Get Paid to Fish Review

If you’re looking to obtain and keep quality sponsors, the book “Get Paid to Fish” is a “must read”. It is packed with details that you better know if you are going to approach any company for sponsorship. Written by Bernie Barringer and Jim Kalkofen, whom both have over 20 years’ experience in fishing and outdoors activities, this book is the key to opening doors for those anglers who want to get paid to fish. It also offers some valuable insight not just from the writers, but from industry legends like Kevin Van Dam and Al Linder (to name a couple), detailing what it really takes to get a paycheck from a sponsor.

Of all the books and articles I have read over the years, Get Paid to Fish is one best that I have come across. It is well thought out, easy to read and easy to understand. It speaks directly to how Social Media, videos and other technologies can greatly benefit the anglers who are in the know. Whether you’re just starting out or if you have been at this for a long time, Get Paid to Fish can teach everyone a thing or two about sponsorships and what it really takes to get paid in the fishing industry. We were fortunate enough to catch up with Bernie Barringer (Co-Author of Get Paid to Fish) for a quick interview, here’s what he had to say: READ MORE

Finally some ice fishing!

Been trying to get out all winter for a little #icefishing.  Finally got a chance to get out with my longtime friend Eric Fieldstadt (Great fishermen and photographer).  If you’ve never been ice fishing, you might be wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to walk out onto a frozen lake or pond and start drilling holes.  The answer is simple… Addiction to Fishing!

There was about 15 people out on the ice when we arrived.  Action was slow in the early morning, but picked up as it got later.  Several Crappie, Pickerel, Bluegills, Perch and even some Bass were caught.  Some guys set up “tip-ups” rigged with live bait while they jigged.

We met a lot of nice folks out on the ice.  Everyone was friendly, courteous and just out there to have a good time. 

Eric and I spent our time only jigging, but we moved around a lot more than most of the guys out there.  We used a variety of ice jigs and some little spoons tipped with small cuts of salmon skin.  In the end, moving around produced a lot more fish for us… plus you tend to stay warmer when you’re moving around. ;)

If you’re thinking about giving ice fishing a try, there’s still a lot you need to know before you set foot on the ice.  I would always recommend you go with at least one other person and preferably someone with ice fishing experience.  Be prepared, dress warm and be sure to carry some safety equipment.  A good general rule is 4” or more of newly formed ice is safe for one adult to stand on, but there are other things to consider.  Not all areas will have the same ice thickness.  Here’s a couple of resources that can help you.   

http://www.wikihow.com/Know-When-Ice-is-Safe

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7733.html

Night Time Bass Fishing

One of my favorite things about nighttime bass fishing is that it’s another one of those opportunities to catch a real trophy sized bass.  To this day, there are still not as many folks that go out night fishing as you would think… and in turn, there’s less pressure on bass.

In our latest article, we discuss some of the basics for night time bass fishing such as: Timing, Safety, Lighting, Pest Management, Lures, Colors and locations.  If you haven't tried fishing at night, you're missing the boat.

Read On About Night Time Bass Fishing

Mental Preparation A Must

Most tournament anglers make time to spool up new line, change out hooks, oil reels, and perform any other maintenance that may be required on their equipment prior to tournament day, but many don't spend enough time preparing themselves mentally.  Perhaps one of the most important thing I found that gives me a competitive advantage in tournament competition is being mentally prepared before a tournament.

If you were to ask a consistent winning tournament angler how they prepare for a tournament, I'd bet you dollars to donuts one of the items on their check list would be mental preparation.  In fact many of the top competitors in any sport know that to win, you have to have your head in the game long before the game even starts.  I'm sure it's not the first time you've heard this mentioned, but what does it really mean and how does one go about preparing themselves mentally for a fishing tournament?  Here's what I like to do...

Bass Fishing Article Continued

A Jig and What?

If you've never tried this combo, now is the time.  Here are some tips from prostaff team member Dan Galusha on this Early Spring Jig Combo.

When early Spring arrives a lot of attention turns to a jig-n-pig combination for bass fish. This has long been a favorite, and rightfully so, as it is a great producer for lunker bass. However, during the last two seasons I’ve found a smaller and slimmer jig combination. The combination, which I found to be very productive, is the black/purple, Gripper Hair Rubber Bass Jig with a 4-inch, black Mann’s Jelly Worm. For added attraction, Kodiak Crawfish Paste is applied to the blackberry scented worm trailer.

Early Spring Jig Fishing continued...

Bank Fishing

People always ask me if I still like to fish from the banks or shorelines since I have a boat and compete in tournaments.  My answer is always YES.  In fact, my favorite part of shoreline fishing is that you don't need a lot of time to go.  Here's a nice bass I caught during a lunch break from work.

I've been bass fishing since I was a kid and fishing from the shoreline was my only option for quite some time. I will admit that having a boat has advantages, the ability to cover far more water in less time.  But even as a boat owner, I haven't forgotten my roots.  

You don't always need a boat to catch a big bass.  As matter of fact, one of my personal bests to date was caught bank fishing.  Never underestimate fishing from shorelines of a lake or pond.  Every body of water has at least one dominant bass.  

There are a few tips I follow that have helped me be more successful when fishing from the bank.

Here are some bank fishing tips:

• Fishing equipment or gear
  Less is more.  Better to pack lite so you can move around more freely and cover more water. The more spots you hit the better chance you have landing a big bass. 

• How to approach the shoreline
  Bass spook easily, especially lunkers, so make sure that you are quiet when you approach the shoreline.

• What to look for to find bass
  Big bass like heavy cover on the bank. When you think of cover think of weeds, branches in the water, shade, basically anything a bass can use to “cover” itself.  Make sure you have polarized glasses, they really help to find underwater structure and cover.

• Different Casting techniques
  Shoreline access is usually limited and surrounded by obstacles.  Being proficient in as many casting techniques as possible, will increase your ability to place a lure into key areas.  

Check out my article on bank fishing tips.  There, I explain in more details how to apply each of these tactics and techniques.  

Whether you have a boat or not, never underestimate fishing the banks of a lake or pond, they can produce some really nice bass.

Ice Out Bass Tactics

Ice out is something that is highly anticipated by the northern anglers.   Many lakes, reservoirs and ponds can freeze solid for several months, keeping you away from catching bass, unless you’re an ice fishermen.  As the end of winter approaches, all we keep saying is “when will the ice finally start to melt?”  When the winter continues to linger on the excitement for the ice out builds.   For those of you who didn’t spend your free time during the winter organizing your tackle boxes, cleaning your reels and all the other stuff us northerners do, you’ve got some work ahead of you if you want to be ready for ice out bass fishing!

Ice out can be a great time of year to go bass fishing, if you understand the transition bass make from their wintering holes to their spawning grounds.   The bass have been hunkering down all winter in very cold waters, as the ice and snow melts away, water temps begin rapidly increasing drawing the bass to move to more shallow areas where the water is warmer.

Locating Bass

Largemouth and Smallmouth bass can be found in many locations from steep bluff walls with stair-stepping ledges to shallow, dark bottom areas near rocks and weeds where there’s more heat.  The one common factor you need to search for is the transition areas that bass will use to get from deep to shallow.  On larger man made impoundments, old road beds, creek channels and stone walls can be used as a road map that shows you how bass will move from point to point:

A (wintering holes) to

B (deep transitional structures, bluffs, rock ledges, points, etc.) to

C (shallow transitional structures like rock piles, docks and emerging weed beds) to

D (Spawning flats)

Read More Finding Bass When the Ice Melts