Winter can be the most rewarding season of the year for fly anglers. If you can stand the cold, you just might have the river to yourself, experiencing solitude that’s rarely found when the mayflies are hatching in spring and summer. But there’s another reason to get out and fish between December and March: Winter can also be the most technically challenging season, demanding precision and skill more than any other time of the year.

Source: Fly Fishing Tips for Catching Winter Trout | Field & Stream

Dan Armitage offers some guidance for people taking to ice fishing for the first time.

Source: An Ice Fishing Primer – OutdoorHub

Topwater bassin’ fanatics have a saying: ‘Catching one bass on a topwater lure is worth 10 on anything else.’ – World Fishing Network

Source: 3 Terrific Topwater Tricks for Fall Bass – World Fishing Network

This season offers some of the year’s best crappie angling if you learn some tips that will help you find and tempt these silvery panfish. Read on, and you will. – World Fishing Network

Source: 10 Tips for More Fall Crappie – World Fishing Network

| Thundermist Quick Fishing Tips – YouTube

Put a ring on it

Ever heard of a “tippet ring”?  Me either, until recently….  Now I don’t know how I lived with out them!  Check out the video below to get an idea of what you can do with these little gems:

I loaded up all my leaders with tippet rings, in the appropriate places, to facilitate the addition of a few feet of fluoro or mono line of lighter # test that can be changed out frequently without needing to be replaced all the time.  Big $$ and time saver!  Also, since I have a tackle box full of various spools of line for spin fishing, I don’t have to buy expensive leaders when I can easily make my own ( and lots of them!).   I have also discovered that these rings can be useful on drop-shot rigs, “D” rigs and for use with split rings to avoid line chaffing from direct contact.

The set up:  Since most of the time fish are feeding below the water surface, I use a mini swivel at the top of my leader (prevents twisting, wind knots, aids sinking the fly, etc.) and a tippet ring (2mm) at the bottom where I will connect the tippet material.  These rings are so small that they will not affect the float of dry fly set-ups, yet are very strong.  Recently I put a tippet ring on the 6 in. piece of  20# Amnesia mono, tied on my fly line instead of  a loop on the end of the line.  Added a 6 ft. piece of 10# mono with a tippet ring on the end of that and a 2.5 ft. piece of 6# mono to the fly.  So far, so good!  It turns over nicely and costs about 95% less than my other leaders.  I recommend using the “Double Davy Knot” when attaching line to these rings as the knot has near 100% line strength and has a very small footprint.

There are some things to consider when buying tippet rings:  Not all tippet rings are created equal.  Some are “punched” rings that will have rough edges that might cut your line.  Round rings are smooth and the way to go.  If you’re worried about “spooky” fish, look for a non-shiny ring that is stealthier.  Next is size.  A 2.5mm or 2mm diameter are perfect for most situations (unless you are fishing for Tuna or Whales, then you may want to go bigger).  If you do decide to give them a try, I think you’ll be very pleased.  ** The BEST Tippet Rings we have found (The Ones We Use) Can be found on eBay Here  **

Now Go get your Fish On!

Big baits for big fish:  Fact or Fiction?

Both.  Or neither.  I have personally  caught really small fish on baits as big as they are and I’ve caught big fish on baits as small as a little black ant or a #16 Zebra Midge.  I don’t believe that the size of the bait has much influence on what size fish you may catch.  However, the size of the hook can.  For instance, if you are using a really large 5/0 hook, then it is most likely that a smaller mouthed or sized fish can’t even get the hook into it’s mouth.  While this may limit the number of hook-ups, it will surely weed out the smaller ones.

Larger fish obviously need to have a greater caloric intake and may be “wired” for larger food items.  Larger fish like Salmon in the 15-30 lb. range are particularly fond of egg patterns and will often take a bead or egg about the size of a green pea.  Baits this size also work on the itty-bitty ones, as the hooks are small enough for them.  As to best answer the question “Big baits for big fish?”…..   Sure, only if you want to miss out on most of the fun.  😉

 

Fish CPR

CPR for fish is an acronym for Catch, Photograph and Release.  Most anglers fish for the sport of it and practice catch and release.  In order to maintain the abundance of our fishing resources, (my personal belief) is to use “Catch and Release” and only kill what you are going to use for food.  With today’s technology of cameras, video recording devices and replica making, there is little need to have a “physical trophy” of the fish we catch.  We all want to admire our great accomplishment of our catch, but should do so without unnecessary damage to the fish.  Taking care to wet the hands or to use specialized gloves for handling fish, keeping the fish in the water as much as possible and taking the time to ensure that the fish has recovered enough to be released safely.

 

 

*Sometimes “Selective Harvest” is used to control the population of fish in a given area, but I’ll leave that up to the governing bodies of such areas.

Fish with teeth:

Yikes!  Predator fish with teeth love to eat just like those without, so inevitably we will encounter them – And when we least expect it.  A little preparation and some simple tools can  make this an almost non-issue.  What you need:  Long nose pliers,  wire cutters (may be on your pliers already), jaw spreaders and a little knowledge on how to use them.  There are also some handy hook removal tools with long handles that may also work.  If you are in waters that contain these “gators”, you may want to consider using a heavy fluorocarbon or steel bite leader so you don’t lose your favorite lure.

First, we need to keep our fingers out of harm’s way.  Inserting the spreaders from the side of the fish’s mouth and releasing the spring tension will safely keep the mouth open so we can remove the hook/s.  Next up is assessing the situation.  If the hook/s can be removed with out harming the fish, then use the long nose pliers to remove them while keeping your fingers at a safe distance.  If removing the hook/s may hurt the fish (or you), it may be necessary to cut the line or part of the hook.  This is where the wire cutters come in handy.  Once all is removed, it’s time to get the fish back in the water.  Delayed Onset Mortality can often happen to a fish that “seemed ok” at time of release, so take the time to make sure that the fish has regained it’s forces before fully releasing it.

 

No, I didn’t mean getting married….  I meant tying the Knot of the Year!

And the Winner is……The Double Davy knot! (and the Davy)  The Davy Knot was invented by Davy Wotton as a quick, easy and strong knot for use while competing on the Welsh National fly fishing team.  He needed to have a secure knot that could be tied quickly in the field.  With a little practice, one can tie the tag end so short that it doesn’t even need to be trimmed!

I’ve found that this knot (and the Double Davy) is great; not only for fly fishing, but also great for traditional fishing.  These knots are super strong and extremely small in size.  Check out the videos to see how quick and easy these knots are to tie.

Use this knot for really small flies and hooks (size 16 and smaller):

Use this knot for everything else: