The hike into Cedar Creek in the Oregon Coast Range is
steep, dropping almost a thousand feet in 3 miles. I
haven’t always been willing to go to those great lengths to
find a good spot for fishing, but I finally found the form
of fishing that turned the attraction of the sport from a
mystery to an obsession. Fly fishing.

Growing up in South Dakota, fishing in the sloughs for
bullheads (little catfish) with my dad on an occasional
Sunday was my first experience of fishing, and I was not
impressed.

It seemed like we spent all our time sitting still and
being quiet, two things that do not appeal to a child. I
can see now why my dad, a farmer who worked long hours in
summer, truly enjoyed sitting in a lawn chair at the
water’s edge, holding a rod in his hand and not doing much
more than reeling in the line now and then. But to me it
was dull with a capital “D.”

Much later, in college, was my next exposure to a fishing
technique. A buddy took me ice fishing. For entirely
different reasons, I was once again not impressed.

On a bright winter day, there we were in a dark shack
poised over a hole in the ice, waiting for a pike to swim
into view. Once again holding very still and keeping quiet
except for the hiss of the pop-top when one of us opened
another can of beer.

The main difference between spear-fishing in an ice shack
and bullhead fishing was that instead of being a sultry
summer day, we were sitting motionless in zero degree
weather, our feet resting on ice, our rear ends in frozen
lawn chairs. One time in the ice shack was enough ‘fun’ for
me.

I really didn’t have much interest in fishing for a long
time after that. Not until a career change took me from
Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest and I met the man who
would later become my husband. He was perfect in every
way… except for being an avid fisherman.

This guy, Greg, is so serious about fishing that he had
one entire room of his house dedicated to housing his gear.
His drift boat, rather than his car, occupied the one bay
garage.

You know how it goes in the first part of a new romance;
you’re willing to do things you would normally never even
consider. So, there I was, going fishing once again. We
stood on the bank of a lovely little creek, and I held the
expensive, ultra-light trout rod in my hand as I stepped
onto a mossy rock, slick with moisture. I slipped, fell
into the creek, and not only scared all the fish away, but
broke the tip of the pole. This was not a good way to
resume my fishing career.

Next try. Knowing I love the beach, Greg decided to take
me fishing on the open ocean. He put the Evinrude outboard
on the drift boat and we motored over the bar and out of
the bay. The mixture of gas fumes and choppy water soon had
me leaning sickly over the side of the boat. Not romantic
at all.

Trolling for bass came next. Nice warm days on one of the
Oregon Coast Rivers. We got in the drift boat, put out a
line for bass, and floated downstream. I really liked being
on the water in the sun.

Things had changed since being a kid. These days, I
appreciated being able to sit in the sun doing nothing…..
until the fish started biting. I didn’t like being
interrupted from sun-bathing and having to take them off
the hook. Catching and then releasing a bunch of poor
little bass didn’t make sense to me. Why ruin both our
days? So I was willing to be in the fishing boat, but not
fishing. I thought it was a good compromise.

Greg is nothing if not persistent. He wanted me to be his
fishing buddy as well as his wife, and I could see the
value in the long run of sharing some hobbies, so I was
game to give fishing one more try. That’s when he
introduced me to fly fishing. Bingo!

It’s impossible to describe why I love it. I guess it has
something to do with the rhythm and grace of it. The
mesmerizing experience of standing in rushing water. And
the power, the absolute thrill of feeling the fish strike.

Greg still has a room dedicated to fishing gear, but it’s
in a different house, and it’s bigger now. We had to make
room for my gear, too.

Joanne Tynedale has made a study of topics related to fish
and fishing. She is contributing writer of articles for href="http://fishingjunky.com">
Fishing Junky and href="http://freeaquarium.com/">Free Aquarium , two
premier resources on-line for information about fish and
fishing. For additional articles by Joanne, also visit href="http://huntingstyle.com/">Hunting Style

In the article, “How to Get the World’s Best Fishing Baits for Free”, I mentioned that there were essentially three ways to catch fish:

• Use live, natural baits

• Use imitation or artificial baits and lures

• Use hardware such as traps, nets, etc.

One of the most efficient and productive of these three methods is to use live, natural baits. Live, natural baits are proven to be highly effective when acquired locally. Their price is right since they’re available for free. You “spend” only the time to gather them. When using live, natural baits be sure to check local and regional regulations.

Bait fish

These can be caught with a cast net and kept in a live well or an aerated container. Although you can catch numerous species right from the beach, casting in the shallows of rivers and lakes works well too. If you locate a school of fish in open water, a cast net can garner you enough of a supply to last the day in only a few minutes.

Maggots

Maggots are a “best” live bait and many anglers swear by them. Raising your own to use as live bait is no where near as gruesome as it sounds. Contrary to some popular opinion, they won’t hurt you and are not “dirty”. You can raise a batch of your own by burying a scrap of meat in a small container of moist sand. In two or three days you’ll have a lively batch of “squirmers” ready to use. The animal rights activists and conservationists won’t bother you either. (Gosh, I wonder why?)

Aquatic species

A number of aquatic species can be easily harvested from streams and river flats or shallows. Newts, salamanders, worms, small frogs, hellgrammites and additional amphibious species can be trapped or netted in ponds, streams, shallows of lakes and rivers. Take care to store them in a cool, shady place in a well ventilated but closed container until you’re ready to use them.

Goldfish

A controversial live bait is the use of goldfish. Be sure to check local / regional regulations on their use. Where legal, anglers swear by these. They are especially effective for a number of large catfish species. Catfish seem to hate goldfish. The goldfish is always mangled almost beyond recognition whenever a big cat gets a hold of it. They hold up relatively well in fresh water but don’t last long in brackish or salt water. They’re still an effective bait either way. You can also buy them in bulk fairly cheaply where they are legal.

So put more depth and variety into your live bait presentations with these additional, free live, natural baits. Don’t forget to include the kids in collecting your specimens. It’ll add to their accomplishment of catching a fish if they can say, “I caught the worms myself!”

If your fishing is part of a beach resort vacation, then you might enjoy the suggestions offered in the article, “Unique Things to Do at the Beach” at: http://EzineArticles.com/?id=122266 Have fun and good luck.

Prof Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He lives in Cali, Colombia, fishes the South American Pacific coast, Amazon and Orinoco River basins for exotic salt water and fresh water game and food fish. For no-obligation information on how to get original, exclusive Exotic fishing stories, fishing technique articles, fishing-action photography and one-of-a-kind content for your fishing-related newsletter, blog or website contact him today at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com for more free, action photo-packed, South American fishing adventure articles.

1f58

There are essentially three ways to catch fish:

• Use live, natural baits

• Use imitation or artificial baits and lures

• Use hardware such as traps, nets, etc.

One of the most efficient and productive of these three methods is to use live, natural baits. This is especially true if the waters and area you’re fishing are new or unknown to you. These live, natural baits are proven effective when acquired locally. Their price is right since they’re available for free. You “spend” only the time to gather them. Be sure to check local and regional regulations on the use of live baits.

Worms

The world’s all-time favorite. You can dig them up from your yard or garden or a wooded area near your fishing grounds. If you’re not that energetic, get some kids to do it for you. They’re available most of the year (winter might be tough), easy to find and gather. Leave the smaller ones. Use the larger earthworms or night crawlers.

Minnows

A technique I like involves using an old window screen. We used to walk along in the surf of the Chesapeake Bay with a framed meter-square piece of window screen to trap all kinds of small salt water fish, crustaceans, sand worms and even small crabs. It made for an interesting series of “catches” and provided endless hours of simple fun for me and my siblings. Minnows swim in fairly large schools so you can scoop up a bunch of them fairly quickly. Walk a few feet with the screen in the water. Lift it up quickly to scoop up your catch. Then dump it into a bucket. Repeat the procedure as you walk along the beach or shore. Keep them alive and fresh in a bucket partially filled with the same waters you collected them from.

Crabs

To catch crabs you can use a crab pot or home made traps. Be sure to check local regulations. These can be used in brackish and salt water shallows baited with a chicken wing tip or other bony meat. At a beach fronting a wooded area more than one kind of crab can be caught. I designed a simple “drop in” trap that I set into the sand near the edge of a coconut grove and caught hermit crabs, fiddler crabs and sand crabs. I even got a small snake once, but that’s another story.

Insects

Crickets, grasshoppers, beetles and other insects can be caught in a meadow, wooded area or park using a butterfly-type net. Lightning bugs (which flash their tail lights at night) are a good bet too. Crawling insects, grubs, maggots and larvae are good too. They are often found under rocks, fallen logs or other materials which have been on the ground for some time. Again, you could just get a bunch of kids to do it for you if you don’t have the time or need the exercise. Cockroaches make good live bait too if you can stomach using them. Not the small North American varieties that plague households mind you, but the large, three-inch long ones common here in South America and in Asia.

So, look into what live, natural baits are available locally near your favorite fishing grounds. It never hurts to have a variety of presentations for those “dog days” of fishing. Fishing with some new offerings can add an extra dimension to your next fishing trip. Getting them might even be a bit of fun too, especially if you “involve” the kids. On vacation, abroad or simply “away” from your usual fishing haunts, it’ll put more than an extra bit of enticement into your presentations. Good luck.

Prof Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He lives in Cali, Colombia, fishes the South American Pacific coast, Amazon and Orinoco River basins for exotic salt water and fresh water game and food fish. For no-obligation information on how to get original, exclusive Exotic fishing stories, fishing technique articles, fishing-action photography and one-of-a-kind content for your fishing-related newsletter, blog or website contact him today at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com for more free, action photo-packed, South American fishing adventure articles.