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Remember to check out these other
great BoatUS Holiday gift ideas! Tight
Lines! |
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BoatUS ANGLER's newest "Catch of the Month" contest was a hit this year - we received photos from across the US for both freshwater and saltwater - from old fishermen to young, first-timers - and one thing they all had in common was the smile on each fisherman's face as they held up their catch. Here are this year's October Winners and Grand Prize Winners selected from all winning entries:
The Grand Prize freshwater winner will receive a high-quality Fish Replica of their catch from Donnie Poore's Fish'N Art; the saltwater winner will receive a Saltwater Fishing Reel. Click Here to see all of our contest winners
Potomac River bass fishing guide, journalist, and radio personality, Coast Guard Captain Steve Chaconas gives us some tacklebox tips Ten
Tips For a Winter Tacklebox "Overhaul" After a spring, summer and fall of hard use, your tackle is showing some wear and tear. Now with winter approaching, Steve Chaconas, a BoatUS ANGLER fishing expert and professional guide, has these ten tips for a winter tacklebox “overhaul” that will get you ready for next season, and keep you focused on fishing while the waters are frozen over. 1. Take a look at all of your lures. There are likely a few you never tied on. Here’s an idea: Get some lure paint from a fishing craft store such as Jann’s Netcraft and change the color of the lure to match up closer to ones that produce. If you don’t want to do that, just give them to a kid to use or another fishing buddy. 2. Next, examine the hooks on your crankbaits and topwaters and replace them or sharpen. With spinnerbaits, sharpen hooks and take a look at the rubber skirts. Replace them if necessary. A tip: Tying some nylon thread above the rubber collar on the skirt will keep it in place. 3. Organize. Inventory. Stocking tackle over the winter gives you a great running start in the spring. 4. If you’re a bit more organized, you can take your reels apart to clean, grease and oil. 5. If you decide to remove the line completely from a reel, you don’t want to re-spool until you go fishing again next spring as line memory makes it harder to cast. Another school of thought that may save a little time and money is to not remove all of the line, leaving some “backing,” or a permanent length of line on the reel. This way, you don’t have to replace all of the line every year. To leave the correct length of backing, make one long cast and then cut the line. Then tie the lure or weight on and make a second long cast, cut the line, and repeat this process one more time. Now that you’ve gotten about three cast-lengths of line removed from the reel, you’re ready to tie your new line onto the end of the backing line. No matter which route you go, try to recycle your discarded fishing line. 6. Back to the reel. After you clean the exterior, pay attention to areas where line passes. On baitcasting reels, it’s the line guide. Use a Q-Tip or pipe cleaner dipped in WD-40. For spinning reels, it’s the line roller. To lubricate, put a drop of oil or grease on the worm gear, on the spinning reel line roller, and on the bail pivot points. It’s also a good idea to clean the handles and oil the axles. 7. For rods, check the guides and wraps. If a guide has a scratch, nick, or groove, replace it. Some anglers brush a Q-Tip inside the guide to see if a piece of cotton is left behind. I use a magnifying glass. I want to see what’s really going on. If the guide wraps are loose or exposed, repair this area. Again, your tackle retailer has all the supplies.
8. Winter is also a good time to take a hard look at what you’re carrying in your tacklebox. Is there something in there you don’t use? Something you’ve needed? Winter allows you the time to research new lures, or even a new tacklebox. 9. Beyond tackle, there are a few other items you may want to think about having in your tacklebox: basic first-aid items, an extra mini-flashlight, spare knife, a small bottle of bug repellant, an emergency space blanket, and perhaps some extra cordage. Just make sure it’s serviceable. 10. This last tip isn’t for your tacklebox, but it’s an important one and something I do every year. If you use inflatable life jackets, I like to test and replace my re-arm kits in the fall when we revert back to Standard Time. That way, it helps me remember to change my smoke detector batteries and re-arm my life jacket at the same time.
Need
to ask our boat trailering or
The
"No Yelling" School of Fishing Ladies, Let's Go Fishing!, or LLGF for short, is a national organization dedicated to attracting more women to sport fishing and to promoting conservation and responsible angling. LLGF especially promotes networking among women anglers and emphasizes mentorship between novice and experienced members. Founded in 1997 by Betty Bauman, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, LLGF now has a reach of over 4,000 people. The
national organization sponsors several weekend seminars each year
that teach women fishing techniques at the beginner and advanced
levels. The seminars offer a range of experiences presented in a
non-intimidating environment, including classes on inshore, offshore,
bottom and fly fishing. Some freshwater seminars are also offered.
There's a wide variety of exercises, with a hands-on approach to everything from casting to filleting, backing a truck and trailer, and gaffing (with grapefruits!). In one highly acclaimed exercise, participants go poolside and reel in one of the instructors, using a fighting belt! LLGF also plans organized fishing trips to Florida, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, and Alaska. The group has local chapters which plan monthly meetings and fishing trips. The next Saltwater Seminar is scheduled for March 2009 in Naples, Florida. |
#1
Dish Soap: Not as gentle as it seems, it can strip a boat's
wax or degrade the waterproofing on marine fabrics. Also, some of
the chemicals are harmful to the environment if dumped in the water. Information courtesy DIY Boat Owner Magazine
Year Round World Class Inshore and Offshore Fishing
Venice Fishing Lodge is located in Venice, Louisiana in the Mississippi
River Delta and the vast marshes in the Southeast portion of the
state of Louisiana. Venice is located approximately one hour South
East of New Orleans. Venice, LA has been voted by ESPN as the Sport
Fishing Capital of the United States. Venice is the last town accessible
by land along the Mississippi River and is square in the middle
of the richest fishing grounds in North America. The Venice area
offers World Class light inshore tackle fishing for speckled trout,
redfish, and flounder. Offshore fishing in Venice is World Class
and in less than 6 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi you have
400 feet of water. Venice is a year round fishery that allows the
angler the opportunity to catch trophy speckled trout, sight cast
for redfish in the marsh ponds, the opportunity to catch bull reds
on light The Venice Fishing Lodge consists of a two story lodge totaling 6,400 square feet of living space and is located on 6 acres. There are 8 individual bedrooms and sleeps a total of 20+ guests. The lodge has a commercial grade kitchen, washer and dryer, entertainment and conference rooms, a fax machine, computer, printer, high speed internet and plenty more of essentials.
Venice Fishing Lodge More
Info: Venice is about 70 miles south of New Orleans at
the end of Louisiana Highway 23. Turn right and follow Tidewater
Road to the two marinas serving anglers:
by Ralph Manns
Professional and TV anglers aren't the only ones to be slow in learning and applying the latest "word" from scientists. Biologists, particularly state fisheries workers are often too busy with their own assigned tasks to read all of the literature produced by other scientists. They continue to advise anglers to handle fish using outmoded procedures. The recommendation that anglers cut the leader close to the hook when bass are "deep-hooked" is a good example. It is hard to find a publication on catch-and-release techniques that doesn't pass on this poor advice. Yet, recent research on release techniques strongly suggests there is a better way. Some
years ago, Doug Hannon noted that most magazine articles and state
publications recommend leaving hooks in bass and other fish to "rust"
out. He reported that hooks don't rust fast enough, even in salt
water; and suggested that the shank of a hook pointing up the throat
of a bass acts like a lever or trap door that prevents
Courtesy
of RecycledFish.org
Why it is important to the fish: While generosity is not, usually misguided, our paper, sometimes, is. According to the EPA, more household waste is produced between Thanksgiving and New Year's than any other time of the year - as much as six million additional tons. The pretty paper is forgotten as soon as it is torn from the package and, unfortunately, much of it ends up in our land fills. In addition, the production of cards, packaging, cardboard, and wrapping paper taxes our forests. When little thought is given to harvesting trees for pulp, the exposed land erodes into our waterways. Moreover, the effluents from paper manufacturing introduce toxins into our streams such as chlorine and chlorine-based materials. For more fish stewardship information and tips visit www.RecycledFish.org |
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A
boat is like a home away from home but that doesn't mean it should
be cleaned the same way. Household cleaning products can be damaging
to a boat's surfaces and harmful to the environment. Here's a list
of the most common mistakes owners make with boat care. 
tackle,
flounder, tarpon and world class off-shore action.
Those
of us who try to share the findings of scientific study with non-scientists
are often frustrated. It seems very difficult to get the word out.
We write about some important discovery, but find anglers, particularly
the influential professional and TV bass anglers, either don't read
the new information or dismiss the new scientific insights because
they conflict with beliefs the anglers already hold. 
swallowing. Bass can die of starvation while waiting for normal
body processes to eject the hook. Food coming down a bass' throat
will bypass a hook-shank, IF the shank lies tightly against the
side of the throat where the barb is lodged. However, if the shank
protrudes into the throat, food coming down can push the shank across
the esophagus, blocking it. Deep-hooked bass may even feel pain
as the food rotates the barb and regurgitate the food. 
©2009, Boat Owners Association of The United States. All Rights Reserved.