Young prospective fishermen are usually exposed to fishing from an early age because their parents are into the sport. It’s a great way to get away and enjoy some quality family time. They typically get bought an inexpensive rod and reel with one of the latest Disney characters on it. For a kid, those reels can be pretty fun to use but once you get older and become more serious about fishing, you’ll need to start investing a little bit more money in better gear and finding the right reel to use will make all the difference in your success at fishing.

There are 4 basic models of fishing reels and understanding them will help you select the right one. There is the spin casting, spinning (open-face), bait casting and fly reel. Whatever your motivation is to get out to the local fishing hole, having the correct reel will make it more enjoyable.

Your Mickey and Barbie fishing reels was the spin casting sort. This, however, doesn’t mean that such a reel should be obsolete for you now. This sort of reel is less prone to tangles and snares and casts with the push of a button. By pressing and holding the thumb button on the back of the spin casting reel (opposite the string hole), you essentially push and hold a spindle and peg which locks down the fishing line. By letting go of the button when you cast, the bait or lure lobs out to the water. Though quick and painless, the drag and design of the spin cast reel doesn’t allow for casting very far. If you’re new to fishing, and don’t want to use a lot of effort (cast and let the bait sit on the bottom, for example) or catch too big of fish, then this style is for you.

A spinning reel is not for the novice and is the second most common type of reel next to the spin casting reels. Spinning reels have open faces and you can see the string in the reel. You have to pull back the bail to release the string and then control the cast with your thumb and forefinger. Most professional fishers use a spinning reel to catch their fish on. Because you can control the way the string leaves the reel, you can get very accurate casts when you cast into reeds or other areas fish like to hide.

Bait casting reels are newer additions to the fishing world and in the hands of a pro, can be fantastic reel. If however you don’t know how to use one, it can also be a great source of aggravation and can ruin a fishing outing. The spool of the reel is not housed like the spin casting but it is also not fully open like the spinning reel. It’s a cross of the two. The biggest drawback to this type of reel is that it is very easy to over spin the line and end up with a huge knot.

Watching an experienced fly fisherman work the fly gear and land a great fish is truly and inspiring site. Fly reels are the fouth style of reel and are nothing like the other types or styles of reels and in fact don’t even use your standard clear fishing line. Fly reels are made to exacting specifications and designed for precise movements involved in fly fishing.

Source: sports

Fall is the time when most Outdoorsmen think about hunting. However, for many of us Fall is the time when we want to get out on the Lake and go Crappie fishing. Fall can be an excellent time to fill the freezer with Crappie.

First, as the water cools in the Fall, Crappie will begin to move from their deep water Summer hangouts to relatively shallow water I typically find Fall Crappie in 6 to 12 feet of water. After the first good Fall cool front, look for Crappie at the first good drop off from the bank.

Fall Crappie can be very aggressive. You may have to experiment, but I like to find Crappie using jigs using either the Spider rigs or floating with corks. As I drift along the drop off, I’ll put the corks at different depths until I find the Crappie.

As most of you know, the best time to go fishing in the Fall is just prior to a major cold front. This is the time you can find Crappie very shallow filling up their stomachs on everything from Shad to insects.

Post cold front Crappie can be hard to get to hit your bait. I typically use smaller jigs and minnows. If the weather warms up after the cold front, look for Crappie to become active as soon as a week after the passage of the cold front.

If you’re having trouble finding Fall Crappie after a cold front. Slow down your presentation and use smaller jigs or minnows. Post cold front Crappie won’t chase bait very far, so make sure you put it right in front of their face. If you find them holding over a break or drop off, use a tightline approach to target feeding Crappie.

The good news about Fall cold fronts is that typically the cold weather doesn’t last long. If Crappie turn off feeding for a few cold days, be back on the lake when the weather starts warming up. The Crappie will be turned on and feeding heavily. Make sure you’re there to take advantage of this feeding frenzy.

South winds can blow baitfish against the shore, presenting easy pickings for hungry Crappie. Use a Spider Rig or a Float and Jig rig to target these fish and fill your live well! Floats and jigs can be fished faster than minnows, plus since there is not rebaiting, you can keep your jigs in the water longer, catching more fish.

Source: Fishing

When it comes to fishing, novices often think the gear is the same for just about every type of fishing. This, of course, is no more true than saying all golf clubs are the same and usable in any circumstance.

I actually do not like to play golf. Even so, I am fully aware that there are different clubs for different situations. A driver is the club to go big and long, but would be a pretty useless club on the green.

Fishing rods have the same element of specialization. A bait casting rod is distinctly different from a fly rod. A basic glance at each makes the distinction generally clear, but a closer inspection of a fly rod fleshes out the differences.

Our first area of focus is the grip of the rod. You will notice it is longer and comprised of cork. Fly fishing involves a lot of repetitive casting. The grip is designed to give you plenty of room to do it and cut down on hand friction.

A fly fishing rod design has to account for heat caused by friction. Your basic bait casting rod does not have this problem. The movement of the line is not frequent, so any heat derived from friction dissipates.

With fly fishing, heat on the line is a major issue. It can result in broken lines. A major design element of the fly rod is to eliminate this problem, which accounts for distinct design differences compared to other rods.

To deal with this issue, the first alteration you will note is a subtle difference. The first loop off the reel is known as the stripping guide. It is lined with a ceramic material to cut down on friction and heat, but will limit your casting distance.

Moving up the rod we find some odd looking wire guides. Most rods have simple and traditional metal loops. The purpose is simply to make sure the line moves efficiently up and down the rod.

Wire guides on fly rods serve two purposes. One is to guide the line, but the other is to cut the friction and heat damage to the line. This is done by converting the loops into spirals aptly called snake guides.

Fly fishing can be frustrating when you first start out. Trust me, it will become easier and be fun. Understanding the design of the rod is the first step in that transition.

Source: Fishing