Bass Fishing in Crane Prairie Reservoir Bend Oregon
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Bend Oregon is better known for its Trout Fishing but it also supports a few lakes that have good populations of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. The bodies of water within a one hour drive from Bend that hold bass are Crane Prairie Reservoir, Wickiup Reservoir, Davis Lake, Prineville Reservoir, Haystack Reservoir and Lake Billy Chinook (Round Butte Reservoir).
Crane Prairie Reservoir is better known for its large Rainbow and Brook Trout. However it is full of stumps, standing and downed trees. It is a Largemouth Bass heaven. It is a relatively shallow body of water with reeds and lily pads as well as lots of wood cover. The deepest part near the dam is 16 to 20 feet deep depending on how much water is in the reservoir at any given time.
The reservoir sits in the Cascade Mountains southwest of Bend. It is surrounded by pine trees and supports a healthy wild life population. You can always count on seeing countless Ospreys, a few Bald Eagles and numerous water fowl. Osprey and Great Blue Herons both nest at Crane Prairie.
Crane Prairie is not a year round lake and it often freezes over in the winter. Since it is a trout lake the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife closes it to fishing at the end of October and opens it back up on the third Saturday in April. There are years where it is partially ice covered on opening day.
The belief is that Largemouth Bass no not bite until June or July,” when the water warms.” However, some of the best bass fishing on Crane is in May. The author has caught many bass over five pounds in late April and May. The place to fish is the shallow North side of the reservoir where the water temperatures can be in the low to mid fifties in 2 to 6 feet of water.
Early mornings in April and May are not the time to fish for bass. Early afternoon is the best time to start. The water in Crane is crystal clear this time of year and it is hard to get a bite if the sun is out and the wind is calm. The silt and mud bottom with plentiful amounts of wood cover soak up the heat on these cool spring days.
If it is calm and sunny you are better off to put your rod down, your trolling motor on high and start looking for fish. Often times they will be laying on top of fallen logs sunning.
There are also many root balls from blown over trees that will hold fish. You will not see any small fish this time of year. It will be strictly pre-spawn females.
Once you start seeing fish slow down and start looking more closely. You will find several fish in the same area and don’t want to spook them too much. Once you have found a few areas that hold fish be sure and mark them so you can come back when the wind picks up and puts a little chop on the water.
It is not necessary to mark every fish. Just keep track of the general area where you saw concentrations of fish. Go back to those areas and fish the lay down logs and the root balls. Black weedless jigs with a trailer or 6 inch black worms are the ticket this time of year. The author’s favorite jig trailer is a 5 inch black with blue flake twin tail grub.
Crane Prairie bass are big for Oregon standards. The largest bass caught by the author was 6.5 pounds. He has seen Largemouth caught and released in excess of 8 pounds in some local bass tournaments. These are not your normal run and gun bass tournaments however because there is a 10 mile an hour speed limit on Crane Prairie Reservoir.
In the early 1990s the average spring time bass was in the 3 to 5 pound range. Now the average is 2 to 4 pounds with a few 5 pounders thrown in. Crane Prairie Largemouth usually spawn around the full moon in late June. Spawn and post spawn is usually when the fish “start to bite” for the general public and anyone can catch several small males that bite aggressively.
After the spawn the large female bass drop back to deeper water around the channels and become harder to catch. Crank baits and spinner baits come into play at this time of year. The water also starts to take on some color and is not as clear. Aquatic weeds and moss also start to grow making it more difficult to fish jigs and worms.
Fall and late fall are difficult time to catch fish as the water is low from irrigation use and it starts to clear up again. Spring is definitely the best time to catch Large Mouth Bass on Crane Prairie Reservoir.
Jim Johnson
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/bass-fishing-in-crane-prairie-reservoir-bend-oregon-126178.html
Outdoors- Fall fishing speckled trout
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Outdoors- Fall fishing speckled trout
Duration : 0:2:9
Camping and trout fishing on the chattooga river in North Georgia?
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I’m going Trout Fishing in North Georgia in a few weeks around Burrells Ford on the Chattooga river and I wanted to no if there were any burn bans for camp fires, or how I could find out if there was. Any help would be great thank you
You may be able to find the information you need here
http://www.chattoogariver.org/Articles/1999SF/Kingwood.htm
Hook-N-Line Map F118 – Sabine Lake & Calcasieu Lake Fishing Map
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An inshore two sided saltwater fishing map showing two coastal bays (called lakes). Sabine Lake is located on the border between Texas and Louisiana in the vicinity of Beaumont-Orange-Port Arthur, Texas. Calcasieu Lake is located in Louisiana with Lake Charles at the north end and Cameron at the south end. Both of these bays are favorite fishing destinations for Speckled Trout, Redfish, Flounder, Drum, Tripple Tail and Red Snapper. The map has GPS numbers for fishing spots, marinas, boat ramps, and other locations.
Tips on Fly Fishing
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There are thousands of live-bait anglers, who are excellent sportsmen, but the fly fisherman can practice better conservation from the beginning.
Basically, fly fishing is not only one of the fastest growing sports; it is one of the foremost forms of conserving natural resources as well as providing aquatic recreation.
Fly fishing is, very simple when three things are right: you must have a suitable rod; you must get a line to match it; and you must learn correct casting technique.
For people who wish to know some tips on fly fishing, here is a list of some pointers that could help anglers harness their fly fishing skills:
1. Material of the rod
For one of moderate means, and especially for the beginners, hollow glass is advised since it will require less care than bamboo and will not take a set if improperly handled or stored.
2. Line
Your fly casting skill will not progress with a mismatched rod and line. About 99 times in 100, the troubled fly caster has a line much too light to bring out the action of his rod.
That is why it is important to know that on any given rod, the fly fisherman should use the same size line for anything from small trout and bluegills up to the largest sea fish.
In choosing the size line, anglers should get a C level, an HCH double-taper, or a GBF three-diameter. This choice is based on the fact that a high percentage of fly rods bought nowadays are hollow glass, and that a great majority of these works best with lines of those sizes, almost regardless of lengths or weights.
3. The correct casting technique
In casting, it is important to get about 20 feet of line out front. Anglers should always remember to cast a straight line. Avoid jerky movements even if it is on a faster mode in order to do so.
Best of all, the angler should be relaxed because taunt muscles will ruin his casting.
Boiled down, there should be no reason why you should not learn the fundamental principles just as easily as those who now enjoy fly fishing.
Probably, the best and surest way to learn to cast successfully is to spend a day on the stream with some fisherman who is a competent caster.
Lessons learned on the stream are the best tips you can acquire anywhere in your quest for learning fly fishing.
Nicky Pilkington
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/tips-on-fly-fishing-10110.html
Best Lures To Use In Fishing
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The evolution of fishing gear and accessories along with the development of the bass fishing industry brought about the development of various lures specifically used for different fish species.
There are many types or class of lures and they all depend on what type of fish works for them. Many only work for specific types but some cover a wide range of species of fish.
Below are some of the typical lures used for fishing.
Light Standard Casting Lures
For Standard casting lures, they are mostly able to attract a wide range of fish varieties from albacore, bluefish, bonita, oho and crappies. These lures are also excellent for certain species of bass fish and work best when retrieved from water at low to medium speed. They pass through water with undetectably synthetic material.
Their sizes are excellent for lightweight fish and a host of freshwater species. They range from 1/16 oz. to 3 oz.
The hand painted eye is enticing enough to allow schooling of fish. This feature allows for more chances of trapping one of the target fish in the water.
Heavy Standard Casting Lures
Heavy Standard Casting Lures are excellent for quite heavy fish specifically, walleye and bass. While the lightweight lures are used in most circumstances, it was shown that heavy counterparts provide more reliable fishing output.
Moreover, the heavy standard lures are able to catch fish than diamond and light standard casting lures.
Long Casting/Jigging Lures
Perhaps the most popular among the fishing lures are the long, tapered jigging lures. They are perhaps the most commonly used fishing lures among the fishermen in Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Just recently, it was found out that the long casting lures work best for catching trout and pike. They were also found to effectively catch stripers and bluefish. They can catch tuna and walleye in a breeze!
Unlike heavy standard lures, this gear won’t produce good fish-catch output up to 180-200 ft under water but be sure to effectively match your lure color, bait and related accessories to maximize performance.
Deadly Diamond Lures
These lures are one of the smallest with sizes ranging from 1/8 to 1oz. They can seamlessly attract attention among fish and could form a school of fish in a minute!
The reason is it lies on its structural surface formation and cut. The top handle is cut like a diamond and causes the reflection of light striking on its surface. The diamond lures are best for catching bass fish varieties, crappie and stripers although they work on a small range of fish species.
Nicky Pilkington
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/best-lures-to-use-in-fishing-10131.html
Trout Fishing 101, Little Red River, Heber Springs, Arkansas
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Howard Calhoun of Crye*Leike Brock Real Estate in Heber Springs gives a short lesson in basic techniques for Trout Fishing on the Little Red River.
Duration : 0:6:47
fishing trout with a spinner or a dry fly?
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I’m getting interested in Trout Fishing and I have spoken to some Trout Unlimited guys and they all swear by dry flies. I myself am just starting and I’ve done a little rooster tail fishing with some nice catches. Is one more humane than the other as far as catch and release goes? Also whats a nice fly fishing reel and rod to get as a noob?
The Trout Unlimited guys you’ve talked to probably prefer fly fishing to spin fishing because TU is primarily a fly-fishing organization. It was created by fly anglers and the vast majority of members are fly anglers. This doesn’t mean that fly fishing is superior to other forms of fishing.
I’m a TU member and I prefer fly angling for trout because it gives you the ability to imitate virtually any form of trout forage (without resorting to bait), from the tiniest gnat to the biggest baitfish. It allows you to attack any level of the water and I have found it to be more productive for trout than spin fishing under most circumstances, especially on streams and rivers.
Is fly fishing more humane than spin fishing? I guess it is slightly more humane because flies do not have treble hooks and you are much less likely to deep hook a fish on a fly than you are with spinners and other spin fishing lures. Fly hooks are generally smaller than spin fishing hooks and lots of fly anglers use barbless hooks, though there is nothing to stop a spin fisherman from using barbless hooks. If you are a catch-and-release angler, your goal is to be humane throughout the fishing process, not just in your choice of lure. In other words, a spin angler can be every bit as humane to fish as a fly angler. Most of the spin anglers I know catch fewer trout than fly anglers, so perhaps that’s their way of being humane (heh heh).
I hate to be uppity about gear, but I would shy away from those beginner combo’s in the $80 – $100 price range that you see between the soccer balls and treadmills at your big-box sporting goods store. They’re usually so cheaply made that they’re no fun to fish with or they soon break/malfunction in some way and have very poor warantees. However, I have a young friend who recently got a combo from Cabela’s that seemed okay — he said it was around $150 and the "brand" was Three Forks. It was a 4-piece 5 weight around 8-foot long and it came with a storage bag and some other stuff. I tried casting with it and both the rod and reel worked passably well. I looked at Cabela’s and I found this:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0051114320386a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntt=fly+combo&Ntk=Products&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&_D%3Asort=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
The combos there are in the $100 price range, and I can’t tell if it’s the same outfit — maybe the price point has dropped or something.
I’m also partial to Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO). They make good equipment and it’s generally less expensive than some of the well-known brand names.
http://templeforkflyrods.com/index.html
RIO Selective Trout II Fly Lines
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The Selective Trout II fly lines are specialized for the discerning angler and technical fishing. These unique weight forward and double taper lines are designed for trout fishing where presentation is of the utmost importance. Both the weight forward and double taper lines have long front tapers for delicate presentations and an extended rear taper for effortless roll casting. The Selective Trout line is good on bamboo and all medium action trout rods.
Deep Sea Fishing: Some Tips on Deep Sea Fishing at Night
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Deep sea fishing is an enjoyed activity by many. The sun, sea and the adrenaline of adventure makes a perfect day for such kind of activity. However, for very experienced fishermen, they would advice you that if you really want to get a good catch, it would be best for you to start fishing 2 hours after sunset or 2 hours even before sunrise.
This is why most experienced fishermen would rather have a night trip than a day trip. However, due to the difference of environment during night fishing, if you are new to this kind of setting, then there are certain things that you should know to make your night trip a successful one.
Getting Started
Although it may seem difficult, waking up in the wee hours of the day is still possible. Additionally, you can always get the help of an alarm clock to be your wake-up call. There are some other preparations too that should be done other than being able to wake up, like preparing your bait.
It would be the best if you have already set up everything you need and have some wet-bait ready even half an hour before sun rise. It is important to remember that anchoring and cooking the bait should be finished by the time sunset arrives. This is due to the reason that cooking through your night fishing could be very dangerous. Plus, your bait should be able to cool off before you can use it.
The Logic Behind It
The logic behind all these waking up early and preparations is that fish usually feed shallower around times like this. Thus, they are easier to catch, since they’re only about 30 feet below the water’s surface. In fact, according to experts, twilight minutes are very productive especially if you’re fishing for a living.
Where’s The Light At?
If you really want to have good results at the fastest time possible, whether it be you are fishing in fresh or salt water, try fishing around piers, which have some lights. This is because fish are very attracted to light beams that pass through the water surface in different sea depths. In general, fishing excursions usually have a very happy ending when held around lights on piers or buoys.
Use Something Large
It is also important that you use very large dry or wet flies, nymphs, and oversized streamers, if you are really interested in getting a lot of catch of those active feeders out there.
In fact, night-feeding can be easier for you when your bait is that large enough for the fish to locate. Additionally, you should remember to draw your baits gradually along the surface of the water with a jerking motion. Doing this would help attract some trout. Nevertheless, you should also bring some extra live bait and always keep the lure inside your water or boat, safely contained.
See The Signs
During night fishing, you should always try to be on guard for some signs that feeding fish are in the area. Take note that at this time, you’ll be able to hear them feeding themselves even before you see their splashes or swirls in the water. Don’t forget to chuck in your lure, as soon as possible and once you hear them breaking the surface, into the spot that you think they are in.
Additionally, you should try making repeated casts anywhere that you think they may be circulating, since fish have some trouble in locating lures during the night.
Nicholas Tan
http://www.articlesbase.com/fishing-articles/deep-sea-fishing-some-tips-on-deep-sea-fishing-at-night-674984.html