Some of the best fishing is springtime deep sea fishing. This is when the big fish are beginning to get active because the water is getting warmer. Here are few of the best rigs to troll for big fish.

One of the best rigs to troll with is a soft plastic squid.  Squid is a favorite food of most large fish so they will key in on the shape as its being trolled. The key with trolling soft plastic squid baits it to troll at speed that will imitate the speed that squid swim. In calm seas this is between 6 and 9 knots.

Another great rig is hard plastic tuna imitation bait. Large fish love to eat tuna and the bigger the bait the larger the fish that will try to eat it. A 14 inch hard plastic bait with a 12/0 fish hooks are just perfect. It is also advisable to use a good strong leader. A 12 foot leader of 500lb monofilament line will do the job. The shock and abrasion will be absorbed by the leader without damaging the main line.

The umbrella rig is another great rig to use in the springtime. The umbrella lure is designed to simulate a school of bait fish. Some use hook less blades that look like the flash of a fish, but others use full-fledged hard plastic swim baits. Umbrella rigs come in many styles from a simple 4 prong rig to a complex 12 prong rigs. Imagine how a 12 prong rig would look with each prong holding a 14 inch tuna lure. It is almost impossible for a large game fish to pass up a school of 12 fish. It is a perfect rig to use on a Florida fishing trip.

Fishing for large hard fishing fish is the ultimate fishing experience and the ultimate fish to catch is shark. When springtime rolls around and there is nothing more exciting than go to Florida fishing for sharks along the beaches. There are many sharks cruising along the coastal waters, more than most people care to know about. Here are a few suggestions on how to catch several of these big fish.

Sharks have a very advanced sense of smell. They can smell blood in the water for miles, which makes chumming for sharks a very effective method of attracting them. A unique way of chumming is to take a small purse string net and fill it with bloody fish guts and an 8oz. sinker. Tie this onto the bottom of your leader with two fish hooks spaced about 18 inches apart. Purse string nets will double as a sinker and chum drawing the sharks right onto the bait. This is an excellent rig to use but it is advisable to check the local fishing regulations to make sure it’s legal where you are fishing.

Because sharks are so big and strong you must use heavy duty fishing tackle, especially fishing line. It is advisable to use 80 lb. braided line for your main line and 400 lb. test stainless steel leader. If you’re using the purse string net chum you should use at least 20 feet of leader. In between the leader and the main line it’s advisable to use about 30 feet of 100 lb. test monofilament line. Sharks have such sharp teeth they will cut any regular line they bite. Their skin is also very abrasive. If they brush against a braided line it will be shredded. Heavy weight monofilament line has the ability to come in contact with shark skin without being completely destroyed.

Those who enjoy fishing want to make sure that they ability to catch and eat fish continues on forever. The only way to ensure this will happen is to teach children to fish. But there are many other reasons to teach kids to fish. Here are five of the reasons.

First reason is to pass on the desire to maintain the streams, rivers, and lakes. Clean water is not only good for fish, but important for mankind. If kids enjoy fishing when their young, when they reach adulthood they will help manage public lands and the water on them so fishing will continue.

Other aspects of conservation is managing and preserving fish populations. It is mainly the fish enthusiast that helps create laws and policies to keep the fish populations at a level where crappie fishing and bass fishing are possible.

A second reason to teach kids to fish is so they will have a good positive activity. Today too many young people don’t have anything to do but hang out and watch TV. Fishing, especially fly fishing, is a good wholesome activity.

Instead of playing bloody, killing games, if they enjoy fishing they can play online fishing games. If they want real excitement they can play shark fishing games.

Third, if kids learn to fish they can express their creativity by learning fly tying, rod building, and lure making. These are creative activities they can do at home with little or no supervision.

Fourth, fishing is a good stress reliever. Kids need to have an outlet where they can sit and think. Fishing also involves exercise. Walking to a lake or walking along a gentle stream is good exercise which also helps reduce stress.

The fifth reason to teach a kid fishing is so you can have a fish g partner now. Having a young person to talk to and walk with opens your eyes and lets you see things from a different point of view.  But more importantly you will have someone to take you fishing when you’re too old to go alone.

Towards the end of winter and the beginning of spring, when the water warms up and the ice begins to thaw, trout begin to move towards their spawning grounds. For those trout that move in lakes, this won’t be a very far trip, but for those who live in streams and rivers, their trip may be moving a mile or two. Here are a few Trout fishing tips that will help make your pre spawn fishing trips productive.

In most mountain lakes there is a population of trout that generally swim around the lake a few yards out from shore. In the small mountain lakes they may go clear around the lake grazing as they go. There are others that spend their time hanging around the inlet and eating what the stream brings into the lake. However, once spawning time approaches, the females find a nice gravel area where they can build their nest or redd. When the fish find an area they like they won’t stray very far. The best way to locate these areas is to use a set of good fishing maps. The maps will show you the structure of the lake bottom.

If you’re fishing on a stream or river you can find shallow water with gravel bottom by walking up and down the river or by using a drift boat or kayak. Some streams have fishing regulations that prevent anglers from fishing on the redds. Even if there are not regulations, it is a good idea to say away so the fish can build their nest and spawn. Disturbing the trout life cycle not only hurts the fish, but the anglers as well.

A great bait to use this time of year is a salmon egg. Trout are keyed into fish egg and will eat their fill, especially if there are brown trout in the area. 

When the winter weather finally leaves and spring moves in to warm up the water, walleye begin to wander away from their deep winter retreats and move into spawning mode. As the water temperature approaches 42° to 52° the spawning season begins. Here are some of the better rigs to try during this difficult season.

Walleye spawn where there is some form of structure or gravel to protect the eggs. This could be along a dam, a stone reef, rubble piles, gravel bars, or even in an area of flooded vegetation. These are the areas where you want to be fishing during the spring spawn.

For the most part, walleye are not interested in eating during the 2 or 3 weeks during the spawn or the 2 or 3 weeks after the spawn, however, a few males will occasionally nibble on a few things here and there. With this behavior in mind, the best tackle to use is ultra-light fishing gear. Load up your fishing reels with 2lb. test monofilament line. Attach the reels to graphite fishing rods. Thiswill help you feel exceptionally light nibbles. Care must be taken when setting the hook during these gentle strikes or you will pull the hook out of their mouths and far enough they won’t go after it again. When you feel alight nibble pull the line about an inch and wait. When you feel it bite again, pull it another inch or inch and a half and wait. The third time you should feel a good strong strike and you can set the hook.

A good bait to use are live minnows on #2 long shank fish hooks. They seem to like live baits during spawn. If they are slow biting try adding a couple of bright red beads and if they still won’t work, try chartreuse beads. If they’re being stubborn ultimately try a jig.

Colorado has amazing fly fishing. There are so many places west of I-25 to wet a fly that you could go fishing for years and not touch all the water. But one area is especially great for fly fishing, which is the Poudre Canyon outside of Fort Collins.

The Poudre canyon starts at a spot called Ted’s place and goes west to the top which is Cameron pass. The Cache La Poudre River flows all through the canyon. At the mouth of the canyon the water is deeper and slower. It is full of rainbow trout and a few browns. The wet fly fishing is wonderful year around.

As you move up the canyon fishing on the lower half is great the scenery is beautiful. Most of the year the river is gentle and wade able. Most of the shoreline is open enough that you don’t have to worryabout snags.

From the town of rustic to the top is the best fishing. Most of the fly fishing is done with barbless fish hooks. Small nymphs will catch huge rainbows, but be sure to check the fishing regulations for size limits.

Above the fish hatchery a few miles is Joe Wright reservoir. This fairly large body of water is great to belly boat in and fish for trout as well as the few remaining graylings.

A good steep hike above Joe Wright is Zimmerman Lake. This great little lake used to be stocked with graylings but is now stocked with a cutthroat subspecies called a greenback. These are great to fish for and at sundown will go crazy for dries.

At the top of the pass is CameronLake. Thislake was drained a few years ago and has been repaired and re-stocked. It has great fly fishing along the shore, but is even better in a belly boat.

The US possesses some of the best trout fishing the world. The awesome trout fishing is not restricted to just one or two states but is spread out among many states and many different environments. Here are five best states to go fishing for trout.

When most people think of New York they imagine the architecture and commerce of New York City, but there is another side of New York. In the upper northeast part of the state are the Adirondack Mountains. These beautiful mountains have hundreds of large and small lakes that are home to superb trout fishing. There are also many rivers and streams that flow thorough the mountains.

The colorful state of Colorado has marvelous trout fishing. Colorado has several species of trout that are abundant in its lakes, streams and rivers. Fly fishing for trout is very popular in the rivers and small streams as well as lakes. Almost any place you go in western Colorado will put you in some type of water with great brook, rainbow, or brown trout.

yoming has been blessed with some unique geography that makes it a great place for trout fishing. The North Platte River, the Wind River, and all the lakes and reservoirs along them are amazing for trout fishing. In the northern part of the state is Grand Teton National Park. The park is home to some amazing lakes, rivers, and streams. There are many species and sub-species of trout that are fun to catch.

Idaho has great deal of wonderful trout fishing in its many lakes, rivers, and streams. The Snake River, Salmon River and Clark Fork are just a few of the many famous trout rivers that flow through Idaho. Up in the Bitterroot Mountains and the Sawtooth Mountains there are many gorgeous small lakes teeming with trout.

Montana, specifically western Montana, has many excellent and famous places to wet your fishing rod. There are many species and some beautiful country. 

One of the most enjoyable types of fishing to do in cold winter months is smelt fishing. They are fun little fish to catch and will give quite a fight for their size. Here are some of the important things you need to know to have a successful fishing experience.

In the winter months several species of smelt are going to be found in the brackish estuaries from Massachusetts to New Finland. They are under the ice in those areas waiting for the ice to come off so they can make their trip upstream to spawn.

Smelt travel in large schools. They don’t move fast through an area but slowly move along searching for food. For the angler this means that if you catch one smelt the chances of catching 30 more is great. But conversely, if you aren’t catching them then you better mover to a different area.

Using a fish finder to help locate smelt is a useful strategy. If you drill several holes over an area of about a hundred yards and then go along with a fish finder attached to a pole, you’ll be able to see what is down below your hole.

It is best to use ultra-light fishing rods and fishing reels. This allows you to use light-weight line and have a fun time reeling them in. you should also use small fish hooks. Using #6-#10 hooks will allow them to get a good bite. Using small sea worms and sand shrimp for bait will generally get the most bites.

Smelt are not aggressive when they bite at the bait. They are very gentle and if you’re not paying close attention you’ll miss them. Holding the rod or putting a sensitive bell on the end of the rod, is a good way to keep from missing them. 

The western mountains of Montana offer some remarkable fly fishing. In these lakes and streams trout fishing is more of a religion than a sport. Montana is known for the best kind of fly fishing there is, fishing with dry flies.

The head waters of the Missouri river, near three forks, are an example of some astonishing fly fishing waters. Here the Gallatin River and Madison River and the Jefferson River all merge together to form the Missouri river. All four of these separate rivers are incredible fly fishing rivers, but the area where they all merge is just mind blowing. There are small islands and sand bars. There is a bridge that goes across the area that offers protection and shade for fish to bide their time. These rivers offer wonderful trout fishing for browns, rainbows, and cutthroats. There it is possible to catch a 20 inch fish on #20 fish hooks.

he Yellowstone River, coming out of Yellowstone National Park, all the way up to Livingstone, has some marvelous fly fishing. This piece of water fishes well with dry flies in the summer right before sunset. Streamers work well on the hot summer days. There are many hatches that come off of this water during this time of year. It is also pretty along the river.

In the northwest corner of the state the Kootenay River dips down from Canada and brings some remarkable fly fishing. The tail waters below the Libby dam and downstream from Jennings has great nymphing. Using a drift boat or just wading through this water is pretty and the fishing so great that you’ll never want to leave. On down the river below Kooteenai Falls the river calms down and becomes a great fly fishing destination.

During the cold winter months where there is too much snow and cold weather to do very much, most people just stay inside and keep warm. However, if you are an avid angler you wont be sitting in front of the TV but you’ll be out on the ice doing what austere anglers do, ice fishing. Here are few tips to make ice fishing fun.

Fishing through a hole in the ice limits your scope and range. To give yourself a little wiggle room, when you first arrive on the ice, use your power ice auger to drill 10 or 12 holes spread out over several yards. This will allow you to move around and fish different areas. However, in some areas, fishing regulations limit the number of holes you can have so be sure and read the fishing regulations before you drill your holes.

Carry your gear from the car to the ice is a lot of work. It is easier to pull a sled to carry your gear. A sled is easy to fashion using a sheet of plywood, rope, and a couple of fir strips. Attach the fir strips to the bottom of the plywood using screws to act like two inch runners. Two runners are plenty. Then drill two holes in the front of the plywood making a harness with rope.

Now you’re ready to carry all of your gear out with you. Your gear should include a power ice auger, 2 or 3 fishing rods, and reels, a tackle box of bait and lures and jibs, a lawn chair, a gas stove and fuel, water, a coffee cup, and coffee pot, coffee grounds, hot choc mix, snacks, extra socks and gloves, and your smart phone so you can watch bassmasters classic and wish you were warm.