Share the Outdoor Experience with a Low-Income City Kid

Want to help show a city kid what summer fun is all about?  Here's your chance!  There's an organization called, "The Fresh Air Fund" that is dedicated to helping low-income city kids enjoy a summer experience they'll never forget.

Here's how it works ....

Folks volunteer to host a child in their home for 2 weeks. The goal is to help that child enjoy the great outdoors with you and your family.  So whether, you're in to hiking, fishing, camping, boating, etc. ... you have an opportunity to share the great outdoors with a city kid who who might not otherwise have this opportunity.


The Fresh Air Fund is in need of host families for this summer. Host families are volunteers who open their hearts and home to a child from the city to give them a Fresh Air experience that can change lives.  Here's a little more about the program.

Even if you can't host a child, you might like to consider making a donation to the program. You can donate online ... and if you donate now, your donation will be matched dollar for dollar.

To learn more about the Fresh Air Fund, click here.

If you've ever worked the program or know anybody who has, we'd love to hear your story!

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Closures

The Arizona Fish & Wildlife have recently closed portions of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge due to heavy Mexican Drug and Human traffickers. 

Although there isn't any fishing at Refuge, it is is (or was) a popular recreation spot.  So I wanted to make folks aware of the dangers in the area of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. 

For more information, click here.

National Fishing & Boating Week

National Fishing and Boating Week (NFBW) is coming up June 5-13 and is a great way to get families outdoors and in the conservation mindset! There are many different activities to participate in during NFBW.

Those looking to participate should visit TakeMeFishing.org, where they can find waterways and fishing hotspots near them, plan trips and even get assistance in getting a fishing license or registering a boat. There's also a full list of events, or for information on planning events.

Also keep in mind that 37 states offer Free Fishing Days during NFBW.

Trout Fishing Remains Excellent in Florida

It's been another great week for trout anglers in Florida.  Anglers having been catching 18-24 inch trout around Hurricane Pass.

Folks fishing near Dunedin Causeway have reported great success using live shrimp (on a rig with split shot)! Folks fishing north of the Dunedin Causeway along the Intracoastal Waterway spoil islands have been scoring good numbers of trout 18 to 20 inches.  Live shrimp and sardines has yielded the best results.

More more fishing reports in and around Florida, click here.

Speckled Trout Biting Feverishly in Florida

Captain Mark Howard reported today that the speckled trout in the Brandenton area of Florida are biting feverishly on moving water.  He also went on to say that shiners hooked in the pectoral area have triggered the most strikes. Captain Howard also recommends fishing the drop-off of flats and the intercoastal waterways.

You can read his full report by clicking here.

For more speckled trout tips, click here.

Arizona State Parks Open for Camping & Fishing

Now that it's Memorial Day weekend, many Arizona State Parks and Campgrounds are opening up.  Some of these spots offer great fishing opportunities. 

Some of the more popular camping and fishing spots in Arizona include:

• Dead Horse Ranch (Cottonwood)

• Fool Hollow Lake (Show Low)

• Lyman Lake (St. Johns)

• Patagonia Lake (Patagonia)

• Roper Lake (Safford)

• Alamo Lake (Wenden)

• Lake Havasu (Lake Havasu)

 Enjoy the weekend and happy fishing!

Splake Trout in Copperas Pond

We received this email tip from of our readers and wanted to share it. 

Copperas pond in Essex County in up state new york  has large splake trout in it. Apparently the local fishing guides don't normally mention this.  Our reader reports that he caught a 3 plus pounder there and hooked into a larger fish which snapped his 8-lb test line.

We'd love to hear from other trout anglers who have tried their luck at Copperas pond.

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Fishing Derby Saturday in Southern Maine

The Southern Maine Fish and Game will hold its 51st annual Free Kids Trout Fishing Derby from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday (1 May 2010).  The derby will be held at a spring-fed pond next to the club's 30 Martin Road headquarters.  Seacoast children, ages 15 and younger, are welcome to cast for some of the freshly stocked trout in the pond.

Each kid will receive a free lure courtesy of the Kittery Trading Post. The event is rain or shine. Trophies and prizes will be given in several categories, including first fish, first limit, youngest fisherman/fisherwoman, largest fish and more.  Food and refreshments will be available.

For more information, click here.

Monster Lake Trout Caught While Ice Fishing

Here's one of those trout catches that many anglers can only dream of!  This video was produced by JigHeadsTV.

These anglers were ice fishing on Lake Superior when they caught this monster Lake Trout.  It's a great catch and even greater that they released the fish back into the lake.  The only downside is that more care could have been taken when handling the fish since catch-release was intended from the start.

$1200 a Day Lake Ontario Boat Derby

Summer is fast approaching and this year, Lake Ontario (in Canada) will be hosting a new $1200 a day Boat Derby.  This is event will run concurrently with the Summer Derby beginning June 19th and running through July 18th, 2010.  The LOC boat derby also coincides with the lsat two pro-arms and will utilize the LOC weigh-in stations, hours, and rules (other than described below).

Better yet, if you're submitting fish for consideration in the LOC Summer Derby, all rules, such as all members must be entered would have to be followed ... so yes, you could win in both derby's. 

The LOC Boat Derby prize will be $600 a day for the largest salmon (minimum 20 lbs) and $600 a day for the largest trout, one winning fish per day per boat.

The accepted minimum weight for trout will be:

• Lake trout 15 lbs
• Rainbow steelhead 13 lbs
• Brown trout 10 lbs. 

The goal is to make all trout competitive. For example: If a 12 lb brown trout were entered, it would take a 17.01 lake trout to beat it.
The price for entry is $600 for active USCG registered captains and $300 for non-captains and this covers everyone on the boat.

If you don't hold a USCG license and didn't book a charter in 2009 or 2010, you can join at the $300 rate.

Checks and 1099’s will be sent to the person who registers and any distribution of funds to fishing partners is the responsibility of that person. The weigh in station that weighs each of the daily fish will collect $25.

If enough people haven't signed up for the LOC Boat Derby by May 15th, it will be canceled.  So you might want to sign up as soon as possible.

Signing up is easy ... and you can do it online or by mail.

• To register online,click here.
• To register by mail, click here.

You will be able to sign up at weigh in stations and registration outlets after the minimum entries have been met, but with cash or check ONLY.

Registration will be available after the boat tournament starts, but there is no pro rating of the fee and there is no daily entry fee to this event.

Monies collected over the stated prize structure of $36,000 and administrative fees will be divided up and awarded as prizes for the largest fish in each division.

For more information about the LOC Boat Derby, click here.


By the way, there's only 72 days left til the start of the Spring LOC Derby
(April 30 - May 9, 2010).

2010 Fly Fishing Show

We've gotten a couple of emails asking about the 2010 Fly Fishing Show.  So we thought we'd post the dates here for everybody!   So if you're interested in attending, you can catch the 2010 Fly Fishing Show at any of the places mentioned below:

Denver, CO
January 8, 9, 10
Denver Merchandise Mart

Marlborough, MA
January 15, 16, 17
Royal Plaza

Somerset, NJ
January 22, 23, 24
Garden State Convention Center

Charlotte, NC
January 29, 30
Charlotte Merchandise Mart

Bellevue, WA
Postponed until 2011

Pleasanton, CA
February 26, 27, 28
Alameda County Fairgrounds

Pasadena, CA
March 13, 14
Pasadena Convention Center

For more information, about the 2010 Fly Fishing Show, click here.

How to Clear Muddy Fish Ponds

One of our readers wrote in the other day asking what he could do to clear his muddy pond.  The pond is home to speckled trout and became muddy after heavy rains.  Since the pond is rather small, a quarter acre in size, the muddy water doesn't seem to be clearing.

In response, I did some research and came across this article published by a group in Texas.  Hoping others will benefit from the information, I wanted to publish the link here.

The article is title, "Clearing Muddy Ponds", and you read it by clicking here.

Folks at Virginia Tech published another good article, titled, "Clearing Muddy Pond Waters."

If you have a fish pond you need to take care of, make sure there is plenty of grass around the shoreline.  This will help prevent more mud from washing into the pond during a good rain.

There are compounds you can add to the pond to help clear the water also.  The most popular compounds include gypsum, agricultural or hydrated limestone, aluminum sulfate (also called, alum).  But be careful using these compounds as they can change the pH of the water. 

Adding Alum to the pond will lower pH, and keep in mind that trout typically don't do well in water with a pH lower than 6.  The lower the pH, the more acidic the water.  If using Alum, most experts recommend using it in conjunction with limestone at a ratio of 2:1 (Alum to limestone).

Read the above mentioned articles for more information and if you have questions, your local fish and game department will most likely be able to offer more detailed help in regards to using compounds to clear your muddy fish pond.

Fossil Creek Opens October 3rd

Roundtail chub are native to Arizona and are commonly referred to as "Verde Trout".  These fish live in the Verde River and are known to bite on many of the same lures and baits that trout do. 

The Arizona Fish and Game Department has been working the last few years to turn Fossil Creek into a prime fishery for Verde Trout.  On October 3, 2009, Fossil Creek will open for the first annual Verde Trout fishing season.

Fossil Creek will open the first Saturday in October every year and remain open through April 30th.  Only the middle 4.5 miles of the creek is open to fishing (there will be signs).

Since this is a special fishery, special rules are in place including:

• Single Barbless hooks only
• Artificial lures and flies only
• Catch and release only

The fishery is open to both spin and fly fishers alike, provided they follow the rules mentioned above.  Of course, all other Arizona Fishing Regulations remain in effect as well.

The AZ Fish and Game Department hope that this fishery will help anglers learn more about its native fish. 

Other fish can also be found in Fossil Creek including the Speckled Dace, Longfin Dace, Desert Suckers, and Sonora Suckers.

You can find more information about each of these fish, by clicking here.  Just click on each of the pictures on the web page for more detailed info.


Fossil Creek is located on the Tonto and Coconino National Forests approximately 15 miles east of Camp Verde and 5 miles west of the town of Strawberry. You can find it by driving along Forest Service Road 708.

Cooler Weather Means Better Trout Fishing

I don't know about the rest of the country, but where I live (northern Arizona), temperatures are starting to cool down ... which means the Fall trout fishing is just around the corner.

Trout become a lot more active when warm summer temps starting cooling down. They like cooler water (which is typically more oxygenated) and so will start feeding near the water's surface. This is good news for anglers!

This time of year, the best trout fishing still tends to be early morning and early evening ... but as mid-day temps drop further, trout will be easier to catch all day long.

Happy fishing!

Mepps Spinners Aren't Just Good for Trout Fishing

Mepps Aglia Spinners have been a favorite lure for trout anglers since their invention. These simple in-line spinners have a great success rate in catching trout. Check out any trout angler's tackle box, and you're sure to find a couple of these spinners in it.

While in-line spinners aren't typically used by bass anglers, one guy discovered that Aglia spinners have helped him catch more white bass than the traditional spinner baits usually favored by bass anglers.

Judging by the Mepss Lure Selection guide, this comes as no surprise to them. They suggest several different Aglia spinners for white bass anglers.

So why are in-line spinners (like the Aglia) often overlooked by bass anglers? Probably because they're famous for getting stuck on weeds and rocks and anglers are always losing them. Unfortunately for anglers, large fish often hide in those same weeds and rocks (especially bass) and so if you want to catch them, you'll have to contend with the frustrations of getting your spinner stuck (and possibly losing it).

One of the attitude problems that many anglers tend to adopt is a "spare the spinner" mindset. Out of fear of losing $3-$6 lures, they tend to avoid rocky, weedy areas when fishing. While this can be more cost effective for the angler, the downside is that you're sacrificing opportunities to catch more and larger fish.

One way to combat this mindset is to make your own spinners. You can buy the parts in bulk and assemble your spinners which in turn can greatly reduce the cost of each spinner. And when they cost less, you don't mind losing them as much.

So the moral to story is don't be afraid to think outside the box (as this one bass angler did) and don't worry so much about losing those spinners (especially when the opportunity exist to catch more and larger fish).

Fishing Report for New Mexico

Wondering how the fishing has been in New Mexico? A new fishing report for the week of July 16 has just been published.

Trout fishing has been good to fair on the Canjilon lakes. Anglers have been using worms, salmon eggs and spinners. Same is true for the Chama River, although trout anglers have also been using grasshoppers with success there.

Anglers at Eagle Nest lake have been catching good size rainbow trout from the bank using worms, power bait and spinners.

You can read for the full fishing report by clicking here.

Fishing Report for Southwest Colorado

Trout anglers are doing well in Southwest Colorado. Beaver Creek Reservoir is full and anglers are catching brown and rainbow trout on salmon eggs and powerbait.

Folks at Big Meadows Reservoir have been catching brook trout on flies, lures and other baits.

Read the full fishing report by clicking here.

Trout Fishing Good in Great Falls, Montana

According to fishing report released today, anglers are having great success trout fishing in Great Falls, Montana.

Anglers are catching brook trout on night crawlers and gold spoons. Folks trolling cowbells tipped with night crawlers are also have great success.

To read the full fishing report, click here.

What Lure Works Best for Trout Fishing?

One of the questions I get asked a lot is, "What lure works best for trout fishing?" Of course there are different variations of this question, such as "What lure works best in lakes?", etc.

While the question is simple enough, the answer is not. There are too many different variables involved in fishing to say that one lure works best. In fact, one of the biggest frustrations in trout fishing is that one lure may work great one day and not all the next. Why? There are a lot of possible reasons for this.

Several variables affect trout fishing including:

• Water temperature
• Water clarity
• Water color
• Weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, windy, rain, ice, snow, etc.)
• Season (spring, fall, winter, summer)
• Available food sources
• Pressure from other anglers

These are only a few of the variables which affect trout fishing. And of course, each of the variables mentioned above not only affect trout, but also your lure selection. The reason why is too complicated to explain in a blog post, but are addressed in the Trout Fishing Tips eBook.
But in short, the variables mentioned above affect how your lure looks underwater to trout. These variables also influence trout activity and feeding habits.

Trout are sluggish in very cold water and therefore might need a bit more flash to entice them into striking. And yet too much flash, might scare them off.

Water color and clarity can affect a trout's ability to see your lure. A bright red lure in your tackle box will appear black in blue water. That's because red is filtered out in blue water. The deeper the lure is fished, the blacker it will appear under water. This is just one example of how water color and clarity can affect how trout see your lure under water.

Advanced anglers have observed that dark colored lures tend to work well on overcast days, murky water and when fishing at night. Likewise, nickel and silver lures tend to work better on bright sunny days.

These are some of the reasons that a lure may work well one day and not the next. There's just too many variables involved in fishing.

The real key to successful trout fishing is to understand trout: their physical needs as well as how their environment affects them. This understanding will help you in turn better understand how different lures, baits, and fishing tactics affect your ability to catch trout.

Advanced anglers will pay attention to all of these factors and take note of what lure, bait or fishing tactic worked given a certain set of conditions. Often times, they will keep track of these details in a fishing log or fishing software program. After a while, they'll start to notice trends which will help them make better lure selections, etc.

So while there's no real answer to the question, "What lure works best for trout fishing?", hopefully the information above will help you understand some of the variables affecting your lure selection.