Picking out Hiking Boots

Hiking boots

   If you do a lot of walking to get to where you want to fish, you might consider purchasing a pair of hiking boots. This is not an easy job. You will find that each brand name will fit you differently. The reason is each manufacture uses what the call a "last" and this is what they consider to be what the average foot is shaped like. That's why that same types of shoes or boots will fit you different depending on the manufactures view on what the average foot is shaped like. If you find a hiking boot that you think feels really good on, you probably should stay with that manufacture.

   You need to  look at how the upper is attached to the last. They are usually stitched together. These are called seams and the more seam the better. Keep in mind though, the more seam the better the fit and usually the more the hiking boot will cost. Single stitched hiking boots are usually less expensive, this does not necessarily mean the are bad. If the fit well you might want to buy them, just remember they probably will not last as long.

   The leather is something else to consider when pick out a pair of hiking boots. Some have the smooth side of the leather turned out. These will show scuff marks very easily and look banged up. Choosing the rough side out on the leather will stay looking nicer longer. After all, they are all ready roughed up.

   You need to look at the sole and decide which is best for you. Hard sole work better on grassy areas or dirt. Softer soles do good on rocky areas. Depending on where you go fishing the most will be the determining factor on which sole you use.

   Other things to think about when you are purchasing a pair of hiking boots are the tongue, is it one piece or two. You want one piece. Also look at the type of lacing the boot has. Eyelet is the strongest but not the fastest when putting on your boots. Speed hooks are good but don't provide the best in secure lacing. The manufactures have come out now with d-rings. These are a great choice giving you the best of both worlds. Most manufactures will do eyelets on the foot part of the hiking boot and then d-rings on the ankle part.

   So many things to think about. You may end up with more then one pair of boot, if you can afford them. Have fun finding a pair that is right for you and most of all have fun fishing.

Fishing knife for you tackle box

   After you finish catching you limit or just get that big fish landed you will be glad you have a good fishing or filleting knife that is able to do a good job of filleting your catch. Fillet knives are found in about every fishing tackle box and just about every kitchen. They make filleting a fish or meat and boning a chicken or turkey much easier. They have very thin and very sharp blades that make it great for making very thin cuts.

   Fillet knives make great gifts for the fisherperson in your life. There are several different kinds to choose from. The folding knife is perfect for the tackle box. There electric fillet knives and they  are great to have at home. You can use them inside or outside.

   Their blades are usually not serrated but usually straight blades, making them easier to sharpen. They will rust if left outside in wet weather since they are made of stainless steel. However they are easy to clean with steel  wool. The blades are very flexible too. This makes filleting easier since you can easily bend the blades while filleting a fish. The blade come in several different lengths but seven and a half inches is very common.

   The fillet knife handle come in a lot of different materials. Wood, plastic, rubber, and stainless steel, and come in a lot of different designs. The knife should be comfortable and offer you a good grip even when it is wet. You might think about trying several kinds out to see what works best for you.

   Keeping you knife sharp is the key to enjoying your knife. Being sharp makes it easier to use and is easy to do. You can use any type of knife sharpenere you like. Usually and whetstone does not take up much room in your tackle box. All you have to do is just put a couple of drops of water or honing oil if you perferr. Put the stone flat and hold the edge of the stone and place the knife on the stone with it facing away from you at about a twenty degree angle and push you knife two or three times. Now reverse the direction and pull the blade towards you at about the same angle. Be very careful when doing this. Wash the blade now and start filleting. Your knife should last you several year if you take care of it.

Picking a fishing hat

   Having a good fishing hat is very important. Most of the time we just take the hat that is easy to get and most handy. Generally this is a baseball hat. Even though we look great in them, in my opinion they are not the best suited for fishing. Baseball hats don't really keep you dry when it is raining and don't keep the sun off the side of your face or neck. A baseball hat will get wet if it is warm with sweat and will take all day to dry out making them pretty uncomfortable to wear all day long. When considering a fishing hat be sure you look at them all and read about each type.

   There different qualities to each type of hat that will key to your situation. The head band need to be of a material that will absorb  sweat that will keep the sweat out of your eyes. Having a mesh material in the crown will help keep your head cooler while fishing. The only problem with mesh is if it rains you may get a little water thru it. Having an adjustable strap is something you should consider too. This will keep you hat on if it gets windy or if you knockit off while fishing. It is no fun watching your fishing hat float away or  chasing it down the river because of no chin strap.

    One of the most important things to consider is the brim of your fishing hat. In choosing a wide brimmed hat you might look of a hat that has a darker underside to it. This will take away some of the glare off the water. Also, you need to look for a hat that has a waterproof shell. These are more breathable and tend to stay dryer. You might look at the hats that have a neck cape to them. Some will roll up off your neck or you can put them down over you neck when you need it. These usually will also cover your ears and sides of you head cutting down on the UV exposure from the sun.

   One of the last things to consider is whether you hat is fade resistant. You don't to spend your money on a hat that will fade out from the sun. This feature really won't affect whether you hat protects you  from the sun or weather or not, but looking good when the pictures are being taken of you fish that you caught is. So, as you see picking a hat isn't as easy as you might think.

Clothing for fishing

 Clothing for fishing

   A very important thing to own, especially if you are a fly fisherman, is a fly fishing vest. You need to be careful when choosing the best fishing vest for you. You need to think about your situation. Most of the fishing vest come with a lot of pockets and places to hang different things.

   There a few thing to consider when you pick out a fly fishing vest and the way the pockets close in one of the important considerations. When looking at the different vest around you will see some have pockets that close with zippers, some with snaps, and some closing with velcro. Many of the fishing vest that have zippers or snap are of lower quality in my opinion. They tend to corrode and a lot of the vest with velcro don't really have enough velcro to keep the pocket closed, and will open easily if you have anything in them. You would not be very happy if you were out in the water and bent over and a fly you loved to use dropped in the water and either floated away or sank to the bottom of the water.

   Remember just because you have a lot of pockets doesn't mean you have to fill them all each time you go fishing. If you do, it will add a lot of weight. Because of the added weight you want to look at the material around the shoulders and neck and be sure they are comfortable and have enough padding. The vests that are of lower quality don't generally have enough padding and become uncomfortable to wear faster then the better quality vests.

   When you try on the fishing vest you need to consider when you will be fishing, so size is very important. If you fly fish during the colder time of the year, will you be wearing layers of clothing. If so, you need to pick your size carefully. You don't want it to be to tight especially around the neck and chest. You also want to be sure there is enough room for your arms to cast. Now if you are fly fishing in warmer weather you might think about vest made out of a webbing material. This will keep you cooler.

   Vests come in a lot of colors and some think that fish will see the colored vest and stay away. Well, I can't find anything proving this. Most avid fly fishermen usually stay a neutral color. You can even get vests with floatation in they. If you are fishing in rough water you might consider that.

   So, as you see there are a lot of things to think about. You might consider owning more then one type.

Eyewear for you tackle box

 Eyewear for you tackle box.

Every tackle box needs to have a pair of sunglasses in them or at least with them. There is a lot to know about buying and owning the correct set of eyewear for your tackle box. You need to have good UV protection. There are also a wide range of prices. Do you really need the designer sunglass that are so expensive or will the cheaper pair of sunglass do just as good.

   Your sunglass  should fit well and I think look good too,after all you paid good money for them. They should also protect your eyes from the sun. The UV rating is a way of knowing how well your eyewear will protect you eyes for the sun's harmful radiation. The higher the UV rating the better.

   Actually, polarized fishing eyewear that wrap around or have side panels are the best kind to wear when you go fishing. They really take the glare off the water and you can actually see into the river or lake and see the fish swimming around.

   Every polarized lens have some color to them. The darker the lens the better the polarization works. Polarized eyewear come in a lot of different colors. Gray, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue violet, copper and melanin. Brown is probably the best for fishing although, you will find contention to  this by about everyone.

   There really is a difference between designer sunglasses and cheap sunglasses. The cheap sunglass eyewear are made of inferior quality material and can't with withstand the UV sunrays.

   Designer eyewear are made from good quality material and will out last the cheaper sunglasses. Sometime we put off our health when buying cheaper sunglass and it really is not worth it. Sunglasses are one of the worlds biggest fashion accessories. People will spend big dollars for this type of eyewear even though they can't afford them. The sunglasses have become a prized possession

Fishing tackle

  There are so many different kinds of fishing tackle that it would be impossible to write about them all. Well, let me back up on that just a little. Chances are that if I did write about them all most people would not take the time to read it all the way through.

   Each kind of fish needs different tackle. Although they all need some kind of hook to catch them with and something to put on the hook to attract the fish. That is no all together true either. I have fished for sockeye salmon with just a red or black hook trolling behind a boat. When I heard that, I thought the guy was crazy but sure enough when my son and I got to the lake where they were running, we asked an older fisherman and he showed us exactly what he was catching the sockeye on and it was just a plain red or black hook.

   When you take you smaller children you almost always need to have bobbers, the store love it when we have kids, we use a lot of fishing tackle. Actually, I use them on some fish part of the time. If the fish are not on the bottom you will need something to hold you bait up and a bobber is the perfect thing. They work great unless the wind is blowing and then they drift everywhere but where you want them. I use the pencil type bobber when I fish for steelhead and the small ball type of bobber for trout.

   When fishing for the smaller fish you will want to have some kind of a stringer. You can get the kind with a ring tied on one end and all you do is put the end without the ring thru the gill and out the mouth of the fish, then put that end thru the ring on the rope stringer. There is also the metal chain with snap clips attached. They usually have five or six clips attached and you can put up to three fish on each clip depending on the size of the fish.

   Another type of fishing tackle are the weights. These usually are lead and come in more kinds then I can list. Probably the most used is the split shot are designed so you can squeeze one side to close them tight around you line and then squeeze the other side or them to remove from your fishing line. You can also use the bell kind you tie on through a metal loop at the end of the lead weight. Again, there are a lot of different kinds of weight and each have there place for use. We have not even touched the surface of the different kinds of fishing tackle we can use.

Fishing tackle box

Fishing tackle box

  Before we get into the different tackle you will need, you need something to put it all in. So, now you need to buy a tackle box. Most of us start off small. Something to carry a few hooks, weights, a jar of fish eggs and a jar of marshmallows. We get to the sporting goods store and are amazed at all the different types and sizes that are available.

   As you compare all the tackle boxes you finally decide on a small but adequate box. It  is larger then you first planed but looks good. Now you start picking out some of the tackle you may need. You find out you need more hooks the you thought and different types of weight you may need to use. You are amazed to find out how many different kind of weights and hooks there are.

   Now you look around the tackle isles and decide you need a stringer, maybe a bobber (several sizes). You decide to get a couple of lures and see that there is a whole isle with just lures. After looking at all the different kinds you get a couple of spinners, a couple of rooster tails, a few fake worm, frogs and shrimp style. The salesperson says you should have a spool of leader, a couple of different weights and maybe some extra line. After getting everything you think, and your salesperson thinks you may need, you purchase it all and go home.

   You now take your new tackle box and put the tray together with the dividers given with it. You open all your new tackle and put it in different categories and now start putting it all in your tackle box. Now you are amazed at how little your tackle box really holds. You find out your spool of extra line does not fit and only 1 jar of marshmallow will fit in the box and you don't have enough room for all the hooks and weights and lures. You decide you should have bought a bigger tackle box.

   This was my experience the first time I went fishing and needed a tackle box. I have since had several different kinds and now have two different boxes. One for larger fish and one for smaller fish. I am now thing I want a large tackle box that holds several different individual clear trays. That way I can put the thingz I need for trout fishing in one tray and the thing for bass in another and so on. Still using the medium old box for the larger things like extra spools for the reels.