Taking My Own And Advice…

We wrote an article not long ago about taking someone fishing. I talked about inviting a friend of mine who is into night time mountain biking and asking him to do a little after dark bass fishing with me.

This guy is one of my oldest and closest friends but he had only tried fishing a couple of times when he was a kid. It didn’t appeal to him back then but hey, we all change over time, and this was a great way to catch up with him since we have both moved, and really haven’t had the time to talk much over the last couple of decades.

So we make a firm time and date to meet at my house, load up the truck and hit the road for a little lake that is a good place for someone new to at least get comfortable with casting and retrieving a bait. You have to remember that to a brand new angler, this is a whole new world!  [Read more...]

Summer Is Almost Over, Take Someone Fishing

Now that ICAST is over and the dust has settled a bit, it’s time for us to get back to doing what we enjoy the most, getting these products on the water to see if they live up to their billing! But before we dive headlong into that, we want to take a minute to encourage all of our readers to make it a point this year to take someone fishing that has either never gone or hasn’t been in years.

I know several people that meet these requirements and have recently gotten one of them on the water, obtained a firm commitment from another as well as getting a promise to tag along from a couple more. The reason I tell you this is that, in each case, I had to appeal to the individual in different ways.  [Read more...]

How To Lie Like A Fisherman

Us fishermen are notorious for our “fish stories.”

It doesn’t matter if you are mainly involved in fly fishing or bass fishing, spinning a good yarn is a skill that comes with time, practice, and imagination.

There is a subtle art to telling a good fish story, and you are about to learn an introduction into that art.

This is Fish Stories 101, and when you are done reading, you will have a few tools that will help you tell a great story to your friends and family. [Read more...]

Fishing Legend Tom Mann

All too often, we fisherman have a habit of getting after the latest trend in bass fishing. We figure out all of the techniques and tricks the pros are using on the trail these days and copy them.

We debate for hours on the validity of things like the Alabama rig.

Yet, we overlook the trailblazers of the past like Bill Dance, Lefty Kreh, or Hank Parker. Today we are going to give tribute to another one of those pioneers—Mr. Tom Mann. [Read more...]

How To Get Out Of Work And Go Fishing…Without Getting Fired!

bad boss 300x199Want to go fishing?

Work getting in the way?

Is your bosses idea of fishing grabbing a beer and a lawn chair and chucking trout Powerbait and a bobber in the middle of summer time? [Read more...]

This Week’s Best Of The Web

Once again, we’ve searched and searched, read and read, to locate what we feel are the bust articles on the web.

We are always on the lookout for information on bass fishing and fly fishing that we find funny, poignant, compelling, or sometimes, just downright strange.

This week’s selections may be a bit more on the political side than we normally choose—but both of the selections are excellent. Let’s dive in… [Read more...]

Can Cows Predict How Many Fish You Will Catch On Your Next Fishing Trip?

cows 300x212

I see fish in your future!

Forget calling one of those late night psychics next time you are wondering about your next fishing trip. What you may need to do is seek out a bovine guru for the answers you need.

So what is this magical power of the pasture, or is it simply a wive’s tale?

On A Fishing Trip Long, Long Ago

Years ago, a buddy of mine where driving up to North Carolina for a fly fishing trip.

On the way, we passed one of many different cow pastures, as one tends to do in that area of the South. When we passed one of them, my buddy said, “The cows are up.”

That was the first time I had ever heard anything like that so I had to ask what it meant.

He said, “Whenever the cows in a pasture are standing, that means you are going to have a good day fishing!”

No way, really? Cows on their feet, fishing can’t be beat?

It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me at that time, so I didn’t really pay attention to it. Our fishing trip that day was nothing short of epic. We caught a ton of fish, with some real monsters in the mix.

Every trip since that one, I started paying attention to the cows in the pasture on the way. Almost without fail, if the cows were standing, it was a great day. If the cows were lying down, it wasn’t. I was stumped.

I needed answers as to how these lumbering giants were so accurately predicting how good the fishing was.

The Barometric Crystal Ball

What the cows are tapping into isn’t some cosmic power that makes fish do their bidding, but they do have a crystal ball of sorts.

Falling pressure can have an effect on the digestion of cows. As the barometer drops, they get upset tummies, and have to lie down. They don’t want to go out to pasture, so they take a load off.

Well, that’s the theory anyway. Any while I can’t rattle off a bunch of science to back it up, I have plenty of anecdotal accounts to lend a little support.

Falling Barometric Pressure And The Effects On Fishing

Cows seem to respond to falling barometric pressure by laying down. When the barometer is falling, they tend not to want to head out to pasture and graze.

Fish respond to a falling barometer as well. Just like cows, they don’t like to be active in these times of falling pressure.

Now, of course, this doesn’t mean you will not catch anything just because cows are laying down. You could theoretically catch fish in a hurricane.

All this does is give you better chances of catching fish, and by watching the cows, you can have an easy and fun reference for getting a general idea of what the barometer is doing.

Later this week, we will do an in depth analysis of barometric pressure and how it affects fishing. Stay tuned for that, and see ya on the water…

Bass Fishing Gimmicks Part 2

When we wrote the original bass fishing gimmicks post, we thought we were just having a little fun. Turns out, that would become one of our most popular articles ever.

Well, we went searching for a few more. After the first list I thought we had pretty much done it all, but I was incredibly wrong. So here it is, the second collection of bass fishing gimmicks that probably won’t catch a fish, but probably will make you worthy of a You Tube video on your next trip to the lake!

1. Chuck Woolery’s MotoLures

If the first thing you thought of was, “Wait, isn’t Chuck Woolery the game show guy?” you are absolutely right. Apparently, Chuck is quite

chuck woolery moto lures

I'm not sure this will lead to a Fish Connection

the fishing enthusiast, even boasting an instructional video on his website.

Well, these little lures look like toys, and feature a mechanical tail. Basically, as you retrieve them, the tail starts kicking along. I have no idea what kind of hooks they use, or any of the other parts for that matter, but like I said, they look like toys.

But hey, a guy who spent all that time on the Love Connection has to know what he’s talking about, right?

Special Note: I actually found these things for sale on Amazon for a few bucks. Anyone dare me to give it a shot and write a review?

2. The Blade Dancer Lure By Berkley

Hey, even a company like Berkley can make a mistake or two. When they do, it’s our job to poke a little fun.

It seems like The Blade Dancer lure was designed trying to be every thing to every one.

It’s essentially a small, curl tail swim bait that has a strange, bent, spoon like attachment. Apparently, you can walk it, swim it, jig it, and a whole lot more. In my experience, you can’t use one bait in every situation, and the more specific you get the better.

3. The Alive Lures Bee

alive lures bee 300x229

Really?

All right, the Moto Lure looked like a toy, but I’m pretty sure this one is a toy!

Yet another battery powered lure that promises to catch fish when nothing else will work. The bee itself looks like a badly drawn cartoon.

But on the bright side, it is “water activated!”

4. The Birdee Lure

Billing itself as a work of art that also catches fish, we have the Birdee Lure.

It’s a bird, it’s a lure… it’s probably a huge waste of time.

I’ve actually heard of some fish being caught on dead birds or mice, but those are usually large catfish feeding by scent at night.

Now, I have no doubt that pike, muskie, and even really big bass will occasionally eat a small bird if the opportunity presents itself, but it is certainly often enough to warrant fishing for them with a plastic bird.

5. Popeil Pocket Fisherman

Invented by Ron Popeil, and now owned by As Seen On TV giant Ronco, this may be the grand daddy of all craptastic fishing gimmicks.

Trying to describe just how awesomely bad this thing is would be almost impossible, so, for your viewing pleasure, here is the original TV commercial.


Fast Tube by Casper

Yeah, it’s that bad!

Believe it or not, this is not the complete list! We actually found a few more, and will be compiling them and publishing a third in this series. Stay tuned for that, and hey, if you don’t mind wasting a few bucks, try ordering one of these things and giving it a try!

What Brent Ehrler Can Teach You About Using What You Have

Brent Ehrler 300x200

Recently we’ve had some folks write to us expressing some frustrations about their local waters both in terms of the size of the lakes and the pressure that the fish see day to day. They often talk about wishing that they had access to more and larger impoundments to try to become more proficient at bass fishing. [Read more...]

Friday Night Fishing Tale: Chasing The Night Bite

I had the opportunity to go fishing again Friday night. Around here, night fishing can be one of the most productive times due to the fact that there can be so much day time pressure put on the fish. Besides the fact that I really enjoy the solitude and serenity that fishing after dark provides. [Read more...]

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