Dec

26

Tip! Some fishing lodges advertise a certain amount for a few days by the lake. It is advisable to ask if there are any hidden charges.

The recognized tug, tug, then a strong pull begins the underwater rodeo. The heavy one pound lead nose on a split tail white scampi bounces off the ocean floor actually calling the halibut to the lure. At 200 foot deep the ocean is totally dark. But a white lure seems to be the best color for halibut. A 20-pound “chicken” halibut fights likes a 60-pound salmon. The huge flat surface is added resistance teamed with muscle for a fish that is determined to stay on the bottom. The normal is three trips to the surface and two trips back to the bottom before you can land a 40-50 pound halibut.

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Just as the halibut nears the surface where a net or gaff awaits, all that muscle turns the fish toward the bottom and the line screams off the reel. The Alaska halibut will not stop until it reaches the bottom again. Now you know what you have and you pray your equipment stays together.

Captain Jerry threw out the “pick” on the lee side of a spit in 150 foot of water. The tide was just beginning to come in, the “Dancer” was bobbing as the tide began to race back in. With 18-foot tides, a lot of water is displaced every 12 hours. The sandy bottom was ideal for halibut to wait for the tide to bring in the next meal. The sound of the anchor hitting the bottom had rang the dinner bell. The 55-foot cabin cruiser had pulled the slack out of the anchor chain and lined out facing into the incoming tide.

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Dan dropped his one-pound lead nose white scampi lure over the side and waited for the reel to unspool. The heavy foot long plastic lure hit the bottom with a thump. The slack was taken out of the spider wire line so the lure could be bounced on the bottom to create an underwater thump that seems to lure halibut from hundreds of yards away. Alaska halibut fishing had always been a dream, too far away to even imagine. From the day of decision it had been over 11 months of planning, preparing and dreaming for this day of fishing for halibut off Prince of Wales Island. A minute had passed then 5 minutes; Dan was thinking “the bite” hadn’t started yet. Then it happened. Small yank, yank then he set the hook. Dan had caught several “chickens” so he knew it was a halibut. Suddenly the short stubby deep-sea pole formed a “U” and Dan began to lift the rod and reel down. The familiar yank, yank, yank as the fish refused to leave the bottom did not deter the stout built 6′ 1″, 30 year old as muscle warred with muscle until the cry was heard from the skipper on the flying deck, “my God the boy has hooked a keeper!” The fish looked slightly greenish brown and appeared to be gliding at an angle towards the boat but 6 to 8 feet under the surface. At 3 feet from the surface the addled fish saw the boat, bright sunshine and an excited angler all at once and did an about face heading back to the bottom. The Penn reel screamed as every bearing surface and brake rebelled as the 5 foot behemoth slipped out of sight. That foray had taken 20 minutes, Dan called for help. 6′ 4″ brother Paul with arms as big as a man’s thighs said “let me have that!”

Tip! Use a wire cross-locking snap when fishing crank plugs. It allows you to change lures quickly and enables the bait to vibrate more freely.

In the April Alaska cool, beads of sweat poured down Paul’s face, the yank, yank, yank, reel up and scream down had taken its toll. Weakly he said “I’m gonna need a break!” Dan grabbed the short stubby “U” shaped pole and began to reel. Paul had lasted exactly twenty minutes only to have a brief glimpse of a shadowed recluse before the line screamed and the halibut returned to the deep.

The fishing pole had fibers that were releasing long ways on the rod, the famous reel was making a strange squeaking sound as it reeled up and a disturbing grinding sound as the break squealed off line. The halibut was coming up but Dan gave out in 10 minutes. Paul grabbed the rod and manhandled the rod, fish and reel. 10 minutes later he hollered “it should have been to the top by now, what is happening?” The brake on the reel had completely failed and as the line was reeled in the fish took back at its’ leisure. Dan took the next watch. Within 5 minutes Dan yelled, “I see color!” Captain Jerry was standing on the bow with a 22 rifle. Just as the halibut broke the surface Captain Jerry fired and dispatched the 124-pound giant halibut.

Tip! Check your line just above the lure frequently when fishing crankbaits around rocks, gravel, stumps, and other hard obstructions. They can quickly fray your line.

Alaska allows the dispatching of large halibut on the surface due to the tremendous power a halibut has after coming on board. These fish have been known to break the fisherman’s arms and legs contributing to several deaths by the flailing powerful tails.

Alaska halibut fishing doesn’t get any better. From a “chicken” to a keeper the thrill is always the same. It always starts with the same question “Have I hooked the bottom?”

Jim Zeller is the new “Euell Gibbons” for recommending a fishing spot for a fishing vacation trip or afternoon get away. Check out his favorite online Fishing Forum his choice for the World’s Largest Fishing Directory.

Popularity: 3%



Dec

24

The Ultimate Fishing Trip GuideBook! How To Plan, Organize and Catch More Fish On Your Next Fishing Trip.

So you think you have done ultra-light fishing- I bet you haven’t. I say that because
of my trip to the World Championships of fishing in Coimbra, Portugal where I
learned the true meaning of ultralight. When I fished against 185 anglers from 37
different nations, I learned that ultralight meant line that is around 1/2 pound,
fishing a hook the size of an eyelash, using a bait the thickness of 2 eyelashes -
ultralight !

Ok, so you have not fished ultralight, I win the bet. When I fished in the World
Championships, I too thought a little 4′ ultralight with 4 lb. test or wow, 2 lb. test
was the stealth way to fish. This was quickly dispelled as I fished local competitions
with 1 lb. fishing line and until my trip to Portugal, that was pretty stealthy.

Tip! Local Specialty Fly – Okay, this will take a bit of effort on your part. Every fishing area has a specialty fly that is known to have fish leaping out of the water before casting even begins.

The competition in Portugal was vs. the top anglers in the world- guys that would
make our Bassmasters look like AmeteurMasters - (many of them). The fishing
competions there are intense with all 185 anglers lining the shores of this canal and
many using 42 foot poles with 1/2 lb. test line. The fish that were available to us
were pretty delicate feeders that eat very tiny organisms. Yes, there were larger fish
in the river, but those that were available in large numbers, were the smaller fish.

World-level competitions are 3 hours long and are fished from shore where anglers
attempt to fill their keep nets (live fish bags that go down into the water) with as
much weight as possible. One spot to fish from, catch as many fish as you can to
build your weight. If these anglers tried to go just for big fish, the results would be
bad for most.

Tip! There are different methods of crab fishing, which are quite cost effective and others that need a lot in terms of money and time. You can use a dip net to catch the crabs.

When using ultralight hooks, we employed size 22 & size 24 hooks. Hook sizes get
smaller as the numbers go higher so to get an idea of how small this hook is- find
your largest eyelash. The hooks we used were a very thin wire and yes, they are very
delicate. Twice during my first 3 hours of World Championship competition, I broke
the point off of my hook and had to get a fresh hook and leader rigged up. A good
idea when you are catching a lot of fish- I had 36 the first day, change your hooks
often to keep them very sharp when using ultralight hooks. One of the major factors
in the hooks breaking was the tough beaks that the mullets had. Their jaws are built
for pinching and plucking bits of food from between rocks-

The line was an entirely different story. When people say their line is as thin as
spider-web, they have never truly fished ultralight. The line we used was so thin
that one bump of the pole would snap it in half. The diameter of the line was .07
and your average 4 lb. line is .20 and falls outside of the ultralight category. This is
not to say that 4 lb. test is not light when dealing with cover, toothy fish or larger
fish, but for my money, .20 line is really thick line.

Tip! It is not good practice when fishing for trout to fish directly upstream so the flies, line, and leader will float directly over fish. The fisherman should make the cast from one side of the stream so the fly will only float over the fish.

Why the need for ultralight equipment so extreme? I wanted to go fly fishing. No,
not with a giant hairy fly, but an actual fly larva. Midge fly larva or “bloodworm” were
the key bait in our competition. I said earlier the hook was thinner than an eyelash,
the bait was not much more thick than an eyelash. These tiny red larvae are delicate
to put on the hook. While I didn’t need a microscope- I did need to lean over and
get real close to put a couple on the hook. Getting the hook in without popping
their skin was key as a successful hookup meant that the bait would wiggle around
and the fish would respond. A midge fly larva looks much like a mosquito larva and
if you have never seen that- picture a half a pencil lead (ultralight).

While the average angler will never experience ultralight fishing, out there lies many
tactics and techniques that are available to you. One thing I did learn was to not get
settled in with my fishing knowledge and to always keep looking for new ways to go
fishing. The one thing I did learn is that sometimes if you fish heavy, you may be
tipping off the fish. When I fish near home in Chicago, I now fish light and some of
my biggest fish caught including a 9 lb. walleye were taken on 3 lb. line and size 14
hook- ultralight.

Tip! If a boat is used to catch crabs, you should use and drop cone nets with the bait tied to the bottom center of the drop net. This technique can also be used if fishing from a bridge.

About The Author
Angler Magazine Writer- John Wilkins

http://www.midwestangler.com
john@midwestangler.com

John Wilkins has fished on the US Fishing Team
competing at the highest levels of fishing in Europe, Canada, China & the United
States. He has fished in 2 World Championships and has educated anglers on the
basics of fishing urban waters. His teacher is angling legend and Hall of Famer Mick
Thill. John’s top catch is 512 fish in a 4-hour competition and top finish is second in
the US Open Championships in 2000. Visit http://www.midwestangler.com for more
tips & info. as well as a complete listing of US Fishing Clubs- the best
place to learn is in a club!

Popularity: 3%



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