Gigantic freshwater fish caugh by fishermen

Thai fishermen netted what is thought to be the world's biggest freshwater fish, a 292kg (644 pound) Mekong giant catfish, in the Mekong River, northern Thailand.

Fly Fishing | What to do with a Running Fish

Tip #4: What to do with a Running Fish
Be prepared if a fish runs toward you. Stand on your toes and at the same time raise your fishing rod up over your head as high as you can. Take the line and put it back over onto your second and third fingers of the hand that is holding the rod. Quickly strip the line to pull up on any slack.

If the fish starts to run away from you make sure that you keep the fishing rod up high and slowly let out the line, letting it slide from your fingers. Be ready to palm the reel of the rod when the slack is entirely gone.

Fly Fishing | Holding your Fishing Rod Effectively

Tip #3: Holding your Rod Effectively

It’s important that you learn to hold your fishing rod effectively under any fishing conditions. You want to make sure that you maintain good control at all times without gripping the fishing rod too hard. You can adjust the power of your hold when you’re in the middle of a cast. This will allow you to minimize the vibrations of each movement. With just a bit of practice you’ll be able to increase the tightness at the same as you learn to relax your grip on fishing rod.

Fly Fishing | Fishing Rods

Tip #2: Fishing Rods
There are several things that you need to think about when choosing the right type of rod for you. Every reel and rod has a certain function that you need to be aware of.

One of the first things that you need to consider is comfort. Is the rod that you're using comfortable for you to hold? If you're shorter than about 5'5" you won't want to use a rod that is seven feet. Choose a rod length that is easy for you to hold and cast for a few hours at a time.
Most of the rods on the market today are designed to allow you to feel when a fish bites. The shaft of the rod is called a "blank" and when the rod is first manufactured the blank is made from fiberglass, graphite, or other materials. Each of these blanks has an action that is either: light, medium, medium/heavy, or heavy. The upper portion will also have an action that is either: extra light, light, or regular.
Both ends of the blank are assembled and the final result is a fishing rod, complete with a handle and guide. No matter what type of rod that you're using, the "action" of the rod will refer to the "blank". The action of the rod will have a great deal to do with the type of fishing that you're doing.

Fly Fishing | Practice your Casting

Fly fishing is a very popular fishing sport that can be both relaxing and challenging at the same time.
The following tips and tricks are ideal of beginners. When you’re just starting out learning to fly fish you’ll want all the help and advice that you can get from the experts.

Tip #1: Practice your Casting
The experts say that the one thing that you need to do to develop a good casting technique is to practice as often as you can. This will lead to a proficiency in casting that make all the difference between being a successful fly fisher or a frustrated one.

Try practicing against a wall on the outside of your house. Just imagine that there is a clock hanging on the wall that is at the same level as your shoulder. Place markers, such as black electric tape, at the 11:00 and 1:00 clock positions. Practice casting against these markers for a few minutes each day to improve your accuracy and style.

Freshwater fishing bait

There are many different baits available to make it easy for everyone to get in on the fun of freshwater fishing. These include commercial baits bought from tackle and bait shops, baits that you can find in your yard, and baits that you can make from natural materials. Let’s look at the baits available and how to use them.

WORMS – Worms include large species, often called earthworms or night crawlers, and small, frisky manure worms. Earthworms and night crawlers are found in any lawn and can be easily gathered after a rain or found under boards or rocks. Smaller manure worms are found around farms. Large worms are good baits for walleyes and bass, while small worms are good whole or in pieces for panfish, sunfish, and trout.

CRAYFISH – Crayfish are a main food source for fish such as smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye and large trout. They can be bought from bait stores or captured by using a window screen or fine mesh net in the water. Stir the water to chase the crayfish into the net. Store in moist rags, damp sphagnum moss or a bait bucket.

MINNOWS AND BAITFISH – Many types of minnows and baitfish are available from bait stores. These can range from small minnows to large shiners for bass and pike fishing. Capture minnows by using minnow traps or mesh minnow screens/nets. Use bait such as bread crumbs to attract the minnows to a trap and check the trap daily. For a minnow net or screen suspended from a rope, use crumbs to attract the minnows and raise the net frequently to capture the prey. Vertical minnow nets can be pulled through the water to capture minnows and sometimes crayfish. Store minnows in a minnow bucket using the same water from which they were bought or captured and use them as soon as possible. Minnow buckets are special buckets with an internal perforated container designed to hold minnow and allow retrieval of them through a snap lid.

Umpan pancing

Walau apa jenis pancingan yang dilakukan ianya sangat bergantung kepada umpan yang digunakan, kerena umpan yang sesuai akan menantukan jumlah hasil tangkapan. Kalau kena umpannya maka banyaklah hasilnya tapi kalau sebaliknya maka kempunanlah si kaki pancing tersebut. Secara am, umpan untuk memancing boleh dikelasifikasikan kepada dua bahagian iaitu:

1. 1. Umpan Hidup (Natural Bait)
2. 2. Umpan Buatan (Artificial Bait)

Kriteria umpan yang hendak digunakan bergantung kepada jenis ikan yang hendak dipancing. Umpan untuk ikan laut (Saltwater Fish) tentu akan berbeza sekali dengan umpan untuk ikan air tawar (Freshwater Fish). Jadi, kemahiran memilih umpan bergantung kepada pengalaman si pemancing itu sendiri untuk memilih umpan yang sesuai bergantung kepada di mana lapang yg dipilih untuk melabihkan pancing masing-masing.