Strangest fishing baits

A while ago I was looking around my favorite fishing forum and I found a thread dedicated to strange fishing bait people had used (or seen used). I was quite surprised by the number of non traditional baits that people have tried and just how successful they were.

I know in England it is normal to use Luncheon Meat (Tinned Ham) for carp and catfish, in some parts of Australia anglers regularly use chicken for bream and some Americans use only their hands to catch catfish - see catfish noodling!

I have also heard of potato, red meat and cheese being used as baits to varying degrees of success (although the health problems associated with fish and cheese should be considered). There was even a story in my local paper where two Greek anglers were pouring ouzo on their baits with extraordinary results.

What I want to know is have you ever tried a weird fishing bait and if so what were your results? Please leave a comment!

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How to fish a FAD

What is a FAD?
FAD's are classified as anything that attracts or aggregates fish, which gives rise to the term FAD (fish aggregation device or fish attracting device). They have been around for thousands of years and reports of anglers using FAD's date back to 200 BC. Mediterranean fishermen tied reeds together and floated them to attract mahi mahi and islanders of the Pacific and Indian oceans used rafts and palm leaves to attract tuna and other tropical fish.

In modern times Hawaii was the place the modern FAD's gained popularity and now many governments and fishing organizations in different countries have sunk large objects with special floats and buoys attached to attract fish.

Which fish are attracted?
In tropical waters baitfish are the first attracted and this brings in the medium predators like mahi mahi, tuna and other tropical fish. These species, in turn, attract big predators like marlin and sailfish.

How to fish the FAD's
You would think with all the great fish these attracting devices bring that the fishing would be easy, but it still takes careful preparation to catch the fish. Many anglers troll a spread of lures around the FAD, which can be a very successful method. Most lures types will catch fish. Other anglers like to cast lures (such as metal slices and surface lures) towards the FAD and crank the lure back to the boat quickly. Bait fishing can also be good around the FAD's and live bait caught in the area is usually the preferred option.

It is important to remember that fish can hold off the FAD slightly and it is not necessary (or polite) to park your boat right on top of the FAD!

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Best Tides For Fishing

Which are the best tides for fishing?

I get asked this question a lot. Maybe more than seven times a week and I have a pretty standard answer - "that is a loaded question." If the person asking seems really serious I then go on to explain a few things that just might help them discover the best times for fishing.

What are tides
Tides are the movement of water (rise and fall) in the ocean caused by the tidal forces of the moon and sun acting on the oceans. Tides can move a lot (spring tides) or very little (neap tides) and in most parts of the world there are 2 low and 2 high tides each day. You don't need to understand the real specifics of it, but it helps to know that tides effect fish in various direct and indirect ways:

• Tidal current pushes food into different areas
• Tidal current can make it easier or more difficult for fish to swim/move into new areas.
  
• Tidal current creates new channels and gutters for fish to stalk their prey
  
• High tide exposes fish to new areas with potential food sources (eg. rock pools)

What tides are best for fishing
I am going to be a little vague here, but it really depends on what you are fishing for. Many anglers suggest the 2 hours before and after the high tide and other suggest the opposite. Some anglers suggest fishing big tidal movements (no run no fun - as the saying goes) and others prefer the littlest of tide movements.

Be sure to ask other anglers in your area for their advice, but don't be afraid to experiment yourself. If you do this it is a good idea to keep a fishing diary to look back over and work out the best tides that have been successful for your particular target species.

After keeping a dairy for years I now live by this motto - the best time to go fishing is when you have time to go fishing!

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How to catch trout

Trout fishing was one of my favorite pastimes until I made the move to tropical Australia where the only trout fishing available is coral trout on the tropical saltwater reefs (not that I am complaining though!)

There are a few species of trout that are caught recreationally, but the most important recreational trout species would be the rainbow and brown trout. Both species grow big, fight hard and take flies, which makes fly fishing the most popular form of targeting these magnificent fish.

Fly fishing for trout
There is much written on the subject of fly fishing for trout so I wont go much further into the area. Basically fly fishing for trout has been around almost as long as the trout itself and is not only a traditional method of catching these fish, but can be great fun too! The basic premise of fly fishing is to present a recreation of the natural food the trout are eating in fly form to entice them to bite.

Other forms of trout fishing
While dedicated fly anglers may find this sacrilegious, there are many other ways to catch trout and some can even be more successful than fly fishing at times. Many anglers use natural baits to catch trout (either under a float or on the bottom) and there is a growing number of anglers using soft rubber baits and hard body lures.

Whichever method you decide to use the pursuit of these wonderful fish will take you to some of the best locations in the world with the awesome scenery you are unlikely to forget!

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Fishing advice

This question comes up a lot in my conversations with fellow anglers - where is the best place to get fishing advice? There are many places where fishing advice abounds including fishing forums, local fishing media, tackle shops, fishing clubs, other anglers and even pubs. However, not all of this advice is useful and it always pays

Before asking for any local advice remember to respect the locals and they will respect you. Buying someone a beer and listening to them for a while is more likely to get results than talking up your angling prowess endlessly.

I personally use a combination of all methods for finding fishing advice. I read everything I can in the local media including current fishing reports. I always ask at my local tackle shop for a bit of current advice (spending a few dollars always helps too.) I am part of a grapevine of local anglers that share information, which makes it very easy to find out where the fish are biting currently.

Fishing advice from forums
I think this deserves its own section and I don't want to offend anyone here, but I don't find all of the advice from them very helpful. I find it too hard to weed out the really useful posts from the people who are simply talking themselves up without any real useful information. After saying all that though if you are prepared to take the time you will find plenty of useful information.

Wherever you go for fishing information and reports there really is no substitute for exploring your local area and working out the hot spots yourself.

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