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Article #130: Fishing Equipment Tips

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Cheap Sinkers Ferrules
Spark plugs make excellent disposable If there is dirt on your ferrule it can
sinkers. Need some cheap (free) fishing contribute to rapid wear. Make a plug
weights? Go to any gas station and ask out of wood to help keep the female
for them. Then, loop a rubber band ferrule clean.
through the electrode and then tapping Is your ferrule stuck? Use "Liquid
the wire down the plug can be attached to Wrench", which you can get at any
a loop of monofilament. The rubber band auto-parts store. Just spray it around
stretches when the plug is hung up, and the male ferrule and let it drip down.
even if the extra stretching force isn't In a few minutes you will be able to pull
enough to break free, the band will break it apart.
before the monofilament. Getting Out Line Tangles
*Special Tip - An amazing secret many Use a pair of large fabric needles to
fishermen don't know about is The Evening work out these tangles. They have a
Secret ( It is an amazing way of swarming smooth finish which won't damage the line
fish to your spot instantly. as you work the mess out. They are also
Jig Weights handy to sew canvas tarp, leather, or
Jigs are one of the most versatile carpet strips.
game-fish catchers in either fresh or Pocket Tackle box
saltwater. It is so important to have Attach a cord to your pocket tackle box,
the right weight jig for your line so you don't worry about dropping it in
weight. If the jig is too heavy for the the water or leaving it behind. Just
line, you will loose your jig far too drill an undersized hole near the back of
easily. If the jig is too light for the the box and insert a small eye-screw. A
line, its swimming pattern will be know will stop the cord from slipping
disrupted and it won't be ass effective. through the eye. Just put a clip on the
This simple chart will help you select other end so that you can secure the rope
the correct jig: to a belt loop or buttonhole.
Line Strength Jig Size Avoiding Line Twist
4-lb. Test 1/16 to 1/8 oz. Line twist is the leading cause of fouled
6-lb. Test 1/8 to ¼ oz. fishing. To check for it, pull off
8-lb. Test ¼ to 3/8 oz. enough line to span your outstretched
10-lb. Test ¼ to ½ oz. hands - about 6 feet. Next, bring your
12-lb. Test 3/8 to 5/8 oz. hands together in front of you, causing
14 to 20-lb. Test 5/8 to ¾ oz the line to drop into a loop. If the
Treble Hook Replacement loop wraps around itself, you have line
When replacing the treble hooks on your twist. Remove it by trolling about 100
lures, there are a few things to feet of line behind a boat. Next install
consider. Chang the split ring too a ball-bearing swivel to prevent future
because it is subject to stress and rust. line twist.
Use a stainless-steel split ring for Knots Are Key
strength. They do not spread or rust as One of the most important things in
to most of those that come wit h the losing or landing a hooked fish is your
plugs. Don't, however, use stainless knot. Be certain the knot you are tying
steel hooks - they are more easily bent is strong and properly tied.
out of shape by a fighting fish. Also, To make sure, tie your usual knot and
if a fish gets away with your plug, test it against other knots. A good test
stainless steel will not rust out, as a is to take two four-inch sections of a
plain steel hook will. Lastly, get some broom handle with the screw eye in the
split-ring pliers - they make changing center of each. Tie a knot in each screw
your hooks easy. eye and pull steadily until you see which
Extra Springs knot survives. Do it 10 times to get an
If you use a spinning reel, you have average. The knot that holds best should
probably had a spring break when the be your new knot.
fishing gets really hot. Always carry Anchor Pulley, Keep it Quiet
extras (use a 35mm-film canister) - and If you use an anchor pulley, you risk
make sure to have a little screwdriver spooking the fish as most pulleys
along as well. Practice changing it eventually start to squeak. Try this
before you go out alternative to a pulley:
No-slip Soles Get a large U-bolt, a few nuts and
If your winter boot soles are worn, just washers, and an old-style glass or
cut the liner to match the sole of an old porcelain fencepost insulator.
sneaker. Fasten the felt to the sneaker Slip the insulator on a U-bolt, drill a
sole with a non-soluble glue. Please a couple of holes to accommodate the bolt,
heavy object on top of the sneaker and tighten it to the mounting surface.
overnight, and by morning you have an all The anchor rope will slide freely in the
purpose non-slip shoe. insulator's groove, and the anchor lowers
Snag-proof Spinners and raises as effortlessly as with a
Treble hooks are oftentimes "trouble" pulley, especially once the rope is wet.
when using spinners, causing snags. Make Casting Poppers
them snag-free by removing the treble Casting poppers with a fly rod is
hook and replace with a single hook. awkward. To get better distance bore a
Next thread on a three to four inch slightly undersized small hole in the
twister-tail grub and Texas-rig it. popper, just big enough to fit a BB in.
Downriggers It should fit snugly and will give you
Need to drop your bait down deep? Fish another 30 feet of casting distance at
are very uncooperative creatures, and least.
don't always hang out near the surface. Cheap and easy depth finder
If your depth sounder is alerting you to Using two felt-tipped markers (red and
fish down deeper, a downrigger can really black) mark an anchor rope as follows: A
help out. single red mark around the rope at five
If you aren't exactly sure what it is, it feet, a red and black mark at 10 feet, a
is simple. It is a spool holding single red mark at 15 feet, two black
between 200-600 feet of steel cable. marks at 20 feet, a single red and two
There is a weight attached that is black marks at 25 feet and three black
between 6-12 pounds. Additionally there marks at 30. Use the color code red for
is a quick-release line gripper, just every five feet and multiples of black
like a clothespin. for 10 feet.
The fishing lines from your rods are Netting baitfish
attached to the quick-release mechanisms. Increases the efficiency of your minnow
Then the entire thing is dropped down to scoop by putting a bend in it. Just turn
the depth you want. The bait is far the wire handle down 90 degrees, then
enough from the weight and line gripper push the net back on line. The
not to spook the fish. If you get a forward-positioned net makes it much
bite, the line is released from the easier to trap a baitfish against the
gripper, so it is just you and the fish! inside of an open-top bucket.
Some downriggers have fish-attractant A Cheap Anchor For A Fishing Boat
properties (either electrical, or a For holding a good-sized boat over a
special kind of paint), but not most of rocky bottom, use a large swivel snap to
them. fasten four fee of heavy chain to a
Downriggers work great for deep trolling, standard mushroom anchor. You can get
and some even have an electronic crank one from a junkyard. The chain boosts
that will bring everything up. If you the anchor's weight and holding power,
need to get at deeper schools of fish, provides convenient handles for lowering
these are highly recommended. and raising, and gives extra leverage
Nail Polish Helps when an anchor jams in rocks or snags.
Does your spoon, spinner, or plug get the When he brings it aboard, he coils the
paint chipped after only a few casts? heavy chain on a bed of old foam-rubber
Use clear fingernail polish to protect pads so it doesn't rattle around or dent
the paint and increase durability. Carry his boat. In calm water, he simply
a bottle with you when you are fishing, unsnaps the chain and uses the mushroom
and give it a shot. anchor by itself.






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