Big Bass Fishing

Tackle Warehouse Demo Program
(Here are the details of how their plan works that I pulled off of their website.) I just found this today and thought this would cool to share with others. I know i have purchased some relatively expensive reels in the past and not been happy with their performance. This program should give you an opportunity to try out several reels and find the one that works for you.

Here's how our program works
How much does it cost?
The only costs you will incur are the UPS charges for shipping the reels to you and back to Tackle Warehouse. You can enter your zip code while you're adding demos to your shopping cart to see your shipping charges. The shipping costs range from as little as $15 for two reels to $20 for four reels (depending on distance). Note: You may demo a maximum of four (4) reels at one time.

Note: Tackle Warehouse may require a $250.00 or $500.00 deposit depending on which reels are chosen and customer's order history. First time customer may only order up to two (2) demo reels with a mandatory deposit. Once the reels have been returned to Tackle Warehouse the charge will be reversed. Existing customers may demo a maximum of four (4) reels at one time.

How long does it take to get the demos & how long can I keep them?
It takes two days from the day we ship them for the reels to reach you. Your reels will ship the same day you order them or the following day (not counting weekends), depending on what time of day you order them. You get to keep demos for one week. If you receive them on a Monday then you have to ship them back to us the following Monday. If you receive them on Tuesday then you return them the following Tuesday, and so on.

Note: Demo orders can only be shipped to the billing address for the credit card submitted with the order.

How do I return the demos to Tackle Warehouse?
We provide you with a preprinted UPS return label. All you have to do is seal the reels back in the box, put the return label over the original label and take the box to a UPS Customer Center or any UPS driver. You can locate the Customer Center nearest you using the UPS web site.

What if I forget to return them?
We want as many people as possible to have a chance to demo these reels so it's important that they're returned to us on time. If you ship them late, there is a late fee of $2.50 per reel, per day. If you're more than 7 days late and we are unable to reach you, we will charge your credit card for the full price of the reels.

Will the demo reels be ready to fish when I receive them?
All reels will come spooled with line and will be ready to fish the minute you receive them. Casting reels will be spooled with either 12lb or 15lb test depending on spool capacity and spinning reels with have 6lb or 8lb test line depending on reel size.

How do I begin?
Choose from the manufacturer links at the bottom of this page to find the reel you want to demo. Click on the desired reel link and then just follow the directions that appear on each page. You'll be able to add more demos to your order, add products you want to buy to your order, and keep track of your shipping charges. All back ordered items excluding demo reels will be placed on a separate order to ensure your demo reels are not delayed. Also remember, there is a limit of four (4) reels per demo order.

Step #1

Tie worm hook onto leader of eighteen to forty-eight inches. The size of the worm hook you use will vary depending on the size of soft plastic worm you are using, I personally prefer a 4/0 or 5/0 hook for most applications. Insert your hook into the worm in the same way that you would when Texas Rigging. This is where the correct size hook is key, if your bait does not hang in a straight line as shown in the attached picture, you need to increase or decrease your hook size to match the bait size you are using. Tie a swivel onto the end of leader.

Step #2

Slip a 1/2 to 1 oz. bullet weight on end of line (tapered end facing rod). I will often adjust the size of my weight depending on how i want to the bait to act when it is in the water. If you are not getting any bites, play with different weights and see if it helps. One of the biggest keys to bass fishing is changing up your presentation until you find what the bass are looking for on that particular day. There are several different types of weights available on the market including lead, steel and even tungsten. Personally I don't think that the Bass care what the weight is made out of, so pick the weight you prefer and go with it! Then slip on a glass bead (hint, experiment with size and color on the glass bead as well). Tie end of line to other side of swivel.

The glass bead has three main functions. First it slides up and down the line banging against the attached weight and making noise, similar to crank baits, noise or vibration can often attract or entice bass to bite. Second, it is one more item attached to your line under the water that might catch the eye of a hungry bass. This is why i recommended earlier that you experiment with different color beads. Last, the bead also helps to protect the not attaching your leader line from breaking.

We update this section each month with the most recent Astro tables to guide you with the best days of the month and best times each day to catch your own big bass!

The crappie is a excellent fish to taget for the beginner angler. It doesn't take long to get hooked on fishing for these fish.You can catch these little critters in any season. If you get into a big crappie school you will be amazed at how many fish you can catch in a very short period of time. You donot need a boat or any exspensive fishing tackle to start fishing for crappie. You can get started fishing for under 200$. Please use any of our crappie fishing basics information at your leasure, and we hope this information will be helpful on your next crappie fishing trip.There are two types of crappie the "black crappie" and the "white crappie" Please visit my crappie habitat page by clicking here after reading this article to get all the details of the crappies habitat..

Crappie fishing can be as basic as picking up a cane pole putting on a crappie minnow with a small bobber and sitting in a lawn chair along at the bank of your local crappie fishing hole. If you want to take your crappie fishing experiences to the next level and become a serious crappie fisherman you are going to need some fishing instruction and do some crappie fishing research.

For example i bet you didn't know that crappie prefer some minnow types to others, also that crappie minnows caught at the area you are fishing for crappie work better than crappie minnows purchased from local bait shops. These are crappie fishing tips that are important to know. I bet that many novice crappie fisherman do not realize that in many parts of the crappie habitat range , a good part of a crappie's diet consists of small crayfish. Also you may not realize there are special crappie fishing rigs you need to know about that work better than others in certain fishing situations. Its important to understand what artificial crappie baits such as crappie fishing jigs and crappie fishing lures work better in different crappie fishing situations. It's also very important to understand the crappie's habitat because this will be key information to know depending on what part of the crappies habitat range you are planning to go fishing.

We all learn how to go crappie fishing based on crappie fishing tips we have attained from knowledge we have learned from our parents or from friends. But good crappie anglers are always looking for a better way to improve our crappie fishing techniques. Much of the crappie fishing information and tips techniques that are available have been handed down from generation to generation.
The popularity of fishing for crappies has increased over the years and know there are approximately 1 million crappie anglers today nationwide. Crappie fisherman when combined with pan fish fisherman actually out number bass anglers.

It doesn't matter how many times you have fished for crappie you still have a lot to learn Lets face it we all look for crappie fishing tips that can help us fish more productively. Often times we need to seek knowledge about crappie fishing based on crappie fishing tips from outside sources.
We have collected a variety of crappie fishing tips from our personal crappie fishing experience and from research. The crappie is one of the most sought after game fish that fisherman target on a yearly basis. It is estimated there are somewhere around a 1 million crappie anglers in the united states today. These tasty game fish can be caught in in most of the lower 48 states. They also have been nicknamed in different parts of the country with names like, "white perch" "specs" "calico bass" "speckled bass" and "" so if you are ever in different parts of the country fishing and local anglers are using these names you will know they are talking about crappie. Make sure you listen up so you can get some local crappie fishing tips before you go out on the water.
Crappies do not like current waters so look for them in shallow mud bottom bays, marinas, standing timber, fallen tree and brush piles, edges of weedlines, ect. Basically the crappie will be found anywhere there is adequate structure for them to hide and wait for bait fish and other prey to come by.
What we want to do for you is provide you with some crappie fishing tips that we have used to catch crappie and feel would be useful for you. So please browse our crappie fishing tips webpage selections. You can either access them from our main dropdown menu or just click on one of the links right below.
Crappie Fish The crappie is primarily a nomadic species of fish and locations that were hot spots one year may not be the next. In the heat of the summer it's damb near impossible to predict the crappie fish's locations. That's why most crappie fishing is done in the spring when they are predictable.
In the spring crappies move into the shallows to get ready for the spawning season. In early spring they migrate to the shallows to feed aggressively to build up their strength from the winter. They also need to fatten up to get ready to spawn.
The one time of year that the crappie fish is predicable is spring time. Crappies will normally go back each year to the same spawning area they were the previous year, unless the habitat has been destroyed.
You would think crappie fishing would not be that popular throughout the rest of the year but that's just not true. Even though these fish are very nomadic the rest of the year you can catch fish. Crappie are a schooling fish so if you find there location the chances are you will catch crappie.
In recent year the popularity of crappie fishing has absolutely exploded!. Much of the explosion is do to the abundance of the tasty game fish. Many states have adopted quality restock programs throughout the United States, Southern Canada, Also The crappie fish's habitat has been expanded to states were crappies were not native before and these populations have exploded. The crappie fish is a very adaptable game fish.
There are two types of crappie fish and they are the black crappie and the white crappie. Both these species of crappie are many times frequent the same habitat but typical the white crappie prefer muddy stained water, while the black crappie prefers cooler and clearer waters.
Black crappie have higher populations in the north while the white crappie has higher populations in the south. Both species of the crappie fish prefer habitat waters that range from 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit . Both species can survive in temperatures that reach into the high 80's.
Crappie Fish Identification: (black crappie and white crappie picture here)Although the black crappie and the white crappie look very similar there are some distinct differences you can use for proper identification. The black crappie have 7 to 8 spines on the dorsal fin and a deeper body then the white crappie. Both the whites and the blacks have silvery greenish sides and that's probably why they have been given the nick name "specks" throughout the years.

The White crappies have 5 or 6 spines on the dorsal fin and there forehead a has a deeper "dip like depression" larger then the black crappie's. The white crappie still has specks but they tend to form in vertical bars along both sides of the white crappies sides.

Crappie Fish Spawning Information:
The crappie fish spawn when the water temperature rises into the low 60's They typically will build their nests where they can find sandy and small gravel bottoms, in brushy or vegetation cover, or very near these areas.
In the north there is an abundance of a plant called "bull brush" and the crappie with use the dead stands of this plant from the previous year for their spawning location. One key note: The crappie fish doesn't sweep its nesting area like the sunfish so there nests are not as easy to locate.
After the female has laid her eggs she will migrate to a new location while the male crappie fish will guard the eggs until they hatch. During the time the males are on the nest they will be a much darker color then the females. During this time the males become very aggressive and catching crappie can be a very easy task.

As I stated above after the spawn and the eggs are hatched both the male and the female crappie will become a very nomadic fish. There is a reason why the crappie fish does this. The primary food source for crappie after the spawn Is plankton.
And most of the time the crappie will roam open waters looking for these plankton blooms. That's why sometimes at night you can use a florescent underwater fishing light the catch crappie.

The florescent light under water will attract plankton to your location and once the crappie fish find the plankton you are going to be in for a exciting night of crappie fishing. Many times there will be small bait fish that will follow these plankton blooms and they are also an important food source for the crappie.

Food Sources' For the Crappie Fish: Plankton, small bait fish commonly referred to as crappie minnows, small crayfish, small insect larva, (includes maggots). (Worms in some areas).
Black crappie have a longer life span then the white crappie. There's documented fact of some black crappie living as long as 10 years. The normal life span of both sub species is 5 to 6 years. Crappies live longer in the north typically a 1lb crappie in the north would be about 8 years while the same size crappie in the south would be about 5 years old.