Fishing Tips
- Make your own leaders
- Condition worms for better results
- Stop noisy straps from vibrating
- Avoiding Scratches When Loading a Canoe by Yourself
- Creating your own Slip Knots, without removing your hook
- Creeping Charlie ( A simple lawn care tip )
- Stop those watery eyes when cutting onions for that cookout
- Ice Fisherman Joke
How many times are you out in your boat and you need a shorter or longer leader then you have? There is a simple way you can create your own leaders while sitting on shore or in your boat. All you need is some light wire (about 30ga), some swivels, and a terminal end you desire. You should already have a wire cutter in your tackle box.
NOTE: If you have a small block of wood it makes it easier though you can get by without it. The block will help measuring the wire at different lengths. Place a small nail in the board, I drive it through and file off the point. Next measure out the leader length you want and put a second nail at that point, drive it through and file off the point. If you wish you can create more sizes use the original nail as your starting point and drive in nails in either a semi circle or straight line at those lengths. I numbered each radius to know their lengths.
Once you have the size determined add 1 1/2" to each end of the wire. If your leader is to be 7", add 1 1/2" to each end thus using 10" of wire. This is where the small board comes in handy.
Start at your first nail. The end of the wire should be 1 1/2" from the nail. Hold the wire against the nail and turn it around the nail, making a small circle. Go to the other nail and turn this end in the opposite drirection. At this point you should have a wire with two ends pointing away from the horizontal wire in two directions ( one toward you and the other away from you). Once you have the ends turned up, remove the wire from the nails. Add the swivel to one end so it rests inside the small circle. There are several tools on the market to secure and krimp the ends. However you can simply tightly wrap the ends around the wire and cut off the excess. Next add your terminal end to the other small circle end and wrap it around the wire.
You now have a leader based on the size you wanted.
After alittle practice you will have the technique mastered.
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Everyone has heard the ice fisherman joke before. (If not click here to read it.) We found if you condition your worms a few days before you go out, you are going to see more action. You will need a few household ingredients and some worm bedding or shredded paper. What I found was to make a large batch, save all my old worm containers and make another batch once it is used up. Unless you use a large amount of worms, 500 plus at a time, the ingredients are in such a small quantity its hard to accurately measure them out.
This will make a mixture for 500 worms.
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 5 crushed eggshells
- 3/4 lb worm bedding or shredded paper
- 1/2 cup coffee grounds
Mix all the ingredients and add alittle water to moisten. Add the mixture to your saved worm containers. Wash off the worms and add them to your containers. Placed the containers in the refrigerator over night or a few days before you plan to go fishing.
You will be amazed to see how the fish react to these conditioned worms.
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What may seem like a simple solution to a problem is only as simple as the person knowing the answer. This is an example of such a thing.
All one has to do is put a few twists in the strap and the vibration / humming will stop.
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If you have to place a canoe on top of your car or van by yourself, here is a simple tip to save the finish from scratching.
- Measure the widest part of the canoe.
- Cut a piece of plastic pipe at least 6" longer then your measurement. Use at least 1 1/2" plastic pipe.
- Wrap carpet around the pipe. (It can be taped on)
- Next time you have to put the canoe on the car. Move the canoe near the car.
- Put one end on top of the car.
- Place the carpeted pipe on top of the car where the canoe and car top meet.
- Simply raise the back end of the canoe and push the canoe forward.
- The carpeted pipe will roll across the car top and you will have your canoe safely on top.
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Adding a slip knot and never having to remove your hook, sinker and bobber to add a slip knot on your line, just got easier if you follow this.
- Use line a few pounds heavier then you are fishing with (ie, using 4# line, use 6-8# line to make slip knot).
- By using this technique you can add the slip knot anytime and never remove your hook.
- Cut a piece of the heavier line about 6-8", you want enough to work with.
(once you get better at it you can use less)
- If using a bobber already, add the slip knot above it on the line.
- Wrap the piece of line around your fishing line twice.
- Take the two ends and wrap them around each other 3 times.
- Draw ends together, they should make the knot.
- Test the slip knot that it moves up and down your line.
- If the slip knot is not large enough to catch the bobber stopper, just add a couple of regular knots to the ends of the slip knot.
- Cut off remaining loose ends.
- You can now fishing from any depth you would like, as the slip knot will reel back into your spool.
- I leave this slip knot on even when casting lures.
- See illustration below.
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I know this is normally a page for fishing tips, but I could not resist adding this wonderful lawn tip.
- Best if a one gallon hand pump sprayer is used
- Add up to 1 cup of 20 Mule Team Borox
- Add 1 gallon of WARM water
- Warm water will disolve the Borox and not plug up the nozzle.
- Spray this solution over the areas where Creeping Charlie is present.
- After a few days you will notice the Creeping Charlie's leaves turning brown.
- In some cases you may have to re apply in two weeks.
- A safe and chemical free way to rid your lawn of an unwanted weed.
A simple trick to stop your eyes from watering when cutting onions is.....(drum roll please)......chew gum.....it will eliminate the tears.
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There were two angulars ice fishing on a lake. As the younger angular watched, it was not very long after the older angular placed the line in the hole before a fish was caught. This went on for sometime with the younger angular not getting a bite. Finally the young angular asked how he was so lucky. The older angular mumbled "yo gottt to kkkkk the wwwwwms wwwwwms". Well the youngster could not understand what was said and asked again. The answer was the same, "yo gottt to kkkkk the wwwwwms wwwwwms". As the day went on the youngster caught no fish but the older angular was nearing the limit. When the youngster was about to head home he decided to ask one more time how all those fish were caught. The older angular looked over and spit out the worms in his mouth and said, " I told you, you have to keep the worms warm."
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This page was lasted updated on 7/04/2011
