A review sponsored by the great folks at Glacier Glove.

Before I left for our annual fishing trip, I was contacted by the wonderful folks at Glacier Glove to do a review for one of their gloves. I don\’t accept all reviews offered, but this was different … because … well …

I use a handy wipe to take little baby fish off my hook.

Over the years I\’d felt guilty having my husband take all my fish off the hook.  So I\’d tried using towels, handy wipes, and my sweatshirt thanks to a tip from my outdoor friend Arthur, just to give my husband a break and not be bothered.

So this trip was very relaxing for my husband and very productive for me because I had …

The Glacier Glove

Glacier Glove has many style gloves for a variety of outdoor activities from hunting gloves, fishing gloves, paddling gloves, sun gloves and cycling gloves.  The style glove that was sent to me was actually from their hunting section but I used it during my fishing trip.

And this is what my fishing glove looked like by the end of the week.

Can you tell it was put to good use? Holy fish slime guts.

The first few days I bounced around the boat in excitement that I was taking my own fish off the hook. I even had a dance for it.

By mid-week it wasn\’t as exciting because I realized how good I had it when my husband was in charge of all that.

I use to be  the carefree I\’m never touching a fish chick with my feet up swinging my pole in my husband\’s face for him to do the dirty deed.  (In case you\’re wondering, yes I\’d hit him in the head a few times.)

By the end of the week I honest to goodness said …

“I don\’t know what crazy person invented this stupid glove.”

Yes I said that.

Because it worked.  And it worked well!

But I liked being the princess that doesn\’t take her fish off her own hook.  And now, because of the Glacier Glove, I\’ll forever have to take my fish off my own hook.

And I want one of you to be just as fishing independent as me.  So tomorrow, I am giving away one pair of the Glacier Gloves to one of you!

Have a great day all … and I wouldn\’t be The Hunter\’s Wife if at some point during the end of my fishing trip next year, my Glacier Glove goes missing.

We have a love/hate relationship.

See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net

Tags: fish, fishing, fishing-glove, gear/apparel, general outdoors, glacier, glacier-glove, glacier-gloves, princess, the hunters wife, trip, week

This is what happens when you set the hook properly.
Photo: Vilma Sisler

“Don\’t trout set, mon.”

Over the years countless bonefish anglers have heard this phrase from their Bahamian guides. OK, we know not to trout set, but what are we supposed to do?

Let\’s start with a little bit of background. As trout anglers we\’ve been trained to raise the rod when a fish eats. Raising a fly rod turns it into a shock absorber – it gives a smooth, steady pull on the fly that protects a light trout tippet and does just fine pinning your barbless #18 hook into a trout\’s lip.

Bonefish have hard mouths, and when they eat your fly, you need a quick, sharp pull to bury the hook. If you raise your rod tip when a critter like a bonefish eats, the end result will be that the fly gets smoothly pulled out of the fish\’s mouth, not jabbed in there like you want it.

If you\’ve never had the shock absorbtion of a fly rod demonstrated to you, get a buddy and try this fun little exercise.

1. String up a fly rod with a line and a leader but with no fly.
2. Grab onto the end of the leader (with a light leader you can wrap it around your hand if you like).
3. Have your buddy grab the fly rod and walk back about 20 feet.
4. Have your buddy do a ‘trout set\’ – just raise the rod tip. Pretty smooth pull, huh?
5. Now have your buddy point the rod straight at you, slowly pull in the excess line, and after the line is tight, give it another quick strip. OK, point made?

If you don\’t have a buddy (nearby, at least) to try this with, just trust us – the classic trout set results in a very smooth gradual pull – excellent for protecting 7x tippets but terrible for burying 1/0 saltwater hooks into the mouth of a bonefish. Stripping the fly with the rod pointed straight results in a much sharper, stronger jab.

Here\’s how to present and then set the hook when a bonefish eats.

1. Make your cast.
2. Keep your rod tip in the water, pointed straight at the fish. Strip out the excess slack.
3. When the fish sees the fly, give it a few quick trips.
4. Once he follows, keep moving the fly, pausing only to let him keep up with it.
5. Keep your rod pointed straight at the fish.
6. When you see the fish tip down to eat, or you feel resistance when stripping the fly line, keep your rod pointed straight at the fish.
7. Now give the line one more firm, long strip. It\’ll generally stop dead, or the fish will take off. In either case, the hook is now set and you can raise the rod tip and have some fun fighting that bonefish.

It\’s really hard at first to not raise your rod. For us the idea that finally got it through our thick skulls was “keeping stripping until the line is tight“. If you keep stripping until the line is tight and you don\’t raise your rod tip, chances are you\’ve buried the hook into that fish\’s mouth and you\’re good to go.

For some practice on setting the hook properly, drop us a line about Andros. They open on in October.

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: bahamian, bonefishing, excess, fish, fishing, general outdoors, hook, line, outdoors international, raise-the-rod, until-the-line, water

While I\’m sitting on a boat for the next week and a half picking crusted worms guts off my legs, I have some great outdoor bloggers scheduled to fill in for me.

I\’m so thankful to all of them and can\’t wait for all of you to read their humorous outdoor adventures.

Outdoor bloggers:

• Dennis Quinn – Fishing With Dad – Twitter – @FishingWithDad
• Ben Gustafson – Ben G Outdoors – Twitter – @BenGOutdoors
• Barbara Baird – The Women\’s Outdoor News – Twitter – @babbsbaird
• JoAnna Zurinsky – My Bullet Points – Twitter – @12gaBrowningGal
• Sherry Kerr – Outdoor Media Resources – Twitter – @SherryinAL
• Stacey Huston – A Focus In the Wild – Twitter – @shustonphotos
• Mike “Hawk” Huston – High Country Archer -Twitter – He\’s been MIA.  Or grounded from Twitter.

And be sure to follow them on Twitter, they are all lots of fun.

Have a wonderful day all and a wonderful week.

And if you follow me on Twitter – @thehunterswife – I\’ll be posting updates from my fishing trip.

If you care.

Or if you\’d like to see the KY record crappie I\’ll catch.

Or 10 lb redear.

Or a hook stuck in my hair.

Or me in a beekeepers suit trying to take my fish off the hook.

See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net

Tags: barbara-baird, country, dennis-quinn, fish, fishing, general outdoors, media, sherry kerr, stacey-huston

The first year I started fishing with my husband I was more concerned with how beautiful it was being out on the water at dawn …

And I loved this cold morning seeing other anglers out on the water …

And I spent a lot of time just watching my husband enjoy fishing …

And with two pairs of glasses on my head and a face that shows how early in the morning it was … I\’d ask, “Is this a crappie?”

And then it happened last year.  I think I just got scolded for talking so much so I was minding my own fishing business when I felt something pull my line.  And I politely whispered, “Um Mark, I think you should get the net.”  And he didn\’t until I heard him say, “That\’s a damn crappie.”  And he about jumped in the water trying to make sure my inexperienced crappie fishing self didn\’t lose my fish…

My first crappie.  My first fish I actually touched.  Please excuse the crusty hair and the I\’m soaking wet and I\’m not holding a fish look on my face. But I have a husband that thinks, “Oh you won\’t get wet.  Just enjoy the boat ride.”  As we head right through a huge whitecap.

And excuse the 10 chins. Thank you.

So this year is different for me.  I\’m gettin\’ jiggy with it.  Over the past few weeks I\’ve been …

• Checking the weather.
• Checking fishing reports.
• Watching crappie You Tube fishing videos.
• Reading up on how to catch crappie.
• Purchasing my own jiggy do\’s from what I\’ve read.
• Practicing posing for better pictures.

Have a good day all … I have 10 chins to hide before our fishing trip next week.

See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net

Tags: crappie-fishing, enjoy-the-boat, felt-something, fish, fishing, started-fishing, water, water-at-dawn, women fishing

by Deneki Outdoors

One issue not in question – it’s a real nice fish.

Early in our Research and Development program in Southern Chile, one of our guides, Garrett Sullivan, caught this exceptional fish.

We took some shots and released it, thinking “man, that was an awesome brown”.

When we got home, we sent some pictures around to a bunch of folks, and maybe half of them responded saying “great fish, but that\’s not a brown – that\’s clearly an Atlantic salmon.”

Looks like a salmon here, doesn’t it?

Over the past couple of years we\’ve had a lot of people weigh in on the topic, and opinions seem to be pretty split. We\’ve also thought in the past about running polls on our blog, so we figured now\’s the time – we\’ll let the collective wisdom of the internet identify this fish!

Red spots – brown. Maxillary vs eye – brown. Patchy spots on back – Atlantic. Head shape – Atlantic. Right?

What do you think it is? Leave us a comment.

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: brown trout, deneki-outdoors, development, fish, fishing, internet, past, research, southern-chile, trout-or-salmon

by Doak Worley

I just got through watching “Survivor” on TV. Any “Survivor “ fans out there? Anyway, I saw a commercial about passports, and BAM (I am a chef and an Emeral fan as well as a hunter ) I thought I should write a blog about traveling.

Each year thousands of hunters travel to Canada to hunt big game and waterfowl and enjoy some of the best fishing in the world. Canada is quick to get to and you have an abundance of outfitters to choose from. However, crossing the border between Canada and the US is becoming increasingly difficult, whether it\’s through the air or by land. The rules have changed dramatically in the last few years so there are a few things that I like to discuss with my hunting and fishing clients before they embark on their next Canadian adventure.

Until recently all that was needed to travel to Canada was a current US drivers license or a birth certificate, but that is no longer the case. All hunters entering and leaving Canada now have to have in their possession a valid passport. It\’s easy to get a passport and can be obtained at most Government Offices, but it does take about 6 weeks so don\’t wait till the last minute to try to obtain one.

A Canadian gun registration form must also be filled out when going through Canadian Customs accompanied by a $25 fee and is good for 60 days. You will want to complete the paperwork ahead of time but don\’t sign the document until you go through Customs. We will supply you with this document and it must be with you and the firearm at all times.

Hunting license regulations also vary greatly from province to province so be sure to follow the instructions supplied by your outfitter. License information can also be found on the internet by going to the fish and wildlife agencies for each Canadian province. Getting into Canada isn\’t much different today than it was 10 years ago but the preparation takes a little longer. A good Hunting Broker like Outdoors International will take you by the hand and walk you through the process so all you need to worry about is how big will my trophy be. I hope your next adventure to Canada is a memorable one.

Good hunting and God Bless,
Doak

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: document, fish, government, hunting, hunting-broker, instructions, linkedin, outdoors international, preparation, through-the-air

So last night I\’m having a conversation with my husband about our upcoming fishing trip to Barkley Lake Kentucky.  Apparently the Rootin\’ Tootin\’ Fisherman called and decided to hire a crappie fishing guide for one of our days there.  After many years of fishing with the Tootin\’ family this would be our first year having a guide.  And with the 4 of us and only two allowed on the guide\’s boat … we have a decision to make …

1. Should Troy and Denise fish with the guide and Mark and I follow with our boat?
2. Should Denise and I fish with the guide and Troy and Mark follow with a boat?
3. Should Mark and Troy fish with the guide while Denise and I take my boat off to fish on our own?  (I like this option.  I get to drive the boat!)
4. Should Mark and Troy fish with the guide while Denise and I go shopping?

It sounds like the best scenario would be for Denise and I to fish with the guide and Troy and Mark tag along with one of the boats.  If that were the case, Denise wouldn\’t have a problem at all.  She\’s a big girl.  She puts her own minnows on and takes her own fish off the hook.  But me … well … I have a problem …

Denise:  Here fishy fishy fishy.

Me:  Umm Mr. Guide – Can you please put my minnow on?

Denise:  Here fishy fishy fishy.

Me: Umm Mr. Guide – I think my jiggy thingy is stick in the brush?

Denise:  Here fishy fishy fishy.

Me:  Umm Mr. Guide Sir – Can you take my fish off the hook please?

Denise:  Here fishy fishy fishy.

Me:  Umm Mr. Guide – Umm my hook is stuck in my hair.

Denise:  Here fishy fishy fishy.

Me:  Umm Mr. Guide Boss – Can you please tell Denise to stop saying here fishy fishy fishy?

Umm yes … Denise thinks she\’s all that and a bucket of crappie …

And her redears …

Have a good day all … I think I might be shopping that day.

Or maybe I should hire my own guide.

Or maybe I\’ll just resort to, “Here fishy fishy fishy.”  Apparently it works.

See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net

Tags: barkley-lake, boat, crappie-fishing, denise, drive-the-boat, fish, fishing, general outdoors, guide, should-denise, should-mark, the-guide, women fishing

I stepped out the front door of the cabin and was blasted in the face by a gust of arctic wind.  It has been an early spring in the southern reaches of the state where I make my home but here in the mountains it evidently still gets cold.  I almost wanted take my cup of black, put hair on your chest, coffee back through the front door, dump it in the sink, and crawl back into the bed I knew would still be warm.  My eyes burned from lack of sleep and the cold air, but my brain or my legs, I haven\’t figured out which one to blame, urged me on to the warming car.  I was groggy to say the least and when the temperature reading on the dash board said it was 12 degrees it almost didn\’t register.  I am starting to think my brain had little to do with the fact I was going through with this crazy plan hatched up when an innocent comment was made by my buddy Jeff while planning a little get away for our families a week ago.  We wanted to get one last trip to the wintery mountains where the kids could get some last minute sledding in and he asked if I thought it would be worth taking our fishing rods and sneaking away in the morning for a couple hours.

At first I balked, knowing the only fishing this time of year up in that area was going to be for steelhead, and based on my previous experience with those finny creatures, I had serious doubts that they even existed.  I once spent three days in a steady drizzle casting flies into crystal clear pools with Mr. Base Camp Legend himself, Tom, videotaping my every move.  Only one thing could have been more miserable than standing in water that was a couple degrees away from becoming a solid, for three days, while rain drops nearing the point where they become white and fluffy, pelted down on your back.  And that was standing on the rock behind me with a video camera glued to your face, just waiting for something to happen, all while the same cold liquid pounded down on you.  What did Tom and I receive for our suffering?  Nothing.  Not even a nibble.  Well, I did catch a 15 inch cutthroat trout but that is not exactly a just reward for spending three days dodging hypothermia.  As bad as steelhead fishing may sound I did actually enjoy the trip and promised that I would someday catch one.  I actually made another attempt later that same month but came up empty again while fishing with both of my brothers on a different river.  While it wasn\’t raining on that day I do remember having to thaw the guides on my fly rod after nearly every cast as they iced up solid.  After four days of Steelhead fishing and I had nothing to show for it.

That was over two years ago and I hadn\’t even tried to catch a steelhead since.  Now here I was ready to tackle the task again.  The frigid air on this morning was just a little reminder of what I had missed out on these last two years.

The conversation in the car  as we made our way down the canyon on this morning was surprisingly optimistic.  Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the fact that Jeff had yet to spend any time chasing Steelhead with a fly rod, that led to our positive attitudes.  Jeff still had that fresh optimism that quickly erodes when you send a few days casting mindlessly into a river hoping a wayward fish would grab the tuft of feathers swinging at the end of your leader and his attitude was starting to rub off on me.  As we pulled off the road along the surging river, I realized I was catching it again, Steelhead fever.

From here the story gets short.  It only took three casts for adrenaline to do what three cups of coffee couldn\’t on this morning.  As my flies drifted past a boulder about midstream my indicator slowly dipped below the surface.  I was sure I had snagged on the rock and I brought up my rod tip to free the drift.  What I felt was not a rock but a powerful surge and a big head shaking wildly in the current.  Even being the calm, even keeled guy that I am, I couldn\’t contain the excited yell that came from my unsuspecting mouth.  Jeff heard the commotion and quickly joined the party, helping me land my first Steelhead.  By a quarter till eight I was standing on the bank while Jeff snapped some pictures of my catch.  The hatchery buck taped out at 27 inches.  To have been able to land it on a fly rod, on a fly I had tied, made it only that much sweeter.  In fact the only drama in this fight, besides the excitement of actually tying into one of these ocean run beasts, came when I beached the fish and it came unhooked at my feet.  I quickly corralled it with my hands and just assumed that the fly had finally pulled free of its mouth.  Only after things had calmed down and I was ready to go back to fishing did I discover that the hook had actually snapped in two.  I will have to find some stronger hooks for tying flies meant for my future pursuits of the fish with a metal head.

It turns out that Steelhead fishing is everything it is cracked up to be after all.  Now all I can think about is when I might get a chance to get out there on the river again.  They warned me at the fly shop when I bought my first steelhead rod that someday this would happen.

This article by: BaseCampLegends.com

Tags: fish, guides, morning, mountains, party, river, rock, trip

Here are 5 things to keep in mind when the water is high!

1. Go fishing. Nobody ever caught a steelhead sitting at home on their couch. Don\’t give up just because you don\’t have 3 feet of visbility. The fish are still out there, just in different places. If the river\’s in flood stage and conditions are dangerous, be safe and stay away. Otherwise, get out there!
2. Fish a short line. When the river\’s low, the best holding water for steelhead is often out in the middle of the river in the main current. When the river is high, they still prefer the same kind of water – only now, that water is often right up against the bank. Fish aren\’t going to fight massive flows in the middle of the runs when the water is up, so keep your line short and cover the juicy holding water that\’s now often 5 to 40 feet in front of you.
3. Fish lighter tips. Contrary to what your intuition may tell you, you generally don\’t need to be too deep when the water is up. With less clarity and higher flows, steelhead feel safer in shallower, softer water. That means that dredging may put your fly beneath the fish. On the end of that short line that you\’re casting, fish a lighter sinktip. You may be surprised at what you find in not very much water.
4. Fish big flies. Here\’s your chance to break out the giant Intruders! Those big profile flies were designed for conditions in which it takes a big fly to get the attention of the fish. Go big. The right colors will depend on the river that you\’re fishing, but in general, darker colors tend to be more visible in dirty water.
5. Look for soft water. You already know that you should mostly be fishing a shorter line to stay out of the really heavy current. Steelhead like softer water when the level is up, so you should be on the lookout for it at all times. Maybe it\’s right up against the bank. Maybe it forms on the edge of a big current seam. Maybe you should think about checking out a big back eddy. Think like a fish – where are the comfortable holding spots when the main river has all that current? Fish there.

Check our directory for some great steelhead fishing.
Post by: Deneki

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: bank, cover-the-juicy, fish, fishing, fishing-tips, maybe-it-forms, middle, prefer-the-same, river, sitting-at-home, water