Monday, December 28, 2009

The Top Ten Bass Fishing Lures

Today I wanted to put together a list of the top ten best Bass fishing lures to give you an idea of what you should try using to catch small and large-mouth Bass. This is purely opinion of course, you may have different ideas on what works best for you, but without further ado here they are, starting at number 10....

10. Chatter-Bait

The Chatter-bait is still relatively new but has made a big splash on the bass fishing scene. From tournaments to weekends on the water it is making a name for itself as a consistent bass producer. The Chatter-bait falls somewhere between a buzz-bait and a jig in presentation.

9. Swim-Bait
In recent years Swim-baits have become the best bet for trophy-size large-mouths. There is a wide variety of Swim-baits available to match your location. Their popularity in "Big Bass" waters like those found in California and Texas push them up on to the list at No. 9.
KickTail XL5 Ghost Minnow Single Color 3 Set
KickTail XL5 Ghost Minnow Single Color 3 Set


8. Creature Bait

There is a wide variety of soft plastics on the market that look like anything and nothing in the water. Creature baits like the Yum Woolly Beavertail have given anglers a new set of plastics to trick pressured bass. Creature baits can also be used as trailers for other baits.

7. Classic Lip Crank Bait

Crank-baits really are tried and true bass catchers. Large or small, these cranks can catch them all. The precision and physical appearance is constantly being updated but even the old classic versions will bring you plenty of fish. Tournament anglers will often be seen running cranks to locate fish on large flats or over deep water structure.

6. Bass Jig

Flip it, pitch it, swim it, either way the Jig is a great way to catch bass. It is a consistent 'go-to' bait for tournament anglers and rightly so. Natural colour football head jigs are great in deep structure or you can try swimming a shad coloured model off of ledges and over structure. The addition of a trailer is always a winner.
Minnow Jig 24 Pack
Minnow Jig 24 Pack


5. Lip-Less Crank

The Lip-less crank is a more versatile version of the classic crank. It's tight wiggle and multitude of depths and speeds it can be presented at have made it a favourite of professionals and amateurs alike. Kevin Van Dam uses this lure as his 'go-to' bait. Designed by KVD himself, this "sexy shad" is a must have bait!

4. The Senko

The Senko has quickly become a favourite amongst anglers. It can be presented in a great variety of ways and bass really love each and every one of them. One of the best Senko techniques is to use a Wacky Rig.

3. Spinnerbait

Spinnerbaits like the TerminatorT2 spinnerbait are the most reached for bait for locating bass. They can be fished fast or slow in deep water or shallow water. Spinnerbaits are especially effective as the water gets warmer. If you're out this summer and fishing in a new spot, tie on a spinnerbait and do some searching. I’m sure you’ll have a great time and some decent success catching fish with it.

2. The Tube

The Tube bait is one the most versatile bass lures available. It catches large- and small-mouth bass alike and can be used in any waters at almost any temperature to catch fish. Its versatility and ability to mimic so many things give it the No. 2 ranking. The best one I have come across is a Texas-Rig with a tungsten weight. The tungsten weight makes clicking noises as it bounces across objects, the sound of it helps bass look for it in unusual conditions. The tube gets its second place spot due to its incredible success at catching small-mouth bass. It is my favourite 'go-to' bait for small-mouth bass fishing.

1. The Worm

Soft plastic worms come in many shapes and sizes, all of which have a place. They're by far the most versatile fishing lure on the market, and are effective on their own or as trailers. Large versions over 10" have pulled monster bass from Falcon lake while finesse worms on drop shot rigs have been used to fool even the most wary of bass. My personal 'go-to' bait is a Zoom Trick Worm Texas rigged weightless, or with a tungsten weight if needed. You can use it as a top-water, in weeds, over logs, or put a weight on and throw it into rock piles in six metres or more of water. Nothing is better than the classic worm!

Walking Worm 30 Pack - Chartreuse
Walking Worm 30 Pack - Chartreuse

Sunday, December 27, 2009

How To Make Your Own Fishing Lures

One of the most gratifying practices a fisherman can have is to catch a fish using a fishing lure he has created with his own hands.

It is not required to be a great craftsman to make your own fishing lures. If they retain the capability to hoop the couple of required tools, they can have glorious lures. The lures might not quite be professionally perfect, but they will catch fish, and that’s all that matters the most.

And if the angler creates his own lures, he’ll substantially catch more fish in the long run. The reason for this is psychological. An angler who uses a store-bought retard or hop tends to be wavering about cast of characters it around rocks, logs, piles, and rank and file of seaweed.

He spent his own money at the shop for it and doesn’t wish to lose it – even so he knows the most appropriate fish have been held around such obstructions. And alternative lures such as jigs have been most in effect when bounced on the bottom, where they usually get caught up and lost. So, rather than lose his dear lures the discreet angler casts in to safer spots, that enclose fewer fish!

Making fishing lures can be an interesting hobby, generally during the prolonged winter months when fishing is slow. It has even been argued that the happiness of conceptualizing and formulating a lure to capture fish offers as much - if not more - pleasure than the act of fishing itself.

The Tools You Need To Make Fishing Lures

Before you can have any kind of fishing lures you must have the correct tools. If you don’t have the right collection of tools you can’t do a great job, and you may be disappointed with your results. On the alternative hand, if you have been versed with the right collection you’ll find lure-making easy and far more enjoyable. So the most appropriate way to get started is to find the right tools before you begin the creation of your own lures.

Most anglers will already have some of the tools they will need lying around. The rest can be bought or acquired later as the need arises if you prefer.

The greatest singular object indispensable for creating fishing lures is a bench, table, or desk. Fortunate, indeed, is the male who has a basement, den, or special room like a garage or shed where he can have a permanent workbench and assorted electrical tools to work on his hobbies.

After you have such a bench, table, or list you need a vice that will hold still the assorted lures for drilling, filing, bending, and alternative operations. Almost any dais vice of great distance will offer the purpose.

A small anvil is additionally very handy if you wish to have mostly steel lures or collection for such lures. It is used for cutting, bending, punching, and riveting. However, if you get a big dais vice of the machinist’s or application sort you can make use of the anvil aspect found on such vices. Or you can make use of a small retard of iron with a well-spoken aspect as a temporary anvil.

A hammer, of course, is a simple apparatus for any kind of work, and for creating fishing lures about dual or 3 hammers will suffice. If you already have a scratch hammer, you can use it for most lure-making jobs.

Electrical Tools Can Be Used To Make Fishing Lures Too

At slightest dual saws will be needed. If you already have a palm saw it can be used for wooden materials in your fishing lures.

Some kind of drilling device is indispensable for training holes in timber and metal. If you have a home seminar with a cavalcade press you can make use of it for most of the work to be done. It is generally very good to use when training holes in metal. A stable electrical drill is additionally a big assist when training metal, generally if you have to drill most holes.

Pliers, files, screwdrivers and a pointy blade have been the usually alternative necessary collection indispensable for making fishing lures.

With these tools, you can create any series of lures to overwhelm any fish you're chasing. If you want to learn more you can check out this very handy guide on how to make fishing lures.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Quick Fishing Lure Descriptions

There are many types of fishing lures, and the best ones are often designed specifically for a particular species of fish to catch.

Most fishing lures are manufactured to resemble the prey of the fish in some form, usually created to look like dying, injured, or even fast moving fish. However sometimes they are designed to appeal to the fish’s sense of territory, curiosity or anger.

Different fish will have different motives for checking out the lure you’re tempting them with, so it’s important to know what you will need if you want to have a successful day out.

Common Fishing Lures

Here are some of the more common types of fishing lures you will come across, as well as a quick description of what they do and how you can use them:

• A jig is a weighted hook with a lead head opposite the sharp tip. They are often covered with a minnow of crawfish or even a plastic worm to get the fish's attention. The fisher will move the rod to make the jig move.

• Surface lures are also known as top water lures. They float and resemble prey that is on top of the water. They can make a popping sound from a concave-cut head, a burbling sound from "side fins" or scoops or a buzzing commotion from one or several propellers. A few have only whatever motion the fisherman applies through the rod itself, though if skilfully used, they can be very effective.

• Spoon lures are made to resemble the inside of a table spoon. They flash in the light while wobbling or darting due to their shape, and attract nearby fish.

• Plugs, or crankbaits as they are sometimes known, have a fishlike body shape and are run through the water where they can make a variety of different movements caused by instability due to the scoop under the head.

• Artificial flies are designed to resemble all manner of fish prey and are used with a fly rod and reel in fly fishing.

• Soft plastic baits are made of plastic or rubber, and are designed to resemble worms, lizards, frogs, leeches and other creatures that a fish might hunt as food.

• Spinner bait are pieces of wire bent at about a 60 degree angle with a hook on the lower end and a flashy spinner mechanism on the upper end.

• Swim bait is a minnow-like soft plastic bait that is reeled like a plug. Some of these have a swimming tail to resemble a fish’s movements.

• A daisy chain is effectively a ‘chain’ of plastic lures which do not have hooks – their main purpose is to attract a school of fish closer to the lures that do have hooks. In some countries like Australia and New Zealand, daisy chains can sometimes refer to a rig that’s used to catch baitfish in a similar arrangement to a ‘flasher rig’ or a ‘sabiki rig’; a series of hooks with a small piece of colourful material attached to each hook.

What Can You Make Lures Out Of?

Fishing lures can be made with a variety of different materials, like plastic, rubber, wood, metal, and cork, and also things like feathers, animal hair, string, tinsel, or other similar items can be used.

There are advantages to using artificial lures to catch fish, including a reduction in the use of bait. On a larger scale, this will help to resolve one of the marine environment’s most pressing issues, which is the overharvesting of smaller ‘bait’ species at the lower end of the food chain.

Another advantage of the use of fishing lures is it improves the survival of fish during ‘catch and release’ fishing. Fishing lures tend to reduce the occurrence of deep hooking, which can quite often lead to the death of the fish through improper handling and during removal of the hook.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

A Brief History Of Fishing

Fishing is a very ancient art of hunting, going all the way back in time to the earliest humans in many cultures (the earliest known evidence dates back over 40,000 years!). For thousands of years, people living near the waterways have used this resource to feed themselves, their families, and their villages.

The earliest forms of fishing usually would involve spears and a great deal of patience, or sometimes crude nets would be weaved to make the job of catching fish for dinner much easier.

The earliest known records of humans using fishing rods, lines and hooks dates back to 2,000 BC, with the Chinese and Egyptians being amongst the first people to experiment with different hunting weapons.

Early Fishing Equipment

Most of the early fisherman just used handlines, with hooks made out of bronze which was strong, but still very thin and less visible to fish. The Chinese were the first people to use fishing lines, which were spun from fine silk.

In the early 1900’s fishing lures were first created commercially in the United States, but before this time they were all made individually by craftsmen. Modern lures that were made commercially were based on the ideas of the individual craftsmen, just made in much larger quantities.

Why Go Fishing?

There are many reasons why people fish, and in the early days it was largely a necessity, as a way gather food for yourself and your community. These days many people fish for recreational purposes, and there is even evidence that this practice goes all the way back to the Egyptians doing it as a recreational past-time in the River Nile.

Fishing for food has become a large commercial business all over the world, and it is estimated that fisheries and aquaculture directly and indirectly employ over 500 million people worldwide.

On top of commercial and recreational purposes, fishing as a sport has taken off in a big way in recent times, with many people competing with one another to catch the biggest fish.

Fishing equipment has come a very long way since the early days, and whether you’re a professional fisherman looking to hone and perfect your craft, or just a ‘weekend warrior’ out for a bit of fun, there is a great deal of choice and range available to you in order to have the greatest chance of success.

So next time you’re out on the water or looking for that perfect fishing spot, just think about how much easier you have it these days than your ancestors had it in days long gone… and remember that it should be all about fun and relaxation!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Introduction To Fishing Lures Info

Hi, my name is Mick Reade, and welcome to my Fishing Blog!

I love to go fishing in my spare time, it's a great past-time and is a very relaxing way to get away from the fast-paced world we are often involved in.

I will be using this blog to share some general fishing tips and information, stories on my own and possibly other people's fishing adventures, and also get into the nitty gritty of sharing tips on fishing equipment, such as fishing lures, rods, tackle, bait, boats, and anything else I come up with along the way!

Fishing lures can be a metaphor for many things in life, and if you get that right then the rest can be easy. That's why I feel it's important to share some information with you on the best types of lures out there, how to use them, when to use them, and which fishing lures are likely to be most successful for particular fish you're trying to catch.

I hope you enjoy my fishing adventures and tips coming up in the future!

Rock on!!