Today's fishing tip is by Tim Baker
(Tim from Sam and Tim's Fishing Page)

Associate Professor of Electronics Technology at
John A. Logan College
Carterville, IL



Consider Spinning Tackle

I hate to admit it but I was 40 at the beginning of this fishing season. Along with 40 came some aches and soreness I had not experienced in the past. Shoulders ache, wrists get sore. That flippin' stick got heavier over the winter. These things didn't occur over night. They have been coming on for some time.

Last year I started using spinning tackle. It started as a delivery system for very small, light-weight baits. Before long it was discovered a bait could be placed in spots most folks couldn't get to using a casting rig or flippin' stick. With some practice accuracy can be developed in a short period of time. The real beauty of spinning tackle is that it is easier on your body. You will probably be less sore at the end of a day of fishing.

There are three key elements to using spinning tackle:

I believe rods can be divided into three categories; 1) pitching, 2) skipping, 3) cranking. For pitching the rod needs to be fairly stiff. It should have plenty of backbone to get the fish out of the cover. For skipping the rod should have plenty of backbone for the hookset and a flexible tip for accuracy in casting. This will allow you to skip baits under limbs, docks and places most other folks will bypass because they can't get their baits there. For cranking the rod needs to have enough backbone to hold a fish and a tip flexible enough not to rip the bait from the fishes mouth during a sweeping hookset. Most spinning rods are 61/2 to 7 feet long.

When selecting a reel get one with a large spool. Remember, you are not going after bluegill. You may be using line as heavy as 20 lb test. The advantage of these reels is when the bait hits the water it falls straight down. Spinning reels are much easier to cast on windy days. There is no resistance to the mechanical features of the reel to produce a backlash. If you use a reel with a trigger, my advice is to manually open and close the bail. This will reduce the possibility of getting loop in your line.

As far as lines go I recommend lines other than monofiliment. My choice is Berkley 6 / 14 Fire Line. It is the toughest line I have ever used. It seldom produces a loop. If it does loop you gently pull the ends of the line. Most of the time the loop will pull right out with no damage to the line. By using braided lines you will spend more time fishing and less time untangling line.

By switching to spinning tackle you may discover there are more fish hiding in places you were never before able to look for them.

About Catch And Release!

Without so many bass anglers practicing catch and release today, there nearly wouldn't be any bass left to catch. Most good bass anglers practice catch and release on the lakes and rivers where you fish, and it literally makes all the difference. Although we go fishing with the idea of catching fish, we don't have to keep them. There are other alternatives, like panfish, when we want to go home and show off a stringer of fish.

The toughest obstacle of all is releasing your first bass back into the water after you make that hard decision. Every bass angler who practices catch and release remembers how difficult it was to catch that first, big fish and then let it go. Big bass don't come along that often for some of us. But they wouldn't come along at all if there weren't so many anglers practicing catch and release today.

Give fish, and other anglers, another chance. Odds are, the big bass you catch has been caught before by someone else who released it, and gave you the chance for better fishing.

Additional tips on jig fishing, top water fishing, and panfishing are also available.

timbaker@jal.cc.il.us
shouse@siu.edu