Category: Fishing

Fishing has been known to have a whole host of advantages. Many people love fishing even in winter. Winter fishing tips will definitely help everyone who is thinking to take the challenge of fishing this winter.

Fishing builds up your strength, promotes immune system health, supports heart health, and helps encourage mental health resilience, especially when fishes aren’t biting. This is even more so with winter fishing. Winter fishing is a favorite pastime for many people, many of which have many benefits. Some of these benefits include:

• little to no competition with boaters and fishers
• Bigger fishes available such as bass and trout
• The quiet
• The beautiful surroundings during the winter
• Unique activities such as ice fishing

But despite this, there are many challenges to fishing in the winter. In fact, there aren’t many fishermen who would take up fishing in the winter, especially with the low temperatures and the lack of a variety of fishes. What’s more, if you don’t know how to fish in the winter, you may end up with nothing. As such, below are ten tips for fishing in winter.

Winter Fishing Tips That Everyone Must Know

1. Find A Good Spot

No matter what season you decide to go fishing, make sure that you find a good spot to find fish. This is the most important part of winter fishing tips. By looking at a variety of different wildlife resources, you’ll be able to determine just which spots are excellent for catching fish.

Despite this, it’s also important to know the conditions of the water. For example, overflowing rivers may not be the best way to find fishes, not only because of the difficulty but also because there could be debris and other water wastes that may make it potentially dangerous.

You can do this by doing research ahead of time. Just by looking on the internet alone, you’ll be able to find locations that suit your needs.

Questioning the locals around the area you’re interested in is also a good way to find great spots and other services that could potentially benefit you. For instance, if you’re going winter fishing up North in the Great Lakes region, it’d be best if you talked with some of the fishing stores around there.

2. Pick the Right Time

Generally speaking, with winter comes low temperatures and the potential for a storm. Make sure when you plan your trip, keep an eye on the weather. Remember to go when you aren’t at risk to be caught up in conditions that may be dangerous to you.

However, it’s also important to remember that weather fronts are also important when it comes to fishing. Do this by looking at the forecast days ahead of when you want to go, and plan to go sometime in the afternoon. That way, you maximize the chances that you would catch something.

3. Be Prepared

Despite the loveliness of the silence during the winter, oftentimes, many emergency services will not be available during this time. As such, make sure you come prepared to deal with any situation.

Bring high-protein foods such as granola bars, and wear plenty of layers to keep warm. Don’t forget about a pair of quality boots for winter. If you go for ice fishing, good ice fishing boots will make the difference.

What’s more, bring a friend or two just to be safe. What’s more, powering any electronic devices, such as a cell-phone, fish finder with maps, and GPS, can help you navigate your way back home in case you get lost.

4.Know Your Prey

Winter is a popular time for bass fishing. This is because basses are cold-blooded creatures, so their patterns will depend on the cold water currents. For instance, many of the basses will feed less due to their lower metabolisms.

As such, it’s important to bring bait that can attract them, such as Jack’s Juice. This will lure some of them out. You can also slow down with whatever you’re using to catch these fishes. As such, you have to be careful.

An example of this would be knowing the water temperature. Typically speaking, when the water is around 60 degrees, the bass is able to be lured in by a variety of lures.

During the winter, approximately 50 degrees is when the bass will have slowed down enough to where they may still chase some bait. When it drops to 40 degrees is when fishermen have a hard time catching anything.

5. Use the Right Lure

Bass fish have been known to be selective when it comes to lures. Some say that bass fish won’t waste time and energy trying to catch a small fish, while others have stated that catching and eating smaller fish will tend to be more energy-efficient.

Like any good fisherman, the key is to diversify. Switch between big lures and small lures so that you can maximize the chances you have to catch a fish. Remember to use natural colors so that it would seem realistic to the fish.

For example, many agree that bass won’t chase much of anything in cold waters. Even so, lures such as grub can be an effective way to lure bass in. Move to an area with steep, chunky rocks, then cast the grub into the water, giving bass the opportunity to reach the grub.

You can also use football-head jigs or colorful baits in order to catch your fish’s attention. Using lures such as jigs and spinnerbaits work just as well when similar techniques are applied to them.

6. Keep Moving

Fishes are easier to see when it comes to open water. This, in turn, can result in you know exactly where other fishes are. This is why winter fishing is especially advantageous; many people aren’t out fishing during the winter, so you can easily track the fishes you want.

While moving can be difficult, especially with ice equipment, recent improvements made to this equipment has allowed fishermen, specifically anglers, to move without hesitation. What’s more, there are shelters available for winter fishermen that can help them move.

7.Have the Right Equipment

Typically speaking, before you can go to catch any fishes, you need to have the right equipment. The most fundamental fishing equipment are obvious, such as:

• a fishing pole and rod
• a reel
• hooks
• baits

The type of equipment you use also depends on the type of fishing you go to. For example, if you’re going to go ice fishing, be sure to bring light gear, as well as maps and location devices so that you know where the fishes are. Some of this equipment includes but aren’t limited to:

• GPS
• sonar units
• Ice fishing shelters
• ice saws
• tip-ups

Having the right GPS fish finder combo can be awesome for planning, security, and fishing with more information. With winter fishing, you’ll have to make sure that your rods and reel doesn’t freeze, that the bait is in good condition.

Make sure that everything works just as fine so that when you do go out to fish, nothing breaks. If you don’t have any equipment or feel that your equipment is just too old, you can research shops that can loan you fishing equipment.

8. Use the Right Techniques

When it comes to winter fishing, you have to make sure that you’re using the right techniques to lure in fish. For example:

• Soft plastic fishing is a technique you can use when you’re trying to catch freshwater bass. This technique has you move the bait at the bottom before allowing it to come up, then letting it slowly sink back down again. When you do this, you give fish enough time to react to the bait. While this requires patience, in the end, it’s worth it.
• Another technique you could use specifically deals with rivers. You can use live bait and attach it to a California rig, where you can cast it off with the currents.
• Switching baits and experimenting on other lures can be a good way to lure in other fishes.

No matter the technique, make sure that you understand just which techniques work with each lure. Take into account the type of waters you’re dealing with, as well as the time of day you’re going fishing.

9. Find the Right Waters

The weather will often impact just where fishes are found, as well as what time they may be out. But more than this is the fact that the type of water can also affect just where fishes are found, as well as what kinds of lures and techniques you use to draw them in. For example:

• When you’re fishing in rivers, you have to think about where fishes will hide. You’re going to have to try to find calmer waters, as well as rock piles or islands. When you find these spots, you’ll more than likely find a whole host of fish right there.
• Whenever you’re fishing in lakes, you can almost be certain you’ll find schools of fishes. However, when you’re fishing in the winter, you have to make sure that you know where the cool and warm waters are to make sure that you can catch fish.
• Ice fishing is a unique way of fishing that allows you to catch fish through a hole in the ice. While the equipment is a bit hard to handle at times, ice fishing can result in the catching of a variety of different fishes, depending on the time. What’s more, you’re going to have to understand the thickness of the ice before knowing where to make your hole. Without knowing the proper Ice fishing tips and tricks, it may be a bit difficult to fish on the ice.

10. Be Patient

When fishing in the winter, it can be hard to fight the urge to rush out to the waters and catch as many fish as you can.

However, because of the slow metabolism in fish, as well as the cold mornings, sometimes it’s better to just be patient. Fish are often unpredictable, and even if you follow all the techniques on this list, fishes might just not bite. If you want to improve your patience:

• Concentrate on the movement of the rod
• Move around and take in natural sights
• Don’t think about the bait

Conclusion

Winter fishing is a great way you can utilize your time. From the advantages of having no competition to the fact that there are many health benefits to fishing, it’s clear that winter fishing is wonderful, though often overlooked, a hobby that not only can be fun but can catch many fishes as well. Even so, it can be quite difficult, whether it be the weather, the lack of fishes, or even the large amount of patience required.

However, by using and knowing these winter fishing tips, not only you will be prepared for winter fishing, but you’ll also find the experience more enjoyable. For summer days there are more water funs and activities like boating, kayaking, river floating in a tube and many more. In winter we can have fun and take care by winter fishing.

Remember that although winter fishing isn’t considered an ideal season for fishing, needless to say, many have managed to successfully catch fishes. Whether it be through patience, using the right lures and techniques, or even making sure that their equipment works, winter fishing has been proven to be beneficial to many fishermen.

Anglers that fish from the shore at times suffer from an inferiority complex though many of them know very well how to catch Catfish. Regardless of how big the catfish is or how many catfish they catch, the doubt that they could have managed to get more if they had a boat certainly nags them. The truth is bank anglers can equally catch as many fish just like guys in boats. There’s no doubt about that.

One of the keys to shoreline fishing success is mobility. Knowledge of species, as well as a deeper understanding of near-shore topography, are the other two things you need to know. If you ignore any of these three factors, your chances of success will fade drastically.

The maiden step towards clobbering cats from the comfort of a lake’s shore is to establish feeding preferences and patterns of a catfish species. If you do not understand what every species feeds and moves, you’ll have such a difficult time catching them. Flatheads, blues, and channel cats are different in their behavior just like horses, pigs, and goats. Consequently, you need to match the time of the year and species with the precise location you intend to fish.

For example, for the blue catfish, the best time to catch them is in the winter. Some winter fishing tips may be helpful for the new guys. A cold snap not only causes mortality but it can also put thermal stress on the forage fish. If the weather warms up a lit bit, a steady wind will push dead shad along points or into shallow bays. You can take advantage of the big blues that move into these areas to eat dead shad. To cast further, it’s wise to use long rods. It’s also prudent to try different positions, different casting distances, and different depths to discover where the blue cats are feeding on a certain day.

How To Catch Catfish In A Lake From The Bank

It’s prudent to fish for catfish in natural lakes compared to man-made ones. Often, the size of the lake determines whether you can fish from the bank or use a boat to do your fishing. Therefore, once you have all the facts, you need to equip yourself accordingly.

The mistake many people make is assuming that the fact that lakes are land-locked, all of them are freshwater. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Saltwater lakes also do exist.

Here are some of the things you must have if your catfish fishing expedition is to be a success:

Catfish Fishing Baits

Did you know that catfish are opportunists? Whether you utilize sunfish, bream, shad, or minnows, there’s no doubt that catfish will consume the food that’s natural to that specific lake.

However, channel catfish eat any type of bait – even the stinkiest of them all. Stink baits and chicken livers seem to work wonders when hunting for channel catfish.

The blue catfish, on the other hand, are into the cut bait. Flatheads are notorious when it comes to eating live bait.

Catfish Fishing Rigs

The rigs to use depend on your catfish fishing method. Many catfish anglers prefer the Carolina rig. You can use this impressive rig whether you’re fishing from the bank or boat.

The other common rig is the Santee rig. You need to attach a peg float to your line in order to ensure the bait is right off the bottom. You can also use this rig when fishing from the bank or a boat. The rig is not the most important thing when catching trout or catfish or something else.

Catfish Fishing Tackle

The fishing tackle depends on your prospective catfish’s size. For instance, a medium action reel/rod combo spooled with 15 – 20 lb. line is an excellent place to begin when in the hunt for a catfish. If you’re an advanced catfisherman, it’s prudent to go heavier with fishing lines and rods. This is especially true if you’re targeting trophy catfish.

How To Catch

A slip-sinker rig is a popular set-up due to the fact that the catfish are located near the bottom, often. You can make it by threading a sinker at the mainline and then a bead.

Once you do that, you have to tie the main line to one end of your swivel. On the other end, you have a 1 – 2-foot monofilament leader which is followed by the hook. You can leave the rig on the bottom or hovering above the floor whenever you’re drifting an area.

The other option you can use is a float rig. All you need to do is add a float right on top of the weight on the slip-sinker rig. Utilize the rig to drift bait gradually through wood-rich catfish lairs.

Alternatively, you can do so over weed without having to snag in cover or on the bottom. Drifting afloat is also handy at covering water from the bank.

The other way you can catch catfish is by using a jig head that’s tipped with bait. Just lift and drop your jig along the bottom. Sometimes, holding it still will result in a bite.

Of great importance to note is that some catfish normally hit quick and hard. Other times, they usually play with your bait before grabbing it fully. Anytime you’re in doubt, you need to set the hook.

A very common rig-fishing strategy is to feed line into a nibbling catfish. That way, it’ll not feel the resistance. Whenever the fish takes line steadily, then just know it’s hook-set time.

How To Catch Catfish From A Boat

The Spot

Before you go to catch catfish from your boat, you need to check current-generation predictions. It’s very important that you learn the specific water-release rates that work best.

After that, you need to focus on likely areas with your map. Check for things such as creek channels that drop off to the main lake or elevated offshore flats. To increase your chances of success for catfish fishing, you need to fish around 18 – 25 deep feet. A GPS fish finder combo can help you a lot for the information.

Are you fishing for blues? Try your luck on mussel-shell bottoms.

The Drift

It’s recommended that you use two rods. Cast your rigs just ahead of you. Allow them to sink into the bottom. Once you do that, reel in two turns of line. After that, keep your boat’s nose into the wind with your paddle and begin drifting backward. Hold your rods horizontally to the surface of the water. Everything can be easier by mounting a trolling motor on your boat.

Note: You should avoid drifting too fast as it decreases your chances of catching catfish.

The Fight

It’s important to note that catfish hit hard. This is especially true when it comes to big blues. The best thing is to be patient. Allow the circle hook to work its magic.

The fact that catfish might weigh roughly 2/3 thirds or even more of what your boat weighs, they’ll have a tendency of pulling you around once they’re hooked.

To be on the safe side, you need to drag off whenever you get your target near the surface. If your boat is small, you need to act fast since the big ones surge whenever they see your boat and can flip your small boat in a hurry.

Tips To Guarantee Catfish Fishing Success

If you employ the following tips when fishing for catfish, you’re guaranteed of utmost success:

1. Always use the right bait – Use fish baits if you’re targeting heavyweights. You can purchase some like goldfish and minnows at bait shops. You can use good minnow traps or crawfish traps to have sufficient live baits.
2. Always leave your hook points exposed – You need to fish with your hook’s barb exposed. This way, you’ll rake in plenty of fish.
3. Fishing year-round is magical – Certainly, summer is a highly productive catfish fishing season. However, to catch more cats, you need not to ignore other incredible fishing opportunities that are available in winter, fall, and spring.
4. Always understand the weather effects – There’s nothing that intensely affects the feeding activity of catfish than a speedy change of weather. The bite gets dramatically worse or better, depending on weather conditions.
5. Always channel your efforts – Catfishing on channels and edges dramatically improves your catch throughout the year.
6. Be patient – If you’re to be successful in catfish catching, you need to sit, wait, and hook. Patience is key.
7. Try fishing in the morning – You can catch fish round the clock in discolored or muddy waters. When fishing in clear waters, you’ll notice a huge drop in feeding activity especially on clear days whenever the sun appears high in the sky.

In Summary …

Catfish make for an exciting target when fishing streams, rivers, and lakes. The whiskered fish have a tendency to migrate right into deep holes during the winter and fall months.

You can find them moving downstream to their holding lies in the summer months or even upstream as they look for shad to eat. They not only boast excellent eyesight but also an amazing sense of smell which they utilize to locate and attack their prey.

One of the ways of how to catch catfish is to know their movement. Homemade catfish baits can be useful. In addition to that, apply all the strategies highlighted above. By doing that, you’ll certainly enjoy success in your quest to catch catfish.