10 Fishing Gems
April 30, 2007
Fishing Gem #1 ? When Is Best?
If you are in a boat and plan to anchor and bottom fish, get out there before the sun goes down and set up .
Over many years, it has been noticed that a good bite usually starts 2 hours before sunrise. Use an alarm clock to make sure you don’t miss it!
You want to be set up and ready to wet-bait a half hour before the sun sets. Anchoring and cooking needs to be done prior to the sunset. Cooking while evening fishing can be hazardous and spills may occur!
One of the reasons to be all set up at least 30 minutes before dark is that there is usually a minor bite ½ hour before or after either sunrise or sunset. Typically they feed shallower during this minor bite ? about 30 feet down in many cases.
Remember, on most bodies of water, the remaining minutes at twilight can be absolutely magical for fishermen.
Fishing Gem #2 ? Go Towards The Light!
For good fast action (in either saltwater or freshwater), try to fish around piers with lights on the end of them. Most successful night fishing excursions occur around lights on buoys or piers.
Too much to do in London!
April 30, 2007
No one can truly say they know London well. To know London completely is impossible. London changes faster than pigeons descending into the fountains of Trafalgar Square. Home to inhabitants for over 2,000 years now London has grown from the protective circle of the Tower to a sprawling metropolis, the ideal platform for constant illustrious activity.
Always where there is history there are tales to tell. Tourists are naturally drawn to the regular tourist attractions, yet it is the true travellers that seek deeper to find the gems of a 2,000 year-old town. It only takes a very small amount of investigating to find something more rewarding, more interesting, more inspiring in London, than the London Dungeons (although it must be said ? is a damn good laugh if you can bear the hour long queues!).
For instance, not even a minute’s walk from the London Dungeons is the Hay’s Galleria. This gem is for some totally bizarre reason hidden from all guidebooks and tourist information ? no doubt to preserve its lack of thousands of tourists making it a less exclusive haven. Please go there! It’s a beautiful indoor/outdoor menagerie of a few select shops, with a vast concourse of cafes, market stalls, bands, presentations, and of course, it overlooks a beautiful part of the Thames.
Four Fly Fishing Tips
April 29, 2007
Good Fly Presentation
Obviously, the goal when casting a fly is to present the fly to the fish in a realistic manner. You are trying to simulate nature here. If you are going for trout in a stream, for instance, this means a drag-free float of 36 inches over a precise spot that marks the window of a feeding fish.
Never randomly cast ? you have got to pick a spot and hit it. Throw tight loops that put the fly on target. One important method that can be used is to overcast the target and stop the line short while it is in the air. The fly should come back to you and fall on the water with slack in the leader.
The best trout fishermen fish with only 30 to 35 feet of line, but make up for this with accurate casting. They read waters will and put the fly in the p ay zone time after time. One of the most important thins they do is to recognize that presentation and approach are much more important than pattern.
Maples for Autumn Colour
April 28, 2007
As the weather cools in late summer and the days shorten noticeably so the deciduous trees and shrubs begin to withdraw chlorophyll from their leaves in preparation for the winter shutdown. With less of that vital green pigment to mask them, the other colours within the leaves begin to show through. While the best of the autumn color may be over for this year, the coming winter months are the time to consider how best to prepare for next years autumn glory.
When it comes to the most vibrant tones, the genus Acer, the maples, includes many sterling contributors. Most of the 150-odd species of maples are deciduous trees, though some are shrubby and a few are evergreen. Acer is primarily a temperate northern hemisphere genus, ranging from around 59°N southwards to the mountains of the subtropics. With the exception of a few Eurasian species, principally the Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) and the Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), most of our garden maples are derived from Asian and North American species.
Maples do flower, but apart from a few with showy tassel-like blooms, most are grown solely as foliage plants, And while the thrust of this article is about autumn colour, many of the best autumn maples are also excellent spring and summer foliage plants.
A Big Fish Story
April 27, 2007
Ketchikan, located in southeast Alaska, is a good place to fish for halibut. Sally and John Balch live in Ketchikan and have a favorite spot nearby to halibut fish. It’s a secret spot, so don’t ask where it is.
The Balches were fishing there one Sunday and having good luck landing cod and halibut, so they decided to stop about mid-morning. Sally started pulling in her gear and felt a tug on the line.
It was more than a tug, really. Sally said that she thought she had snagged the bottom of the ocean. Sally reeled in the line with all her strength, tired, and turned the rod over to her husband.
John and Sally fought the halibut over the course of the next hour. They reeled it to the surface three times, but each time the halibut regained strength and swam back down to the bottom of the ocean.
After more than an hour the tired Balches were successful in subduing the halibut, and after another hour were able to bring the halibut into their boat.
Spanish Courses in Spain
April 26, 2007
Spain: sun, sea, sand and Spanish… discover us! Spain, a golden country in the heart of Europe and gateway to the Americas. A mini continent blessed with sunshine and charisma and overflowing with culture, history, art, flamenco and mouth watering tapas.
A “true paradise” with something for everyone.
Spain offers a rich natural diversity with green mountains in the North, the flat centre, and heavenly beaches along the seemingly endless Southern and Eastern coasts.
The country is a perfect balance of the ancient world and the new, where traditional cathedrals sit side by side with modern architecture in the elegant remains of Roman and Moorish cities. Typical Mediterranean cuisine is found along with fast food restaurants; football matches share the arenas with bullfights, both arousing the same passion in the old and young alike.
Are you tired of trying to learn Spanish or improving your Spanish skills at home?
Quality Courses offers the most affordable way to learn Spanish in Spain. Here you can find the best Spanish Schools in the most attractive towns of Spain.
Manu Rodriguez
The Fish Dont Care What You Wear
April 25, 2007
The fish don’t care what you wear. Waders, vests and hats for fishermen are necessities to brave the elements.
Waders are a must if you are planning any surfcasting or stream wading. And what you need to know about waders, no matter how much you spend for them, they will eventually leak and new waders must be replaced.
Love to fish in the streams during the summer? Rivers are low running and are not deep; so hip waders are perfect. Why heat up in chest waders when hip waders will suffice. On the other hand, those one-piece chest-high waders are a necessity for surfcasting. Irritating sand or pea gravel cannot wedge their way into your boots.
Alternatives to chest waders are the stocking-foot waders. Stocking-foot waders are also chest-high, but anglers will require wading shoes or boots. Some anglers favor wading shoes or boots as they give added support and traction while fishing all day.
It is difficult to imagine fishing without vests. Vests are invaluable as they contain many pockets to hold such items as expensive flies or lures as well as your bug repellant. But ensure that the pockets open from the top and not the side so not to lose those valuable flies or lures. Not to imagine losing your car key.
How to Save Money AND help the planet
April 25, 2007
Don’t all of us love to have the money to do the fun things that bring us joy? Not that all fun things require money, mind you, on the contrary! But have you ever wanted to read that awesome-looking new book, eat at that new green restaurant in town or throw a party for friends and family…only to be short a little cash?
Here are few tips:
1. Give your hot water tank a blanket.
There’s this neat thing called Reflectix, have you heard of it? Wow. It’s basically insulation for your hot water tank…in the form of shiny aluminum foil, but slightly thicker. And just as easy to manipulate. Just roll out the amount needed, wrap your hot water tank, and secure it with a special shiny tape, almost like gift wrapping your tank.
Net result? You’ll save a bunch off your heating bills! And by saving energy to heat your water, you help the planet enormously! (Reflectix can also be used to insulate heating ducts.) Buy it in rolls of all different sizes at your local hardware store and go nuts!! Very cool stuff.
2. Grow your hair long OR…shave it all off.
Why Do You Need a Tacklebox?
April 24, 2007
A tacklebox or a tackle bag is a necessity to store your fishing lures, bobbers, and hooks.
A tacklebox is a necessity to store your expensive lures. The more you fish the more expensive lures you will accumulate. I can’t imagine over time having a tangled mess of barbed metal to contend with. Nothing beats staying organized. Therefore, having a tacklebox is a must.
So the question remains what type of tackle box do you need? There are many different types of tackleboxes to choose from. I suggest a tackle box with sufficient storage for your current needs then double it. Also to keep in mind your tacklebox should have sufficient compartments to hold some oversized lures. You wouldn’t want the oversized lures to tangle maps, leaders, or bandages.
What should you include in your tacklebox?
How to Grab a Bite to Eat and Help the Planet
April 23, 2007
You CAN grab something to eat, enjoy every bite, AND help the planet…
In fact, here are a few ways:
1. Try ‘green’ convenience foods.
Behold, convenience foods that are environmentally friendly, well priced and…yummy! Quick, stock up on pizza of all sorts, including PESTO, my fave…macaroni and cheese, chili, shepherd’s pie, and lots more…
One of the more frequently available brands of green frozen dinners is Amy’s Kitchen. Like several other labels which I’m dying to try, these meals are made from organic ingredients and come in recycled (and recyclable) packaging. Oh, and yes, they are completely vegetarian, but you honestly wouldn’t know it. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that you can be eating within 10-20 minutes for most of these meals, either. Amy’s has saved my butt many a dinner time, let me tell you!
Find a store that stocks Amy’s products by clicking on the ‘Buy Amy’s’ link at this site: http://www.amyskitchen.com or, go further afield for to try different options at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com and http://www.ecomall.com/biz/food.htm.
2. Try a ‘green’ restaurant.
Yes, there is such a thing.
