Blue Fish

There are two kinds of saltwater fly fishing: inshore and offshore. Offshore fly fishing is the deep-ocean kind. Inshore fishing means angling in brackish waters, tidal estuaries, and salty bays and lagoons, as well as an ocean proper but within reasonable distance of shore.

Inshore fly fishing tackle wholesale attracts the greatest number of anglers. For one thing, the inshore brand is more generally available. It exists along every coast – in this country from Maine to Florida, to Texas, to California, to Alaska. Inshore fly fishing can be done by casting from the banks, by wading, or by fishing from small boats with fox fishing tackle and fox lures.

A great deal of this inshore saltwater fly fishing is even done is fresh water – in fresh or partly brackish lakes or canals where we have tarpon, snook, and other species that can thrive in water that is entirely or partly fresh. There are huge sharks, for example, and even sawfish in Lake Nicaragua in Central America, 125 miles from the Atlantic. More species of fly-taking fox fishing tackle are generally available to the inshore angler, and inshore saltwater fishing also is less expensive than offshore sport. Particularly when it comes to fox fishing tackle. For the offshore variety, you have got to have a sport fisherman or similar boat of your own, or go on a charter cruiser with professional captain and mate. You also have to buy expensive gear, this is unless you find a good fishing tackle sale.

There are probably fifty or mre species of inshore fish speared from New England around Florida, into Gulf and along the Pacific Coast that will take fly rod fox lures, but the ones most in demand are striped bass, bluefish, smook, tarpon, bonefish, permit, sea trout, mackerels, channel bass, ladyfish and barracuda – not by any means in the order named. Among experienced saltwater fly-rodders the most desirable inshore fish are the scarce and hard-to-take permit, the speed-king bonefish, the wild-jumping tarpon, the shrewd snook, the powerful striped bass, and the bruising bluefish. It is interesting to note that each of the species just named, each of these great saltwater fish, could be caught in a foot of water against a grassy bank.

Until recent dredging and silting and shore-filling condominium construction, one of my favourite all-time salt fishing tackle sales grounds was the Loxahatchee River on central Florida’s Atlantic side. Upriver not far from the US 1 bridge is shallow oyster bar. It sweeps along the west bank, not 100 yards out from a gorgeous home where – almost every time I fished there – a couple of rambunctious boxer dog loped about ten yard. We would fish the bar from a small boat, using either surface poppers, fox lures or streamers, and every time in the winter season we would boat six to a dozen bluefish ranging from 2 to 5 pounds. Every time, that is but one winter when I fished the lower Lox twice and never saw bluefish. The point I’m making is that here we have an ocean fish which, when in the lower Loxahatchee, is swimming in as civilized waters as we might find.

Cat Fish

Most Anglers think the Catfish is an ugly beast, and perhaps they're right, but no one who has ever caught one thinks this way.

A truly extraordinary animal, no freshwater fish in Britain would fight harder, but yet, on the bank they are the most docile of creatures and can be handled by even a child. Give catfishing a try, you won't regret it Catfish Territory.

Catfish live in only about 50 waters in England, most of which hold only very small stocks. Nearly all of the best catfish venues for the beginner, ones with large stocks of catfish of all sizes up to 30lb, are in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Hertfordshire. Anyone wishing to start catfishing and learning the techniques would have a much better chance of success by joining clubs specialising in this species, like The Leighton Buzzard Angling Club. Membership with them gives you access to three of the countries top waters, Clayton Lakes near Winslow in Buckinghamshire: Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire: and at Tiddenfoot pit and & Rackley Hills.

Deffinately the best place to start, holds a large number of catfish, quite snag free and probably the easiest water in the country. Beware of the word easy though, catfishing is extremely slow fishing and you'd have to be prepared to put in a lot of your time to catch very few fish. Catfish tend to go a long time between meals. Unlike most freshwater fish, a catfish has a true stomach. It fills its stomach when it does feed, then lies up for a long time while it slowly digests its meal. Only by putting in the rod hours can you be sure of having a baited hook in the water when a catfish goes on a feeding spree. Night fishing isn't permitted at Claydon but this doesn't matter as the water is very heavily coloured and the usually nocturnal cats feed well during the day. If the water is clear in a venue, you can expect the fish to only feed at night, rarely venturing out in the light of day.

Like Tench, Catfish is a warm water fish, the best time of the year to catch them is from the beginning of the season until the end of September. Actual choice of swim is not usually particularly important as a feeding catfish is a cruising predator and scavenger covering a lot of water in its search for food. It's best not to fish close to any snags, however, as its virtually impossible to keep a catfish out of them on its first, extremely powerful run

Shark Fish

If you are visiting the Keys and love to fish, but do not have cash flow to hire a guide for multiple days. (Like me, at $400 - $800 a day for guided fishing there is no way I could afford to fish anywhere nears as much as I need to satisfy me)

Of course if your heart is set on catching Sailfish, bonefish, permit etc … frankly if your heart is set on catching any fish I would suggest you hire a guide. The waters of the Keys are big and it can take some serious know-how in order to catch some of the more sought-after fish.

But anyway's, if you aren’t scared to take a boat out in strange waters, bait your own fishhooks, land your own fish, and risk spending the day cursing, then something you might want to try is shark fishing,

Sharks are all over the place in the Keys: big ones, little ones from sluggish nurse sharks to aggressive bull sharks they are all over the place.

They are dumb and aggressive eaters, and the bigger ones aren’t even scared of boats. They don’t spook and they aren’t line shy. Basically they are the ideal fish to try to catch if you are new to saltwater fishing or the Keys.

Now you can try all this stuff from a bridge or shore somewhere but I recommend you rent a boat. There are numerous places you can rent a boat in the Keys. It doesn’t really matter how big the boat is, another thing that is great about shark fishing down here is that there are sharks a stone;s throw away from shore (unlike in NY where I am from).

What I suggest is getting the chum ahead of time, and the best way to accomplish this is to look for a party boat that has just came in and offer the mate a few bucks to give you leftovers when they are done cleaning their catch. So far I have never had a mate say no, but they if they do, or if they have a bad day's catch you can also go to a fish market. You can usually get fish head/carcasses or Bonito fish (which is bloody tuna type fish) for around .50 cents a pound. If you want to ensure a good trip buy a lot, like try to get a whole 5-gallon bucket full before you go out.

Sea Fish

Hooks are hooks in most anglers' minds. They figure they either need a big one or a small one, depending on the fish they are pursuing. Lots of anglers go through life completely missing the importance of using not only the right size sea hook, but probably most importantly the right type of sea hook.

It's not just pure fishing luck that makes the difference in all sea anglers catching more than you. Most of the time it's the hook choice you make on the day. A thick forged hook is not the right choice for small fish, fish with small mouths or soft lipped fish. A thin Aberdeen wire hook that can penetrate quickly in the inside of the mouth would be a better choice however you would also need a hook that holds its strength and shape.

Hook size is probably the first thing a sea angler should think of when buying hooks. Most are smart enough to know which hook is the right size for the fish they are after but it takes experience. Sizes from most manufacturers range from the very smallest freshwater trout hook at a number 32, to the very largest game fish hook at 19/0.

In sea fishing in the UK, average range is from a Size 1 to a Size 10/0 been a boat hook. For example Mackerel fishing, you should be using a size 1/0 hook, for Pollack from the shore you could use a size 3/0 or 4/0 and also you can use this size for most bottom fishing needs. Flatfish you are better off using a size 1 or 1/0 due to their small mouths. Remember all of these hooks come in a short, regular, or long shank version. The shank of the hook is the part between the eye of the hook and the bend. For example long shanks are very well suited for Sandeel baits, Lug or Rag threaded up the shank for a more natural presentation.

This hook is named for the specific design of the hook. It's a standard hook, forged with a very strong bend. This hook is relatively thick, very strong, and not likely to bend out of shape. Generally designed for saltwater, it is good for general bottom fishing use. Sizes range from #3 to as large as 19/0.

Fish

In fish, as well as in shell fish, a very large proportion of the food substances present is protein. This proportion varies with the quantity of water, bone, and refuse that the particular food contains, and with the physical structure of the food. In fresh fish, the percentage of this material varies from 6 to 17 per cent. The structure of fish is very similar to that of meat, as the flesh is composed of tiny hollow fibers containing extractives, in which are dissolved mineral salts and various other materials. The quantity of extractives found in these foods, however, is less than that found in meat. Fish extracts of any kind, such as clam juice, oyster juice, etc., are similar in their composition to any of the extractives of meat, differing only in the kind and proportions. In addition to the muscle fibers of fish, which are, of course, composed of protein, fish contains a small quantity of albumin, just as meat does. It is the protein material in fish, as well as in shell fish, that is responsible for its very rapid decomposition.

The percentage of fat in fish varies from less than 1 per cent. in some cases to a trifle more than 14 per cent. in others, but this high percentage is rare, as the average fish probably does not exceed from 3 to 6 or 7 per cent. of fat. This variation affects the total food value proportionately. The varieties of fish that contain the most fat deteriorate most rapidly and withstand transportation the least well, so that when these are secured in large quantities they are usually canned or preserved in some manner. Fish containing a large amount of fat, such as salmon, turbot, eel, herring, halibut, mackerel, mullet, butterfish, and lake trout, have a more moist quality than those which are without fat, such as cod.

Like meat, fish does not contain carbohydrate in any appreciable quantity. In fact, the small amount that is found in the tissue, and that compares to the glycogen found in animal tissues, is not present in sufficient quantities to merit consideration.

In fish, mineral matter is quite as prevalent as in meat. Through a notion that fish contains large proportions of phosphorus, and because this mineral is also present in the brain, the idea that fish is a brain food has become widespread. It has been determined, however, that this belief has no foundation.

The application of heat has the same effect on the protein of fish as it has on that of meat, fowl, and other animal tissues. Consequently, the same principles of cookery apply to both the retention and the extraction of flavor.