American Made Yes

Virginia Billfish - White Marlin, Blue Marlin and Swordfish
By John C. Banks

Virginia is known for its billfishing, including white marlin, blue marlin and swordfish. These three magnificent fish are found in practically the same areas and it's even possible to catch all three fish on the same trip, although triple headers of billfish are rare events.

White marlin tend to weigh around 30-60 pounds and feed on a variety of smaller baits. They are very intelligent fish. When hunting prey, white marlin display neon colors and change to an aggressive posture. A hungry or agitated marlin will charge and bat its bill at a baitfish or trolled lure.

Blue marlin are much larger, up to 1000 lbs, feeding on larger baits. Blue marlin are brightly colored and are known for their dramatic leaps and deep runs. Most local blue marlin are over 100 pounds and feed on fish such as small yellowfin tuna, false albacore, mahi mahi and other fish. A sign of potential for blue marlin fishing are pods of skipjack tuna. Skipjack tuna are the smallest of the Virginia tuna, ranging from about 3 to 18 pounds. The fish are sought after by fishermen because they are among the favorite prey of blue marlin.

Marlin migrate into Virginia waters in early summer with peak fishing usually occurring in late summer through early fall. The fish may be widely scattered but when conditions are right, marlin congregate around sources of food. Ideal conditions occur when Gulf stream water moves into the area, bringing weedlines, temperature breaks and pods of small fish on which marlin feed.

Virginia anglers fish out of Chincoteague Island, Wachapreague, Oyster, Norfolk or Virginia Beach. Chincoteague Island charter boats may travel about 40-70 nautical miles to reach marlin, While boats from more distant ports may travel as far as 100 miles to reach the fish. Anglers search for marlin and swordfish in deepwater areas such as the Baltimore, Poor Man's, Washington or Norfolk Canyons.

These structures have amazing features which produce conditions that attract several types of fish and other ocean life. West of the canyon walls are shallower but still productive areas. Near the canyon walls, the bottom becomes steeper and rockier. Fish congregate along the dropoffs to catch food that is caught in the hard running current. Along the edges are lobster traps which are marked by orange buoys or "lobster balls". The buoys attract mahi-mahi, also known as dolphin fish. Not only are the mahi-mahi excellent fish to catch, but they also attract the larger marlin which feed on them heavily. A trip by a buoy can be uneventful, or one or more lines might be attacked by mahi mahi, tuna, marlin or other fish.

Swordfish complete the trio of billfish that swim off the coast of Virginia. These fish have tremendous strength and stamina, testing the limits of the most experienced anglers. Swordfish may vary from perhaps 4-10 feet in length, reaching weights of several hundred pounds and rarely exceeding 1000 pounds. Swordfish are found in the deeper offshore waters, feeding in extreme depths during the day and coming near the surface at night. Like marlin, swordfish move with temperature changes, becoming most common in late summer and fall.

One of the only predators of swordfish are large mako sharks. Several cases of shark attacks on swordfish have been documented of the Virginia coast. Makos seem to be skilled at catching swordfish basking on the surface. The shark attacks from behind, biting off the tail which leaves the swordfish disabled. The shark then eats its fill and leaves the rest of the fish to scavengers.

Swordfish are caught mostly at night, in the deeper areas of the Virginia offshore canyons. On overnight trips, anglers typically set one or more lines at various depths. Nighttime swordfish rigs usually consist of a large circle or Southern tuna hook on a cable leader. Swordfish baits include whole squid, mackerel or other small fish. A glow stick is added to the leader a few feet above the bait. Inline weights may also be added on the line to control the depth of the bait.

Anglers fishing the waters off the coast of Virginia almost always release both blue and white marlin. In fact in some areas the arrival of a dead marlin to the dock is considered highly offensive. As for swordfish, the decision to kill or release a legal sized swordfish is usually a matter of personal preference. The American swordfish fishery is one of the few fishery management success stories, with a recent comeback of the fish after their stocks plummeted due to overfishing. Hopefully future harvests will remain within reason and Virginia will enjoy good fishing for all 3 species of billfish.

For more on Virginia offshore fishing, visit Tools of the Trade Charters, Shammy Sportfishing and Chincoteague Island Virginia.

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Ice Fishing Equipment
By Josh Steelbuck

If you have never experienced ice fishing then you truly are missing out on a adventure. But before you rush out to your nearest frozen lake there are some essential pieces of ice fishing gear you will need to make your experience a safe and memorable one.

You will be fishing on a frozen expanse of water and you will need to wear the appropriate clothing to keep warm and dry. You will need to insulate your body from the cold and protect yourself in case of severe winds and blizzards.

You will also require the appropriate footwear. Wearing your favorite Nikes won't cut it. You want a pair of ice boots, and moisture wicking socks to keep your feet dry and warm and don't forget to keep your head and hands protected, dry and warm with head and hand wear.

There are several brands of specialist clothing, which ever you choose, make sure they are up to the job and you can move around freely.

Now you have your clothing sorted, the next step is to equip yourself with the correct tackle which is different than other types of tackle. The main essentials should include your ice fishing rod or tip up, reel and line. To attract the fish, take a variety of lures and live bait. I like to take both because if the fish stop biting using live bait I can change to lures to entice the fish.

Before you begin fishing, you will need to create your hole by chipping through the ice. This is where an auger is required. An Auger is like a big cork screw that we use to drill a whole through the ice. Of course, if the elements decide to join in the fun an ice fishing shelter will help protect you against strong winds and sleet.

For safety, always take a first aid kit and a mobile phone and always let someone know where you have gone and how long you expect to be.

Ice fishing is a fantastic sport, but to enjoy it and experience it properly you require the correct ice fishing gear.

To read more ice fishing tips, information and to buy great ice fishing equipment, visit Ice Fishing Gear for all you ice fishing gear needs.

http://www.icefishinggear.net

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Buzzbaits In The Fall?
By Charles White

When the water begins to cool and shad move in the shallows, the big bass move in too. Of course, we know it’s because bass love shad, it’s their favorite food in many lakes.

Once they are in the shallows and hugging the bank you want to throw your buzzer parallel with the bank. Sometimes, you will get a lot of blow-ups but no fish. This is usually because the bass want the buzzbait at a slower pace. One way to do this effectively is to go from a small blade to a big blade. That allows you to work the buzzbait more slowly and still keep it on top.

During the fall, the bass see the buzzbait as a shad trying to escape. Then unlike other times, you are catching bass feeding instead of just a reaction strike mainly. For bright skies and clear water try a nickle blade with a white skirt. The white skirt resembles a shad in clear water. On cloudy days and stained water try a gold blade with a blue, black or chartreuse skirt. Buzzbaits can be used anytime the water temperatures are about 50 degrees or warmer.

The noise factor…ever have a buzzbait that squeaks? About drives you nuts doesn’t it? I have some good news! I saved a bunch of money by switching my car insurance to Geico. Sorry, I couldn’t help it. Actually the good news is it drives bass nuts too. So, if your buzzbaits is squeaking let it squeak, the louder the better.

When you cast the buzzbait, get those blades moving the second it hits the water. When there is a lot of cover, you need to have those blades turning as you don't have the convenience of getting the buzzer working over a long distance.

Ever see a bass on the beds? Try a slow moving buzzbait to entice them to move your intruding lure off the bed. If you can’t go slow enough with the blade you’re using try a 3 blade buzzbait, it allows you to keep the lure on top at a super slow speed. This should cause that bedding bass to want to move it. Please, if you do catch a bass on her bed, always return it quickly to the water. I personally don’t fish for bedding bass, but there are a lot of huge female bass on beds for sure.

When the water warms to the mid 70’s bass usually move to deeper water. This is the time to use buzzbaits in early morning or at night. The early morning bass you catch are usually going back to deeper water from the feeding area. You buzzbait can get them to strike for that last meal.

When fishing cover with a buzzbait, throw past the cover and let the buzzer come back to the target and actually bump the buzzbait against the cover. The erratic movement many times will produce a strike.

This past week we have had lots of rain and the lakes are a little out of the banks. Guess what, that is more areas for bass to roam. Now a buzzbait is a great search tool, so throw it in the new flooded areas of your favorite lake to find the bass.

One last but main tip. Don’t ever fish a buzzbait without a trailer hook and to even get more strikes use a red trailer hook.

Have fun this fall and catch bass and when you do on a buzzbait using one of these techniques, write me a thank you note.

Charles E. White has fished 50 years for bass from California to Florida. In his lifetime, it is estimated that he has caught over 6,000 bass. His biggest bass is a 12 pound 14 ounce that hangs on his wall in his office. His tips and techniques have helped many people who have never fished for bass before become successful anglers. He also has fished with the Pros in Florida. His website is at: http://www.bassfishingweekly.com

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Top 5 Smallmouth Fishing Tips
By Trevor Kugler

In this article I'm going to reveal 5 smallmouth bass fishing tips that will help any angler catch more smallmouth bass on their next fishing excursion. Although most of these tips can be modified to help you catch smallmouth in many situations, they are particularly effective when used in the flowing waters of both streams and small rivers. If you never realized it, these fish can be caught in much the same manner as trout, and this is the type of fishing I'm referring to.

Smallmouth Bass are widely considered to be the hardest fighting fish, pound for pound, that swims in freshwater. If you throw the current of a river or stream into the mix, the results can be as much fun as a person can have with their clothes on! These hard fighting fish have an uncanny knack for using the current top their advantage during the fight, which can make landing them that much more challenging.

In any case, let's get down to business, shall we? As far as I'm concerned, the tips below are the top 5 smallmouth fishing tips (in no particular order).

1. Use Light Gear - When fishing for smallmouth, especially in river and stream situations, we want to use fishing gear that's as light as possible. When I refer to the word 'gear', I'm referring specifically to your rod, reel, and line. I personally prefer ultra light action rods and reels, spooled with four-pound test. Light action gear spooled with six-eight pound test is passable as well, but anything heavier than this should not be employed. Using light gear will result in more bites, and more bites will result in more fish being caught, it's that simple.
2. Be Efficient - Being efficient when your on the water is important, because the more efficient you are the more time you spend with your line in the water (where the fish are), rather than searching for gear and/or bait. This is especially true when wading and fishing the flowing waters of a river or stream. This is where things like retractors, rod rulers, and bait bags come into play. All of these products make you more efficient, which means you get to spend more time with your line in the water. Being as efficient as possible when smallmouth fishing is always a good idea.
3. Pay Attention To Your Hands - This tip is especially true for bait fishermen. Smallmouth have a sensitive sense of smell, and if they detect unnatural scents on the bait your using, they will tend not to bite. This is why you need to make sure that you don't have any unnatural scents on your hands that might transfer to your bait. A good practice is to grab a handful of grass or dirt and rub it in your hands periodically. This will help to eliminate any unnatural odors (that might be on your hands).
4. Pay Attention To When You're Fishing - The time when you're fishing is very important. Did you know that natural occurrences such as the weather and moon have an incredible impact on the behavior of fish? They truly do, and fishing when these factors are in your favor is a great idea. Very few things will have as big an impact on your catch rates as the weather and moon. That's why a great tip is to familiarize yourself with the weather and moon and how the two affect fishing. It will help you catch more smallmouth, I promise you.
5. Use Gang Hooks - When fishing for smallmouth, you want your bait to look as natural as possible. The best way to accomplish this is through the use of pre-tied gang hooks. Gang hooks allow live bait (especially live worms) to be presented in the most natural way possible. Don't you think a live worm should look like a live worm, rather than some sort of worm ball? Of course, it only makes sense, which is why pre-tied gang hooks should always be employed when using live bait to fish for smallmouth.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.....Montana!

The Best Way To Measure Fish - http://www.jrwfishing.com/rodruler.htm

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How To Catch Trout With Live Worms
By Trevor Kugler

This might seem simple enough, catching trout with live worms that is, but there are some simple things that the average angler can do to make trout fishing much more successful. And if you're new to trout fishing, this article will get you headed in the right direction. More than twenty years ago, I had the pleasure of learning these simple trout fishing tips from a person I consider to be a trout fishing master, and now (through this article) you get that same chance.

Steven Wright once said of all of us anglers, "there's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot." I'm not sure if I could agree more, and know there are times that I've been left standing on the shore, 'looking like an idiot'. With the tips and techniques in this article, you will be able to avoid the same outcome. Now, let's get down to the business of how to catch a trout with live worms, what do you say?

The first thing to keep in mind is that when we use live worms as bait, they need to look as natural as possible. What do I mean by this? Simple. In other words, the live worm that you're using as bait needs to look as much like it normally would as is possible. The normal way in which anglers fish live worms is to attempt to "thread" said worm onto a single hook. That or they hook said worm over and over again, leaving a chunk of it hanging off the hook in an attempt to make it look more natural. The problem is that the worm ends up looking like some sort of "worm ball", rather than a natural worm. This problem is easily solved with the use of gang hooks.

What are gang hooks? Gang hooks are simply a pair of small hook tied in tandem, thus enabling live worms to be presented in an outstretched and natural manner. If you want to catch trout with live worms, a set of pre-tied gang hooks should be employed, it's as simple as that. Allow a live worm, rigged on a set of gang hooks to be drifted naturally through the current of a river or stream, and the results can be deadly (for the trout that is).

Another great tip is to make sure that you're fishing when the trout are the most active. You might be wondering how in the world you're supposed to know when the trout are the most active? This is fairly simple as well. Simply pay attention to the weather and moon. You see, the weather and moon have an incredible impact on the feeding behavior of trout. Simply fishing when the moon is in certain phases means that you'll get more bites. What could be more simple than this?

The bottom line is that these two tips, fishing at the proper times, and rigging your live worms on pre-tied gang hooks will result in you catching trout with live worms. The only equipment that you need for this type of fishing (other than your rod and reel of course) are some split shot sinkers for weight, pre tied gang hooks, and small barrel swivels (size 10 or 12). Oh, and your live worms, don't forget the bait!

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country...Montana!

The Best Way To Measure Your Fish: http://www.jrwfishing.com/rodruler.htm

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