much different from catching carp in the day time. However, they feel safer at night and will come much closer to the margins to feed. Some experts recommend throwing a bait in only 3 feet from the bank!

Bait for night carp fishing
There is one rule here - make it as smelly as possible so the carp can find it. Oily fish is great for this!

One last night carp fishing tip
Like the scouts motto always be prepared. Rig your lines up before it gets dark and always have a spare rod or two rigged and ready to go just in case something goes wrong.

I hope this little post will help you with your night carp fishing - Good luck

Cold Water Bass Fishing Guide

I was going to try my hand at writing a cold water bass fishing article, but I had three real problems:

1. I have never caught (or fished for) an American bass.
2. I don't like the cold.
   
3. There are hundreds of available cold water bass fishing articles around!

So instead of reinventing the wheel I thought I would present a couple of links to the best cold water bass fishing article I could find to help any bass fishermen out.

Article 1 - Cold water bass lures
If you've had trouble scoring strikes when the water temp drops below 50 degrees, study these tips from fishing's top pros and guides to heat up your next bass outing...
Read this fishing article here

Article 2 - Cold water bass fishing
Is cabin fever getting the best of you? If so, why not go bass fishing this winter? Let’s see what top competitors have to say about where and how to catch a few.
Read this fishing article here

I hope these articles help you with your cold water bass fishing - good luck!

Truths About Lure Color

I found this great article by Greg Vinall and while I have only posted the first part to whet your appetite - if you like where it is going visit his complete article here (it really is fantastic)

The day had been slow. For the fifth or sixth time I steered the canoe close to a rocky dropoff on the Hopkins Estuary and enjoyed the gentle drift afforded by a light breeze that was running parallel to the shore. It wasn't the best day for fishing, in fact I hadn't raised any piscatorial interest at all. It was bright and warm with plenty of boating traffic to create a disturbance in what is essentially a fairly small waterway. Perhaps if I'd been prepared to soak baits quietly in a deeper hole or under the shade of some overhanging vegetation I might have done better, but that would have been giving in. Instead I persisted in flicking small crankbaits at any rocky structure I could find along the steep foreshore.

I started trying to convince myself that I was happy just to be out here enjoying nature, the warm sun on my back and the song of a whistling kite overhead. Without really thinking about it I made yet another lure change, this time from a pink and yellow pattern with a black spot amidships to a small black deep diver with just a hint of silver scales. I deftly flicked the little lure into a small pocket behind a large rock, gave it a second or two to sink, then cranked over the little Chronarch baitcaster, gave the lure a couple of gentle twitches and idly began my retrieve. Whack! Two turns of the handle was all I managed before the lure was nailed by a stud black bream that proceeded to go berserk in only two feet of water.