Well, here it is the end of April.

Like the uncontrollable urges that the groundhog, the wild turkey, and Brad Pitt, have come over them at this time of year, it is a time when an internal alarm goes off in the fisherman.

Unlike those sex crazed species, the anglers yearly sense of duty is aroused by…..

….Opening day, trout season.

A time when the trees bloom, lakes thaw, and man struggles with that eternal question:

Should I mow the nine inch weeds or go fishing?

To me, that is like asking would I like a hot fudge sundae or a liver transplant?

Of course, as I drive out to one of our local fishing waters here in Oregon, and pass many of the guys on the liver transplant recipient list, I am thankful that not every male is of the same mindset as myself.

Otherwise, what was ice and snow a month ago, would be fibreglass and aluminum now. In other words, you could walk across a lake from boat to boat without ever touching water.

To say opening day of trout season is usually crowded, is the ultimate understatment. As much a social event as it is a fishing outing. If you are looking for solace and a little quiet time, you are probably better off telling your wife you are going fishing and then slipping into the basement for a nap.

At least you still won’t have to mow the weeds.

But with waters that have usually been closed or limited to ice fishing for six months, the chance of catching a really nice trout are pretty good. No pressure and a scarce food supply over the winter months, make the opening day ambush a day when the odds are stacked in the fishermen’s favor.

This year, in Oregon we have been blessed with an abundant snow year which has found many of the high mountain lakes sitting with over 300 percent of the usual snowpack. Fishing boats may have to be replaced by snowmobiles,and anglers may look more like Eskimos than fishermen.

In places where the ice has melted, the water is c-c-c–c cold. Under 40 degrees. These are conditions that usually make for slow and sluggish trout and fish that are spread out looking for warm pockets of water and fish parkas. Nonetheless, there will be opening day success and Jack Daniels stock may rise considerably over the weekend.

So, if you are heading out for the opening day “fishfest”—good luck and enjoy the festivities.

And if you are staying home to mow the weeds, well, I hope you don’t wind up getting a fishermen’s liver…..

A.J. Klott
Author, writer of fishing humor,and “fly tack” peddler.A.J. writes about the people,characters and modern day events that surround the fishing world. His first book is due out in December of 2005.
If you need a laugh or a fun gift, visit his website at:
http://www.twoguyswithflys.com

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The only way to keep up with the latest about peacock bass fishing is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about peacock bass fishing, it won’t take long for you to become an influential authority.

Now that we’ve covered those aspects of peacock bass fishing, let’s turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

Peacock bass fishing is one of the most adventurous and dangerous sports fishing game in the world. What makes it difficult for untrained sport fishers to venture is the target fish — the peacock bass.

Peacock bass fish has earned a reputation in the bass fishing world as ferocious, very powerful, and a bad-tempered sports fish. It behaves like a largemouth bass on steroids, which makes it difficult for anglers to catch. Once it decides to hit the lure, unsuspicious anglers are shocked because it strikes with such power, dragging away the bait without even caught by the hunters.

Its strength is estimated to be twice more from other large fish. What seems to make peacock bass fish more powerful than other sports fish is their ability of doubling their strength once they surface and wrestle with the angler for the bait.

Many sport fishers do think that a minute or two of fighting with this large bass fish will make the latter tired easily, but their presumption is not accurate. Peacock bass usually have another shot of bursting power coming from the adrenaline that their body is producing, thus it cannot be as easy as catching a regular black bass.

Biological studies show what a peacock bass is and why it is very different to other fishes in the ocean. They are members of the Cichlids, which are reputed to be the most highly evolved group of fishes. Peacock bass is often classified as a predator, which feeds entirely on small fishes.

It is usually found in the oceans of South America and Amazon. Its speed, strength, size and ferocious nature make it easy to hunt for prey. Similarly, to a largemouth bass with huge, bucket-like mouth, peacock bass do swallow up other fishes of smaller sizes at the same time for their meal.

Three species of these sport fish are found in the Amazon. Brazilian natives as the Cichla Temensis or the “tucunare azul or paca” know one species of the peacock bass. On the other hand, the Spanish-speaking communities consider them as “pavon azul or pinta lapa”. This specie is very sensitive to water conditions and restricted to tropical areas of the Amazon. Its weight is estimated to have an average of 27 pounds.

The second specie is the Cichla Ocellaris, known as the butterfly peacock. Much smaller compared to the pace, it just weighs about 7 to 8 pounds, but they are terrible fighters, ready to engage in a fight for bait.

The third is the Cichla Nigrolineatus, or royal peacock. Its habitat is in fast moving waters and weighs an average of 3 to 4 pounds.

The seasonal cycle of the peacock bass is usually based on the equatorial weather conditions in the Amazon River. Typical of dry and wet seasons, the best time hunting for peacock bass is usually of the first six months of the year, where the water temperature is not so extremely hot.

For easier hunting, anglers are advised to have their bass fishing activities conducted on instances where different rivers in the South American continents reach the lowest water level.

Sports fisher can fish in the Amazon from December through March on the northern area, and from July through November in the southern area. On the black waters of the northwestern Amazonian rivers, however, December through March is the best peacock bass fishing because of the clear waters and the typical dry season, making sport fisher easier for them to hunt the 27-pound peacock bass.

One of the strategies of success in pursuing a peacock bass is the mastering of the fishing technique in relation to the behaviour of the fish. It is advised to at least improve everything an angler knows. They must also take into consideration the biological history of the fish to come up with new techniques and become familiar South American continent’s weather when the peacock bass is found and from this, determine the best season for hunting it.

Lastly, the fishing gears such as rods, reels, and baits must be wisely selected in order to cope up with the style of the peacock bass. When everything is set up and ready, the next question is, can you survive the wildest peacock bass fishing adventure?

So now you know a little bit about peacock bass fishing. Even if you don’t know everything, you’ve done something worthwhile: you’ve expanded your knowledge.

Puneet Singhal is a seasoned bass fisherman who is always on the lookout for the new tricks and techniques to catch more fishes each time he go for fishing.

For more information, articles on bass fishing please visit http://www.bassfishing-center.com

So you’ve inherited that somewhat dubious old wooden fishing boat from your grandpa! You’re feeling proud to be the one to carry on the family fishing tradition, but you’re also experiencing just a little trepidation at the though of setting out on the wide open expanses of the lake this spring on a boat that has clearly seen better days…

Well, if your newly acquired old wooden fishing boat is looking a little worse for wear, you might do well to remember that wooden boat owners generally accept the fact these kind of boats were not built to last forever.

In fact, some were probably built with the intention that they would be replaced within five or ten years, and not kept going lovingly for decades by well-intentioned descendents of the original owner.

Constant maintenance is probably the key concept here, and you will need to do some serious checking out of the boat’s structure before setting out to haul in those prize catches.

Of course, nowadays - with newer wood-based, penetrating epoxy - dry rot has become much less of a problem, but you will still have to keep up the work to keep your boat in shape for the fishing waters.

Apart from the gleaming, grand old dames of yesteryear, contemporary wooden fishing boats are still being built, and you may be surprised at the workmanship and variety available.

You may want to have a look at the beautifully crafted boats such as wide-bottomed drift boats, or the graceful curves of a special viking-type rowing-and-fishing boat.

Some wooden fishing boat builders specialize in traditional Louisiana marsh pirogues and rowing skiffs, and for these you will even be able to find building plans should you be tempted to make a project out of it!

If you just want to have the experience of fishing from a wooden boat on your next fishing trip, you can head out to Ontario, where some fishing resorts have a special wooden fishing boat supplier building them to order.

These beautiful spacious, quiet boats are hand built out of cedar and oak, and equipped with swivel seats, a fishfinder, and all the necessary emergency equipment to make your trip an unforgettable experience.

Back to that old lady grandpa used for his outings on the lake: It may be well worth remembering the saying: “Nothing works on an old boat but the owner”…

For more information visit Fishing-Things.com

Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.