Having fished the sport fishing boats based in Southern California for many years, I have learned that bait selection and presentation are probably the two most critical, yet often overlooked, steps in fishing with live bait that can ultimately lead to a successful fishing trip. Anglers who have the good fortune of fishing live bait such as anchovies, sardines, mackerel and squid, can easily better their chances of landing more fish with these simple measures that begin at the bait well or tank.

When selecting a bait from the well, spend some time choosing the hottest, or liveliest bait in the well. The bait should not be missing any scales and check to see if the nose of the bait is red. The nose should always be a natural color and not red. Baits with red noses and missing scales are normally stressed from improper handling, overcrowded tank conditions or disease and do not look or swim in a natural behavior, the key to enticing fish to feed.

After selecting the best bait, bait scoops should be used to remove it from the others. If a bait scoop is not available, the angler should carefully slide his hand under the bait and slowly grab the bait with light pressure by the head, so as to not remove the slime or any of the scales on the body. Quickly bait the hook and fluidly cast it as far from the boat as possible, landing the bait softly in the bite zone. Make sure that your tackle, rods and reels, match the appropriate bait and creates as little excess drag on the bait as possible.

Anglers should always be aware of the fishing conditions that surround them. This includes tides, moon phases, currents, patterns and more. Knowing what the fish and the fishing conditions are doing should determine how the angler should bait their hook. Baits can be hooked in the nose, collar, shoulder and butt, depending on how the angler wants the bait to react. I like to nose hook my baits because I move them around as much as possible, including when I retrieve them. Nose hooking is the only way to retrieve the bait with a natural swimming motion, head pointed towards the angler.

When you collar, shoulder or butt hook a bait, they usually get ripped off, fall off or come back in an awkward spinning motion. I only hook my bait in the collar or shoulder when the surface fishing is good and when I know the bait will be inhaled before I need to wind it in. On the other hand, butt hooking is used when the bite zone is deeper and not on the surface. Normally, butt hooking will force it to swim down and away, the ideal scenario for many fishing applications. The price you pay is that you sacrifice the ability to wind the bait back through the bite zone if it did not get bit in the first pass. When butt hooked, the bait will usually spin and come in backwards, not a very appealing appetizer for a finicky fish.

Also, make sure your tackle matches in size and weight to your bait. Sometimes, fishing conditions demand heavy tackle for small baits and on other occasions, light gear for big baits. Other than these times, your rods, reels, bait hooks, fishing line, weight and sinkers should not create any excess drag on the bait. Spinning and conventional casting combos come in a wide range of actions and line classes in both freshwater and saltwater versions and carefully selecting the proper live bait rod and reel is essential.

With these bait selection and presentation tips, I hope you will someday be able to enjoy the thrill of being picked up by a trophy size fish. There is nothing more exciting than fishing with live bait, the heart stopping sensation when you feel that familiar thump on the end of the line, followed by a thumb burning grab of your line from the now, rapidly spinning spool waiting to be engaged with a flip of a button, turn of a handle or a slide of a lever with the familiar call of “hook up”.

Just after publishing my first ebook, Dream Your Life Positively which dealt basically with the universal laws of attraction, a good friend asked me: Does it means that all disasters, diseases, or personal loss are a reflection of my thoughts?

The world we live in is our responsibility I said. We act and interact with the other inhabitants of this planet. By direct or indirect connection, these negative energy waves cross your path. It is not the ACT itself of this negative energy the important factor. You are not to be blamed for all the horrors happening in your life or around the world but your ACTION and reaction towards them is very much a direct cause of how these energies will decrease or increase. Your ability to accept the challenges thrown in your path and take responsibility for your actions will define and create the map of your life’s journey.

Deciding to approach your daily life in a positive way will attract things and people who are positive towards you. It is that simple. If you look at life as a blessing, the universe has an inexhaustible supply of riches reserved for you. On the other hand if you see it as a curse, it will become a curse. Read again Dream Your Life Positively to reconnect with this force inside you. A dear friend once sent me this story which I want to share with all of you. It is a simple letter that made the rounds of the web, and nobody knows its origin, but it exemplifies in a poignant way my view on the Law of Attraction.

I hope it will touch you as deeply it touched me. Do a positive action right now and send this link to all of your friends. “The Present” Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service , where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.

The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. “Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .”

I am writing this at the beginning of 2008 before the first Sunday of the year, because I have just received an email regarding what is happening in some mega-churches across America and I understand that some major big-named ministries are being investigated regarding their financial affairs. I was aware that there were problems but I did not realise they were this serious. What happened to the simple preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

What is missing? And who are missing? If some men of integrity are missing then things can suddenly go very wrong. Let me correct that. They do not go wrong suddenly. They go wrong slowly bit by bit until the issue is immense and the Name of Jesus Christ is ridiculed and laughed at, as a consequence of the activity and behaviour of those who perhaps started well.

Let me illustrate this in a different way by looking at Thomas. You will find the actual account in John Chapter 20.

Nobody knows where he was nor why he was not present with the others, but he missed so much by being absent.

Thomas was not in the Upper Room on resurrection evening when Jesus Christ appeared to his baffled wondering men. He was the disciple who had been quick to ask questions, and now his mind seems to be racing, as he attempts to work out just what has been happening.

Did he go off to consider seriously all the various events of these past few days? Jesus had been betrayed, arrested, crucified and buried. Thomas had witnessed these facts.

But now some trustworthy women were saying that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had met them that morning, and Peter and John were adding to the irrationality of it all.

The risen Jesus had appeared to those who had gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, and He had spoken to them and breathed upon them.

Thomas had missed seeing and hearing the risen Jesus, and receiving from Jesus, and this raised further questions in his questioning mind.

He would not accept the explanatory answers of Peter and John and the others. That was not good enough. Mere words were insufficient.

“For me to believe I will have to poke my fingers into His wounds!” Thomas wants evidence.

He has to wait another week, and that can be a long time when you have a heavy troublesome burdened heart.

One week later, through the same locked doors, Jesus Christ reappears, and now Thomas has his chance. He did not need to touch Him.

Realising who this is he blurts out, “My Lord and my God!”

By being absent a man can miss seeing that vital convincing evidence.

There is something further though. By remaining silent when you become aware that what is going is not quite right, then other things can go wrong. Money can be misused. Funds can be diverted from their original intention.

During this coming year, if you are a committed Christian, be present at all the Services you can. Be in the Word of God every day. Take time and make time to read it and pray. Know the Scriptures as well as you can. Keep yourself as pure as if possible in this soiled sinful fallen world.

If you serve on a Committee or Board and you see things going wrong or just beginning to go wrong, have the courage to speak up. God will honour that. But not only that – there will normally be someone else around who will have the spiritual insight to see the same issues and who will rise and speak to support you.

These things take courage. I remember someone saying to me when I was appointed to a very important committee forty years ago this year – I must have been a boy member! – now stay to the end of the meeting because it is when good Bible believing people slip away and absent themselves that bad decisions are made in the final minutes when there is no-one to speak up and speak out.

This calls for real leadership!

Much is at stake – even the glory of the Name of God, and of our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Sandy Shaw

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children’s Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

My son just turned 7 years old this week. Surprisingly his favorite birthday present was a Eureka tent. We signed him up for cub scouts a few months ago. My wife and I agree that scouting is a good life experience for our boy. Which is good because otherwise I would have to sneak him away to the meetings. My son, Jan, is somewhat of a ham. He loves attention, and will get it anyway he can. When I first started taking him out to fish or hike, he would act scared. I think he was just acting to get attention, because in other situations he seems pretty fearless. Like running in the woods in the dark… I’ll finish that story later in just a minute. So, my son has been pretty excited about being a cub scout. At his age scouting is all about fun and getting the kids to learn something without them realizing it and running away covering there ears.

For Jan’s 7th Birthday, his grandmother went online to the scouting supply store, and bought him a Class A uniform, and other scout supplies including the BSA 75th Anniversary Akela 2 person Eureka tent, which is no longer available. Jan’s mother and I got him… toys. We figured we would have him open grandma’s presents first, thinking he would like them but would want toys, so we saved the remote helicopter and video game and transformers for last. Well, we should have done it the other way around, who knew. After opening everything the first thing he wanted to do was set up the tent.

So we went out back and started unpacking it. Of course Jan wanted to do it all, even if he didn’t know what he was doing. I have to hand it to him though, after a few minutes he figured most of it out. He wasn’t quite strong enough to bend the poles in order to insert the pins, but I was there to help him with that. Once I got the pins inserted into the poles, he started clipping the tents sides to the poles. I got to tell you the quick clips, shock corded poles, and ring pin / pole features are really great. They make setting up and tearing down a breeze. I was really surprised once we got it set up. The thing is huge for a 7 year old. I’m sure it will last him clear until he’s a full BoyScout, especially since its made by Eureka. Most of you probably already know a 2 person tent will only fit 1 person comfortably, because you need room for your gear. Well, Jan definitely had plenty of room. The dogs liked it too.

The next day I had to rush home from work at the end of the day because Jan’s cub scout troop had a camping trip planned at Starkey Park. Starkey Park is a great campground by the way. It’s located in New Port Richey, Florida about 45 minutes from Tampa Bay. Its a good thing me and Jan got familiar with the tent the night before, because by the time I got us there it was already getting dark. Making camp wasn’t too hard even though light was scarce. When the Troop Leader stopped by to say hi, he noticed we had two tents setup and look a little confused. He thought it was really strange that Jan would be sleeping alone. I just told him Jan was very independent and didn’t want to share his new tent. After that we started building a fire, which didn’t take long. Jan decided he wanted to move his tent a few feet further away from the fire and before I could say anything he took out the stakes and moved the whole thing back. I wouldn’t have been able to do that with my old pop tent. That ring and pin/pole feature is really cool.

This is the part where my son receives his first black eye. It’s that special time in a boys life when he realizes getting hurt isn’t as bad as being afraid of getting hurt. Jan saw his best friend two campsites away from us and went running after him, completely disregarding my calls. You would think its common sense not to run in the woods in the dark(unless your being chased by a madman with a machete), unfortunately common sense isn’t that common in children. Jan tripped over a log and fell on a tree stump. It caught him just below his left eye. A half an inch higher and his nickname, “Jan the Pirate” would have some real weight to it. Jan stood up holding his eye, which made me start to freak out just a little. Luckily It wasn’t anywhere close to as bad as my overactive fatherly imagination first thought. I was relieved when I saw that his eye was still very much intact, but I could tell right away that he was going to have a shiner.

Jan took it like a man, I couldn’t believe it. He didn’t cry or anything, just got a bit of an attitude because he was embarrassed that he fell. After Jan begrudgingly let me look at his wound, he went into his tent and zipped up the doors and windows. He thought the other boys would make fun of him. One of the den mothers brought us over some ice to keep the swelling down. We gave Jan the ice and talked him out of the tent with the prospect of roasting marshmallows. To Jan’s surprise, and mine, all the other boys thought Jan was the toughest scout there due to his lack of tears; and even some of the older boys admitted they would have cried.

The next morning before breakfast at the pavilion, me and Jan packed up. We ate and did some activities and played baseball with the other cub scouts. I had a bit of a hard time with him when it was time to go, until I told him we had to go to another birthday party(big families are the best). After we got home, I told Jan we had to clean up all out camping gear. I got to listen to some moaning and groaning about that, until I told him he was in charge of setting up his tent to dry out. Jan’s birthday tent made a fun weekend an unforgettable one.

I started writing this article to recommend the BSA’s 75th Anniversary Akela Eureka Tent, but, before I could finish it I came to the realization that it is no longer available. I can, However, recommend a comparable Eureka tent that would suit a cub scout or boyscout. The Apex 2 – 3 Season Eureka Tent is almost identical to the Akela Eureka Tent. Both have about 36 sqft of area, ring and pin/pole assembly, and shock corded poles. They also weigh about the same at a little over 5 lbs. And you can count on a Eureka tent to last.