How To Keep A Fishing Journal…

One of the most valuable things that I have done is to keep a fishing journal. Here I write down when and where I went fishing and what the weather was like i.e. 4-6 am, 72°,raining heavily, Nashua River at Pepperell Pond or 7:45-9 pm, 96°, humid, very cloudy, on the Squannacook downstream from the grist mill in Townsend Harbor. Then I jot down what I caught and what bait were used to catch it; also list what lures were not successful.

If the body of water you fish has significantly different water levels over the course of the year, record those as well. This can have a major impact on the water temperature, flow, and oxygenation of the water. The temperature of the water is another major factor because certain fish prefer different temperatures. Trout like cold water with lots of oxygen and bass like warmer water, but not so warm that there is no enough dissolved oxygen for them.

Later if you are going to a certain location, you can go back and see what you successfully used for lures or bait and what time of day was good. Speaking of the time you may want to take into consideration how close to sunrise or sunset you were there. This is because the time alone can throw things off. If you decided to go to a certain place where you had been at 8pm in the middle of the summer, but now it was the autumn; it would be pitch dark in the fall. Think reasonably.

In your journal you may find that brightly colored lures are great towards the evening hours and on cloudy days dark colors attract more fish.

Keeping your journal for your local areas pays off big time in the long run. Whenever you are thinking about fishing in a certain spot where you have taken notes before, you can go to your journal and see what worked best. This way you cut down on your time experimenting with various baits and lures. Try these first before you cast out any others to test the water with.

Good luck and see you on the water’s edge…

P.S. Check out these books:

Fishing On The Cape Cod Canal

Here's some folks fishing on the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzard's Bay down my the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

As you can see they have a few of those ponchos that you can keep in your tackle box that are about 4"x6". This way if all of a sudden the skies open up and start pouring down on you, you have a bit of protection for the day.

I know that it may be difficult to fold these up again to stuff back into that little envelope. First let the poncho dry out really well. On a hard, smooth surface make a few folds, then smooth out the plastic while you push out any air. Sometimes rolling the plastic up before folding it up more helps.

Remember do NOT stand out there in a thunder and lightning storm! Your fishing pole makes a great lightening rod. You do not want to be out there holding it when lightening strikes. Be safe.

I just love fishing with spinnerbaits

I just love fishing. I find that when you can actually see that fish strike your bait with a blast, it is awesome. It really gets my adrenaline flowing and I know there is a great fish fight to be had.

I discovered that my best strikes come when I use a spinner bait. One of the spinner baits that I get the best results with is the Bleeding Bait Mini-King. I get good results with a plain white one, but this 'bleeder' must get the fish's juices all fired up because I get way more hits with this.

The Bleeding Bait Mini-King Features:

• The Bleeding Bait Mini-King is one of the most popular spinnerbaits on the market.
• Includes a red hook and bleeding accent skirt.
• One deadly little fish catching dude.
• Tie one on and catch everything that swims.
• First blade silver colorado - second gold willow.

The last time I checked Amazon still had these in stock. However being one of their best sellers, it could be out of stock at any minute and that means you would have to wait, and waiting sucks. So hurry while they are in stock to increase your take. Click on the box below to get one fast.



See you on the water!

Do not buy this Garmin Fishfinder 400C 4-Inch Waterproof Fishfinder until you read this...

Click on this box to buy one!

I have been looking for a fish finder. The 400 model has a bigger screen. See the 300further down on the page. In overall comparisions, I am leaning to get the 400 just because of the size, but the majority of reviews are favorable toward both of these fish finders.

This Garmin 400C Fish Finder with Dual Beam Transducer combines high performance with a simple interface that makes it easy to locate fish wherever you go. With all the functionality you need in a base system, and a choice of transducers for multiple options depending upon your fishing environment, the 400C is a great entry-level fish finder for anybody who just wants to get out and find fish.

The Garmin 400C fish finder utilizes a crisp, ultra-bright, 4-inch, full-color QVGA display with 320 x 240 pixels of resolution that lets you easily distinguish bottom detail and fish from background structure. This unit features easy, one-touch navigation through different functions via front panel control buttons, as well as UltraScroll for screen updates at live-action speeds. The 400C also features a backlit keypad for easier operation at night, and a new night mode function that provides optimum readability in low-light conditions.

The 400C is designed to be easily adaptable to both freshwater and saltwater conditions, with a choice of dual-beam or dual-frequency transducers. This unit comes with a 500-watt (RMS), dual-frequency transducer with a narrow beam that pierces the depths below your boat down to 1,500 feet. There is also a 400-watt (RMS), dual-beam transducer available that provides you with a wider fish-finding cone for better surrounding visibility down to a depth of 900 feet. Made to be upgradeable and expandable, the Garmin 400C includes built-in CANet connectivity that enables sonar data to be shared with a compatible Garmin chartplotter as part of a larger marine system. This unit weighs 1.5 pounds, and measures just 5.72 x 5 x 2.73 inches (W x H x D) allowing it to be placed virtually anywhere.

What's in the Box
Garmin 400C fish finder, dual frequency transducer, swivel mounting bracket, power and data cable, protective cover and owner's manual.

One person sums it up like this even though it is a discontinued model folks are still buying it:

I had to buy a second one becuase the 1st one went with the boat when it sold and then I purchased the 2nd.
These fish finders work great, amazing clarity. Easy to find menu operations, it also works with my Garmin GPS, which is another added benefit. Screen is visible in all light. I also like to be able to identify the size of fish under the boat, whether it be herring balls or candle fish on the bottom, it's all quite detailed. This also is the first fishfinder that I've owned that has water temperature, as I've learned the fish are particular about shade and water temperature. More fish in the boat because of it.

Click on this box to buy one!

The affordable Fishfinder 300C color sounder is just right for recreational anglers who fish primarily in freshwater lakes.

See Fish in Bright Color

The 300C has a super bright, high resolution 3.5-inch QVGA color display with improved user interface, plus UltraScroll for screen updates at live-action speeds. The 300C comes with a dual beam transducer, which provides excellent coverage in shallow waters.

Benefit from High Performance Sonar

The 300C features the high performance sonar receiver found in most of the Garmin marine lineup.

Other features:

ower output: 150 watts (RMS) 1200 watts (peak to peak)

Auto Gain setting adjusts sonar sensitivity automatically

See-Thru technology shows weak and strong returns simultaneously

Round flasher display mode

Whiteline shows you how thick the bottom is

2X and 4X automatic and manual zoom

Battery voltage indicator

Single NMEA-0183 output

Many discussions like these units better than the newer 160 model. Again, it is a great way to get more fish in your 'creel'.

Get yours now while they are still in stock. When you have to wait longer when they are out of stock, it sucks.

See you on the water!!!

Bass Fishing in June On The Nashua River

My daughter, my granddaughter, and myself have been out fishing on several local rivers and ponds. Just last week, my daughter landed a good 2 pound largemouth bass out of the Nashua River. She landed a few yellow perch that day too, but they were on the smaller side. Over the past month we have caught mostly sunfish, yellow perch, and largemouth bass with a few smallmouth bass and pickerels tossed in the mix.

I will be out on the water's edge wetting my line. See you there.

Rainy and Wet Fishing

Sometimes I think about why I am out there fishing when it is wet and rainy. I do not mind the rain at all. I do not mind getting wet. I DO mind those darn bugs - mosquitoes and black flies - when they get in and under my clothing in the worst places!

I know it is great for fly fishing if the fish are gobbling those up. I just hate to think about and see all of the bites that I have to itch for a good week more.

The other day I went with my daughter to go fishing along the Nashua River in Groton MA. It was 3 in the afternoon. When we got down by the river, we were attacked by swarms of mosquitoes!!!
Yes, we stuck it out until 7:45, but we were covered in bites from our heads to our toes...my daughter wore sandals. Do not worry she is over 30 and could take care of herself; if she was little, we would have left. I am definitely going to try Off! Clip-On repellent. I will let you know how it works.

Looking At Some Summer Catches

A couple pumpkin seeds, a yellow perch, and a largemouth bass made a great catch for this evening.

The size of the fish kept getting bigger.

The bugs started to come out for dinner, so we decided to go inside.

Fantasy Fishing Though Winter Lectures

Over the winter on the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, a few of the fishing clubs organize fishing lectures with some local libraries. I usually attend the ones in Andover MA and Nashua NH. Now that March is almost here they are almost over for this year.

They are fantastic to go to because as you listen to what the presenters have to say you can fantasize what your next fishing season will be like. The lectures give you some super information on new fishing spots both for freshwater and saltwater. They explain some ways to fish bait or lures that maybe you have not tried yet. Different presentations can be on fly-fishing, bait-casting, or using a variety of artificial lures and leaders and rods & reels.

All of this gets you anticipating the warmer weather to anxiously get to cast out your line for the first time this season.

I do not know about you, but I can hardly wait to wet my line!

January 2011 Fishing series at the Nashua Public Library

Yes, they started up again. I had to walk in late the first week due to another commitment.

Great information! If you cannot get outside fishing, this may be the next best thing. You can meet some folks with a wealth of knowledge behind them as well as the presenters.

There are up-coming fly fishing series that you must register for that take place in March.If you are interested, you better sign up FAST! This course fills up quickly. There are also some fly tying classes as well. They fill up fast too.

There was just the Marlboro MA fly fishing show this past weekend. In March there will be a fishing show at the Pelham Sportsmans Club. I will give you more info on that soon.