There is a lot of science that goes into fishing. Tackle companies spend millions of dollars annually to prove their product is better than anything else on the market. Along with that, there are just as many axioms on when the fish will or won’t bite. “Never fish a West wind”, ” Fish a rising barometer” and others are things you hear from time to time.

While those rules hold some basis in truth, my question is how many anglers actually care about them? Most of the fishermen I know squeeze in a hour here or a morning there to get their angling fix. No self respecting sportsman would say “I have three hours to spend on the water, but the barometer is steady so I guess I’ll go mow the lawn.” It just doesn’t happen. “Why?” you ask.

Very few people in today’s world have the luxury of setting their own schedule. Between work, family, traffic and honey-dos, time is at a premium and time to relax is even harder to come by.
So when the opportunity presents itself to get out and do what you enjoy it must be seized; it may be weeks before you get another chance.

I have stood in the water fishing in the freezing cold, with a tropical storm breathing down our throats, blazing heat and pouring rain just because I had a couple of hours. I do draw the line at lightening though. There is a big difference between taking a couple hours to relax and risking your life to do it.

Personally, I hate to fish a West wind, but it has nothing to do with the fish. Here in South Florida, when the wind is from the west in August the temperature is always close to 100 degrees. I love to fish late afternoon just before sunset because that is when I get off work and need the time to myself. A rising barometer means that it is most likely going to be windy from the East. A falling barometer in Florida can be very bad especially between June and December.
Fishing the daylight hours during a full moon can be slow, but you don’t know ‘till you try.

Ultimately, if I were able to pick the day and hour to go fishing, I would probably pay closer attention to things like the barometer and moon phase and……..on second thought, no I wouldn’t, I’d just go fishing.

Jim Dourney is the owner of http://www.snookguy.com and an avid saltwater fisherman. His family has lived in South Florida for many generations which gives him a unique insight into not only fishing the local waters, but to the surrounding area.

The Australian swag has been around for a long time but not in it’s current form.

Swags, or swag bedrolls as they are also known, are becoming the must have camp bed for camping, fishing, outback adventure, motorbike clubs, school camps and staying overnight at friends.

Traditionally they were used in the outback as a travelling bed roll by the station workers (most have heard the tale of the jolly swag man) but more and more they are becoming used by city folk interested in a weekend fishing trip who want a quick, easy, tough roll out bed that protects them from rain and midges.

Essentially the modern swag is a thin tough mattress in a canvas wrap around, sometimes with insect meshing where the vents are.

They differ from tents in two aspects, the first being that the swag is usually made from canvas whereas most tents these days are made from nylon which doesn’t breathe. This means that in rainy weather when you are inside your swag there is no build up of heat and condensation as happens in closed in nylon tents. The second difference is that swags are a lot quicker and simpler to set up (or at least they should be).

There has also been a shift in swag making away from the traditional heavy cotton canvases of the past fifty years which, when wet, became very heavy. Your modern swag is likely to be made from the new industrial canvases being made in Australia which combine lightness with strength.

When choosing a swag you should consider whether you will be using it for more beach or bush as there are different features that suit both. The bush swag should probably have a slightly heavier mattress or some sort of cold stop to contend with the ground cold that can be a factor, particularly in winter, whereas the beach swag should definately have some sort of screening against mosquitoes and midges.

Remember also that ants, especially green ants, need to be guarded against as a dry swag is just what they love when wet ground is rising.

In other articles we go into more detail as to what you should look for and avoid when choosing a swag as well as how to care for your swag so that it lasts a lifetime.

Thinking of moving up from shore fishing? The advantages of being on the water are many. I love the closeness to nature, and how peaceful and tranquil it is. Wild creatures are less intimidated by people when they are floating in the water. I have seen mule deer, coyotes, fox, and all kinds of waterfowl. My favorite times have been drifting through small herds of wading elk in my local body of water, Lake Estes, Colorado. I have taken photos of elk from five feet away. They took no more interest in my kayak and me than they would a duck or a loon.

There is also the mobility aspect of kayak fishing. A lot of times if the fish aren’t biting where you are, they are elsewhere. It’s easy to fish a bay here, a point there, a cove on the other side of the lake, the inlet etc… Estes Park is a small town, and often I’ll run across some of my fishing buddies in one of the lake’s honey holes. My kayak has two rod holders so I can troll while I travel from spot to spot. The rod holders aren’t necessary, as you can place your rod in the bow of the boat and troll backwards.

Some lakes/ponds don’t allow boats, but do allow personal water craft. At these places you can fish structures that you can’t reach from shore. As my kayak weighs less than forty pounds…my tackle box weighs more…it’s easy to hike in.

Although float tubes are also a convenient way to fish, I prefer the kayak. Personally, I find them to be more fun on the water, but there are other advantages. To me the most important is convenience. By the time I get to a lake/pond I’m “jonesing” so bad to fish, I have to fight the urge to cast out the car window. There is no inflating, no waders to put on, and no awkward flippers to strap on. I simply unlock and unstrap my “yak” from the roof, throw it in the water and go.

Another very important advantage is speed. In Colorado the weather can change in an instant. In a tube I don’t feel safe if the weather looks as if it could turn for the worse, so I stay near shore. In the kayak, no matter how far out I am, I can return to shore in minutes.

I also like the fact that I can carry gear. It’s easy to tote two or three rods, a tackle box, and even a cooler. This is helpful during camping trips and family outings. I have used the kayak at bigger reservoirs, like Aurora, to carry gear from one side to the other to meet people shore fishing. Sometimes I’ll get lucky and catch one before my buddies get around the lake.

It easily crosses shallow areas in lakes. If you have fished in a tube you know the places I’m talking about. The water is less than a foot deep, but the ground beneath is like quick sand. In a kayak you can drift across areas that are inches deep with ease.

You don’t need a lot of money to get into kayak fishing. Obviously you need a kayak. I have a Heritage Feather Light 9, which was designed for fishing. Before that I fished from an inflatable Sevylor I bought off a Kool-aide vendor after he used it for a display, so any kayak will do. Oars can also be costly. I use a mid-range one now, however, the $20.00 one I had before was sufficient. I used to use a cheap foam and strap roof rack, which could be loaded and unloaded fairly effortlessly. However, I feel safer and more secure with the Thule rack I have now. It is sturdier, quicker, and wicked easier to use.

I highly recommend trying kayak fishing. It is both relaxing and exciting. It can bring you to areas of your local lakes that you have not fished before. It is a relatively inexpensive way to try trolling, which I have found very effective. It is a whole new fishing experience. A lot of lakes/reservoirs marinas’ rent out kayaks for a reasonable rate. So get out there and give it a try, you just may find yourself hooked.

http://www.fishinsecrets.com