Bass Fishing Information

William Carter asked:


Have you ever been fishing? Many people would answer yes to this. In America alone, according to the American Sportfishing Association, there are nearly 40,000,000 anglers. But; have you ever tried Fly Fishing? Well, If you enjoy fishing of any kind I strongly suggest you try it. But, and this is very important. Learn How To Fly Fish Properly. If you go out with your new fly fishing gear, tie on your fly, cast, and hope, it’s likely that you’ll catch nothing, and then you’ll become disillusioned.

There are many things to learn first: Rod selection, line selection, leader and tippet selection, casting techniques. I could go on and on. But what I’m saying is, get the basics right first.

Fly Fishing is learning to imitate nature as you fool the fish into taking your carefully selected fly. Then feeling the exhilaration as you maybe hook a Smallmouth Bass and skilfully reel it in as it jumps and fights for all it’s worth on the surface, trying to throw the hook. Or perhaps a big trout that threatens to break your line.

O.k. so you can get the same thrill from bait fishing, and once you’ve hooked a fish, the way you reel it in is much the same. But it’s the skill of catching the fish which makes Fly Fishing so exhilarating.

So which is best, Bait Fishing or Fly Fishing? The answer is that neither one is better, or worse than the other. They’re just different. There is more to learn for successful Fly Fishing, it’s true, and some people just don’t want to learn about hatches, fly patterns etc. The skill of Fly Fishing is to make the fish see the fly and believe it’s a real insect and not a threat, or something to ignore. In my opinion, when you catch a fish this way, the feeling you get is 100 times that, of putting live bait in the water and waiting for the fish to bite.

Most novice anglers start with bait fishing. And it’s the best way to introduce children to fishing. But for me, and every Fly Fisherman I’ve ever talked to, bait fishing just doesn’t give the excitement of Fly Fishing.

Learn how to Fly Fish properly and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever want to go back to bait fishing.

Steven Magill asked:


Fly fishing is a sport that has been around for hundreds of years but nobody really knew about it until the last couple of centuries when it gained popularity in Britain and in the United States. For some, fly fishing is just “that thing where they fling a big long fishing line over their heads and try not to catch themselves on it.” For others fly fishing is “the subject of a movie that had Brad Pitt in it” you know the one, from a long time ago?? For the fly fishing enthusiast though, fly fishing is a sport and the best way to educate others on fly fishing is with a fly fishing guide.

This article aims to be a very basic fly fishing guide and will take you through some of the history of fly fishing as well as a basic overview of how to fly fish.

The earliest writings of fly fishing that have been found so far are dated around the second century AD. After that there is a gap of roughly thirteen hundred years as the next fly fishing writings that we know about were published in the late 1400s. After those writings were published, the sport lost notoriety until the nineteenth century when the British elite fell in love with the sport. In the late 1800s, fly fishing became very popular in Britain and it quickly became the sport of choice among the British upper class and well-to-do society members. It wasn?t long before very elite fly fishing clubs were formed. These clubs were small and honored the traditional methods of fly fishing. They were appalled by the American practices of fly fishing which involved all members of society no matter what their social ranking and also involved the attempt to improve upon the traditional methods of the sport. The American fly fishers are famous for constructing new rods, new line and new reels.

The best way to learn how to fly fish is to find yourself a good fly fishing guide as this is a sport that is not easily learned from books. It is better to go out to the water with your fly fishing guide and have him or her teach you the basics of casting, reeling and landing your fish.

Basically to fly fish you have to know how to cast. If you don’t know how to cast, you will need to find a fly fishing guide who can show you how because you just can’t learn how to cast from the written word. There are two types of casts you will want your fly fishing guide to teach you: the “C” cast and the “J” cast.

In the event that you can’t find a good fly fishing guide, there are lots of fishing courses available that you can take. A quick search through the internet will locate a fly fishing class in your local area. Once you learn how to fly fish, you can be a fly fishing guide for others. The sport is incredibly popular and growing by the day.

Bob Bastian asked:


Once you make the decision that you want to become part off the world of fly fishing, you have to then decide if you are going to keep your catches or release them back into the water safe and sound. Some fishermen keep all the fish they catch, others release all that they catch, and some choose to use a combination of the two.

These fly fishermen keep only what they are going to eat, or give to other people to eat, and release all of the other fish they catch.

If you decide to practice fly fishing using the catch and release method, it is very important that you crush the barb of the hook you are going to use. The other choice is to use a hook without barbs. This is done to avoid any unnecessary injuries to the fish. It is also important to keep the fight as short as possible so the fish does not become overtired. At the first opportunity, bring the fish to hand but do not take it out of the water. While holding it under the water, remove the hook using a pair of fishing pliers.

If the fish seems to be too tired to swim away, hold it gently just under the surface of the water with one hand around its caudal wrist, which is just ahead of the tail. With the other hand, support the fish under its belly. Rock the fish gently back and forth making sure that the water enters its mouth and flows over its gills. Using this method, the fish should gain its energy back quickly. When you feel the fish try to pull away, gently release your hold on it. Using the catch and release method of fly fishing can be very rewarding.

Often fishermen believe they should release the smaller fish that they catch and keep the larger ones. They might not be aware that the larger fish usually represent the more genetically suitable spawner. They are the ones that are the most valuable fish for keeping a healthy species. It is wiser to keep the smaller fish to eat and release the larger ones back into the water.

Some people while fly fishing, feel that it is all right to catch as many fish as possible as long as they release them all. However, catch and release is not foolproof. Many fish are injured during the process and some even die. At times, even though the fisherman doesn’t keep any of the fish he catches, the overall fish mortality rate for that day is higher then if he had caught and kept the legal limit. Most fish, even if they are not physically injured, will sulk for a while after they have been released because of the trauma of being caught and released.

Catch and release fly fishing can be a wonderful way to experience the sport. Every release of a fish contributes to the conservation efforts that ensures the future of having future stocks of fish.