I am doing a workshop on knots, leaders, and rigs at the Plum Island Surfcasters on 17-MAR-2015 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.
My workshop will focus on the fundamentals. In summary:
This workshop is for members. If you are not a member, then you can join at the seminar. You can also attend this workshop and the following club meeting seminars with a $5.00 donation.
Lanyards are standard equipment for extreme surfcasters and kayak anglers. Finding a quality lanyard at a price that will not break the bank, can be more challenging than catching fish! 🙁 But! With some simple tools and a recycled mobile phone car charger, you can create your own lanyard. 🙂
Making a lanyard is easy! First, cut off the ends off the mobile phone car charger. Second, insert one end of the cord through the first hole in an aluminum ferrule. Third, form a small loop by inserting the end of the cord back through the second hole in the aluminum ferrule. Fourth, using a pair of pliers, crimp both sides of the aluminum ferrule. Repeat steps 2 – 4 for the other end.
I build my lanyards for specific applications. The first lanyard that I build has two small loops at each end; I use zip ties to anchor each end. The second lanyard that I build has a small loop at one end and a clip with an eyelet at the other end; this makes anchoring my gear to my AquaSkinz belt or kayak a snap! The third lanyard that I make has clips at each end; this is a heavy duty lanyard.
The first advantage to building your own lanyards is costing savings. The second advantage is customizing your lanyards to your specific application, which is priceless.
Ice fishing is fun! :-). But, standing on water with bone penetrating winds lowering your core body temperate is unpleasant. Ice fishing shelters have come a long way from the days of wooden shanties. When selecting an ice fishing shelter, the key is to first define your needs.
Selecting the right portable shelter can be challenging. Do you fish primarily by yourself or with friends? If the latter, how many friends, really? Do you primarily jig or tip up? Are you pulling your sled via human power or towing it via ATV or snow mobile?
I personally tend to fish by my self or with 1 to 2 friends. I primarily fish tip ups. But, I am also exploring vertical jigging. I pull all my gear via sled. Thus, I chose the Cabelas Ice Team Hub Ice Shelter. The shelter has a 6 ft x 6 ft foot print and a center height of 80 inches, which houses 3 anglers comfortably. The shelter sets up and tears down in minutes, complements of the integrated heavy duty 11 mm fiberglass poles and hubs. At only 30 lbs, I can transport it on my sled without much ado. I really like the over-sized storage bag with shoulder straps and the extra side pocket to store the anchors.
If you chose a portable shelter without a built in sled, make sure that it comes with anchors! During a recent ice fishing trip, after I set up my tent, I turned around to get the anchors and woosh!!! If I did not have anchors, it would have been a really short trip! 😉
There are several great ice fishing shelters on the market. Pick a quality one that satisfies your needs. You will be amazed at how it will extend your trips.
The Plum Island Surfcasters are hosting their 19th Annual Fishing Show on 21-FEB-2015 at the Elks Club in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
This year’s show has two “wicked awesome” seminars. Greg Myerson, IGFA All Tackle World Record holder for striped bass (81 lbs and 14 oz), will be presenting Better Fishing through Science”.
Joe Brotz, an eel sharpie, will be presenting “Eeling with Success”.
One of the exhibitors this year is Striper Maine-iac. Ron and Lee will be selling their fish catching plugs at show prices! OMG!! Stock up now before they are sold out!!! 😉
World Record Striper Company will also be exhibiting at the show. They will be selling their rattle sinkers and rattle jigs. They have mastered sound as an attractant. Stock up and you will be soon be landing fish from the depths of the Atlantic. 😉
I will be exhibiting for the first time at this show. Be sure to stop by and see Fish360 Journal Beta 3! It’s wicked fishy! 😉
All attendees can enter to win the door prize: a 35Q Pelican Cooler!!!
The show has a “Furthest Traveler Prize”. This year, the attendee who traveled the furthest to the show will get The Big Bobber Floating Cooler. This cooler keeps 12 cans cool while floating! Now that’s cool!! 😉
One of the unique features about this show is their raffle and silent auction tables. This year, there there is more than $4,000.00 worth of gear!!! Including a Stormr Surf Top.
You can buy lunch from their galley at prices that will not break the bank. The menu has been completely redone for this year’s show. Be sure the try the tasty meatball subs! 😉
Admission to the show is only $10.00 with an online coupon. If you join the club before or at the show as a new member, then you can attend the snow for FREE! Admission for current members is only $8.00. Children under 13 enter FREE.
I attend and exhibit at several fishing shows. I enjoy them all. But, the Plum Island Surfcasters Annual Fishing Show is my personal favorite. This family friendly show is a genuine grass roots show that is 100% focused on fishing. Attend the show. Bring a friend. Bring your family. You will quench your thirst for new fishing knowledge. You will very likely win something. You will be surrounded by people who share your passion for fishing. For me personally, such an experience is priceless! I hope to see you at the show.
The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association is hosting the New England Saltwater Fishing Show at the end of this month at the Rhode Island Convention Center. This is the LARGEST saltwater fishing show in New England. A must attend show for saltwater anglers and professionals.
There are 246 exhibitors! You will not run out of booths to visit. 😉 I personally am planning to visit:
I will also be exhibiting in booth: 323. Stop by to see Fish360 Journal Beta 3! 😉
This year’s show has 86 seminars by top anglers. I will be in the front row in the following seminars:
I will be presenting “Skishing: eXtreme Surfcasting” on 27-FEB-2015 at 6:30 PM. So stop in and learn about Skishing. You may just be inspired to try it! 😉
Do you fish saltwater? Then you simply must go to this show. So, mark your calendar. Print the admission coupon. And stop by and say hello at the show! 😉
The two most widely exploited chunking rigs by surfcasters are fish finder rigs and high-low rigs. Both rigs are effective when fish correctly. But, my personal go-to chunking rig is a variation of the high-low rig. I call it the “HX” rig. The HX rig is a high-low rig without the “low” dropper loop.
The technical advantage of the HX rig versus fish finder rigs and high-low rigs is casting distance. Having the weight at the bottom of the rig, as apposed to at the top of the rig like fish finder rigs, “pulls” the rig through the air. A single dropper loop provides less wind resistance than the two dropper loops on a high-low rig.
The HX rig is also very versatile. I have caught fish with it from 2 feet of water to 30 feet of water. I always carry a spectrum of bank and pyramid sinkers from 1 1/2 oz to 6 oz. I use circle hooks with bleeding sharp points like the Owner SSW inline circle hook (9/0). Circle hooks hang a chunk better and once they penetrate, they do not come out.
Chunking is a very productive method to land keeper and trophy fish. But, casting a piece of meat into the ocean is no guarantee that you will catch fish. The superior castability of the HX rig will help you to place your tasty chunk in the strike zone.
Eels are to striped bass as salt is to sea water. Seasoned Surfcasters have been exploiting eels to seduce trophy striped bass for many a tide. The two most widely used methods to transport eels whilst fishing the surf is mess bags and soft coolers. The Eel Jar is a new method that is starting to become widely adopted in the surfcasting community.
Making your very own eel jar is easy. First, get a large plastic container with a screw on top. For example, a recycled 64 oz jar of Helman’s Mayonaise works really well. Second, secure a lanyard to the container’s screw on lip. Third, secure two stainless steel D-rings and the other end of the lanyard to the neck of the container via zip-tie. Forth, snap on a shoulder strap to the two D-rings. I prefer to clip my eel jar to my AquaSkinz belt using a single D-Ring and clip.
The eel jar transports eels as effectively as mesh bags, without the complimentary eel slime streak running the side of your leg. The Eel Jar can also transport eels as effectively as soft coolers, without breaking the bank. Now that’s fishconomic!
The first time that I went ice fishing I only had two Jack Traps tip ups. Yes. Two. I did not know at the time that I could fish with five! So, during that trip, I borrowed a few tip-ups from my new friends on the ice. They worked. But, I found the tip ups “wobally” and difficult to work with. I now fish Jack Traps exclusively. Why?
First, I like the simple design of the tip ups. I can open and set them up in seconds. Second, the quality of the materials and construction are second to none. Third, I am confident that they will work when I have a trophy fish on the business end of my line. This confidence is priceless. And lastly, I like the fact that they are made in Maine. 😉
If you are new to ice fishing, participate in an ice fishing tournament. This is a great way to learn and field test lots of different gear. If you get hooked like I did, then invest in a set of Jack Traps.
I attended the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4) at the Fly Fishing Show for the first time. WOW!
The quality and quantity of content of this year’s IF4 is awesome! There are eight films:
I enjoyed all the films that I saw. Each one was unique and great. “Sensei” had me laughing from the first cast to the last cast. And “In Search of Grande” had me hooked from the first cast to the last cast.
Prior to the start of IF4 and during the intermission, the show coordinators gave out free shirts, hats, and lines. Two anglers won fly rods. And 50 anglers won free subscriptions to Fly Fusion magazine. I got lucky and intercepted an Airflow 5wt Super Dri line with an elite trout taper as it was flying through the air three times the speed to required to defy gravity.
Attending IF4 was well worth the price of admission. If you can attend a showing, OMG…go! 😉
I started blogging seven years ago because the recreational fishing literature that I was reading at the time was not publishing on topics or gear that interested me. Monthly magazines like On The Water have taken the recreational fishing literature to a new level. But, I am still blogging. Why? Because I enjoy field testing gear, building gear, discovering new patterns, developing novel techniques, and sharing my experiences with the recreational fishing community. Along these seven years, I have come across other fishy blogs. Some good. Some bad. And some wicked fishy!
Jimmy Fee and Kevin Blinkoff from On The Water have some wicked fishy blogs. Their writing style is clear and approachable. Be sure to cast into their blogs. You will be surprised what you reel in!
Why Knot Fishing is a welcomed new comer to recreational fishing. They are absolutely fanatical anglers! They target all species using all methods. Their blogs are worth reading. Hint…hint!
I have recently discovered Freshwater Girl’s blog. This blog is honest and real. It’s really refreshing to read Donna’s blog articles. If you fish for striped bass, subscribe to her blog for new articles and project updates! ;-).
For the foreseable years to come, I will continue to read great publications like On The Water. I will continue blogging. And I will continue to read and search other fishy blogs.
