Tag Archives: Fishing

Carp Fishing Basics

5th Annual Carp Fishing Holiday 07 Manicure Lake Day 10 Pt1


The last day of my annual fishing holiday (part 1) and it is the hottest so far, add to that crowds of day ticket anglers making loads of noise then you know the fishing is going to be hard. A thick head from over exposure to alcohol the night before ensures a very late start. Mr Martin has been fishing since 7 am and has already lost a good fish. Bacon sarnies and the hair that bit the dog is the order of the day. for more information viist www.thecarpcatcher.co.uk

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

Carp Fishing Equipment

Fly Fishing Apparatus

Fly fishing isn’t just a normal way of fishing because it uses specific tools to catch fish. . The most common associated fish caught with fly fishing tackles is trout and salmon, however pike, bass and carp are being caught as well.

The basic apparatus in fly fishing is the fly rod, fly line, artificial fly line and fly reel. Each part of the tackle has its own vita role in catching fish. First is the fly rod which is used to cast the fly line. The length will vary between 7 to 10 feet depending on the environment where you are fishing. Usually, fly rod are made from graphite and fibreglass and in some cases bamboo. By using other materials, the fly rod will become lighter or heavier and it may also become stiff or bendy. Therefore, follow the intended materials for ht fly rod to work perfectly.

Another part is the fly line which is a plastic coated line that can be found in variety of thickness. They also range in color but usually, bright colored fly line is used to attract the prey that is intended to be caught.

Now let’s go to the major part of the fishing tackle which is the artificial flies. They are made by tying hair, feathers, fur and other natural and synthetic materials onto a hook. Artificial flies range from bright lively colours in order to stand out, or darker colours to match the environment.

Another important part of the tackle is the fly reel. This one is used to hold the fly fishing line. The fish caught depends entirely on the kind of reel used. For bigger fishes, one should consider thicker lines and gears while for smaller fishes, a manual reel can be used.

Feel free to visit http://www.sammaka.com/ for more info about fly fishing guidelines and equipments.

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