Tackle | Ultimate Fishing Directory

29 Jan

Fish Basics

Posted by Joshua Nathaniel Melville, under "How To Plan It", Fishing Trips and Reviews, Gear Reviews, General, GetREELed, Interesting Facts, Joshua, Team UFD

Here Are Some Basic Tips I’ve Researched For These 3 Fish During Ice Season. Hope This Helps, Good Luck And Tight Lines To all.

Lake Trout Basic Tips:
Hook size: # 6 or 8.
Bait Recommended:Perch Bait Or Shiners, Back Hooked.
Line Placement:1-3 Inches From Bottom
Recommended Lures:Jigging Raps And Swedish Pimples.
Best Time Of Day:Either Sun up Or Sundown.
Structures:Points, Breaks, Rock Piles, Humps, And Inside Turns.

Salmon Basic Tips;
Hook Size: # 6 or 8.
Bait Recommended:Perch Bait Or Shiners, Back Hooked.
Lures Recommended:Jigging Raps or Swedish Pimples.
Line Placement:1-8 Feet Bellow Ice.
Structures:Points, Breaks, Rock Piles, Humps, And Inside Turns.

Pike basic tips:
Hook Size: # 6 or 8, On A Steel Leader.
Bait Recommended:Perch Bait, Shiners, Or “Pike Bait”.
Lures Recommended:Jigging Raps, Swedish Pimples, Flashy Spoons, And Airplane Jigs.
Line Placement:1-3 Feet Bellow Ice.
Best Time Of Day:Broad Daylight.
Structures:Shallow Flats And Outside Weed Edges.

Hope These Help Anyone Looking For The Basics On these Fish Good Luck And Tight Lines.

25 Jan

30TH Annual Ice Fishing Derby

Posted by Joshua Nathaniel Melville, under "How To Plan It", Contests and Promotions, Fishing Shows, Fishing Trips and Reviews, Gear Reviews, General, GetREELed, Interesting Facts, Joshua, Tackle Reviews, Team UFD

30TH Annual

Lake Champlain

Islands

ICE FISHING DERBY

SATURDAY – SUNDAY:

FEBRUARY 13 – 14, 2010

MARK YOUR CALANDERS AND BUY YOUR

TICKETS TODAY!

YOU COULD WIN:

Now in it’s 30th consecutive year, the derby is proud to award over $4,000 in cash and prizes. There are seven categories of which to compete for cash prizes up to $300.00, plus a trophy for the first 3 places in each category. However you don’t have to catch the biggest fish in the lake to be a winner. Your derby ticket qualifies you to win a jiffy power auger at the awards ceremony on Sunday night, You must be present to win.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

you may call one of the following committee members : Mindy and Gilbert Granger ( Martin’s General Store) 802-868-4459; Steve Martell (Bayside Bait and Tackle) 802-524-2222; or George Fowler (The Islander Newspaper) 802-372-5600.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL !

21 Dec

Ice Season Starts Early

Posted by Joshua Nathaniel Melville, under "How To Plan It", Coming Soon, Fishing Trips and Reviews, GetREELed, Interesting Facts, Joshua, Team UFD, Uncategorized

Get your gear ready , Cold weather has brought us an early ice season. I came across this article in the Sunday paper while drinking my coffee and my excitement level shot through the roof . I ran through the house showing everyone, and now sharing this info to you my fellow ice anglers. Our first ice fishing adventure will take place after the new year. Also just got an HD camcorder so Keep an eye out for great ice fishing Videos. (Coming Soon)

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21 Jun

Happy Fathers Day…

Posted by the fisherbabe, under General, fisherbabe

To all the daddy’s out there…Have a great day!!!

I am off to Cabelas to get my anniversary gift and to pick up some new lures for a contest coming soon to my blog!!!

Have a great day guys…YOU DESERVE IT!!

Happy Fishing and Happy Present Getting

LIZZY aka The Fisherbabe

20 Jun

Ok…Just Being Pink Is Not Enough…

Posted by the fisherbabe, under Gear Reviews, fisherbabe

Just because I am a woman and I like pink things does not mean that I do not expect the same gear specifications that are available for men. You have all heard this before many times…in reference to just about anything they sell for women who fish. I hate to say it…but so far and from what I have seen…the selection is pretty disappointing.

The places that I fish are beautiful and full of natural wonder, but they are often harsh locations with no other people for hundreds of miles. Seriously, one time they told my husband and father in law to set an island on fire if there was an emergency, because that was the only way anyone would know they were in trouble. There is certainly no corner tackle shop to run to when a piece of gear falters or fails. This means that when I go fishing, I must take gear and tackle that I truly trust and believe in. So that means that I buy manly gear.

I guess in fishing there is no real gender separation because for many years now it has been a sport that has been dominated by men. Therefore, I can understand why companies do not make or market products for women. The ones that do market towards women, most commonly market men’s product in a smaller, shrunken down size. They think this is sufficient. I have news guys…women are not made like men! Apparently this is a common misconception around the world of fishing product makers.

Now…do I truly need pink gear…well it would be super cool, but no. Would I like gear that fits my hands so that I can handle my rod and reel more effectively…YES!!! Would I like gloves that mold to my hands the way my husbands mold to his without leaving at least an inch in the fingertips…YES!!! Would I like pants that fit me properly and do not leave a large amount of room in the “crotchal region”…OMG YES!!!!

All this being said, I would like to give an example of some fishing gear from Shakespeare. Now, I love my Ugly Stiks. I do not use any other rods because I know that the quality you get from Shakespeare is unmatched. The service you get is also unmatched. They are a great company with a solid history of caring about the sport of fishing and their customer. I will probably never switch to another rod. My entire family is Ugly Stik die-hards. That’s the way it is when we find something we believe in…we stick with it!!!

However…look at this new rod they are now selling for ladies.

I am seriously upset that someone FINALLY made a pink rod and they do not even make it in the same specifications as the typical men’s rod. THEY DO NOT EVEN HAVE ONE THAT IS EFFECTIVE FOR 20 POUND TEST!!! Are you kidding me? Do they think that women do not want to catch HUGE fish? What if I had a 150 pound tarpon on my line (as my step mother in law did), should I just not fish for that kind of fish and let the big, strong men handle it? That is offensive to me.

A second horrible thing about these rods is that most of them break down into two pieces which means…they have a bigger chance of actually “breaking down” when you catch that fish of a lifetime. It’s a known fact that collapsible rods are not as strong as ones that are all one piece because of the pressure put on the place where the rod comes apart.

Another crappy problem with this rod is that the only 5′6 model available collapses. I only fish with 5′6 BCL 1100 ugly stiks. That is all. They are smooth and easy to handle, and I love them. However, I cannot have it collapsing on me. I really wish they had not made these poles collapsible at all. I mean the choices are insane…I can either get a tiny 4′0 or 5′0 rod or an enormous 6′0 or 6′6 rod. There is nothing in between that comes in one piece.

They are also selling combos now. I will not even get into those…I do not want to compare what they are offering to my shimano cardiff reel, because I will not have nice things to say at all. They do not even offer a baitcaster in their combos. They offer spinning combos and one closed face reel that comes pre-spooled…most likely not with 25 pound test. Oh…and they call it Ladyfish!! Come on now…really?

Perhaps, I am just mad because they are not making exactly what I want. I will commend the company for caring about breast cancer and supporting finding a cure. As I said before, this company is one that is solid and trustworthy, and obviously cares. But I just wish that, if they are going to make stuff for the ladies, they make the same stuff as they have been for men. There are all types of ladies out there, and we need all types of gear. The truly offensive thing is the action of the rods. It’s like they are saying to me…women aren’t good enough to handle the big fish so you don’t need a rod that holds 25 pound test.

Well, I have news guys…I am woman enough to need 100 pound test, and someday I am going to catch a fish big enough to need it!!!

Happy Rod Shopping and Happy Saturday~

LIZZY aka The Fisherbabe

**Photo taken from http://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/

17 Jun

Coming Soon To A Fisherbabe Blog Near You…

Posted by the fisherbabe, under Coming Soon, fisherbabe

My blog is starting to come together and there are some exciting new things I am planning. I wanted to take a moment to share with all of you a few of the things that are coming soon!!!

First of all, I know that many of you are supporters and fans of www.GetReeled.com. One of the most exciting things happening here soon is an exclusive interview with the creator of www.GetReeled.com who will be launching a brand new site very soon. This new site offers many opportunities for anglers to find all the information they need in one place. It also offers businesses that cater to anglers the chance to get their name out there and an easy way for them to advertise what they have to offer us.

I have had the chance to preview this site before it launches. We all love GetReeled.com and I am certain that you will love this site just as much!!

Secondly, I am planning to add webshows to my blog really soon!!! There are all kinds of tips and tricks and trips to Cabela’s that I want to show and a webcast seems to be the perfect addition to the blog. The first webcast will be added within the next week or two and will center around learning how to tie the very special “Lay Knot”. This knot is strong, effective, and durable when tied correctly. I am very excited to start these webcasts with this awesome knot-tying technique.

Finally, I am excited to add posts reviewing even more tackle, gear, and fishing lodges/trips. I am looking forward to the summer months and all the fishing that comes with them!!! I plan to try out lots of new products and go to lots of new lakes!! There is nothing better than first hand knowledge to let you know how a product really works or how many fish there are in a certain lake or river. I am very excited to be the lucky girl that gets to find all that stuff out!!

Thanks to everyone who keeps reading and following and commenting!!! A blog isn’t popular without readers!! I cannot wait to get all this cool stuff up and posted soon!!!

Happy Days Ahead and Tight Lines~

LIZZY aka The Fisherbabe

15 Jun

New tacklebox

Posted by the fisherbabe, under Gear Reviews, fisherbabe

Sooooo…before my trip, I bought a new tacklebox. It is a Plano 9606 and it is AMAZING!!! Before I had one that included a flip top with insertable trays. However, it was very hard to see all my lures and to get to the lure I needed I had to pull all the trays out because I could never remember which lure was in what case. At one point, I was tripping over all those trays laid out in the boat. To say the least, I felt it was a mess.

So…before this last trip, I bought a new one. Boy is it AWESOME!!! The new tackle box is all one peice with no trays. It boasts 6 extra large trays that make up to 74 areas for lures. It comes with double closure (one on each side) to ensure that the case closes securely.

Now…I do not know about all of you but I need 74 areas. As a matter of fact…I need 740 areas but I will work with the 74. I like to have a wide array of lures available to me at any point and time…and I love for them to all be organized and color coordinated. Color coordination in a tackle box is important.

Bass Pro Shops user reviews gives this tackle box a 4.5 out of 5 STAR rating. A few reviews say things like:

“This box is huge and durable…”

“This is a great tackle box with lots of room…”

“Has plenty of room for all types of tackle…”

“Sturdy and Spacious…”

and my favorite…

“This is THE Box…”

I am in total agreement with all of the above user reviews. This box did replace my old one quite adequately. I do admit to feeling pretty sad about leaving my old box at home. I thought maybe its feelings were hurt that I did not want to take it fishing anymore. But Oh Well…I needed a better place to store my pretty fish food.

The best thing about this tackle box is that it closes up nicely and pushes up against the side of your boat and stay pretty much out of the way while you fish. There are no trays all over the boat. AND most importantly, I found that it made a nice pillow for those long trips across a big lake.

It unfortunately only comes in green and beige. As you all may have guessed…I was really looking for something in PINK!!! So my next question is…of course…can you paint tackleboxes with spray paint? LOL…

Happy Lure Storing and Tight Lines ~

LIZZY aka The Fisherbabe

12 Jun

If We Each Have Our Own Heavens…Mine Is Definately Cabelas…

Posted by the fisherbabe, under Gear Reviews, fisherbabe

Or maybe the shoe department at Nordstroms…Or maybe…a combo store that sells Orange Hammers AND Manolo Blahniks…YES…Oh YES!!!

Anyways…back to reality…I cannot believe that our trip is over…sigh…I am so sad!! Right now, I am staring at my tackle box to see what needs to be replaced. I used so many hammers over the week and now FOUR…yes FOUR…no longer have paint or not much paint anyways!! I also lost 2 very good orange and chartreuse colored red-eyes (one that I CUSTOM painted) when my crummy steel leaders broke. So my list as of now contains:

1. More Hammers

2. Generic colored (orange and chartreuse) red eyes

3. Better steel leaders…the ones that actually lock in and not just around…stupid leaders lost me a big fish

4. More Hammers

5. LINE (2o lb test because I ran out and 10 lb test in case I talk ANYBODY into fishing with me around here soon)

6. Silver colored red-eyes (so that I may once again painstakingly custom paint a FABULOUS lure…I mean…if I were fish I would totally wanna eat my hand made lures)

7. More Hammers

8. Another Shimano Cardiff 200A (ok…this one is wishful thinking but I am hoping that SOMEBODY will take the hint for my BIRTHDAY or ANNIVERSARY that is soon approaching!!)

9. A Pink 5′6 Pistol Grip Ugly Stick that does not collapse into 2 peices (oh wait…I CANNOT BUY THIS BECAUSE IT DOES NOT EXIST…dammit)

10. More Hammers

As you all can see, my list contains some very important things as well as some things that will remain on the list for a while. I looked for the pink ugly stick forever before I realized it does not exist. Perhaps someday in the near future Shakespeare will realize that I catch fish as large as my husband and that yes…I do like pink…but I still want gear that is equal to or better than that of the men.

Ok moving on…so I am picking these things up at a Cabela’s near me soon. I love Cabelas…walking in and smelling the fishing line and lures and tackle takes me to my happy place…

I will be posting some more photos of my trip as soon as I can get a collage together…probably tonight!!! Check back soon to see them and have a great day!!!

Happy Shopping~

Lizzy aka The Fisherbabe

11 Jun

I Am Now A Northern Pike Specialist And A Manitoba Master Angler…

Posted by the fisherbabe, under Travels, fisherbabe

or at least I will be soon!!! I just gotta mail in all the massive records of the fish I caught!! YAY!

I just got back a few days ago…and I must say first and foremost…this was the best fishing trip of MY LIFE!!! I do not know where to even start…seriously!!! I guess I should start with day 1…

As previously mentioned…the camp had no running water and…an outhouse!!! We arrived at camp around 11:00 am and therefore set about getting our gear ready for a half day of fishing!!!

We weren’t expecting too much…half days sometimes do not produce as much for the obvious reasons…but can you believe we caught 7 Master Angler sized Pike that day…

SERIOUSLY!!!!

This was my first big one on that first day. I could not believe what it felt like to haul in that huge of a fish. I mean, last year I caught an 8 pounder and that was it!!! Although I have to say that my first fish was a huge Walleye and I did win the beads for having the biggest Walleye!!!

This pike was only 42 inches long…and yes I say only because the next fish my hubby caught

was a whopping 44.5 inches long and 24 pounds…

He was happier than I had ever seen him (including our wedding day…lol) and you could tell the adrenaline was rushing with being afraid the big hog would somehow throw the hook or snap the line.

But he got it in (and if I do say so myself…my net job was AMAZING) and we measured and weighed and he got the beads that day. It was the biggest fish caught that day and boy was it FAT. This fish was healthy and LARGE.

We also caught two 44 inchers, two more 42 inchers and a 41.5 incher that day!! We did not think that it would be possible to top a 44.5 inch fish that weighed 24 pounds but…

The very next day my Father in Law caught a 48

INCH PIKE that weighed 27 POUNDS…

We could not believe the size of that monster. Needless to say, the beads went with him and stayed with him. He won the prize.

That fish was beautiful and large. I have never seen another pike like it!! What A Fish ~I sure hope that someday I have the opportunity to catch a fish like that

We caught 4 Master sized fish the second day!!

On the third day we caught 11 Master sized Pike and we were amazed. We had never seen anything like this type of fishing before and my father in law and husband have been fishing for a combined 40 plus years. It was CRAZINESS!!!!

These fish are HOGS…

In fact, I am still in shock from the amount of fish we caught!!! On the fourth day we caught 13 MASTER SIZED FISH. It was amazing…the most amazing thing we had ever seen…we were just reeling them in!!!

The fifth day was even better with us catching a whopping 15 MASTERS!!!

Day six and seven produced 9 total and my sister in law and I did not fish one of those days because it snowed on us…yes it SNOWED!!!

It was so cold I seriously had on 8 layers of clothing…I wore:

1: a tank top

2: thermal undies (2 pairs)

3. sweatshirts (2)

4. T-shirts (2)

5. Flannel Jacket

6. Raingear!!

I looked like a stuffed pig. I really did!! You cannot even tell
that this is me because I am so covered…LOL!!

This trip was by far the most fun I have ever had!! The lake was unmatched for trophy pike fishing and I really hope that we get to go back again one day!!

One really special thing about this trip is that the lodge let us in special because they do not have an outpost set up on this camp. Therefore, we got to do a once in a lifetime trip that no one else gets to do. That made it that much greater!!

Overall we caught a WHOPPING 59 Master Angler sized Pike (over 41 inches)!! That is truly amazing and we were all stunned!!

My father in law also caught a 46 incher and my sister in law reeled in a 45 inch 20 pounder!! These were some large fish!!!

Overall, I caught 11 Master Angler sized fish and I am proud to add Northern Pike Specialist and Master Angler to my resume. What at trip of a lifetime.

Oh…by the way…to all you disbelievers out there…that 48 inch pike, the 46 inch pike, and the majority of the rest of them were all caught on that #1 lure you are all so unwilling to believe is the best…THE ORANGE HAMMER DID IT AGAIN!!! LOL ~

Tight Lines and Happy Trails~

LIZZY

aka THE FISHERBABE

05 May

Suggestions Needed…

Posted by the fisherbabe, under fisherbabe

Hey Everyone…

So, per last post, I am heading off to Canada in three weeks…yes THREE WEEKS…for some majorly awesome pike fishing. These fish are aggressive and fiesty, but they are also very beautiful with distictive colorations and eating patterns. Pike move with the water temperature and so we will be looking for bends in the lake filled with shallow weed beds.

As I am thinking about my trip and all the stuff that needs to be done before we leave, the thing of most importance on my mind is my tackle box and gear. It is time to clean out the box and take some stuff that I know won’t work out and put in more hammers and generics…

I am interested in trying out some new lures while I am out there. I know that 99% of the time I WILL NOT take my hammer off my line. This lure is MADNESS when PIKE FISHING!!! I SWEAR!!! But…I would like to experiment with some of your favorite lures for Pike Fishing. I will post about my catches when I get back and so you can get a real review of your favorite lures and how well they did in the waters of Canada.

So leave me comments about your favorite lures and make sure you give me the names, brands, and colors that work. I will try them out at Lake Waskiaowaka and let you know how they stack up against my all time favorite…THE ORANGE HAMMER!!!!

Happy Lure Suggesting~

LIZZY aka The Fisherbabe