Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Barracuda Information

Sphyraena barracuda (Walbaum, 1792)
Family: Sphyraenidae (Barracudas) picture (Spbar_uc.jpg) by Randall, J.E.
Show available picture(s) for Sphyraena barracuda
Order: Perciformes
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
FishBase name: Great barracuda
Max. size: 200 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 7251); max.weight: 50.0 kg (Ref. 6949)
Environment: pelagic; brackish; marine ; depth range 0 - 100 m
Climate: subtropical; 30°N - 30°S
Importance: fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: show aquarium
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.09-0.11; tm=2-4)
Distribution:
Gazetteer Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and east coast of Africa to Hawaii, Marquesas and Tuamotos Is.; throughout Micronesia. Western Atlantic: Massachusetts (USA), Bermuda, and throughout the Caribbean Sea to Brazil (Ref. 9626). Eastern Atlantic: Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, Senegal (Ref. 6949); Mauritania (Ref. 5377); St. Paul's Rocks (Ref. 13121); São Tomé Island (Ref. 34088).
Diagnosis: Dorsal spines (total): 6-6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 1-1; Anal soft rays: 10-10. Distinguished by the double emarginate tail fin with pale tips on each lobe, and (usually) the presence of a few scattered black blotches on the lower sides (Ref. 1602). Top of head between eyes flat or concave; mouth large (Ref. 26938).
Biology: Found predominantly at or near the surface (Ref. 6949). Juveniles occur among mangroves, estuaries and shallow sheltered inner reef areas; adults occur in a wide range of habitats from murky inner harbors to open seas. Diurnal and solitary, but can also be found in small aggregations. Feeds on fishes, cephalopods and sometimes on shrimps (Ref. 9626). Sold fresh. Utilized also dried/salted (Ref. 9987). Although this species is ciguatoxic elsewhere throughout its range, it has not been reported to be poisonous in the eastern Atlantic (Ref. 6949). Rarely attacks humans, usually with one quick, fierce strike, which, although serious, is rarely fatal. The world's record on hook and line is a 5.5-ft. fish taken in the Bahamas that weighed 103 lbs. (Ref. 13442).
Threatened: Not in IUCN Red List , (Ref. 36508)
Dangerous: traumatogenic , Halstead, B.W., P.S. Auerbach and D.R. Campbell. 1990
Coordinator:
Main Ref: Daget, J.. 1986. (Ref. 4339)

Monday, February 18, 2008

How to Catch Trout

How To Catch Trout


EQUIPMENT

1. 7' MEDIUM ACTION ROD
2. SPINNING REEL WITH 8-10 # TEST MONOFILAMENT
3. 2 1/2 - 3 FT. OF 20# TEST MONOFILAMENT LEADER TIED DIRECTLY TO YOUR 8-20# TEST LINE USING A SURGEON'S OR UNI TO UNI KNOT.

AREAS TO FISH

1. ALWAYS LOOK FOR GRASSY AREAS WITH WHITE SANDY POTHOLES.

2. WATER DEPTH SHOULD BE FROM 4-6 FT. DEEP

3. DURING THE WINTER TIME, YOU SHOULD FISH THE EDGES OF THE SAND BARS ADJACENT TO THESE GRASS FLATS BECAUSE THE TROUT LIE IN THE MUDDY BOTTOM WHERE IT IS WARMER.

LIVE BAIT

1. LIVE SHRIMP: HOOK THE SHRIMP UNDER THE "HORN" WITH A 2/0 HOOK. USE A POPPING CORK 2 1/2 TO 3 FEET FROM YOUR HOOK. YOU SHOULD ADJUST THE CORK DEPENDING ON THE DEPTH OF THE WATER.



2. WHITE BAIT: (SCALED SARDINE ) USING A 2/0 HOOK, HOOK YOUR WHITE BAIT UNDER THE PECTORAL FIN USING A FLOATING CORK APPROXIMATELY 2 1/2 - 3 FT. FROM YOUR HOOK.



3. CAST YOUR BAIT AND WAIT FOR THE BOBBER TO GO UNDER. DO NOT SET THE HOOK UNTIL YOU FEEL THE FISH PULLING THE LINE UNDER THE SURFACE. THEN GIVE IT A SLIGHT TWITCH. REMEMBER, TROUT HAVE A VERY SOFT MOUTH. IF YOU YANK TOO HARD IT WILL JUST RIP THE HOOK RIGHT OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS.

ARTIFICIAL BAITS


HARD PLASTICS



1. SOME OF THESE LURES HAVE LITTLE PROPELLERS ON THE FRONT, THE BACK OR BOTH FRONT AND BACK. THESE PROPELLERS MAKE A NOISE THAT ATTRACTS THE FISH TO YOUR LURE. THEY THINK IT'S A WHITE BAIT THAT IS INJURED.

2. THE BEST TIME TO USE THESE HARD PLASTIC LURES IS IN THE EARLY MORNINGS OR LATE AFTERNOONS .

3. TIE YOUR LURE ON A 2 1/2 -3 FT OF 20# TEST MONO LEADER USING THE IMPROVED CLINCH KNOT ( LOOK AT THE KNOT SECTION ) ( THE IMPROVED CLINCH KNOT LETS THE LURE MOVE EASIER AND MORE REALISTIC WHEN TWITCHING IT.)

4. CAST THE LURE AND WORK IT WITH A SLIGHT TWITCH. DO NOT SET THE HOOK UNTIL YOU FEEL THE FISH SWIMMING WITH YOUR LURE. THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL YOU SET THE HOOK.( NOTHING AGAINST BASS FISHERMEN). JUST GIVE IT A SLITCH TWITCH. THE HOOKS ON THE LURE WILL DO THE REST. DO NOT SET THE HOOK LIKE YOU SEE ON T.V.

5. IF THE FISH HITS THE LURE AND MISSES THE HOOKS, DON'T JUST WIND IT IN. LET IT SIT THERE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND MORE THAN LIKELY THE FISH WILL COME BACK AFTER IT.


SOFT PLASTICS




SOFT PLASTIC LURES ARE THE EASIEST LURES TO USE FOR TROUT BECAUSE THEY RESEMBLE A SHRIMP GOING THRU THE GRASS.

1. USE A 1/8 OUNCE LEAD JIG HEAD ON A PLASTIC TAIL THAT IS 4-6 INCHES LONG.

2. THE BEST COLORS SEEM TO BE ROOTBEER, RED, GOLD OR SILVER. BUT TRY OUT DIFFERENT OTHER COLORS IN YOUR AREA.

3. SOMETIMES YOU MAY WANT TO USE A POPPING CORK ( AS PICTURED ). AGAIN THE CORK IS APPROXIMATELY 2 1/2 - 3 FT. FROM THE LURE.

4. CAST THE LURE AND RETRIEVE IT WITH A POPPING MOTION. THE CORK MAKES A SPLASHING SOUND WHICH THE TROUT CAN HEAR FROM VERY LONG DISTANCES. WHEN THE TROUT INVESTIGATES THE SOUNDS, IT SEES THIS SOFT PLASTIC LURE GOING UP AND DOWN ABOVE THE GRASS RESEMBLING A FLEEING SHRIMP.

5. MOST OF THE TIME THE TROUT WILL HIT THE LURE JUST AFTER YOU HAVE TWITCHED IT AND IT IS FALLING. WHEN YOU GET READY TO TWITCH IT AGAIN, THEN YOU WILL NOTICE THE TROUT HAS ALREADY TAKEN YOUR BAIT. YOU HAVE ALREADY SET THE HOOK SO DON'T GET CARRIED AWAY WITH YANKING THE HOOK OUT OF IT'S MOUTH

6. DURING THE WINTER, DO NOT USE THE POPPING CORK. LET THE LURE RUN ALONG THE WARM MUDDY BOTTOM. REMBER WORK THE LURE SLOWER BECAUSE THE FISH'S METABOLISM IS A LOT SLOWER THIS TIME OF YEAR.

SPOONS



1. TRY USING EITHER A 1/4 OUNCE SILVER SPOON OR GOLD SPOON FOR TROUT.

2. JUST CAST THE SPOON AND REEL IT JUST ABOVE THE GRASS.