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Backcountry Fishing, Bottom Fishing, Drift Fishing, Flats Fishing, Fly Fishing, iOutdoors Blog, Permit Fishing, Redfish Fishing, Sail Fishing, Snook Fishing
Should you sharpen a new hook?
Compared to a greenhorn fisherman, a seasoned fisherman will spend some time sharpening fishing hooks. If a recent fisherman would ask a veteran in fishing whether or not a new hook should be sharpened, his answer would surely be yes.
Whether you are a simple beginner fisherman or an experienced angler offshore angler, your point of contact with a fish is by the hook. It is the hook that lures a fish towards you, thus, making it a critical tool in fishing. The importance of the hook, especially a sharp hook, cannot be gainsaid especially when using crankbaits and similar baits where the grip of the hook to the mouth of the fish is extremely low.
Check your Hooks
To check your new hook’s sharpness, don’t just rely on the package when it says the contents are sharp. It is worth to check its sharpness by drawing its point across your fingernail. If it doesn’t leave a mark at the gentlest draw, then it is not sharp enough and needs some sharpening.
Although new hooks are sharp, sometimes, they are not sharp enough, thus, the need to sharpen them. Sharper hooks could land more fish especially when flats fishing, fly fishing, and sailfishing. A hook, although new, when not sharp enough could lose that high-priced fish you could have caught! Thus, the need to sharpen even a new hook in preparation for a fishing expedition.
Even while fishing, you should also be conscious of the sharpness of your hook especially when you have used them after a few casts or when you’re fishing in rocky areas. Once in awhile, touch the point and hone it if it is dull, otherwise, it won’t stick into a fish’s mouth.
Learn more about how to get your hooks as sharp as possible!
Flats Fishing, iOutdoors Blog, Miami Beach Fishing, Permit Fishing, Wreck Fishing
Permit – The Best Way to Catch Them
Permit, known as Trachinotus falcatus, is a game fish of the western Atlantic Ocean. It is also known by the name round pompano or great pompano. Pound for pound, the Permit is one of the strongest fish in the world. It uses its large, wide body in the heat of battle and uses its head to keep underwater.
Description
Permit are grayish, dark or iridescent blue on top, and have silvery sides. In dark waters, the fish shows golden tints around their breasts. They possess teeth on their tongues, no scutes, and have a dorsal fin insertion directly above that of their anal fin. The common size of this species is 25 pounds. They are seen in schools of 10 to 20 fish but can occur in larger numbers. Their diet consists mainly of crab but they eat shrimp, clams and sometimes small fish as well.
Distribution and Location
Permit are often found offshore in wrecks and debris or inshore in grass flats, sand flats and channels. They are most abundant in south Florida but small specimens can be found in every coastal county.
Fishing Tips
It is important to know the Permit before attempting to catch it. This species have large eyes and can see extremely well above and under the surface of the water. When approaching this beautiful species, caution is always observed.
- It is best to fish for Permit on calm, clear days near the full and new moon. During these days, Permit can be found “floating” near the surface.
- Use 9 to 10 weight fly outfits using floating and clear floating line when fishing in the Florida Keys.
- Leaders use range from 9 to 12 feet tapered to 12 to 16 pound test fluorocarbon.
- Crab patterns and its variety is the normal arsenal when Permit fishing.
- For spin fishing, it is best to use seven-foot plus medium action spinning rod outfits. It is also essential to use quality spinning reels with superior drag.
- When spin fishing, rigging 10 to 12 lb test mono line is the standard usually observed. Along with this is the use of a 16 pound test flouro leader and 2/0 or 3/0 hooks with live crabs or shrimps.
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Backcountry Fishing, Flats Fishing, Inshore Fishing, iOutdoors Blog, Offshore Fishing
Lures: a must in your offshore, flats, inshore and backcountry tackle box.
Let’s admit it, when fishing, nothing can beat the use of live natural bait to lure in fish. The only problem is though, natural bait, much more a live one, is hard to come by during some months. That is why, anglers are thankful for the presence of artificial lures. The idea behind the design of every artificial bait is that is should mimic bait fish’s movement, vibration and color, making it believable enough to entice the fish to bite.
There are different kinds of artificial lure manufacturers in the market today, and choosing the right one is critical to a successful fishing expedition. Lures can actually resemble a fish or not, and may have moving parts or not. As to the question of whether lures need eyes, the house is divided between those who believe it is essential and those who think that it is not necessary at all.
Proponents of those who do not believe that lures must necessary have eyes, have proven over the years that lures with eyes – even more, lures which resemble bait fish – can be done away with. In fact, fly fishing uses artificial flies that look like a mixture of furs and feathers designed to represent all kinds of fish prey including bait fish, worms and insects among others. And, advocates fly fishing have proven that pike, bass, trout, salmon and other game fish could be caught with the use of artificial fly. Thus, lures with eyes are not essential to an angler.
Those who think that eyes are important, on the other hand, believe that not all fish species could be easily tricked by movement or sound alone; some being reliant primarily on their keen eyesight like the rainbow trout. Fish species such as these then could be difficult to lure in with bait that doesn’t look like a fish. In such case, it wouldn’t hurt to add eyes on the lures to mimic the look of natural baitfish eyes.
Endless tools and tackle can be used to fish here in Florida. Fortunately, when you embark on a Florida Fishing Charter with iOutdoor, we have everything you will need to have a successful day on the water. Don’t miss out on the adventure of a lifetime when visiting Florida next time! offshore flats inshore fishing can provide some of the best memories you can imagine.
Permit – The Best Way to Catch Them