Time To Get Ready For Fishing

Hey guys...time to get out your rods and reels wherever you live, go through, sort and figure out what you need to get replaced, fix up...or just for the heck of it....plan on buying a new rod and reel (maybe you can get this one by the little woman...or old man as the case may be!) As a woman, I love to go fishing with my husband, even bait my own hook (learned as a young girl to bait the hook and not make a face and squeal!!) My husband is grateful for that, since when he sits down to fish, he does not want to be disturbed! Serious business for him!

Heck, I even use live bait...squirmy worms, pale wax-worms (that look disgusting I might add) and even the slimy minnows! My best friend (another girl...) found her love for fishing just a few short years ago. Her husband is the one who just goes along for the ride and watches. He's very accommodating to her new passion and keeps her supplied with the latest fishing gear. Only one fault I find....she cheats and wears gloves when baiting her hook and taking the fish off the line! Cheater! I say! Cheater!! I have pictures to prove it too!

These good friends of mine live in Kansas City, Missouri and we visited them a couple of years ago. We all had a good time visiting while staying at their trailer in a park beside a lake south of KC. We enjoyed fishing, swimming and taking all of our daughters along (their two and my one and only). They owned paddle boats that the girls meandered around the lake in, and we even found our own little "Gilligan's Island" in the middle of the lake. Lots of fun laughing and catching fish, laughing at my girlfriend's "gloved" handling of the fish she caught.

One of the best parts of the trip was going to Springfield and visiting their Bass Pro Shop!! Wow, was that awesome! If you cannot find what you are looking for there...you ain't gonna find it anywhere! We spent a good part of the day there, managed not to totally blow our budget, but came close!

Then we left and stopped to eat at a restaurant called Lamberts- the Home of the Hand Tossed rolls! And yes, they are hand tossed....from across the room from the server to you! And they are delicious! And all the servings there are BIG! My daughter just wanted a salad, and when she was served, it was big enough to feed four people!! It was awesome-- we were stuffed and had enough food in our doggie bags for another meal!

This was a fun vacation for all and one well worth repeating. Bonding with friends and family with a common interest in fishing and boating makes for a good memories and future outings for all to enjoy.

That trip is where we started mulling over our ideas of starting a business selling fishing tackle and gear on our own, hence the creation of http://www.franksfishinghole.com/ Feel free to visit our website. Check out the picture on our "about us" page from that summer vacation. Wish we were back there now!

Frank and Liz have begun this journey to take a different turn in our lives. Our goal is to have a family business, so we can spend more time with our family, tend to our loved ones, as this life is flying by so fast. It's time to reflect, take inventory of where we are, and look ahead to where we want to be in the future. We want to promote family unity, prayer and bring God back into people's lives.

You can't help but think about how great God is when you are out on a boat in the middle of the lake early in the morning, seeing the sunrise peak up over the horizon of the lake. When the water is calm, the sun is dancing off the waves of the lake, a peace comes over me that you cannot get anywhere else. Being close to nature, the smell of the lake water, the sounds of the birds, the water lapping up against the boat is the most calming, soothing feeling...better than any anti-depressant any doctor can prescribe. This is what puts the love of this sport in a person's heart. AND, catching that Big FISH. Come visit us at http://www.franksfishinghole.com See ya there!

Meals on Reels

Trolling Reels - Saltwater Lever Drag Two Speed Fishing Reels For Big Game

Trolling reels are typically used for offshore big-game trolling in open water. Trolling is the process of dragging both bait and lures behind a moving vessel, which is a productive way to locate schools of migratory fish. The reason being, when a boat trolls over a school of fish, the wake and commotion on the surface emulates a ball of bait. This triggers the feeding instincts of many offshore species and immediately sends the leading edge of the school towards the commotion to investigate, with the rest of the pack following. As the most aggressive fish in the school frantically try and chase down this commotion, the trolling lures, jigs and baits are the first hint of a meal that they come across. They charge at them with reckless abandon, inhaling what appears to the fish as vulnerable stragglers, desperately trying to catch up with the rest of the pack.

As soon as one of the trolling lures or baits is inhaled, the trolling reel begins to sing, with the clicker of the reel creating a loud noise that notifies the angler to get ready. This sends the anglers into a dash for their gear, yelling "hook-up", which immediately causes the captain to throw the vessel into neutral to stop the boat. As the momentum of the vessel carries the boat forward, the crew begins to throw live bait, either by pieces or in full scoops. By now, the rest of the migrating school has caught up to the commotion and is met with the temptation of live bait, sending them into a feeding frenzy.

However, a wide-open bite is not always the result of a hook-up while trolling. When the fish are down, or when the conditions are far from ideal, trolling will produce the majority of the catch, with no feeding frenzy following the trolled up fish. On these days, it is essential to land every troll fish and having the right equipment is critical in accomplishing this. Trolling rod and reel combos are the most expensive combos on the market today. Due to their importance in locating roaming schools of open water fish, manufacturers like Shimano®, Penn®, Daiwa®, Okuma® and Accurate® incorporate the finest materials and technologies to ensure strength and durability in producing the best fishing reel capable of handling record-breaking trophies.

Trolling reels are typically found in the lever drag system. On these types of fishing reels, the drag pressure adjusts with the slide of a lever, which is located on the top of the reel to the right. Designated markings of, or similar to free spool, strike and full are found on reels like the Penn® International series, Shimano Tiagra® and the Accurate Twin Drag® saltwater trolling reels. Most later models come in a two- speed version, with two separate gear ratios that serve different purposes. The high gear is to gain as much line as possible with every turn of the handle, sacrificing torque and power. Low gear, on the other hand, provides tremendous torque and in return, sacrifices the ability to retrieve a substantial amount of line per crank. When properly utilized, both gears are designed to maximize the chances of quickly and efficiently landing scale-busting size fish.

The most noticeable difference in a trolling reel are the two rings that sit atop all trolling fishing reels. These rings are part of the frame and hold an enormous amount of strength. Trolling straps are attached through these rings, as well as big game harnesses and on some occasions, a back-up rod and reel combo, a common practice when fishing on long range boats out of San Diego for huge blue fin and yellow fin tuna. Trolling reels are so strong and powerful, I have even seen anglers cut these rings off and even go so far as to make custom frames to readily access the spool and use trolling reels as live bait reels. I do not recommend this practice, as many of the latest star-drag conventional reels will serve the same purpose.

With the high prices of fuel, trolling around in offshore waters can be very costly. That is why every serious big-game angler should consider having the best saltwater tackle available when it comes to their arsenal. The properly maintained saltwater combo can mean the difference in coming home with a trophy of a lifetime, or coming home skunked, carrying an empty sack.

I have been fishing for over 20 years of my life and hope to continue to do so for the next 30. I have dedicated myself to sharing what I have learned through those years in the hopes of promoting this popular outdoor recreational activity by providing commentaries and reviews, video tutorials, fishing tips and more. Come visit my site at http://spinningreels.com for freshwater and saltwater fishing information.

Meals on Reels