Enjoying Competition Sport Fishing

April 5th, 2008

What is sport fishing? You could be competing for a trophy or you may be looking to catch the largest fish from all of your friends. Competitions are by far the most popular reason for sport fishing though. You can go both still fishing or fly fishing. You’ll have a specific time frame and depending on the weight and the species that you catch, you may just bring home the big one. The type of line that you use is also important here. The heavier the line, the fewer points you’ll get.

There are different types of sport fishing. Bass fishing, shore fishing, fly fishing, big game fishing, troll fishing and ice fishing are some of them. The competitions are based on the group of anglers, the conditions and the type of fish they are after. There is a wide range of options out there. You’ll be able to catch fish like marlin, walleye, salmon, shark, tuna and a wide range of others.

Equipment You’ll Need

The equipment you need depends on what type of fish you are after as well as what type of fishing you are doing. You’ll need to have the basics of rod, reel and tackle. Some will allow you to bring along your fish finder while others will not. Make sure you take a moment to see what the rules say.

For bait, you’ll need to take with you’re the bait that works for the fish you are after of course. You can go from simple things such as lures and spinners to wet and dry flies, shrimp or live fish and other live bait.

Understanding Fishing Line

The type of line used in these tournaments is often lighter than the force that the fish applies to it. Why? It’s more of a challenge of course! You should purchase a high tech drag mechanism on your reel to compensate for this. This will keep the right tension in the line when the fish takes off. Only when the fish gets tired of running will you have the ability to land him. It can be quite challenging but that is what makes it so fun, right!

How To Fight The Big Guy

There are several methods that are used to fight hooked fish. One is the use of a game chair. The fisherman sits there and places the butt of his rod in a gimbaled mount. You’ll need quite a long rod for this and it needs to be bent correctly to fit properly. This is not an easy task and you’ll need experience to get it right. Or, you can go with the stand up method. You’ll use a harness this time around. You’ll need to eat your Wheaties for this one though.

Ready to give it a try? You may find yourself shocked by the price of it all. It can cost you up to $25,000 if you purchase everything. You can take advantage of charter services though which will cut down on the supplies (especially your boat!) and you’ll get everything that you need. Take the time to learn with a professional to help you to make the most out of every tournament you enter. Winning the prize can help to lower these costs and make it all well worth it!

Niall is a keen fisherman always looking at new tools to help him catch more fish. Visit Fish Finder Review for more information and great deals to help you find fish finders or other GPS and Sonar marine navigation systems. http://www.fish-finder-review.com

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Fish-Finder-Review.com

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Geocaching — The New High–Tech Sport

March 9th, 2008

There are about 150,000 of them spread throughout 213 countries and you need satellites to help you find them. What are they? They’re geocaches and geocaching is a sport that is quickly gaining popularity.

The geocaches come in all different sizes and shapes. Usually stored in a waterproof container, these caches are treasures of minimal value. The container is often a Tupperware container or ammo box. The “treasures” can be just about anything you can imagine: a mini–stapler; a toy soldier; foreign coins.

How do you find them? That’s the satellite part. If you haven’t been in a cave for the last five years, you’ve probably heard of the Global Positioning System, or GPS. Just in case you’re one of the cave people, GPS is a system of 24 satellites orbiting the earth at an altitude of 11,000 miles. A small handheld receiver, a little larger than a cell phone, picks up signals from the satellites and can pinpoint your position anywhere on earth, sometimes as accurately as 3 meters.

If you go to Geocaching.com you can enter your location by ZIP Code, state, or country and get a list of caches in your area. Each listing has a log of who found the cache, when it was found, and usually what trinkets were taken and left.

You are given the coordinates of the cache in degrees of longitude and latitude. Enter those numbers in your GPS and start following that little handheld device. It may sound easy, but depending on the individual cache, it can be a challenge.

Some examples of hiding places are in holes at the base of large trees, holes in the face of a cliff, and some are even found in urban areas. One is under a bridge accessible only by rope. Another clever place was created when a cable company worker attached an empty cable connection box to the side of a building.

As you can imagine, public parks are popular places for hiding caches. However, they’re not allowed in National Parks in the U.S. Geocachers, being outdoor sort of people, are mostly ecologically–minded, and there is even a “cache in trash out” program that promotes participants picking up trash that they may find while hunting treasure. Many places require permits for placing caches. Park authorities’ main concern is damage to sensitive areas such as wetlands or locations of endangered flora or fauna.

GPS receivers start at about $75.00 US and can be purchased at some department stores, sporting goods stores, or ordered online. Amazon.com often has very good prices. Geocaching really is a lot of fun and it’s a great way to get outdoors and get some exercise.

J. Chartwell has developed Maps GPS Info.com, which provides practical information on GPS and maps that everyone can use. The website includes product reviews and a maps/GPS glossary.

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