Fly Fishing Vacations for your sanity

Fly fishing vacations are advertised all over the Internet,in magazines, and wherever fishing related activities aretaking place. Your choices are limited only by your budget.

Fly fishing vacations are advertised all over the Internet,in magazines, and wherever fishing related activities aretaking place. Your choices are limited only by your budget.

Fly fishing vacations on a budget

Speaking of budgets, if your wallet isn't amenable to spendingbig bucks on a fly fishing vacation, you'll have to look carefully at the options available. Most professionally run fishing vacations will cost you dear, but there are a few bargains out there.

Decide firstly what you want from your vacation. If you expectthe professional to supply all your gear, you will pay for iteither in hidden costs or as an added extra.

A boating trip will cost more than a simple wading trip. A camping trip will be less than one where you stay in cabinsor hotels.

If you hire a guide to show you the ropes, be prepared topay for him or her. The upfront costs will usually not includegratuities. The advantage of a guide is having someone who knows the waters and who can direct you to spots where fishare found. (No guarantees).

Getting the best out of fly fishing vacations

If you are paying money for your fly fishing vacation, you should have certain expectations. Do some homework before youcommit so that you won't be disappointed.

Check out exactly what you will be getting for your bucks.Are there hidden costs involved? Don't plan on catching yourdinner every night; the fish might not cooperate.

There are vacations suitable for families with young children.Others are aimed at target groups. Women only fly fishing vacations are offered regularly, as are those targeting youth groups.

A vacation for the novice fisherman is not likely to excitethe experienced pro. Likewise the novice will soon be disillusioned if signed up for a vacation where instruction is beyond his or her capabilities.

What's available in fly fishing vacations?

Fly fishing vacations are available throughout the States andinternationally also. Prices range from the hundreds of dollarsper night to the thousands of dollars for multi-night stays.

Your fly fishing vacation might include a full day seminar followed by a day or two on the river to practice what you'velearned. Other vacations are purely the get out and fish type.Some vacations are float trips where you'll have the opportunityto cook your catch in the evenings over a campfire and talk about the ones that got away. Other trips are catch and release only, so you'll need a camera to record your successes.

Fly fishing vacations are sometimes offered at ranches wherethere is private water. This might be a privately owned portionof a river or stream or it could be a large lake or pond thathas been stocked with trout. Often these privately owned watershave a catch and release provision.

What you should know before you leave on your fly fishingvacation

Before you leave on your fly fishing vacation, make sure thatyou have a confirmed list of the inclusions offered in youritinerary. If possible, find out what others have said aboutthe operators of the program.

If you are taking your own tackle, make sure that it is suitable for the waters you will be fishing. Find out if youcan purchase anything you might need at the site.

A fly fishing vacation might not be paradise personified, butit is sure darned close. If you have done your homework and everything falls into place you'll have your office colleagues wondering about the smile on your face when your return to work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dale East is a long time outdoorsman and fly fisher and publisher of
Fly Fishing Wyoming

Fly fishing trips for the uninitiated

If you have never taken a fly fishing trip before and youare planning on heading for the wilderness, take along abuddy. At worst you'll have someone to compete with duringthe telling of one that got away stories. At best you'll have someone to help if trouble strikes.

If you have never taken a fly fishing trip before and youare planning on heading for the wilderness, take along abuddy. At worst you'll have someone to compete with duringthe telling of one that got away stories. At best you'll have someone to help if trouble strikes.

Go prepared for all weathers and conditions. You'll be miserable if you spend several hours in freezing weather dressed only in shorts and t-shirt.

Remember that the more remote the stream you are fishing,the more easily spooked the fish will be. Approach the watercarefully and think for a while before you wade in.

Packing your gear for your fly fishing trip

Try out your gear before you leave on your fly fishing trip.Broken tackle in remote areas is not easy to replace. Carrysome extras for emergency repairs.

Avid anglers will often take a small fly tying kit with themso they can whip up a fly to match whatever is hatching on thewater. Others use scissors or clippers to trim a ready preparedfly into an "almost matches the hatch" one.

Remember to take a current license with you. Murphy's law states that the only time you leave it behind is the time theranger will want to see it.

Before you leave, have a look at the fishing reports for thearea you are intending to fish. You'll get good informationabout what's going on, including river levels, hatches and other details.

When you arrive or get close to your destination, wander intothe local tackle store and speak with the sales people. They'llusually know what's going on and have a few tips for you.

Guided or self-guided fly fishing trips

A guided fishing trip is a good idea if you are fishing unfamiliar waters. Even a couple of hours with an expert willgive you hints and tips that apply to that particular spot. You'll spend more time in productive fishing.

Guided trips can cost you dearly. You'll pay by the hour, bythe day, or by whatever the guide decrees. Some guided trips will include tackle, some will not. The price will vary accordingly.

If you are an experienced angler and expert at reading any water then you'll be able to get away without paying for a guide. Sometimes peace and solitude is well worth a couple of hours of getting used to the stream.

For me, the hike into the backcountry enhances the trip. Itake time to soak in the fresh air and admire the scenery. Thefishing is the climax, but the journey is well worth the time.

Fly fishing is more than just a sport, it is like painting with many brushes. An extended fly fishing trip will enable youto practice your artistry. If you return with nothing more than a greater appreciation of the beauty of a trout, then you will have returned a greater artist.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dale East is a long time outdoorsman and fly fisher and publisher of
Fly Fishing Wyoming

Fishing on Your Pontoon Boat

Fishing on your pontoon boat can be both a relaxing and fun experience. Fishing from a pontoon boat can much more enjoyable than fishing on other smaller vessels. While fishing on a pontoon boat, you are often free from worries regarding the sturdiness of your vessel, or tipping the boat over while leaning in for larger catches.

Fishing on your pontoon boat can be both a relaxing and fun experience. Fishing from a pontoon boat can much more enjoyable than fishing on other smaller vessels. While fishing on a pontoon boat, you are often free from worries regarding the sturdiness of your vessel, or tipping the boat over while leaning in for larger catches.

Fishing on your pontoon boat is also often much more comfortable than fishing in smaller vessels. In between catches you can relax on the deck of your pontoon boat, or go cook a few filets on the on board grill.

When you fish on your pontoon boat, you can often go out fishing for the entire day, without leaving behind the small luxuries of home, such as a refrigerator to keep your lunch, and chilled drinks, and a stove to do some minor cooking, or to cook up a catch later in the day. You can even outfit your pontoon boat with a small restroom, making it so you have no need to go back to shore until your fishing journey is complete.

The size of a pontoon boat is also ideal for group fishing outings. With a pontoon boat several people can fish off of different sides of the boat without fear of their lines becoming entangled, or interfering with each other's fishing. Fishing with others on a pontoon boat can also help spread out the area in which you are fishing, and help make your entire fishing experience more enjoyable.

It is also easy to fish while on a pontoon boat with others who wish to engage in other activities about on the boat. Pontoon boats are often separated into several different sections, so that a section can be devoted solely to fishing, while another section be reserved for others to play games, dine, or participate in other activities away from where the fishing is occurring.

If you use your pontoon boat as a fishing vessel frequently you may want to outfit the boats with accessories, catered to your fishing style. You can purchase special holders for your fishing rod to attach to your favorite space, as well as a variety of other accessories to accent your pontoon boat and enhance your fishing experience such as custom seats. No matter what your style, a pontoon boat can help turn a day of fishing into a spectacular experience.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas Holley is owner of www.Pontoon-Boat-Products.com where you can find all your pontoon boat products and accessories. Pontoon-Boat-Products.com, because we know where you'd rather be. Also, be sure and sign up for our free newsletter, "The Pontoon Boating Life."

Tarpon Fishing and Catching The Elusive Silver King - Megalops Atlanticus

Learn more about this magnificent ocean creature at http://www.tarpon-fishing-i.com/. Growing to lengths of more thaneight feet and weighing more than 280 pounds, it is easy to seewhy the tarpon is one of the most sought after saltwater gamefishin the world. It's habitat is close to the shoreline so fishermenof all types and skill levels can catch them.

Learn more about this magnificent ocean creature at http://www.tarpon-fishing-i.com/. Growing to lengths of more thaneight feet and weighing more than 280 pounds, it is easy to seewhy the tarpon is one of the most sought after saltwater gamefishin the world. It's habitat is close to the shoreline so fishermenof all types and skill levels can catch them.

If you have ever had the priviledge of hooking up on a big tarponthen you know the exhilaration and thrill of testing yourself inbattle against one of the most sought after gamefish in theworld. This distinction is easy to see at first glance as thetarpon starts a series of spectacular acrobatic leaps in the airthat will have your heart pounding, your rod bending and yourdrag screaming. You better hold on!

Since the tarpon's habitat is so close to the shoreline,fishermen of all types and skill levels can catch them. They canbe caught from jetties, passes, docks, bridges, beaches, piersand rivers. Tarpon can be caught while using many types oftackle, rods, baits, lures and rigs either while fishing from aboat, canoe, kayak or walking and wading from the shoreline asthe tarpon work up and down the beaches.

Live bait fishermen's bait of choice is the 'dollar crab'. Asmall live blue crab about two inches across its carapace, hookedthrough one end of it's shell or underneath through a swimmerleg. Other extremely effective live baits include pinfish,threadfin herrings and pilchards. On days when the tarpon isbeing finicky in it's tablefare selection, try these for the bestresults, and oh, by the way, don't forget about a live mullet. Ifyou can get them, use them. Flyfishermen are not left out either.The stealth of casting the right fly can sometimes be the trickto hooking up.

But Just What is a Tarpon?

Scientific classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: ChordataClass: Actinopterygii Order: Elopiformes Family: MegalopidaeGenus: Megalops

This exceptionally fine creature is a prehistoric animal and theonly fish with an air bladder. This allows it to absorb oxygenand live in waters with very low oxygen content. You can see themgulp air at the water surface. Tarpon are also called poons,tarpum, sabalo real, cuffum, silverfish or silver king and belongto the bony fish family Elopidae. The Latin designation isMegalops atlanticus.

While only microscopic at birth, tarpon have been documented atlengths of more than eight feet and weighing 280 pounds. Catchesweighing more than 200 pounds, while uncommon, do occur. Manyfish caught are well over 100 pounds. Their growth rate is slow,taking 8 to 10 years to reach maturity, and generally those over100 pounds are female. Tarpon can live 55 to 60 years. They aregreenish or bluish on top, and silver on the sides. The largemouth is turned upwards and the lower jaw contains an elongatedbony plate. The last ray of the dorsal fin is much longer thanthe others, reaching nearly to the tail.

They are found primarily in shallow coastal waters and estuaries,but they are also found in open marine waters, around coralreefs, and in some freshwater lakes and rivers. Their normalmigratory pattern ranges from Virginia to central Brazil in thewestern Atlantic, along the coast of Africa in the easternAtlantic, and all through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.Florida is widely regarded as having many of the best tarponfishing locations in the world, especially the world-renownedBoca Grande Pass in Southwest Florida.

Fishing for the tarpon can at times be an excercise of patienceand discipline. You may be surrounded by large schools of rollingtarpon containing hundreds of fish and they will not hit anythingyou throw at them. Other times, it is a feeding frenzy. So, gofishing for tarpon every chance you get, that next world recordcatch may be waiting just for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Greg Smith is a life-long fisherman and publisher of fishing information websites. For more information, tips, tricks, techniques and charter guide resources for the most popular tarpon fishing locations in Florida and beyond visit http://www.tarpon-fishing-i.com/

World Wide Fishing Flies

World Wide Fishing Flies create a full range of traditionally dressed flies for anglers all over the world. With over 16 years experience in hand tying all types of flies you can be sure that the patterns tied will be as authentic as possible.
We use only the highest quality of materials ensuring long-lasting flies that produce the best results.
100,000 patterns available from an extensive library.
You can view my site at
http://www.worldwidefishingflies.co.uk
We use only the highest quality of materials ensuring long-lasting flies that produce the best results.
100,000 patterns available from an extensive library.
You can view my site at
http://www.worldwidefishingflies.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am the only Fulltime Pro. Fly Tyer in
Cumbria - Home of the English Lake District.