King Salmon fishing video

The king salmon is a pacific ocean salmon that comes under many other names including chinook salmon, black salmon, tyee salmon, just to name a few. They have a large growth potential and can reach the up to 1.5 meters (58 inches) and 130 pounds (59kg), but most anglers encounter fish up to 50 pounds. King salmon have the strange distinction of dying after breeding, which was highlighted in an episode of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.

King salmon are a popular angling target as they fight well and large fish are often encountered. They are also regarded as a top eating fish and the flesh is high in omega 3 which is an essential fatty acid linked with many health benefits. You should always check your local regulations as some Chinook salmon populations are listed as endangered.

One of the best places to catch big King Salmon is Alaska, which has quite a large population of these great fish. Many anglers dream of an Alaska Salmon Fishing adventure.

Enjoy this video of a big King Salmon caught in Alaska

How to cast a fly rod (with video)

Fly fishing is a rewarding way of fishing and even though I am not much good at it I still enjoy my time spent with fly rod in hand. Learning to cast a fly rod is probably one of the hardest learning curves in fishing and I certainly had (or should that be have) my fair share of difficulties. Fortunately these days learning to cast a fly rod is made easier with the Internet and I am going to share the resources that have helped me.

How to cast a fly rod

The Overhand cast (back cast)
The overhand cast is the basic fly fishing cast. It is used to pick your fly line up off the water and reposition your fly on a different target.



The Roll Cast
The roll cast is useful when obstacles behind an angler prevent a normal backcast. This instructional video shows the roll cast:



Fly fishing casting guides and resources
Basic casting technique
Roll Cast
Overhand Cast

There are many more advanced casting techniques and tips that you may want to eventually learn, but this information should help get you started in the wonderful world of fly fishing!

Bass video lessons

Bass are probably one of, if not the, iconic freshwater sportsfish in the world. I have had heaps of requests for bass lessons or tips. These requests keep pouring in so I had to do something about it. Unfortunately I am not from the US and I have never caught and American bass. Luckily though there is plenty of information on the web and I was able to piece together this little informative post (with videos).

These bass video lessons are presented by Doug Hannon one of the most famous bass fishermen who just so happens to be called the bass professor.

Video 1 - Big Bass Tip
In this video Doug Hannon talks about the secret to catching big bass, that really isn't a secret at all. What he says can easily be related to your fishing.



Video 2 - Big Bass love structure
In this video Doug talks about finding the right structure and fish that are active. There are some fantastic underwater shots to help explain the different types of structure.



Video 3 - Moon phases and bass
In this video Doug talks about the effects that the moon phases have on big bass and their feeding habits.



I hope you have enjoyed this post. There are many more video lessons available and if you would like to request anything in particular feel free to leave a comment.

Catfish Noodling Video

I first saw catfish noodling on the television show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Of course I have heard of it before, but I thought it was some kind of myth or legend. I had that idea because in Australia our catfish have poisonous barbs and can even kill you so I was a little skeptical at first. However, after seeing catfish noodling first hand it certainly looks interesting. So I just had to find a catfish noodling video or two to show my readers!

You start out by finding a catfish hole and then you place your hand in the catfish hole and wait for the catfish to latch onto your hand. Then you must get a really good grip and pull it out of the hole sometimes with the help of a "spotter." Big catfish can weight in at 50-60 pounds and apparently it is common for the noodler to receive cuts if they do not use a protective glove! I have heard that some noodlers put some kind of smelly bait mix on their hands, but I have been unable to find out if this is very common.

Enough of me talking about catfish noodling though here are the noodling videos.

If you know anything about this sport feel free to enlighten me with a comment.

Striper Fishing Video (including filleting)

I saw my first striper (also called striped bass) in an Australian magazine that featured a local writer that had visited the US. From what I know they are a great success story and can be caught in many places that they did not originally habitat after translocation (please correct me if I am wrong). They put up a really great fight and are wonderful on the plate. Like many other species fishing for stripers is best at dusk and dawn. These great fish are definitely on the first page of fish I really want to catch.

This is a great video showing everything from catching stripers to cleaning and filleting them. It really is a must watch. Enjoy

Snapper Fishing in Port Philip Bay

This video is from where I spent my holidays - unfortunately for me I wasn't on the water fishing. The southern half of this country has some great fish even after years of overfishing and environmental vandalism. Currently Port Philip Bay is about to undergo some serious channel dredging to make way for mammoth cargo ships, which has anglers very unhappy. Apparently dredging will even occur where coral is growing, which seems like a really stupid thing to me!

If you are interested in reading more about the channel dredging you can find it here
Coalition against the channel dredging

You can also voice your discontent here - take action say no to dredging

Anyway enough of the politics - enjoy the video

Holidays - (the ultimate fishing blog returns in one week)

Well that time of the year has come again - I am going on holidays. I am not leaving you completely and I will be back in a week, but if you really need an ultimate fishing blog fix I am going to leave you with the most popular posts of 2007.

1. How to cast a baitcaster reel
Yep these are really hard to master and I think that the number of page views to this post really proves that!

2. Fishing Knots and Rigs: Double Uni Knot
This is a great knot and I am glad that this information has been useful.

3. How to throw a cast net video
Almost as hard to master as a baitcaster and I think the amount of page views shows this!

4. Fishing Knots and Rigs: Snell Knot
I get heaps of visitors looking for knots and this is the second most popular.

5. Fishing Knots and Rigs: Bimini Twist

6. Fishing Tackle Review Berkley Gulp
People seem to like the tackle reviews: I have planned more for the future

7. Fishing Bloopers
Everyone likes funny fishing videos right?

I look forward to resuming most posting in a week.

If you have any favorite/memorable posts from this blog you would like to mention feel free to leave a comment.

Fishing Video: Reef Fishing Australia

This is just an amateur fishing video, but unlike many of the others it has some really good fishing action interspersed with the usual home video camera work (although I must say it is quite good). If you watch really early on you will see a reef fish being sharked, which has happened to me more times than I can remember and while it may seem a little gross it is the law of nature.

Sharks are a common occurrence on tropical reefs (if I was a shark that is where I would be) and can often be a problem. If you encounter them it is recommended to move to a new patch of reef. The fishing in this video is very typical of bottom bouncing on Northern Australian reefs, but there are still some great fish on show. Enjoy!

Fly Fishing Tips - Woolly Bugger Lure

Uses

Woolly Buggers imitate lots of different trout food:

• dragonfly nymphs,
• damselfly nymphs,
• leeches,
• baitfish,
• Anything that might be alive and edible.

If you fish lakes, you should have lots of these in your box, with a mix of colors and sizes. They can also be effective in rivers.

How to Fish

Count-down-and-retrieve or slow retrieve. Vary the retrieve until you find what works best at the moment: slow and steady, fast, strip-and-pause, or quick, short two-inch strips. Also, wind-drifting works well in lakes.

Fish at all depths until you find the right one, but most of the time you should be fishing somewhere between two to six feet deep.

Video Tips

Fishing Video: King Salmon

This is an amazing video and really shows that fish are far from the top of the food chain. I have caught many fish that have come up as a half only, but I have nothing on what happened to this guy!!



Luckily the whale wasn't hooked, as I can only imagine the consequences of handling or gaffing such a beast!

Fishing Video - Mahi Mahi (Dolphin Fish)

In Australia we call them dolphin fish, but they come go by many other names like mahi mahi, and dorado. They are an extremely fast growing fish, which fight well above average on normal tackle often making spectacular leaps in the air. They often school around FAD's (Fish Attracting or Aggregating Device) or other floating objects and schools often remain in the same area for hours providing for some spectacular fishing.

As well as being an amazing sportsfish they are also a great eating fish and most anglers are more than happy to see one swing aboard. They often fight even harder once in the boat and can thrash about wildly. It is best to quickly get them into an ice box to cool down.

Fishing Video of the week - Shark (great whites)

Now firstly I must say that shark fishing isn't my thing. That is not to say I haven't caught my fair share of sharks over the years, but where I am from sharks are a pain not an angling target. I remember my old man pulling up a 3-400 pound (estimate) shark in our 14 foot boat and to say we were a little bit scared when the thing surfaced is probably an understatement.

Having said all that sharks fight well and some of the smaller specimens can taste fairly good too with the added bonus of no bones!

This video focuses on the great white sharks, which are totally protected in Australia and are a very dangerous fish. Remember to only target sharks if you have some experience (and a decent boat). Enjoy the video

This week the fishing video is of sailfish on a fly. Amazingly many people are doing this now and it seems to be a viable way of catching these beautiful fish. When I first heard about flyfishing for fish bigger than the rod I was thinking of little 6 weight trout rods, but these saltwater fly rods are built just as tough as the fish they catch. The video is a little unstable, but worth watching if only for the original sailfish strike about 10 meters from the boat! Enjoy!

Bonefish Los Roques - Fishing Video of the Week

I love catching bonefish, but all the ones we get in Australia are tiny compared with some of the monsters I have seen caught in some of the most exotic locations. Los Roques is a place that I have only seen on television and in my dreams. All indications are that Los Roques is one of those "must visit" fishing locations for bonefish. This video demonstrates that perfectly and if you can get over the annoying music (turn down the volume) and sit still for 10 minutes (should be no problem for us patient fisherpeople right?) then this video is worth watching. Enjoy - oh and if anyone wants to sponsor my trip to Los Roques feel free to contact me :-) lol

Fishing Video - Trout (New Zealand)

After watching this video I am definitely considering booking my flights to New Zealand. Seriously New Zealand is the home of big big trout and catching a fish like the big one in this video is certainly a possibility not just a dream. I don't know what it is about the place, but the trout grow big there! It might be the land of the long white cloud, be full of sheep and be inhabited by people that can't talk properly (just a bit of Aussie teasing going on here), but the fishing, both fresh and saltwater, is red hot. I for one am sick of watching lucky Aussie fishing TV hosts catch big fish over there and it is something I am going to have to remedy soon! Enjoy the video

Fishing Video of the week - Carp

In Australia these fish are an introduced pest. They have taking over the native waterways, muddying up the rivers and basically making it hard for the Australian freshwater sportsfish. They are causing so much trouble that it is illegal to return a carp to the water dead or alive. A carp fertilizer has now been developed called "Charlie carp" which puts the dead fish to good use. They were introduced originally to make Australia seem more European and they have also been introduced into our rivers by well meaning pet owners who could no longer care for their fish.

From what I understand the problem also exists in the United States and I would love to hear more about it.

However, after saying all that, carp are a popular angling target in Europe and they grow mighty big and put up a very strong fight. This great video is for all those people that like to catch carp.

Fishing video of the week - Mulloway

Who said you can't catch big fish from the beach! This great little video I came across today really shows what Australian surf fishing has to offer. The mulloway is arguably the ultimate catch from the beach in the Southern areas of Australia and this is an amazing fish. This video is taken from Kalbarri in Western Australia and it is another of my favourite areas to fish! I hope you enjoy this video!

Fishing Video of the Week - Snapper

This video focuses on one of my favourite fish to catch - snapper. These are the Australian and New Zealand snapper and are no relation to the snapper family of fishes from the northern hemisphere. In this video the guys are using snapper snatcher rigs - a specially made rig with fly type presentations on a circle hook. They are spicing these up with a little bit of bait and watching the fish hook themselves! They then go on to try these rigs with other fish and find that they work just as well. Enjoy!

Fishing Video of the week - Ice Fishing

Now ice fishing is something I have always wanted to try, but I have always seen it as a boring event where you get very cold and catch very few fish. However this video made me stop worrying about a frozen butt and I wanted to get onto a plane and head to Canada or the Northern United States immediately!

In this video the fisherman catches a giant musky (muskie) while fishing for lake trout and this is an awesome fish , especially on light tackle. It does show one major problem with ice fishing though - what happens if the hole you dug isn't big enough for the fish! Enjoy!

Fishing video of the week

This little barramundi video is obviously a home made attempt, but it is still worth watching as the action is indicative of what can happen in the far north Queensland rivers and stocked dams. I rate the N.T and far north Western Australia as the best wild barra spots, but you can't beat Queensland for stocked barra.
Barramundi are what many people describe as the ultimate Aussie sportfish. A fish that lives in both fresh and salt water and fights until the very end often with spectacular results. No wonder thousands of visitors a year come from all over the world to catch these fish.
This video was shot from Tinaroo dam, near Cairns, QLD. Enjoy