Over 12 years ago my fishing mentor passed onto the next plane of existence, but during the time that he was alive he was the greatest trout fisherman I've personally ever known. The man caught trophy trout in fishing streams that got a ton of fishing pressure. Streams in which other anglers simply didn't have the success that he was able to achieve. Sure other people caught trout, but my mentor caught trout that would have been trophies in Arkansas or Montana but he fished in central Pennsylvania. During the time we fished together, he taught me some of his trout fishing secrets and I want to pass some of them on to you.

1) Locate a Large Trout - one of my mentors hard and fast rules was that once he located a large trout, he would fish for it until he caught it. In his experience, large trout would find a suitable area and pretty much stay there, especially on heavily fished rivers. These areas weren't the kind of areas that you might think. That's probably how the trout grew to be so large.

2) Large Trout Don't Expend Much Energy - My mentor always said that large trout (I'm talking over 22 inches in fairly small rivers) expend as little energy as possible. He would say that they like to lay there and let food come to them.

3) Large trout LOVE live crayfish - My mentor used to have me go out into the stream behind my house and catch him live crayfish so that he could use them for bait once he had a large trout located. The crayfish had to be no more than 2 inches long…..FYI. He would then rig them on a set of gang hooks and catch trophies.

4) Always Use Gang Hooks - My mentor is the one who invented the act of using gang hooks for freshwater fishing ( at least as far as I know). A set of gang hooks are simply 2 small hooks tied in tandem. Gang hooks allow the angler to present their bait in an incredibly natural way, and this was a key according to him. Your bait had to appear as natural as possible. Gang hooks are fairly easy to tie yourself, or you can go somewhere like JRWfishing.com and purchase them, the bottom line is that my mentor insisted on using them.

The above trout fishing secrets will help you catch more and bigger trout. They most certainly did for my fishing mentor, God rest his soul. I'll tell you, when that man passed on to whatever it is that comes next, the trout of central Pennsylvania and upstate New York breathed a collective sigh of relief. He was, without question, the best trout fisherman that I've ever met.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country…..Montana!

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Bass Fishing - Bigger The Knowledge The BIGGER The FISH

Why is it so important to have more knowledge under your belt when bass fishing, simple, more fish? Is your catch of bass becoming less on every fishing trip, did you ever wonder that the bait you are using is not to the fishes liking or could it be your choice of location to catch a whopper be the wrong speck.

If just starting out to join in the fun of bass fishing then it is important that you fully understand the needs on how to bait. Which bait to use - what location are factors that have to be addressed to become an expert in bass fishing? The bigger your knowledge the bigger the fish.

Bass Fishing is practised by anglers who claim a sense of satisfaction when the fish start to bite. To become successful in this type of venture then you have to consider two things, the understanding of how to locate bass and to learn all there is to know about different techniques, presentations, and baits. All this information can be found in fishing manuals. Collect as much knowledge as you can from other anglers who are more familiar with the sport.

Just to know how to read a map will be beneficial when locating bass, the most practical places to search for lively Bass is after cold fronts and early spring. Weather conditions can either hamper or go in your favour when fishing for bass. If you are familiar with your waters then this will help a great deal in locating the best place to cast your rod. Water depth and temperature is a vital element that you need to be aware of because the depth or hollowness of the water will decipher if this part of the river - stream is where the bass are biting.

A consistent bass angler does more than just jump in his/her boat and cast bait. That is why fishing tournaments are so popular -competitive and fulfilling to all who take part in these contests.

There is much more than meets the eye behind this sport. Lake maps, what are they you ask, well there are two types; most anglers refer to them as the Hot Spot map and the Topographical. These route finders are different; the Topo outlines more in detail where as the Hot Spot map displays the best fishing locations. Vegetation areas - Irregular contours -Shallow water close to deep water areas - Points and point drops are main issues to look for when it comes to locating bass on any given waters. To become as popular as the sport it self then, you have to think like the fish. I know this may sound insane, but you have to choose a quiet part of the stream or lake away from jet skis, kiddies paddling or playful dogs when fishing for bass. Any excitement may upset the apple cart. If you were the fish would you stick around with all the commotion above water?

Wade in and cast that rod to be the envy of all other anglers with your catch http://www.bassfishingskills.com/. Another fine relaxing pastime is gardening http://www.watergardens.webinputbiz.com/