Nebraskaland

MARCH 2015 • NEBRASKAland 27 ball head near the eye, where line is tied, often painted in fluorescent colors. These can be used to hook live and plastic baits – experiment to see which shapes, colors and combinations work best for you. Besides worms, catfish can also be caught with stink bait, a foul, smelly concoction that can be spread onto dip bait worm lures to entice catfish. Cut bait from oily fish can also be used instead of worms on a hook. Or, just go buy some mackerel at an Asian grocery store. Bobbers, Weights and More A few other items to throw into your tackle box would be bobbers, weights, swivels, beads, pliers and nail clippers for cutting line. Choose small bobbers for panfish; round or spring stick bobbers are easy to use. When using worms, having a split shot weight on your line will help keep your hook and bait at the desired depth; choose from sizes BB to 5 for panfish. To bottom fish for catfish and in some cases trout, you will need to fish with a sliding sinker rig (see sidebar), which will require heavier weights (sinkers), beads and swivels. A fishing net will help you safely lift caught fish from the water, and pliers will help remove hooks from a fish's mouth. While catch and release will be required by rules in many cases and voluntarily practiced in many others, eating fish is also a desire for many. In this circumstance, keep fish in the water on a stringer while fishing, then immediately put them in a cooler on ice and get your fillet knife ready. Lastly, always keep antibacterial wipes and rags handy as well. What to Know Before You Go Fishing Rigs To catch bluegill or similar fish, the worm, hook, weight and bobber rig is the most dependable route. To do this, tie a No. 8 to No. 4 baitholder hook to the end of your line (see illustration) then attach a split shot weight about 6 inches above the hook. Attach the bobber above the split shot, depending on how deep you want your bait under the water, and then finally bait the hook with a red worm or small piece of nightcrawler. To fish for crappies on live minnows, use the same rig for bluegill, but instead use a No. 6 to No. 4 baitholder hook. Clip the bobber a couple feet above the hook and bait the hook with a live minnow. Hook it through the back, but not through its vertebrae. A split shot should be placed a few inches above the hook to keep the minnow from swimming to the surface. Crappies can also be fished with jigs. Try a feather marabou jig or a crappie tube jig. Or, you can also hook a live minnow onto a plain jig. Reels, Explained T he fishing reel is the component that holds the line. It is also built with a rotating handle to allow the angler to retrieve the line and, hopefully, the fish. There are three basic types of reels to choose from: spincast reel, spinning reel and baitcasting reel. The type of reel to choose will depend on what is most comfortable for you. A spincast (closed face) reel is exactly what its name suggests – the spool that holds the line is entirely enclosed and line is released by pushing a button with your thumb. The spincast reel is ideal for beginners and younger anglers, as it does not require as much coordination. Because the spool is enclosed, line tangles happen less frequently. The spinning reel is an example of an open face reel, and is mounted on the underside of the rod and features a completely open spool. Because there is no button to release the line during a cast, anglers have to use their index finger to hold the line against the rod. Although a little bit of good timing and coordination is required to use the spinning reel, it is easy once you get the hang of it. Spinning rods are also more efficient when casting lighter line and bait for panfish. The baitcasting reel is ideal for catching bigger fish, such as catfish and trophy largemouth bass. Mechanically, they are a tad more complicated than the other two reels, with a horizontal spool that sits in a partially enclosed case and built with a braking system that controls spool speed and helps prevent "backlash," provided that the reel was set up properly; "backlash" is when line gets tangled up inside the reel, caused by the spool revolving faster than the line is going out. Benefits of the baitcasting reel are its durability, ability to hold more line and heavier line for catching bigger fish. Because of the way it's built, the baitcasting reel also has fewer tendencies to twist and tangle line when used correctly, unlike the spinning reel. Weight and bobber rig ILLUSTRATION BY TIM REIGERT split shot bobber hook bobbe ip PHOTOS BY KEN BOUC

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