Fishing World

Posts Tagged ‘Holidays’

You need reliable catfishing information when you decide to take on the sport. Catfishing is one of the most interesting activities that people engage in especially during breaks or holidays. Catfish are relatively easy to catch. All you need is your line with bait tossed into the water. However, you can use some tips to help you catch catfish faster. You could perhaps do a little research on what a catfish is, where it stays, what it eats, and when to catch them. Below is some catfishing information that could help you with your endeavor.

Basically, the things that you need to bring to the fishing site would depend on the type of fish you are after. There are three main types of a catfish. These are the channel catfish, flathead catfish and the blue catfish. Channel catfish are the smallest kinds of the three. You can spend most of your time catching this species because they are easier to catch. They feed mainly on bugs that land on the surface of the water. Plus, they can survive easily after releasing them from being caught. They usually survive and exist in high numbers in ponds because they are easy to feed and survive fairly easily.

The other two types of catfish can grow in very large sizes. Blue catfish don’t usually survive much in ponds because they are a little picky when it comes to food. Since they have special diets in the water, they can grow into very big sizes.

Flathead catfish on the other hand can grow large but are easy to catch. They feed on almost anything because of their great appetite. These larger types of catfish would require you to use at least a medium action rod. You can pair rod with spinning or bait casting reels to catch them. They are a bit of a challenge due to their size. If you are after blues and flatheads, it would be better if you use treble hooks to get a better hold of the catfish.

The most common baits you can use for catfishing include minnows, shads, night crawlers, clams, crawdads and more. Catfishing baits are commonly something that smells cheesy or meaty. Catfish feeds through smell and taste and not particularly on the appearance of the food. Now that you have you bait, you can’t just throw your line anywhere in the water. There are strategic places to throw your bait.

Catfish love staying under shade. They like places that are dark and cool. If you fish in ponds, they could go somewhere near the creek or stream where water comes into the pond. Catfish usually roam around the water at night so that would be the best time to catch them. May you find all this catfish information valuable to you.

I recently received an email that went along the lines of, “Have you seen the carp fishing holidays on eBay? What do you think of them?” As it happens, I first started seeing them listed quite some time ago and have been meaning to jot down my thoughts on them for a while now, so this seems like a good opportunity.

I bet that quite a few people see them, or see this article, and instantly think, “No way am I booking a holiday through an auction site!” However, it may be worth giving it some more thought.

Apart from a couple of exceptions, the most notable probably being Angling Lines, the carp fishing holiday market is pretty disorganised. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just that it’s mainly one-man bands offering a single lake or two for hire. There are a few tackle manufacturers offering their own lakes, such as Lac Cavagnac from Nash and Gigantica from Korda (bookings for Gigantica are handled by Angling Lines), but neither company has yet gone into the whole carp fishing holiday thing in a massive way.

So that leaves the budding carp-pioneer with lots of little options…

Personally, I don’t think anyone would book a carp fishing holiday on the back of a 2-inch magazine advert. The best any advertiser in a magazine can do is hope that you look at their website, and there are some cracking ones out there. The trouble is, though, that no business is going to put anything negative on their own website. That would be plain stupid. This is where eBay does actually have an advantage.

The feedback system on eBay is a system for purchasers of goods and services to leave comments on their purchases. It isn’t 100% perfect, but apart from word of mouth from a reliable source, it’s about the best there is available. If you’re looking to book a fishing holiday, at least with eBay you can see if anyone else has been to that particular venue and what they’ve written about it.

Another advantage of eBay is that because of its massive audience, many last minute holidays (or even some non-last minute ones, come to that!) are listed. These may well be at a cheap fixed BIN (Buy It Now) price, or even as an auction. It’s worth having a look if you have a spare week coming up!

eBay also offers a buyer protection scheme for those paying by PayPal. Quite how this will work with a holiday, I don’t know, but it’s worth considering. My advice would be to pay via PayPal using a credit card – that way, you should have even more protection.

So, what should you look for?

If you’re looking for a carp fishing holiday, or any fishing holiday come to that, don’t think of eBay as…well, eBay. Think of it as a holiday brochure. By that, I mean check the venues, check the prices and check the feedback, just as you might when booking a ‘normal’ holiday. Personally, I’d be looking for a well-written, well presented advertisement for a venue that looks the part, offers the kind of fishing I want and has good feedback. If it’s a shoddy advert, there’s every chance the service you receive will be shoddy too.

Make sure that you read the description carefully and, if in doubt, ASK. A fishing holiday is a considerable purchase, so don’t be afraid to ask any relevant question you want. If the seller genuinely wants your business, they will gladly help you.

When reading the description, check all the details; How do you get there? Are meals included? Are there toilets and showers? What bait and tackle do you need? Etc.

My final piece of advice would be don’t rush. I’ve been on eBay since the early days and it’s so easy to see something and think you have to buy it instantly because it looks like a once-in-a-lifetime bargain. Trust me, once-in-a-lifetime bargains are a regular occurrence on eBay!

Don’t neglect the usual sources when looking for a fishing holiday, but do include eBay among those sources. That way, you’re opening up a wider range of holiday options to choose from.

Happy holidays and tight lines!