canned tuna recipes: tutorial

Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts

Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts

Deepwater Jigging Technique (with video)

With the advent on braided fishing line deepwater jigging has undergone a resurgence in the last decade like never before. Jigging is an effective fishing technique using a metal jig and produces good quality catches of fish. Many anglers enjoy this style because it is a very active form of fishing.

Jigging Technique (How to jig)
The technique for deepwater jigging might be quite energetic, but fortunately it is also very simple. Once fish are found on the sounder the anglers drop their metal jig to the required depth. The jiging technique itself basically requires a fast raising (whipping motion) of the rod tip and a quick wind of the reel to regain the line. It is often described as the "pump and wind" motion. It is illustrated best through video and I have found a couple of good videos of this technique on youtube.

For deepwater jigging you will require:

Metal lures of various weights and colors.
Solid rod and reel combo (usually a spinning reel).
Strong Arms!

Fishing Knots: Turle Knot (and double turle knot)

The turle knot is a little known snare knot used to attach hooks to a leader. It is one of the most simple knots to tie, but is unfortunately quite a weak knot and is not usually recommended unless targeting very small fish. However, the strength of the knot can be significantly improved by tying the double turle knot, which I will also explain below.

Turle knot

1. Pass the line through the eye of the hook and make a simple loop.

2. Carry the end of the line on to make a Simple Overhand Knot upon the loop and pass the loop over the hook

3. Tighten into shape

Double Turle Knot

Pass the line through and make two simple loops. Then make a Simple Overhand Knot around both loops.

Pass these loops over the hook.

Tighten the knot.

Night Fishing For Catfish

Catfish seem to be on my mind lately (see the biggest catfish ever caught post) and this post is no different.

Night fishing for catfish

Catfish were once strictly a night time angling target exclusively, but day time fishing has become a much more popular method for catching these great fish. However, there are many reasons to go night fishing including;

The water to too clear.
It is too hot during the day.
Too many anglers and "pleasure craft" on the water during the day.
Catfish (and other fish for that matter) will often be more willing to feed at night.
The bigger catfish are consistently caught at nighttime!

To catch catfish at night try following the tips below;

Try to be quiet catfish don’t have the best vision, but they are sensitive to noise.
Try a big smelly bait to give the catfish the best chance of finding your bait - try shad, fresh fish fillets, chicken livers even hot dogs will work.
Use a rig with the hook on the bottom (this is where the catfish are looking for food).
Try not to shine your light in the water - this can scare the catfish.
If you are fishing a river try working the pools below the damn where the bait fish will be schooling.

Good Luck - hopefully you will catch a big catfish like the one in the video

Bass night fishing

Many people do not understand that most fish activity takes place under the cover of darkness. There is research that suggests that over 90% of fish species feed almost exclusively at night. This means that night fishing can be a very productive method of catching fish.

During the day fish are not only less active, but can be spooked by boat noise and anglers making noise above the surface. They can also see your boat and lure presentation much clearer and there is the added risk of rejection because of these factors. Under the cover of darkness, fish feel more confident when feeding and cannot see quite as well as usual.

Night Fishing Tips
When night fishing for bass follow these few tips to success

Use dark colored lures (color vision fades in darkness)
Try fishing around areas of light like docks.
Try a lure that makes some noise or a surface lure that "bloops"

Night Fishing For Bass
These two videos share some great ideas for night fishing for bass and are well worth watching - the first one is presented by Doug Hannon (The bass professor).

How to make beer batter - fish recipe

I must admit I love fried seafood and one of my favorite batter recipes is beer batter. It has such a lovely flavor and creates a delicious crispy coating on almost anything you can think of frying. I have personally used it on everything from fish to zucchini fritters and friends always comment on it's flavor and crispiness (and it is a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies!).

For this recipe you will need the following ingredients:

Plain Flour
Ground Nut Oil (this can be substituted with other oils)
Beer
Salt and Pepper
Spices (optional)
Seafood to batter

This recipe is very simple, but it makes great batter. You will probably find that it makes better batter than packet batter and contains much less salt than the packet variety, which is better for your health.

I recommend experimenting with different foods to batter as you never know when you will find a gem of a battered dish that you had never thought of (a bit like my Zucchini fritters).

Beer Batter Recipe
It is all explained in this short easy to follow video

Fishing Knots: Centauri Knot

I am always going on about taking the time to learn good quality fishing knots. I believe learning to tie solid knots will improve your fishing almost more than any other factor and I wish someone had told me the importance of great knots earlier in my fishing life (I leaned the hard way!)

The Centauri knot is another high quality, strong and easy to tie knot that every angler should know. It is an extremely versatile knot and can be tied in a wide range of line strengths, line types (including braid with increased wraps) and diameters while retaining up to 90% of the breaking strain. This knot is highly regarded because it produces very little friction and does not distort the line.

How to tie a Centauri knot
Follow this animated video to guide you.

Remember to lubricate the line with saliva before tightening.

How to catch lobster

I have written a few "how to" posts before, but I think I need to write them more often.

How to catch lobster
There are probably only two viable ways for recreational anglers to catch lobster. The first method is to dive for lobster, either free dive or with scuba, and the second is to use a lobster trap or pot. Commercially lobster traps are the most widely used as they can lout out many hundreds of traps, but in the recreational fishery most people find diving for their lobster more rewarding and often more productive.

Diving for lobster
Before you begin any form of lobster fishing you need to make sure that you have all the appropriate licenses and familiarize yourself with the size and possession rules regarding the species you are targeting.

When diving for lobster you will need the following

A tickle stick and a net OR a lobster snare
Heavy gloves (lobsters are spiny!)
A catch bag (to store the lobster)
Snorkeling OR Scuba gear
A permit!

Finding the lobster
This is probably the hardest part of lobster fishing, but you can follow a couple of simple tips to help you.

Lobsters live in almost any rocky environment that gives them adequate cover. Almost any rocky reef with boulders will do. In the day they hide in crevices, caves and under ledges.
To find the lobster look for tips of their antenna, or their legs sticking out from cover. Also look under ledges or boulders which they use for cover during the day.

Techniques for catching lobster
I found these two great videos which show the proper techniques perfectly

Basic fishing knots

I have posted lots about fishing knots before, but I have never really put all of the information together in one spot for convenience. Hopefully this post will be of use to people looking for the basic fishing knots that every angler should know.

Tying good quality fishing knots is a very important part of fishing. There is nothing worse than losing a fish of a lifetime only to find your knots were not up to scratch (trust me I know). Fortunately, tying quality knots is not all that hard and there are some very strong knots that are even fairly easy to tie in the dark.

Basic fishing knots
If you click on the following links they will take you to my original posts with instructions or an instructional video for tying the knots.

Line to terminal tackle (hooks, swivels) knots

Improved Clinch Knot - A strong knot that is easy to tie.

Uni Knot - Probably the most popular knot in fishing and is a quality knot.

Snell Knot - More difficult than the first two, but is worth learning.

Palomar Knot (Polymer Knot) - Quick and easy to tie with sufficient strength in most applications.

Line to leader knots

Double Uni Knot - The most popular method of joining a line and a leader and is very strong.

Surgeons Knot - A very good knot for joining two lines with very different diameters.

Albright Knot - A slightly more complicated method of joining two lines of different diameters, but is very strong.

Line to lure knot

Rapala Knot - A very famous knot that is perfect for lures.

Others worth learning

Trilene Knot
Joe Miller Knot

Fishing Knots: Albright Knot

When I was writing my fly fishing knot tying post the other day it dawned on me that I have never posted the famous albright knot on this blog in 123 posts, which is a pretty big oversight really.

The albright knot
This knot is used to attach two lines of different diameters together. Often used in fly fishing for attaching the thin backing line to thicker fly line. In recent times it is being used successfully to attach modern braided lines to monofilament or fluorocarbon. It provides a very strong connection and is relatively easy to tie with practice.

Instructions

1. Loop the heavier line. Pass the lighter line around the formed loop.

2. Make approximately 10 wraps with the lighter line wrapping from left to right. Hold these wraps in place. On the 10th wrap, come around and then through the remaining loop. Taking the standing line in your right hand pull gently as you push the wraps with your left hand towards the closed loop, keeping the wraps together. Pull the tag tight then pull on the standing part of both lines until the knot is secure.

3. Trim the tag ends of the knot.

Instructional Video
Like I always try to do I have found a video that also shows the process very clearly.

Fishing tips - Fishing with floats

Fishing with floats is a great form of visual fishing and is a very popular method for teaching children to fish. It is as simple as telling them to keep their eye on the float. However, float fishing is not only for beginning fisher people, it remains a very effective way of fishing for certain species. Many species are actually much easier to target with a float and it is important to consider this when targeting surface feeding fish.

I have found a really great article about float fishing that is worth reading if you want some float fishing tips and instead of reinventing the wheel I thought I would post the link. It explains the types of floats, how they work, how to set up your float and a few other useful float fishing tips. You can Read the article here.

Alternatively you can always watch this little video which demonstrates the effectiveness of floats perfectly.

Fly fishing rod weights

Fly fishing rod weights - General guide

1 - 3 weight

small flies
short casts

4 weight

small to medium trout
small to medium flies
short to medium casts

5 - 6 weight

excellent all around trout rod.
Handles small to larger flies
short to longer casts

7 - 8 weight

long casts and windy conditions.
7 weight is a great compromise sized rod for trout and light saltwater

9 - 14 weight

large freshwater fish
salt water fishing
large flies
long casts in open areas.

Choosing a fly fishing rod

Choosing a fly rod to match your required fishing situation/s can be difficult at times, but there are some questions you can answer to make the decision easier.

What type of fly fishing will you be doing?
No one is going to argue with me when I tell them that a trout doesn't quite match the fight of a marlin or even a tuna. Before purchasing a fly rod think about what kind of fishing you will be doing with it the majority of the time. Whether it is saltwater, freshwater, maybe even a bit of both you will be able to find the rod that suits you for most situations. If you want to catch trout, but would also like to do some light saltwater sports fishing you can make a compromise by choosing an all-rounder rod instead of a specialist rod. If you plan on doing some very different fishing (eg. trout then marlin) you will need two different fly fishing rods.

What type of action do I need?
I will try to keep this simple

Slow action fly rod (full flex)

Great for smaller fish and smaller rivers
Enhances the fight of even the smallest trout
Designed for short casts

Medium/Moderate action fly rods

Good all round rod type for many different situations
Make longer casts
Additional strength in the rod for fighting the fish

Fast action fly rods

Stiff - lots of fighting power
Allows really long casts in any conditions
Easier to cast (due to the stiffness)
Generally not used for trout, but for saltwater fly fishing

Which material do I want?

Fiberglass - has some fans

cheap
heavier
strong

Graphite - most popular

light
strong
easy to cast
more expensive

Bamboo - the original

heaviest
expensive
handling and feeling is amazing

I hope this little article has helped you in some way. Remember that you will most likely be able to get away with one all round rob, but if the fly fishing bug bites you will eventually upgrade to 3 or 4 specific models for more specific situations.

Carp night fishing

Carp fishing at night can be a cold and miserable time if you don't make the necessary precautions, but night carp fishing can also be a rewarding time with some thumping fish available for the dedicated angler.

There are two ways to fish at night for carp:

1. Stay awake and use audible and visual bite indication.

Visual bite indication can be as simple as a glow stick attached to the tip of your rod or you can purchase specially made illuminated floats.

2. Sleep and rely on audible bite detection to wake you up.

For this method you need bite alarms. These come in a variety of form with increasing prices, but they all do a similar job - alerting you to a hookup!

Staying warm
This is the biggest problem with night fishing anywhere (I was cold when I went night fishing the first time and that was in the tropics!). You need a good shelter (read tent), and something to sleep in like a heavy duty sleeping bag. It is probably also a good idea to use a camping bed (stretcher bed) to raise yourself off the ground to be a little more comfortable and warm.

Tackle for night carp fishing
This remains basically the same as day time fishing with the addition of light in the form of glow sticks, and illuminated floats. Attach a glow stick to the tip of your rod and you have a cheap bit detection system - you can even buy specially made ones for this job. Always take a torch and lantern to see what you are doing!

Methods for fishing at night
You know I could tell you some fancy secret, but it would be a lie. Catching carp at night is really not that much different from catching carp in the day time. However, they feel safer at night and will come much closer to the margins to feed. Some experts recommend throwing a bait in only 3 feet from the bank!

Bait for night carp fishing
There is one rule here - make it as smelly as possible so the carp can find it. Oily fish is great for this!

One last night carp fishing tip
Like the scouts motto always be prepared. Rig your lines up before it gets dark and always have a spare rod or two rigged and ready to go just in case something goes wrong.

I hope this little post will help you with your night carp fishing - Good luck

How to tie a spinnerbait - Fishing tips

I thought I would tackle (pardon the pun) this topic as there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information about which knots to use when rigging a spinnerbait. I personally prefer using a palomar kno t, which I posted recently. I always recommend that you use a leader when rigging a spinnerbait and either monofilament or fluorocarbon will be adequate for the task.

1. Double about 10 cm of line, and pass it through the eye of the spinnerbait.

2. Tie a simple Overhand Knot in the doubled line letting the spinnerbait hang loose.

3. Pull the end of loop down, passing it over the entire spinnerbait.

4. Lubricate and pull both ends of the line to tighten the knot.

Photos from www.secretweaponlures.com

Ways to throw a cast net (with videos)

In part one of how to throw a cast net I posted 2 videos of the best methods I have found, but during my daily youtube wanderings I actually found some other methods that you might like to give a go. They are all worth trying out and if you want to practice I would recommend doing the following:

1. Make sure you are feeling really calm
2. Watch one video noting the key points of the instruction and write them down!
3. Find a grassy space with plenty of room for swinging and throwing
4. Practice following the technique you have chosen remembering all the key points.
5. Don't give up on one technique too quickly - it takes some time. If you really cant get it try another technique
6. Write down every revelation you have when your casts are getting better so you don't forget what you did differently.
7. When you get it right make sure you can replicate the results over and over.

Good luck with your cast net throwing and I hope you have an easier experience learning than I did!

Care for your fishing line

Whether fishing with mono or braid always check the line for nicks or frazzles or areas of abrasion that will cause a weakness. After every fishing trip, or after playing out a nice fish, cut off about 50cms of line and throw it away especially if it is badly frayed or cut up.

There are 3 main causes/reasons for doing this
1. The fish goes deep, pulling the line across rocks, logs or other hard objects
2. The fish is big and the line will rub across its body or tail (especially bad if the fish has sharp gills)
3. other objects, such as the boat, a jetty, surface objects or dock, and deep snags may bump into your line.

These factors will cause abrasion, eventually causing the line to break. Trimming the line before this happens will potentially prevent you from losing a trophy fish. Take the time...it is worth it.

Note: some braids can become frayed over time, which is not usually a detriment to their strength - always err on the side of caution.

Choosing a rod and reel for your kids

I found this great little video today doing my daily youtube trawl and thought I would share it with my readers. Choosing a rod and rell for your kids can be a hard task with many different styles available each with their advantages and disadvantages. This great video quickly describes the advantages and disadvantages of two popular types of kids combos.

My thoughts
If your kid seems to be really into fishing and excited about the prospect of heading out with Dad or Mum on the water I think that starting off with a spinning reel and getting them to practice is the best way. Kids excited about fishing probably won't mind just practicing for a while. If your kids are a little more unsure about the idea of fishing you really can't go past a closed faced reel because that will have them in the action straight away.

enjoy the video

Putting fishing line on your reel

Before I start this tip I just have to say if your tackle store is happy to spool up your reel and has a line winding machine let them do it! This is by far the most efficient method.

When you're spooling up a reel, put a pencil/pen, through the center of the line spool and have someone hold it to keep some tension on the line. Tie the line to the reel with a (Uni-knot or Arbor knot) trimming off the tag end and make sure the knot is snug to the reel spool. One person should reel while another holds both ends of the rod, applying pressure as the line is reeled onto the spool. Keep the line away from anything that could cause abrasion and remember to never overfill the reel.

If you are using monofilament it may twist. If it happens while fishing from a boat, play the line out with nothing on the end, trolling behind the boat for a few minutes. Then simply wind the line back on the spool under pressure. A ball bearing swivel can be used to avoid line twist.

Adapted from www.fish4fun.com

Jansik Knot - Muskie Fishing Knots and Rigs

This knot is well known in muskie fishing circles and is well regarded as one of the strongest fishing knots tested when tied correctly. Luckily it is fairly simple to tie and can be tied in the dark with some practice.

1.Put 15cm of line through the eye of the hook.

2. Bring it around in a circle and put the end through again.Making a second circle, pass then end through a third time.

3. Holding the three circles of line against each other, wrap the end three times around the circles.Either hold the hook steady with pliers, or make it fast to boat's rigging or safety lines.

4. Holding strain on the hook, pull on both ends of the line to tighten.

Fishing Knots and Rigs - nail knot (video)

The nail knot is a popular fly fishing knot and is used to attach leader butt to fly line or to attach backing to fly line. This knot can also used to make float stoppers. Just substitute a small straw or hard plastic tube in place of fly line and use rod wrapping thread in place of the leader material.

Many anglers suggest that this knot should not be used for big fish due to fact that the knot depends on the outer coating of the fly line for strength.

How to cast a baitcaster reel (part 2)

I have noticed a whole heap of people visit this website looking for tips on how to cast a baitcaster. So being a thinking man I thought that people might really appreciate a video that gives them some great tips and instructions for casting a baitcaster.

I really hope this helps some frustrated people out there, because like I said in my first baitcasting post my experience ended in tears. However, I am glad that I persisted because the rewards of using a baitcaster are huge.