Fishing Lines - Japanese to Western Scale

Have you ever purchases things like fishing line from on-line sites because it's cheaper than buying from your local tackle store. Sure you have, we've all done it, who doesn't want to save a buck.

So you eagerly await your package, which takes anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks to arrive and when you examine it upon receipt you think to yourself. That's not 10 lbs test, it's too thin. So you test it out and you find that it breaks at only 6 lbs test. You then think to yourself, cheap crap, I've been ripped off!!😠.

But were you?????  The answer to that is, NO, you were not ripped off. You got exactly what you ordered, because the scale use by countries like, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam are different than what is used in North America and Europe.

The standard size use for nylon fishing line in the orient goes back to how silk was measured and weighed. They take a standard length of line and measure its weight, from that they calculate it's average diameter. 1 另=.165mm  😁.  The standard for fluorocarbon is a bit different.

Below is a link to an article written by Dave Walker on this subject, complete with a table for the comparisons between the scales for fishing lines to help you avoid misunderstandings. So the next you order fishing line from on-line shopping sites. Take a look a this table and make sure that you are ordering the right line weight according to the Japanese Industry Standard (JIS).

Tight Lines. 🐟 🎣

http://www.tenkaratimes.com/tenkara-tutorial/tenkara-lines-japanese-to-western-scale

Why You Don't Use a Spinning Reel on a Casting Rod

It's done all the time, people who do not under stand the dynamics of a fishing rod. The dreaded combination of spinning reel on a casting rod. Watch my video and understand why you should not use this combination.

The Spine of a Fishing Rod

All fishing rods have a spine and some are more defined than others. The spine is actually a deformation of the material that appears in the manufacturing process when the fiberglass or graphite cloth is wrapped around a metal mandrel.  Where the material meets is the spine, this side is generally stiffer than the opposite side of the blank, referred to as the soft side.

Think of the rod spine as if it was your back bone. You only want to bend in one direction, forward and it is the same for your fishing rod. Bending the fishing rod backward can detract from the rods power and action, not to mention catastrophic failure of the rod itself. IT CAN BREAK!!🙅

This is one of the main reasons your rod and reel should be properly paired up. A spinning reel should be used on a spinning rod and a casting reel should be used on a casting rod.  How many times have we seen it, a spinning reel on a casting rod.  Do these people realize that they are actually bending their rods backwards when they use this set up. Probably not, they simply think a fishing rod is a fishing rod and do not under stand it's dynamics. 

So if you wish to get the most out of your equipment and the sport itself. Use the right reel on the right rod. Try bending over backwards and you will know what I am talking about. 

Baiting Live Worms on a Fishing Hook

Presentation is everything. If the worm can't wiggle or is wrapped in a ball too tightly the fish will not take too much notice of it. The above diagrams show several ways to hook your live worm, all are effective when using the whole worm. 

Remember a live worm can wriggle off of your hook, it can fly off when casting and fish can and do pull them off the hook. To prevent loosing your bait tie a half hitch around the top of the worm. This works very well as long as you are using long shanked hooks.  If you are using short shanked hooks such as circle or live bait hooks, then use the first diagram following the four steps that are outlined above. 

Worm fragments are also popular when fishing for small pan-fish. If you don't like pulling worms apart, use scissors. This a great way to get the fish nibbling, especially when fishing with young children who are fishing for the first time. There will be lots of squealing and  laughing as the fish nibble and tug at their lines.

Fishing with Live Worms

An inexpensive and productive way to fish is to use live worms. Earthworms and the much larger night crawlers can be caught or dug up in your own yard or purchased cheaply at local bait shops and many convenience stores. Worms for the most part do not require a bait license to sell one reason why they are readily available just about any where during the softwater fishing season.

Before you purchase your container make sure you check the contents for dead ones. Live worms will bury themselves in the bedding. If you find a number of worms or crawlers on top of the bedding chances are you have a batch of dead or dying worms. 

Live worms can keep for a few days as long as they are maintained in a cold environment. You can refrigerate them, or if this has a tendency to upset your house mates, them place them in a cooler with some cold packs.

If you change the cold pack regularly you can get a couple of days out of them. 

There is no doubt about it, live worms catch fish. Fish that have never seen a worm will attack one given the opportunity. There are many other creatures that look like worms that appear in the fish's environment; eels, snakes and aquatic worms. Worms also get washed into the water as well especially after big rain storms and they become easy prey for hungry fish.

Worm Fishing Tips

When fishing with worms use light lines, one of the biggest mistakes made by anglers is that they use a line that is too heavy. The lighter the line the more bites you will received. This is especially true in cold water where your line is highly visible to the fish.  

It is also important when fishing with worms whether live or synthetic, to keep your hands free of unnatural scents any scents that are on your hand will transfer to your bait, costing you bites. One of the easiest ways to accomplish removing any unnatural scents is to rub your hands in the grass before baiting your hook. You can obtain sprays or oils to coat your baits, but they can be expensive and can also kill the worm before you get it out to the fish.

The Smallest Large Mouth I Have Ever Caught

The last fish of the 2016 softwater season, at least it was a bass. Probably one of the smallest LMB that I have ever caught. Threw him back to become a big LMB. 

Antique Metal Fishing Lures

You probably did not require any additional weight when casting these. I am not sure what year they are from, but they are certainly nasty looking things. I wonder how attracted the fish were too them.

Today's crank-baits and metal lures have certainly evolved and turned fishing into an art form.