Category Archives: Fishing Tips

Fishing Tips

Strategic Carp Fishing

Product Description
In this book, World Champions Rob Hughes and Simon Crow explain the methods and techniques which have brought them success on many waters around the world. They explain the importance of strategy; carp and its environment; the next generation of carp; tactics, rigs, bait, and location of feeding areas; and a full account of how the authors won the 1996 World Championship. Profusely illustrated with photographs, Strategic Carp Fishing is written for the angler of tod… More >>

Strategic Carp Fishing

Related Blogs

Fishing Tips

How To Improve Your Weekend Carp Fishing Success Right Now!

If you are like most weekend anglers trying to fit fishing in between all kinds of other time-consuming activities, you will know that weekend fishing can be a challenge in terms of achieving really good consistent catch results. But there are many unique tips you can exploit that can seriously multiply your chances and create totally unique opportunities for you that make catches much easier for you compared to other fishermen so read on for them now!

First think about the fish and focus on the fish. Do not think about outside influences not connected with your fish in your water directly. For instance if you have read a carp magazine in the previous week and want to try out a new bait and rig and method because it says its really good, do not act on it. Instead visit your lake mid-week if at all possible in order to learn more about the entire environment the fish are in.

The more you take in the more you form a big picture, a 4 dimensional picture of what is going on in your water, and on the banks. I say a 4 dimensional big picture because this part is you; your thought in response to what you see and feel will influence your thoughts and these will directly influence how you fish. The more you have this kind of biofeedback going on the more suitable and appropriate your fishing will be to the moment in time and the fishing situation right now in the present.

I say this because masses of anglers are fishing in the past thinking that worked previously will work today not realising that fish are such dynamically adaptive beings that they can evade your baits and rigs and methods if not purely because they recognise potentially dangerous scenarios. It is very simple to fool fish into feeling safe and so much more relaxed and more confident and far easier to hook. You remove as many danger reference points from your tackle, rigs, baits and lines and entire fishing approaches that you can possible remove!

The easiest way to fail when weekend fishing is to think that what worked before will work again and again. There are so many waters now under so much fishing pressure from anglers that the same rigs and baits will fail within a matter of weeks when enough fish have been hooked on them. This is no exaggeration on some waters. High nutritional baits are supposed to go on working for years but this is simply not true if you do not adapt their danger reference points to get around fish caution.

I know Gary Bayes of Nashbaits agrees with me on this one – because he basically told me this in so many words, based on his own bait testing experiences. But it is logical that if enough pressure is put on fish from any bait even if it is lobworms or maggots then fish will very soon become cautious and feed on such baits extremely differently (if they actually take such baits anymore at all,) following negative experiences having been hooked on them!

For example I can tell straight that a rig that has a worm on the hair as well as a cut-down pop-up boilie is going to have far more potential for fooling a very experienced and extremely wary cautious old fish, compared to a standard pop-up bait that such a fish has had many thousands of opportunities to deal with and so more easily avoid over the years!

New baits have the edge over baits that have been hooking fish and are used by the majority – of that there is absolutely no doubt. Also there is no doubt that the bigger fish in a water can very definitely be among first to succumb the fastest to newly introduced baits. I make my own homemade baits based on the fish first and not ingredients or recipes; such things are secondary. My main focus is on the properties and characteristics and modes of action of bait substances that get break down or bypass fish resistance to feeding which will naturally transform caution into confidence! What is your focus and how powerful is it; does it even make enough logical sense compared to other forms of focus?

Can you see how powerful this thinking approach is? Compare it to simply buying a bag of readymade baits or even committing to a bait long-term simply because a mate suggested you get on it because it is doing the business! Remember that any bait you can easily get hold of can usually be also exploited by anyone else on your lake – in direct competition to you; thus vastly reducing your chances of catching your target fish the more fish get hooked on that bait over time. This is a very major reason I hate to use readymade baits, but it is not just the unknown factors of who might have used the baits and lost their edge already even for one individual fish.

One of the incredibly important points about success with bait is that ideally they will not resemble any baits that have hooked fish before. If they do then chances are you have just lost huge advantages over the fish which you could have had and are free to everyone!

When you begin your entire fishing approach by thinking and experiencing your bait and rig and entire underwater scenarios just as closely as possible to how a fish might then you will catch loads more fish! Remember that fish sense things in water not in air. The colours and tones and tastes and flavours and smells and palatability of baits and sounds in water and feel and look of rig materials and main lines will be different to what you think they might be to a carp. In part this is because our senses are so vastly dulled compared to fish and we are adapted to live in air not water. Also baits look different to fish at a depth of perhaps 12 feet or 20 down after 12 hours immersion compared to what they might look like in a glass of clear water!

Although fish are more sensitive to different ends of the light spectrum compared to us and tones are very much more important to fish, remember that they do pick up on things most anglers just do not appear to be interested in. for instance the way they can detect weak electrical fields around leads and rigs and baits. The way light penetrates and diffuses in water, how it refracts in water, and how main lines and rig materials will not only not necessarily match the colours of bottom weed and silt and gravel etc, but that fish are perceiving things differently to us because they are acutely aware of tiny details in their environment.

OK so attention to detail is of primary importance and very many weekend anglers do not take anywhere enough care with this and simply copy other anglers and expect things to work out! Your bait recipes and modes of action teamed with how they are perceived by fish are of exceptional importance in actually achieving bites in the first place.

In maximising the impacts of your baits as being different and unique I will say now that I especially do not recommend using any rounded boilies or pellets at all and certainly not barrels or round baits. Why use things that lost their edge years ago if merely because of their basic shape? Sure rounded baits catch but part of that is because the vast majority of anglers insist on using them, but loads of other seriously successful alternatives exist!

Think about it; if you do things based on thinking from the perspective of fish then you are far more likely to succeed in short sessions and longer sessions anyway. If you are out of touch with fish you are really just hoping for some luck to come your way and just working on chance. But modern fishing can be very much about catching fish by design not luck.

For instance, if you do things in unique ways using the right information and knowledge, then you can set up your own feeding area that can out-compete even a natural hot-spot such as a significant bloodworm bed. This is no exaggeration, but it can take someone years to work out the basic bait principles for achieving such things to not only create but to maximise such feeding situations to your very own unique favour. But such edges make fishing success guaranteed!

Weekend catches can be extraordinary far more often when you think about things from differently from the far more detailed perspectives and senses of fish, and when you get and exploit the very best information on how fish really work! Revealed in my unique readymade bait and homemade bait carp and catfish bait secrets ebooks is far more powerful information look up my unique website (Baitbigfish) and see my biography below for details of my ebooks deals right now!

By Tim Richardson.

Now why not seize this moment to improve your catches for life with these unique fishing bibles: “BIG CARP FLAVOURS FEEDING TRIGGERS AND CARP SENSES EXPLOITATION SECRETS!” “BIG CARP AND CATFISH BAIT SECRETS!” And “BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS!” For these and much more now visit:

http://www.baitbigfish.com

The home of the world-wide proven homemade bait making and readymade bait success secrets bibles and more unique free bait secrets articles by Tim Richardson!

Related Blogs

Fishing Tips

Discover Carp Fishing: A Total Guide to Carp Fishing

Product Description
A truly in-depth look at how to fish for carp composed by the 1996 World Carp Cup Champions, this guide is packed with information and advice on how to tackle even the most cunning of carp. Topics include a detailed description of the carp itself and how to care for the species; the best tackle to use; tactical considerations such as casting, plumbing, and locating fish; different baits, including making your own boilie recipes, and baiting strategies; rigs and knot… More >>

Discover Carp Fishing: A Total Guide to Carp Fishing

Related Blogs

Fishing Tips

Fishing and Nigeria’s 2020 Goals

The image is a strikingly ironic symbol of the state of Nigerian fishing in general. The country enjoys more than 850 km of coastline, besides an enviable number of well-stocked rivers, inland lakes, lagoons and creeks. The topography, soil composition and rainfall patterns in this portion of sub-Saharan Africa support an abundance of aquatic life across freshwater, brackish and saltwater ecosystems. However, tilapias, catfish, carp and other freshwater species make up 80% of all cultivation in Nigeria, with commercial maritime trawling and deep-sea fishing remaining relatively under-exploited operations. Though credible data on the sector is extremely limited, media reports indicate the fishing business contributed $60 million to the national economy in 2008, or roughly 4% of total agricultural output. The sector currently accounts for 40% of the country’s total animal protein intake and offers employment and livelihood to more than 3 million people, although its contribution to the economy is minimal.

Estimated annual fish cultivation was pegged at 120,000 tonnes in the 1960s. The figure had halved by the beginning of the next decade and continues to fall; current domestic production hovering around just 400,000 tonnes. The sudden change in fortune came about with the oil boom of the 1970s, when the discovery of vast oil and natural gas reserves radically altered official priorities. Economic diversification was stalled as Abuja kept pumping back millions in oil profits into further exploration, to the neglect of all other sectors. Endemic poverty descended over large parts of rural Nigeria as traditional livelihoods began to wither away. The absence of inclusive growth flared ethnic tensions and provoked decades of civil war and recurring military takeovers towards the end of the last century. Despite its considerable foreign exchange earnings, human development indicators plummeted across the board as the Nigerian economy grew increasingly oil-dependent and unsustainable.

National ambitions were renewed with the reinstatement of civilian rule in 1999, when Abuja embarked on an extensive programme of economic reform and restructuring. The government under former president O Obsanjo adopted a comprehensive roadmap premised on the objective of making Nigeria a significant player in regional and global affairs. Specifically, Obsanjo’s Vision 2020 document mandates sector-wide initiatives to propel Nigeria into the top 20 global economies in a time-bound manner. The present dispensation under President UM Yar’Adua remains committed not just to achieving the 2020 objective, but also the UN Millennial Development goals of universal basic human rights.

It is in this connection that the fishing sector presents unique opportunities as both a poverty alleviation strategy and a tool for rapid entrepreneurial growth. Present levels of fish cultivation satisfy only a fraction of local requirement, with exports having to fill in for almost 95% of annual demand. Nigeria is in fact the top importer of fish in the African continent, sourcing more than 1.5 million tonnes of fish annually from international markets. Unofficial estimates suggest less than 10% of the country’s fish farming potential is currently being utilised, with as much as 60,000 hectares of unused land available for expanding the sector. The fact remains that Nigeria’s vast natural resources and human capital can be leveraged to promote extensive fishing as a means of ensuring not only exports but also food security. In principle at least, the Nigerian fishing industry has a lot to look forward to.

Because of its extensive coastline and tropical climate, Nigeria has the potential to develop a diversified ecology for a range of commercially viable varieties of fish. The economic appeal behind fishing is tremendous, considering the secondary and tertiary enterprises it can generate. More efficient methods of inland cultivation and coastal trolling, executed in an export-oriented environment, can spur rapid growth of down-the-line industries. Fishing, by itself, has the potential of driving considerable enterprise development, transforming rural economies and generating direct and indirect employment opportunities in the process. Abuja’s primary responsibility lies in providing opportunities for export of fish and fish products to international markets. Although viable data on the subject is lacking, the aggregate economic loss due to reduced local fish production is significant and needs focused policy initiatives to correct.

The enterprise potential of this sector is made doubly significant by the nature of the business. Fishing relies heavily on small and middle scale ancillary industries like canning, net-making and boat building, while supporting an additional base of activities in storage, processing and marketing. The net scope for employment generation, business development and poverty eradication through these allied activities make fishing deeply relevant to Nigeria’s quest for inclusive economic growth.

Here are some of the most pressing arguments in favour of a rapid expansion of fishing activities:

I. Aquaculture provides opportunities for optimal land use, allowing areas unsuitable for crops to be developed into economically productive ponds and fisheries.
II. Focussed expansion of artisanal and small-scale fishing can help turn around rural economies rapidly by generating jobs and sparking enterpreneruial activity.
III. In development-deprived areas and among rural communities, sustainable fish farming can help improve both nutritional and living standards.
IV. Nigeria’s highly diversified tropical ecology makes fishing in brackish and fresh waters almost a zero opportunity-cost endeavour with infinite growth potential.

Early in 2008, the fishing industry in the coastal Nigerian state of Akwa Ibom was paralysed in a wave of extortion and boat capture unleashed by sea-borne pirates. The attacks forced trawlers to go on an indefinite strike, bringing the local economy to a standstill and causing terrible loss of revenue to the regional council. While this particular situation was eventually resolved, security remains just one of several momentous challenges restraining the expansion of Nigerian fishing:

o The absence of a sustainable and progressive fisheries policy represents a fundamental hurdle, with lax government regulation routinely forcing small-scale operations out of business.
o Population expansion in coastal areas is giving rise to over-fishing and unscientific practices, destroying marine ecosystems and threatening underwater environments.
o Organised fishing attracts high capital expenditure in Nigeria as most of the necessary equipment, boats, feed, technology and know-how has to be imported.
o Infrastructure deficits severely hamper the storage, transport and marketing of fish in rural areas, making profitable urban markets unavailable to traditional fishing communities.
o Despite specific government efforts, commercial deep-sea fishing is out of reach for local entrepreneurs; the activity remains limited to the purview of foreign-owned companies.

Although the sector continues to receive sporadic government nudging and funding, the impact of these measures has been considerably restricted thus far due to lack of insight and effective implementation. Special schemes to promote fishing in target communities have also failed because of a low awareness about profitability in the business. Turning around this mindset could well prove to be one of the deciding challenges facing the Nigerian fishing industry. The nation’s history and unique circumstances will undoubtedly test its resolve to achieve formidable goals. Hopefully, the fervour of the Argungu fishermen and their quest for the biggest fish will provide some creative inspiration!

Peter Osalor is a multi-skilled director, chairman of trusts, proprietor and consultant. Peter Osalor has been a successful entrepreneur since 1992 when he formed Peter Osalor & Co and which has since grown to a very large client base with a turnover of millions. He is currently a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria (ICAN). Peter is also a member of the Chartered Tax Advisors and the Chartered Institute of Taxation in Nigeria (CITN).

Related Blogs

Fishing Tips

Homemade Carp Baits Made Using Potent Liquids and Ingredients In Your Kitchen!

Everyone wants cheaper ways to go fishing and saving money on bait is a massively important thing to anglers these days. You might think homemade kitchen made baits are ineffective, but guess what, the majority of commercial bait recipes first began in the kitchen. Read on now and save yourself a fortune as well as improve your catches for life!

Encouraging attractively-stimulating substances in your baits to leach out makes all the difference to your catches and the more easily and better they are able to hydrate and become more soluble they are the better!

You might immediately assume that cake-making flavours are the limit kitchen liquids to exploit in baits, but you can introduce loads of feeding triggers, attractors, enhancers and sweeteners in liquid forms! You can turn a vast range of dry kitchen food items into very useful liquids, by mixing them with warm water, or a condiment with a powder, or by liquidising an individual food or mixing a selection of things together.

Here’s a few examples I have found in my kitchen put to good use to make dips, soaks, etc used in particle and sea food preparation and in homemade paste, boilie pellet-making and in boosting a few readymade boilie base mixes, homemade and readymade ground baits, stick mixes, spod mixes, method mixes, flavouring maggots etc:

Marmite (or other types of yeast extract that are cheaper!)

Smooth peanut butter.

Tomato puree and Ketchups etc.

Worcester source.

Belachan.

Parmesan cheese.

Sea salt.

Horlicks drink.

Nesquick milk shakes.

Jellies.

Ice creams.

Chocolate powder.

Fresh crushed and powdered black pepper.

Herbs and spices and not just chilli pepper powders of which there are many forms!

Raspberry puree.

Jams and marmalades.

Creamed and concentrated soups.

Sugars; Demerara is superior to cheap white!

Condensed and evaporated milks.

Powdered milks.

Liquidised vegetables and fruits mixtures such as blueberries, and red peppers.

Fructose (fruit sugar.)

Garlic and onion powders.

Crab spread.

Liver pate.

Liquidised liver.

There are loads more things – with all kinds of useful impacts on fish senses and physiology etc to induce the behaviours and modes of feeding that you really want!

Including dye your dips and your baits will produce a plume of attractive attractor and feeding trigger-rich cloud in the water – if you make them right and keep them highly soluble so they break down easily for this effect! Liquidised sea foods for instance liquidised mussels, prawn, even tinned shrimps, cockles, tuna, crab, frozen squid etc (but use fresh not preserved whenever possible!) Concentrated fruit and herbal teas such a super fruits, vanilla and acai and ginseng, liqorice and Echinacea containing versions with only potent natural flavours and bioactives!

Many kitchen food items come from super markets but online stores, health stores etc. Modern cake-making flavours are totally different now; more naturally-orientated these days! But when it comes to buying from the shop or supermarket think about how you can seriously maximise the impacts of the essential nutritional attractions and bioactives within those foods; and study the labels very carefully for it reaps massive benefits and rewards – for you personally and in terms of your fish captures! (For example I recommend using sea salt with CC Moore concentrated garlic plus their unique ‘Cyprivit’ vitamin supplement – instead of garlic salt!)

Even the most innocent seemingly simple kitchen bait soak or dip can be extremely complex! For example, something like this: Marmite and molasses, fructose, a bit of instant coffee, plus liquidised pilchards in tomato source with liver pate and flaked crab with liquidised mussels carries an awesome array of feeding triggers, attractors and loads of special factors that fish really respond to internally instantly and longer-term.

You can use liquid from canned pulses, peas and beans, used with juices and oils from tinned fish etc, even to form a milky lactose-rich bait soak from certain lactose-laced breakfast cereals.

But of course seriously effective homemade bait making is about basing your efforts on knowledge of fish. This is paramount and without this detailed knowledge you are really guessing and hoping. Sure bait making is about feedback from catches in order to refine and fine-tune, but you need to know your fish in the beginning to really get the bigger picture about what you are trying to do so you begin to truly understand the power of baits over fish on a whole spectrum of levels and impacts, both instantly and over the long-term.

It is not merely what you use, how much you use, what you combine with what and why. It can be very simple indeed to make an effective bait using just 2 materials and a liquid – but it is in the knowing the reasons why you chose those specific things and why you combine them that is really powerful and exciting. But bait making is so much more profound than it might first appear.

When you have this knowledge and detailed information you can adapt and improve (and out-compete) endless readymade boilies, pellets, and also ready-prepared particle baits such as hemp and tiger nuts and even sea foods like mussels, cockles and prawn, and live foods like maggots too – and even boost fake baits like plastic sweetcorn!

You just need to find out how to do this so you can do it all yourself and save a fortune and reap the big rewards in improved fish catches for life; because knowledge really is for life! Revealed in my unique readymade bait and homemade bait carp and catfish bait secrets ebooks is far more powerful information. Look up my unique website (Baitbigfish) and see my biography below for details of my ebooks deals right now!

By Tim Richardson.

Now why not seize this moment to improve your catches for life with this unique series of fishing and bait secrets bibles: BIG CARP FLAVOURS FEEDING TRIGGERS AND CARP SENSES EXPLOITATION SECRETS! BIG CARP AND CATFISH BAIT SECRETS! And BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS!

For these and much more now visit: http://www.baitbigfish.com

Related Blogs