August 27 2008

The dog days of summer are definitely here and now with the cooling nights this should finally get us moving towards better fishing within the next couple of weeks. The leaves are starting to change and a few are falling, the kids are getting ready to go back to school, so the fish should be getting ready to put the feed bag on once again. Fishing has been tough for many these days and it sure isn’t from the lack of trying. Pressure on these fish should start dropping off and also the activity level on our lakes after this weekend will disappear fairly quickly. It has been a very busy summer this year and not a lot of fishing on our part. This year has been the first in a long time that there was more time spent doing other activities other than being on the water. But once we get past this Labor Day weekend, that will change and fishing will be every weekend until ice up and then the hard water season starts. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend and be safe out there but also enjoy this last weekend of this years summer.

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
www.backwoodssportsman.com

Weather Stability

Finally the weather in New England has become stable with bluebird skies, bright sunshine and light winds. These conditions have not been around here in quite sometime and are a welcome to our wet and cool climate of late. With the weather being stable this should benefit the fish’s activity as well as the anglers catch ratio should be going up. We are into the late summer time and heading to early fall patterns so looking for fish in deep water should be a part of the days game plan. There will be fish still shallow especially early and late in the day and should not be over looked, but the deep water structure is still gong to be holding fish. Water temps are still warm but losing their temperature quickly as the evenings are cooling down and this will start getting the fish into their fall feeding frenzy.

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
www.backwoodssportsman.com

Kids fishing, keeping it simple

Many of us parents enjoy the outdoors and what a better way to do that is by taking your kids out into the outdoors with you. Fishing is a great family pastime and anyone can go fishing and catch fish as well. When you are out there fishing with your kids, one thing to keep in mind is that you need to keep things fairly simple for them when out fishing. By this we are talking about not going deep water bass fishing, or throwing crankbaits all day, but keeping it simple with a jig and bobber. The jig and bobber is a great combination that has caught numerous fish for every generation that fishes these waters. Plus, the jig and bobber is not one fish species specific as it will catch just about any species that is swimming in that particular lake. Fishing around some weeds or docks will always produce and keep their interest much longer as generally the panfish hang around these areas. Also, if they have their own rod/reel combination, this will also boost their enthusiasm to want to go fishing. By keeping everything simple for fishing, this will make those outings to the lake much more enjoyable for everyone involved.

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
www.backwoodssportsman.com

Persistence

With the dog days of summer upon us in full force and the ever changing weather conditions with loads of rain, fishing can be very trying for those that are out on the water. Don’t let this time of year and these conditions affect how and where you are fishing. It comes down to the angler that can be very persistent in their search for fish and these are the anglers that are going to make the best of the current situations. By not giving up and changing between baits, you will stumble onto something that starts producing for you and makes for a very enjoyable day. Keep the persistence going and you will see what we mean.

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
www.backwoodssportsman.com

Fishing August 10 2008

After a long time away from the water, finally found some time to get the boat to the lake and look for a few fish. Weather conditions were calm with a heavy fog that lingered for a couple of hours throughout the morning. The fog burned off and then the hot sun was beating down and without any wind made for a tough bite along with all of the storms and rain that we have been having. Went to a small pond and started fishing on a deep water ridge. Dragged Carolina rigs and jigs over and around but there weren’t any bites to be had. Decided to go to the shorelines and fish with a weightless BearPaws Hippie Stick and that finally produced some bites. The fish were very small in size but at least something was biting my bait and this produced 3 largemouth bass. The sun came out of the fog strong and any shoreline bite seemed to end and then I headed back to the deep water ridge but there weren’t any bites there and decided to call it a day.

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
www.backwoodssportsman.com

Fishing, what it means: part 6

Part 6

Also now that my son is getting a little older he has been accompanying me on quite a few adventures as of late. This past winter he had really gotten himself excited and went on many ice fishing trips with me and for a six year old, he showed this old man how to catch some very nice fish. Just watching his excitement while he is watching the electronics and catching a fish is priceless in my book. He always looks forward to our fishing and if we haven’t been out for a while he starts bugging that we need to go once again.

These are memories that you keep with you all of your life and I treasure all of these and hope that they continue to be made for many years to come. It is funny how we come full circle in life and from what my father and grandfather had taught me out there on the water, I am teaching my kids the exact same things. Sure we now have much bigger boats, all of the fancy electronics, more baits than we will ever use and more fishing rods/reels that we know what to do with, but we seem to always come back to the basics in whatever we do.

Fishing these days has been much more enjoyable to me and means so much more to me these days as well. I really look forward to each trip that is made to the water and at the end of the day, fish or not, I know that I had a great day out there. Fishing is not work anymore but a favorite past time that I can spend many hours out there again. But if I only have an hour to fish, so be it, I was still able to do something at that moment that means so much to me. Fishing, what it means to me is time to reflect on life, get away from all of the hustle and bustle, and spend some quality time with family, my kids and friends new and old. Once again, there aren’t enough days that I get to fish again and this is telling me that my passion to fish is back stronger than ever…

Get out and enjoy the outdoors and what Mother Nature has given to us…

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/

Fishing, what it means: part 5

Part 5


Since I have that behind me now, my fishing is all about having fun and enjoying spending time out there on the water. I enjoy these days hooking my boat up to the truck and picking a lake to go fish at, and I don’t care, I do a little, if I catch a fish or not. My days on the water now are to get away from the rat race of being an adult, a husband and a father and using that time to clear my head and get myself back to reality.

I look forward to the days that I am able to get out and fish with some of my old friends and relive some of the old days that we had together. I also look forward to the days that I am able to take my dad out fishing, like he use to take me, as he doesn’t fish much anymore and we don’t get to fish together that often either. These are memories that you keep with you all your life and I try and keep them going forward as each year passes.

Now are the days that I am truly enjoying fishing as I have my own kids to take along and show them the art of fishing. My daughter is getting into those teenage years now so we don’t get out much together anymore, but over the last years we had spent many hours in the boat, just the two of us and those are the memories that I will be carrying with me as I go forward. Hopefully the day will come once again that she wants to try her hand at fishing again and I will be there ready and willing to do that for her.

Part 6 continues

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/

Fishing, what it means: part 4

Part 4


So you are at that point in your life and you are working a real job at this point and the temptations of fishing bass tournaments are on your mind all the time. You take that next step and buy yourself a bass boat and start looking at some tournament trails that look inviting for you to fish. You spend hours and days pre-fishing for these tournaments and looking for that one sweet spot that is going to make you famous and put you into the winners circle.

Many lakes are fished and many miles are traveled around a few states to compete at these levels. You are making friends from the competitors you fish against and are starting to make a name for yourself. But you are not finishing in the standings where you really want to be and this starts playing mind games with you each and everyday that you are on the water. You now are second guessing all of your moves and this dream that you want to fish for a living is starting to not look so good or promising.

Anytime that we start moving towards a passion of ours that we would like to turn into a career things seem to be not what they look like. Getting up in the wee hours of the mornings to get to the lake at dawn to start another practice day, isn’t as inviting anymore and seems to be a lot like work and the fun really isn’t there anymore. Do I really want to fish for a living as this is starting to feel more like work and not play. These are memories that you keep with you all of your life and I was fortunate and glad that I took my shot at tournament fishing and can say that I tried something that I wanted to.

Part 5 continues

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/

Fishing, what it means: part 3

Part 3

Then the day came that you got your drivers license and you thought the fish better watch out now because I am coming to get you. You hook that 14 foot boat and 5 hp motor to your parents’ car that you borrowed and head to the lake that you think is going to produce those big fish for you. You fish like there is no tomorrow because you are living through your dreams of watching those guys on TV and what they are doing to help put fish in your boat.

Your mindset is not on catching panfish like your dad and grandpa had you catching all of your youth. You want to catch some of those big bass like they do on TV and you have all of the latest baits that you figure that will do that job for you. You cast and cast like there is no tomorrow and pound every target that you can find and are catching fish here and there and a smile is forming on your face.

After some time spent out on the water fishing the way that you want to fish, ideas are flying through your mind like “hey, I bet I could do this for a living like the big boys”. I felt that I could go to any body of water and catch fish after fish and there was no stopping me now. These are memories that you keep with you all of your life and you hope that these dreams come true one day and there wouldn’t be anything better than fishing for a living.

Part 4 continues

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
www.backwoodssportsman.com

Fishing, what it means: part 2

Part 2

Those days that were spent sitting on the shoreline casting a worm and bobber as far as you could, to try and beat your buddy with a bigger fish. You would brag to each other that your fish was bigger than theirs and seems that everyone caught huge fish by the time the end of the day came and then you had to make that ride home once again. These are memories that you keep with you all of your life and you wonder where these buddies of your childhood are today.

Then the days come when your father and grandfather would take you along in the 14 foot boat with the 5 hp motor on the back for a day on the lake. Panfish were always the species that was sought and many hours were spent anchored near some shallow weeds and casting a bobber out looking for fish. Dad and Grandpa were always telling you to stop making so much noise because the fish can hear you and that is scaring them away from biting your hook.

There were thousands of hours spent with the three of us on such a variety of different bodies of waters exploring and searching for those meals of fish. If it looked like rain we were not going to be caught out there and would head off as fast as that 5 hp would move us along. These are memories that you keep with you all of your life and one day you look forward to meeting with Grandpa once again to share those quality stories of yester years with each other.

Part 3 continues tomorrow

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/

Fishing, what it means: part 1

Part 1

If one was to ask an angler what fishing means to them, they would probably get a different reason from each of those fishers. There are loads of reasons why we fish and when you sit down and think about it, every one of those reasons has a meaning and something behind them.

Over the years I have looked at fishing from all different angles and theory’s and they all had their time and place over my fishing career. What does this mean? I want to give you, the reader, an idea of what fishing has meant to me over the years and it does and will go from one side to the other.

Back in the early days of when you were a kid and you and a buddy jumped on your bikes and rode to the closest body of water to wet a line. There were days that many fish were caught and also days that you were lucky to see a fish, but every chance you would get you made that ride to try your hand at catching a fish.

Part 2 continues tomorrow

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
www.backwoodssportsman.com

New England's Fishing Opportunities

Fishing in New England has multiple opportunities for all anglers that want to sample the waters. We have the various freshwater ponds and lakes around the area as well as many river systems that dissect their ways through the land. Then there is the opportunity of wetting a line into the salt water’s of the ocean from either the surfside or out in a boat searching the many ledges and deep water haunts. Freshwater fish species are a wide choice and the most sought after are the large and smallmouth bass, pickerel, landlocked salmon and perch/panfish. Saltwater offers many as well from cod, striped bass, bluefish and the large tuna that swim these waters. With all of these fishing opportunities where is the angler to start in their quest, freshwater or saltwater. It really comes down to what the angler seeks is to where and how they are going to catch these fish. With all of these places and species of fish to catch, it will take a lifetime to fish these fish as well as all of the waters that are offered the angler in the New England area.

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/

"Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" Workshop

CONCORD, N.H. -- Are you a woman who would like to learn the skills you need to get started in hunting - the original outdoor challenge? Or maybe you know a woman who might be interested in becoming a hunter. The fall Becoming an Outdoors-Woman weekend workshop has selected openings available that offer a chance to learn a variety of hunting skills while participating in an exciting weekend outdoor skills workshop.

The 2008 B.O.W. fall workshop is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 5-7, 2008, at scenic Rockywold/Deephaven Camps on Squam Lake in Holderness, N.H. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate. The workshop fee of $295 covers everything - two nights lodging in a lakeside cabin, buffet-style meals, instruction and equipment use. There are no extra fees. The enthusiasm of the women at this workshop is amazing.

For more information click on this link:
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Newsroom/News_2008/News_2008_Q3/BOW_Fall_Last_Chance_080108.html

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/

Wet Weather, Mosquitoes

New England has been experiencing a very wet and humid summer this year and that is growing numbers of mosquitoes as well. If you spend any time outdoors you are definitely going to be paid a visit from these little flying annoyances. With the diseases these little buggers carry you will need to take precautions to protect yourself from their bite. Wearing long sleeved shirts and pants is a good way to keep them off of you. But if it is very warm and this is not practical, then you will need to spray yourself with some bug spray that contains DEET in it. If you have sprayed yourself and go in for the evening, it is a good idea to shower this off once you are in the house for the evening. Many of us want to spend as much time outdoors as possible and taking some of these precautions will help you enjoy time outdoors.

BackWoods Sportsman OutDoors
http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/