Little Fishing Tips

By Capt Ken Roy

 

Storage Container for Ballyhoo Rigging Wire

Cut a 12” length of ½” PVC pipe. Cement a cap one end and leave the other end a slip fit.  Mark the end that can be opened. 

 

Remove the Ballyhoo’s Entrails for a Long Lasting Bait

Ballyhoo last a lot longer both while trolling and stored if the entrails are removed. Bend a tiny “J” in the end of an 8” length of #9 Stainless Wire.  Insert this tool in the Ballyhoo’s vent and push as far forward as possible.  Twist the tool a half turn as you pull it back out.  This will remove the entrails faster and easier than any method I have seen.

 

Add a Little Oxygen to your Bait

Benzomatic disposable oxygen cylinders can be used to oxygenate a bag or bucket of bait for a short haul. Attach a hose to the tank, add an air stone, drop it into your bag and bubble pure oxygen into the water.  You won’t need a regulator for this application.  These cylinders cost about $7 and one will last for months if you only fish once per week.   

They do practically the same thing Ocala for live shiners at Gates Bait and Tackle in. A tightly sealed bag works better than a bucket because the 02 doesn't diffuse out as rapidly.   

Thirty seconds of low flow will work fine and keep bait kicking for an hour or so if they are cool and not over crowded.  If you use a plastic bag, take care not to pressurize it. 

 

Andy’s Downrigger Ball Holder

It’s very cheap and simple. Take a 64 oz Gatorade or juice jug and cut it in half (Use the plastic jugs that are thicker than 1 liter coke bottles).  Punch a couple of holes in the bottom and you are done. An 8 or 10 lb ball will fit nice and snuggly and won't roll around on the floor of your boat.  It also protects the gel coat from getting lead or  paint on it. Hope this is helpful.

 

Alternative Uses for a Bimini Top “U” Bracket

Screw one of these little "U" brackets to your work bench or somewhere in your boat to use to hang a hook while cinching down a knot. I tighten each knot this way when I am rigging. This is a very convenient and safe way to pull up knots or check your reels drag.

 

Bodkin for Punching Holes in Fishbites

Fish Bites are tough, that's why they stay on the hook to catch so many Pinfish. Fish Bites darn sure work for bait catching. 

I use #8 wire hooks and sometimes have trouble baiting them with Fish Bites because the bait is so tough. I made this little BODKIN to speed up the hook baiting process. 

I inserted a short length of 0.051" diameter wire to the end of a 3/8" hardwood dowel and then sharpened the wire with my grinder.  I painted it to make it easier to find.

 

I slice up a dozen or so 1/4" squares of Fish Bites and then punch a hole in each of them with my BODKIN. Baiting hooks and bait catching goes much faster when the baits are pre-drilled.  I can usually try to catch 75-100 Pinfish for a morning’s fishing.

 

Bungee Cords for Dock Lines

Bungee cords are mighty handy to have aboard.  I always have several from very light duty to heavy enough to use for dock lines. 

I have a couple of Bungee cords permanently installed in my spring lines. A heavy 4' long Bungee spliced into each spring line with about 7' of rope in between the ends of the Bungee. This assures that my spring lines stay tight but not too tight.  My boat stays perfectly centered in its slip under all stages of the tide.                              

I used Ty-Wraps to lock the Bungees in place and to make eyes in Bungees.

 

 Butterflied Mingo 

By Coach

    I often butterfly Mingo Snapper for Grouper and Sow Snapper when we run out of live bait. When we butterfly a bait fish we usually start at the tail and fillet the fish on both sides up to the head then remove the backbone and the tail. This gives the dead bait a more lively looking action. We send it back down and wait on the big boy.   Some folks report getting more bites by leaving the tail and backbone in when using this method.  

Lots of scent and action turns ‘em on.

 

Clean out your Tackle Box

I’m not just talking about taking out extraneous stuff here.  Take everything out of the box, wash the box with detergent and use a rust remover to take out rust stains.  Dry the box carefully and allow it to dry over night before restocking it.  Oil hinges and latches if they are metal.  Use silicone grease on plastic hinges.

 

If you don’t use it, don’t put it in your box next year.

This is definitely a do as I say topic, not do as I do.  For years, I went prepared for every eventuality.  I haven’t seen a Blue Marlin in more than 15 years so I do not need to have a Marlin rig on the boat.  Perhaps that is an exaggeration but we all carry stuff that we’ll never use.   

Last year’s rusty hooks?  Rinse them.  Dry them.  Oil them, and use them first next year.  Keep them in plastic boxes where the rust and oil won’t get into your other tackle.  Keep new hooks in packages to use after the old supply is exhausted.  In the case of small and rusty hooks, toss them and use new stuff. 

Any used 7-Strand wire is suspect by spring.  Toss it. 

 

Transmission Fluid, the Mighty Rust Preventer & Lubricant

For years, I sprayed my reels with WD-40.  It worked just OK.  Now days, I wipe my reels with a rag with a little Transmission Fluid.  I do this every few trips or as I think about it.  I apply a tiny drop of transmission fluid to external moving parts like bail rollers and rotating points.  If your reel has a level wind, add a drop of oil at the pawl and reel enough for it to make a couple of passes along the worm shaft. 

Don’t forget handle knobs.   

This is definitely a place where a little goes a long way.   

Rinse your reels lightly, dry, and wipe with the oily cloth.  (Don’t use a paper tower) 

A quart of Transmission Fluid should last you 10 years or more.

 

Armor All.

Occasionally apply a coat of Armor All to your rods.  It makes your rods shine and gives them a little added UV protection.  One caution with Armor All.  Don’t get it on your deck or on your deck shoes.  I got some on my deck shoes 3 months ago and they still squeak. 

Armor All is a great fly line cleaner and flotant.  Put a few drops on a small cloth patch and wipe your line to remove dirt, and make your line slip through your guides faster and easier.  You will definitely add a few feet to your cast if your line is clean and slick.

 

Pier/Bridge Rail Rod Holder

Take a look at this little Bridge rail rod holder.  It is made out of ¾” PT lumber held together by 2” Deck screws.  All you need to make your own for your favorite bridge is the measurements of the bridge rail.  Making one is a 20 minute job.  Making more takes about 10 minutes each.  I think Rhett and I can turn out at least 10/hour and not break a sweat doing it.    

 

Drag a Chain to Get Their Attention

When you are drift fishing, drag a length of chain on a line from a stern cleat.  Use about 6’ of 3/8” link chain on parachute cord or light rope.  Deploy just enough rope to where the chain barely hits bottom.  The end of the chain should just tickle the bottom.

The clanking of the chain and the critters the chain scares up attracts lots of fish.  I’ve tried hanging a chum bag at the top of the chain and have noticed little, if any, increase in the fish I catch.  I don’t use this method often because I seldom drift fish these days.

Drifting and jigging while dragging a chain is a sure fire way to catch Red Grouper.

 

Uses for Broken Rods

When you break a rod, make sure you save quality components that are in good shape.  Here are a few potential uses 

1.  Removing a reel seat is hardly worth the effort unless it is a high dollar reel seat. 

2.  If the rod has quality guides that are in good shape, consider building a custom rod.                                                                                                                               

3.  Longer Hypolon rear grips make very nice short gaffs.

4.   A heavy, one-piece rod, cut off between the fore grip and the reel seat, can be used to make a nice gaff.

5.   Save decent guides for rod repair.

6.   Save single footed guides for emergency guide and tip replacement.

7.   I use a rear grip complete with stainless reel seat as a lever to straighten my Grapnel Anchor.

8.   I’ve used complete rod grips to build custom rods by inserting a new rod blank through the bottom of the handle.  Align the spline with the reel seat; apply 2 part epoxy to the blank and pull it firmly until it seats inside the old rod grip.

9.   Use old sections of rod blanks for Tomato stakes or for other plants in your garden.

 

Guaranteed to Cut a Penny Shears

I found this tip back in the archives.  It isn’t mine and I do not know who posted it

These shears were about $10 when they were first introduced but now days you can buy then for about $2.  Use them to clip the tails off live bait for more erratic action and more scent.  They can also be used to chunk up small baitfish.   

If you really need to, you can always cut a penny.

 

Get another year out of your waders 

My waders are getting old. Tiny cracks are begining to appear around the tops of the feet.                           

Here is how to get an extra year or two out of them. Paint the entire foot with Liquid Lectric Tape and allow them to dry a couple of days. Next, wrap the entire foot with several wraps of Duct tape. The Duct tape will fend off lots of Oyster shells when wading the bars.

 

Keeping Shrimp Alive 

When I first came to this area I was introduced to the practice of keeping shrimp alive by putting them in a plastic bag and keeping the bag on top of newspaper on top of the ice in you cooler.  While this works fine, it is messy.  There is a better way.   

Bubble pack bags eliminate the need for newspaper in your box.  Keep your shrimp in the bubble pack and they stay on top of the ice and will still be kicking at the end of the day. 

 

Eat your Bait 

If you have a bunch of left over live shrimp at the end of the day, take them home, boil them and add them to a salad or make a shrimp cocktail.  For bait, frozen shrimp doesn’t even come close to fresh or live for many species.