2024 Fishing Articles

Catching Blue Claw Crabs

By Chuck Christopher

(FindAFishingBuddy.com Founder)

Posted 7/16/23

In July, August and September, I do a lot of crabbing in the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers at the Jersey Shore. If the crabs are hanging on the old wooden docks, I enjoy catching them with a scoop net. But early in the seaon, there are not too many large ones hanging so I have to resort to another tactic... Simple Drop Lines! I go to Lowes or  Home Depot and buy a large roll of braided mason line and then stop by a grocery store and buy a dozen chicken legs (I am yet to find anything that attracts blue claw crabs better than chicken legs!). I usually only use half of the chicken legs per outting and freeze the rest for next time. I cut six pieces of fifteen foot long mason line. I tie one chicken leg to the end of each line and the other end to the dock. I toss all of the lines out into the river. Usually within a minute or two, crabs start grabbing the chicken and pulling the lines and that's when the fun begins! When a crab is on the line, I slowly pull the line up and as I start to see the crab coming up attached to the chicken leg, I take the line in one hand and bring my scoop net slowly under the crab and catch it... Most of the time!  

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The Best Bait For Catching Rainbow Trout in a Pond or Lake

By Chuck Christopher

(FindAFishingBuddy.com, Founder)

Posted 6/27/23

There are plenty of ways to catch Rainbow Trout, but I just wanted to share a few simple ways that work for me. If you like to use natural bait, it's tuff to beat small garden worms (NOT night crawlers!) and also mealworms. I find that the reason that they are attracked to smaller worms is simply because they wiggle more when on the hook. As far as mealworms go, the bigger the better! If you use the big ones, you only need to put one on a hook instead of trying to get 3 or 4 on there. I use a small hook, usually a size 8 with a bobber spaced about 2' away from the hook. When it comes to man-made bait, you can't  beat Yellow Power Bait Original Nuggets!  I use a small hook with a single split shot spaced about 2' away from the hook and NO bobber. If the split shot is too close to the hook, the trout usually drop the bait because they feel the weight of the spilt shot before they even get a chance to start swimming away. As far as lures are concerned, I prefer a small Rooster Tail Spinner (Red) or Classic Blue Fox Spinner (Silver). It is very rare that I don't catch at least a couple of Rainbow Trout using the methods I've just described... I actually won the pool on opening day this year fishing at our local pond by catching a three pounder on the power bait Imentioned!

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Choosing The Right Spinning Reel

By Globo Surf

Posted 5/12/22

Whether you are an experienced fisher or new to the sport you likely understand the key to a great experience is having quality gear. Spinning reels are a huge part of this and can mean the difference between getting the catch and being left empty handed. Click on the link below to continue reading:

https://www.globosurfer.com/best-spinning-reels/

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Taking Children On Their First Fishing Trip

By OUTDOOR Empire

Posted 4/15/22

This article is about taking children on their first fishing trip, and it teaches what gear to buy, where to go, what fish to target when taking a kid fishing the very first time, among various other tips.

(https://outdoorempire.com/children-first-fishing-trip/)

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I always go back to using the Senko…

By Chuck Christopher

(Founder, FindAFishingBuddy.com)

Posted 3/27/22

Sometimes when I go fishing for large mouth and pickerel, I will try a variety of lures such as spinners, crank baits, frogs, and worms. But, I always find myself going back to what has become my most consistent lure… Gary Yamamoto’s Senko. I have only been using them for a few years. I find that I catch more fish when I use them. I have also caught the largest fish with them… 7.5 lb large mouth bass and 4 lb pickerel. I first learned about the Senko when I went fishing with a new friend for the first time. I remember watching him place the hook in the middle of the worm and I thought “This guy must not know what the hell he’s doing”. So I asked why he put the hook in the middle as opposed to in the head of the worm lure. He told me that the method was called “Wacky Rigging” and that the reason it works is because of the motion that is created by both ends of the lure as you let it fall from the surface to the bottom of the lake. It still sounded strange to me… That is until he started catching numerous bass and pickerel. Next thing I knew, I was wacky rigging it too and the rest is history! I have used the following Senko’s with great success: Size: 5” with 10 per pack. Colors: pumpkin, watermelon, and purple. Dick’s Sporting Goods has a great variety, but you can usually find them cheaper on Ebay and other websites. Also, I prefer using size 2 hooks. 

Catching Bait Fish For Snapper Fishing

By Chuck Christopher

(FindAFishingBuddy.com Founder)

Posted 12/8/21

Catching baby Bluefish or Snappers as we call them in N.J. are great fun, especially in September and October when they are a little bigger and put up a decent fight. When we  were kids, we always used live bait and caught Snappers on bamboo poles. I still prefer using freshly caught  bait over lures when fishing for them. To catch Spearing, I use a Douglas One Man Umbrella Drop-Net. (See picture below this article). I use a variety of things to attract the bait fish into the net including bread, canned cat food, and fried chicken. Douglas Drop Nets retail from $15.00 to $30.00. They are worth their weight in gold to me! The net can actually pay for itself the first time you use it... For example, a small bag of frozen Spearing costs about $5.00 in my neck of the woods. When the bait fish are plentiful, I use the Drop-Net and not only catch enough bait for fishing that day, but also freeze 5 bags for the future. I usually catch enough for everyone at the dock I'm fishing at which helps me to make a lot of new friends... Not to mention help promote FishingBuddyFinder.com