Fly Fishing: Trout fishing tips: eat or release.

Main upright, and let it go with a gentle push forward. An area often overlooked is making sure you are fishing with a sharp hook. Check the tips page for how to sharpen and test your hook. If you are going to take the fish to eat you should immediately kill it with a sharp blow to the head. Don't over-do this or feel squeamish. Use something (stick or rock or rod holder) that is about half the weight of the fish, and when done right the fish will only quiver slightly instead of thrashing around. The eyes will dilate. You should bleed the fish at this point by cutting the gills. This makes for a better eating fish.

Catfish and Sturgeon are the only ones that are skinned first. Look up instruction on the web. Cleaning your catch is done in two ways. Either fillet the fish, or clean out the body cavity completely removing all entrails and blood (especially along the backbone.) Filleting is difficult and needs instructions. Check out this site http://www.hitsunlimited.com/fish/fillet.html for instructions. Best to get someone to show you. Keep your fish cool and you will preserve the taste. Use a stringer if the water is cold. Ice and cooler if not.

Now a word or two on how to break off your line. Sounds like something you don't want to do doesn't it? Well none of us want to, but it is a part of fishing. Sooner or later you are going to get "hung up" or snagged so completely that you have no other choice. When it happens, do all the things that might get you free first. Try popping your rod tip a few times allowing a little slack in between pops. Get upstream if you can, and try to pull your rig out from under whatever stopped it. This often works. If you made a perfect cast right over a limb (we all do it) watch the swing of the weight or lure.

When it has swung towards you, then apply quick light pressure, and the rig will swing back and over at the same time. If you try to yank it free when it swings away, you will just succeed in hooking the branch. If its jammed under a snag for all eternity or wrapped in a tree like a nest, you will have to break off and retie. Now if this involves the loss of an expensive lure, you are allowed a few choice words your mama would not approve of. But learn from your mistakes or use cheaper gear, cause it's a gonna happen again.

There is a very specific method for breaking off line. Reel up as much line as you can and from between the first rod guide and reel, pull about one foot of line with your free hand. Wrap this line around the rod in front of the reel at least three wraps. This takes the load of breaking off away from your reel and your rod tip. Now simply point the rod at the snag and hold it slightly to one side in a safe zone. ( In case it comes free and fires your weight or lure and hooks at you or your partner like a sling shot. Believe me this can really hurt and every year it puts people into the hospital to get hooks removed .) Now pull or walk backwards until you hear the "pow" of breaking line . Even 20 test line all by itself can raise a welt if you get struck breaking off.

I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SAFE WHILE FISHING. Wear good shoes or boots with traction so you don't slip. Know how to swim. Bring enough clothes to keep warm. Use the buddy system. Know how far it is to help, and the nearest location for help. Bring a hat and sunglasses. Don't take chances navigating streams or rocks. Don't get lost. Maps are real neat things to have. Bring some food and always some water. All steams in the United States are contaminated with bacteria. Don't drink from them. You will get the trots. That's trots, not trouts. If you ever get it, you will know the difference. Oh yeah, bring some toilet paper for emergencies, and an old rag to wipe the bait and fish slime off your hands.

DOGS can get Salmon poisoning and die! click the link to learn how to prevent this very serious problem. Locating fish is the one thing that can turn a nice day into a great day. Different places have different fish with different habits. Ask your local tackle or bait store. People coming in to buy stuff always talk to the folks at these places and they often know where the fish are. Look for the cars and trucks parked in a bunch alongside the river. Find the fishermen, and you have probably found the fish. If you are by yourself, try to think like a fish. Fish have eyes with fixed pupils, they don't dilate. So they are sensitive to light and will seek cover of some sort. Going deep on a sunny day or into the shadows. Under an overhanging bush or tree is a probable spot. Reading the water can be as simple as watching the surface for activity. Rings usually mean the fish are sipping something off of the surface. Splashing activity can mean that there are a bunch of fish together. If there is current, the fish will hold in a place where the flow is not trying to push them around. This can be behind rocks or even in front of rocks, where the current swirls around (eddies), or rises up to the surface (tail outs) at the end of a pool. Again, different fish have different habits. They all will have one thing in common, they need cover of some kind to hide in. Know your quarry. Do a search on the web with the name of fish you want to catch.

You can gain a lot of information in advance to fishing. Also there are some excellent magazines that contain valuable information. One of my favorites is Salmon Trout Steelheader . Published every other month. You can learn a lot and enjoy some of the best tips and stories at the same time. Another good one is Hunting and Fishing News. Where the fish are and how to take them right now! Published every two weeks, this one will keep you tuned in to the fishing scene all around your area.

There are some great clubs and organizations out there that want to help folks get started fishing right. Many resources are available free. ONCE AGAIN, PICK UP A COPY OF THE FISHING REGULATIONS FOR THE STATE YOU WILL BE FISHING IN at a tackle or bait store near you, they are free. Read and know everything about the fish you are going after. The size limit, the number of fish allowed limit, the location limits, the gear restrictions, bait or no bait, barbed or barb-less, possession limits, time limits by day and date. If you can't trust your memory, review the specific information every evening prior to fishing until you really know it. The fines are stiff, and to get one will ruin your outing. Deb's salmon story , with picture. Enjoy the great outdoors, stay safe, have fun, and limit your catch instead of catching your limit.

trout fishing tips