Hart's Hints

by Andrew Hart

The warm weather has gone again, and with it, so has much of the better fishing. For many, winter is a time to unwind, service their tackle, and sit by the fire remembering, and dreaming, of warm summer evenings and big fish.

However, there are a unique few who brave the wild and woolly Tasmanian weather and spend time catching a feast of fish, along with the odd cold! Often, Winter brings many calm, windless days, and, for the rugged up fisherman, this means they can take full advantage of flat seas, schools of fat, fit, fish and clear waters to catch boxes of tasty delights. There are some days during our Winter, however, that you are better off sitting by a fire and dreaming, rather than fighting against the elements.

When the weather turns crook and your fire heats up, why not do something productive that could make your season to come a greater success. One idea to keep in mind when your sick and tired of sitting inside is to do some research, and try and get the edge over your slippery, scaly friend.

Firstly - pick a fish

The first thing that you should do when researching fishing and fish, is to pick one particular area of fish to learn more about. It will make you a better angler to target one particular species of fish, and spend your time trying to figure them out, until you can be successful at catching it. Believe me, it is a great feeling when the fish that you have targeted, has picked up your bait.

Books

You obviously enjoy reading, or you would not be reading this, so therefore, why not read about the species of fish you will be trying to catch in the future season. There are literally hundreds of texts which deal with fishing techniques, fishing tackle, and more importantly fish. Knowing that little bit more about your target fish, could mean the difference between success and failure. Identification books are very good for learning special features about the fish. For example, whether it has big teeth or not, so that you will know if you will need a trace. Some are also full of information about the habitat of the fish, and this is obviously useful so that you know where to fish. Some fishing books will often have sections featuring the more popular species found in local waters, and information about how to catch them. Remember to read as much material as you can lay your hands on, so that you can compare what leading fishing authors have to say about the same fish, and compare their methods of success with your own methods. Magazines are also a help on up to date techniques about fishing and contain a feature article on fish species, which are often more comprehensive than those in books. If you do not want to buy fishing books, then your library is a good place to start the hunt.

Videos

Often, instructional videos, on fishing can put you to sleep. They are just dead boring, with the same low pitch narrator taking you through tying knots and putting a bait on a hook. However, today, we are treated to some master pieces, which are full of explosive action, and fast fishing for some truly magnificent fish. By watching these videos, we not only get so fired up and ready to go that we can't sleep until the next time we wet a line, and baiting up, in an exciting way, while watching the presenters practice what they preach and catch some huge fish. For the best fishing videos around, try your local tackle shop: they often have a rental system that allows you to take them out for a week.

Maps

The last essential piece of research material that you should use, are maps. Looking for that new, untouched spot is often fun, as you study the geographical features of your chosen location in detail. The higher the detail, the better, and although maps are not all that cheap, they are well worth the money. After you have done all of this study, the only other way to get through winter is to keep dreaming, and not to let your line stay dry for too long.

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