Making the most of your time - Fishing Safety rules everyone should know When you are going ice fishing, there are a lot of safety rules that you need to follow at all times. Unlike the other forms of standard fishing, ice fishing presents a lot of health risks. First, you should never go ice fishing without a well built shack. The shacks provide you shelter while you are ice fishing. Without this shelter, you will be susceptible to hypothermia and other health related problems. The second thing you need to keep in mind at all times is the condition of the ice and the weather predictions. Falling through the ice while ice fishing, especially alone, is a death sentence. Being trapped on the open ice during a blizzard is also extremely dangerous, even with the shelter of an ice shack available. When you are stocking your ice shack, you need to make certain that you have enough wood for the wood stove, or heating device within the shack. This device should also be cared for and watched over at all times, so the ice beneath the shack remains stable or that the shack does not burn. If you keep these fishing safety tips and rules in mind, you should be able to have an enjoyable time fishing without high risk of injury to yourself or others, no matter which form of fishing you choose to participate in.

Cincinnati catfishing Bait Yes! I did say French Fries as bait! I have caught channel cats up river and right in the downtown Cincinnati area on FRENCH FRIES. I did read posting from a guy that caught a large Flathead on fries by one of the restaurants on the river in Newport Ky. Any fast food place that sells fries works. If possible pick some up when heading to your spot so they are on the warm side. That allows the grease to get into the water to make a scent trail easier. I had great success in February 2004 using chunks of steak for bait. I caught 8 bluecats with it, largest being 13 pounds. It did not matter if it was raw or grilled with seasoning. So if you have some scrapes left over from a cookout just put it in a small freezer bag. If you have a friend that works in a restaurant that has steak, ask them to make up doggie bag of scraps for you. It stays on the hook very well when casting and the fish have a hard time just pecking it off the hook. All of those eight fish were hooked, none swallowed it. So I was able to released them to grow bigger for the next season.

How To Choose the Right Fly Line Weight But with a longer leader, the more difficult it is to cast and there is a reduction in accuracy. Thus, a 9-foot leader is more accurate and easier to turn over than a 15-footer. Considering this, plus the fact that the splashdown of the line is what is frightening the trout, there is a simple solution. Use a fly line one size lighter than the rod manufacturer recommends. Jim Green, who has designed fly rods for years and is a superb angler, mentioned to me more than three decades ago that he almost always used a line one size lighter when fishing dry flies where the trout were spooky or the water was calm. I tried it and have routinely followed his advice. So, for example, if you are using a six weight rod, you can drop down to a five weight line with no problem. In fact, in very delicate fishing conditions, I often drop down two sizes in line weights. There is a reason.

Weekly Fishing Trivia Contest
Last Friday I was notified by About.com that I could no longer run this contest. I have had a lot of fun with it during the past nine years and....

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Dies Filming Scuba Diving Vacation on Great Barrier Reef
Steve Irwin, better know as the Crocodile Hunter on the Discovery Channel, has died while filming a Great Barrier Reef Scuba Diving Vacation. Steve Irwin died at approximately 11 a.m. on Monday 4th September 2006 after his chest was punctured through his scuba diving equipment by the barb of a .

Fishing forecast (Orlando Sentinel)
FRESHWATER: You can catch your limits of bluegills and shellcrackers if you fish near North Steer Beach in East Lake Toho. There have been plenty of quality fish in the area for most of the past two months. Use crickets and redworms at first light. Bass fishing has been decent throughout the Ki.