An archery release aid, sometimes called a ìmechanicalî or ìtriggerî release, is designed to allow the archer to release the bow string without his or her fingers making direct contact with the string.† The release attaches to the string and the bow is fired by a push or pull of a trigger.† They are commonly used with compound bows, but are also used with recurves and long bows.

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Using an archery release will greatly reduce or eliminate the torque on the string compared to shooting with your fingers.† This will allow the arrow to start and stay on a straighter arrow path for more consistent accuracy.† There are several types of release aids available with each providing a different advantage to a specific archery style.† The following explains each type of release and what they offer to fit your archery needs:

Wrist or Caliper Release

Attaches to your wrist with a strap and is held there by a rod or a rope. The jaws or “calipers” used to pull the bow string can be single or double jaw or ball-bearing mechanisms.† They can be attached direct to the bow string or shot with a “D” loop.† This type of archery release is most common for archery hunting because they are quick and easy to snap onto your bow string.† The trigger is similar to a firearm and the index finger is used to release the string.† Another benefit for archery hunting is all the draw weight is supported by the wrist, so you are able to keep your hands and fingers relaxed which reduces the chance of extra tension in the shot.† In some models, a wrap around glove is available that allows the hand to handle the pull weight and not just the wrist.†

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Hand Held or Finger Release

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This type of archery release is often ìTî shaped and held in your hand by 2 or more fingers.† They are much smaller in size, lighter in weight and triggered by using back tension, your thumb, or your pinky finger.† It is attached to the bow string with a rope loop or caliper and has a more responsive or sensitive trigger.† This type of archery release is most common for target, 3-D or tournament archery although it will also work well for bow hunting.

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Back Tension Release

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This type is much like the hand held but instead of pulling a trigger, the rotation of the device within your hand or relaxing the drawing hand while pulling rearward while aiming triggers the release.† This intricate release mechanism requires additional practice time to learn how to use effectively and is used more by shooters with extensive archery experience.

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Automatic or Hydraulic Releases

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These archery releases are available in wrist or hand held styles and they are the most expensive type of archery release.† They are designed to fire at a pre set time that is activated when you start your draw and automatically releases at the set time.† A safety switch is available if needed to prevent the release if necessary.† These types of releases are not recommended for archery hunting or beginners.

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Other factors to consider when choosing an archery release aid are noise and comfort.† Some archery releases create a ìclickingî noise when attached to the string that would not be recommended for archery hunting.† Bow hunting also requires long days in the woods or treestand and weather may be a factor so comfort is a must.† If you are a target or tournament archer that shoots your bow frequently, you may want an archery release that will not wear down the serving on your bowstring.† A rope style release is a better choice than a caliper to prevent wear.† To prevent wear on your hunting bow string, a ìDî loop is recommended and it will also prevent the bow string from ìpinchingî your arrow.†

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Some archers require more than one type of archery release aid to accommodate different shooting conditions but finding one type of release for all your archery needs will be easy by using this information.† One final thing to consider is you may want an additional archery release to keep in your gear bag for bow hunting as a backup.††††††††††††††††††††††††††††

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Tips to Buying a Landing Net

A landing net is a “basket” style fishing net that remains open by a hoop attached to a handle primarily used for the final capture of a hooked fish.† Landing nets vary in the ìdepthî of the net, the size and shape of the hoop, and the length of the handle.† There are small short handled nets for fly fishing in a brook or river and there are larger ìheavy dutyî nets with longer handles for fishing from a boat in big water.† The species of fish you are after will help to determine these factors.†

Metal is the material most commonly used to make the handle and the hoop of the landing net with wood sometimes used in smaller models.† A rubber or padded grip is usually added to the handle for comfort when handling.† The diameter of the handle on most landing nets will allow it to be placed in a rod holder for easy access or storage.

Landing nets are available in three common mesh materials, nylon, coated nylon and rubber.† The following list explains all three with the pros and cons of each material.

Mesh Material

Nylon mesh is the least expensive and therefore has more disadvantages for the fisherman.† The mesh is formed by thousands of individual nylon strands woven together to make the net.† Like a shoe lace, a hook point can penetrate these strands and get caught in between making it extremely difficult to remove the lure.† Another drawback is over time these individual strands will start to fray and become damaged due to constant exposure to water and heat from the sun.† This could cause the net to fail as you try to land the fish of a lifetime.† If you practice catch and release, the abrasive texture of the nylon may damage the slime coating of the fish causing harm or possibly death.

Nylon-Coated mesh is covered with a poly-chemical that adhere all the individual nylon strands together making them almost impenetrable to hook points.† These landing nets will last longer because the coating protects the nylon from the damaging elements.† The coating also provides a softer surface that is less harmful to the fish.

Rubber mesh landing nets will not tangle and the most resistant to hook points.† The rubber will not harm the fish yet still provides the strength and durability you require in a landing net.† Although rubber has a tendency to break down over time you can expect many years of use from a rubber landing net.

The color of the mesh is also important and available in black, blue and yellow to name a few.† The black is most common and least visible in the water and has less chance of spooking a hooked fish when you are trying to get it in the net.

Finally, you may find it difficult to find just one net to handle all youíre fishing needs.† For example, the net you would use fishing for trout or bass may not be suitable for larger species such as musky, pike or salmon.†

The blades of a spinnerbait will vary in shape, size.† Designed to like a flashing minnow, most spinner blades are made of metal and are silver or gold in color.† There are also color variations available made of plastic or metal.† Each characteristic of the blade will affect how the blade reacts to attract fish in the water.† The following explains the four basic types of blades and the fishing situations they are best suited for:

The Willow leaf blade is long and narrow for fast spinning action and the blade stays tight to the shaft during rotation.† The willow leaf blade makes the least amount of vibration of any spninner blade and is a good choice for fishing in clear or slightly stained water where fish can be spooked easily.† For fishing a spinnerbait in heavy cover, the willow leaf blade is the right choice with the tight spinning action for minimal hang ups.† This blade can be retrieved faster and will run deeper than all the other types of blades and is the most commonly used.†††††

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The Colorado blade is almost round in shape.† It spins much slower than a willow leaf blade with a wider rotating arc around the shaft.† The loud vibration or ìthumpingî noise created by this blade makes it suitable for stained or muddy water.† The Colorado blade is a good choice for fishing in colder water as the round shape of the blade allows the spinnerbait to be retrieved much slower.† Due to the wider rotation, this blade is more likely to get ìwrapped upî in weeds and not recommended for heavy cover.

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The Turtleback Blade is not as round as a Colorado blade and is shaped much like the shell of a turtle, hence the name.† This blade spins a little faster and tighter to the shaft than a Colorado blade making a ìslappingî sound rather than ìthumpingî.† Use a turtleback blade in the same fishing conditions as the Colorado blade.

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The Indiana blade is shaped more like a teardrop with a faster rotation and less vibration than the Colorado and turtleback blades.† The turtleback blade also has less chance of hang ups with a tighter spin pattern therefore a better choice in heavy cover.† The turtleback blade most resembles a quiet swimming baitfish.†

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Blades are sized by a number with 00 being the smallest up to 8 being the largest.† The larger the blade, the more vibration will be created but be sure to size the blade in proportion to the weight and size of the spinnerbait body.† Most spinnerbaits come with the blades attached but there are some models that have removable or interchangeable blades.†

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Spinnerbaits come with a single blade or tandem blades (2) with some models offering as many as four blades.† Single blades are the most common and versatile.† They can be used in a wide variety of fishing conditions and retrieved fast or slow.† The tandem blades appear more like multiple baitfish providing more flash than a single blade.† Two or more blades create less vibration than single blades and will not run as deep.† They are great for shallow water because they can be ripped at fast speeds keeping the spinnerbait closer to the surface of the water.† Retrieving a single blade to fast may cause it to tip to the side or roll over.†

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Finally, spinner blades are available in many finishes.† Smooth, hammered, dish shaped or any other variation will create a different sound or vibration in the water.† Having a large selection of blades and spinnerbaits in your fishing gear will allow you to experiment until you find what the fish want and help you achieve success in any fishing condition.

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††† Start your own blog in the Outdoor Forum section of American Made Outdoors.† Simply register†your user name†through the ‘Register’ tab on†the home page of the Outdoor Forum and you will recieve a password.† Then Log In and you are free to write your blog or†an†article whenever you wish or you can comment on any other article or blog posted on this site.† So register now and start sharing your vast outdoor knowledge and information with our readers today!

††††† Soft plastic baits are the most versatile and commonly used artificial lures used for fishing.† They offer the most lifelike feel and action and with the addition of attractants, the fish canít tell it is a fake lure until it is too late!† ††Whether you are a beginner or tournament pro, soft plastic lures are very simple to use.† They can be fished in a variety of ways but the following rigs and techniques are used more often by todayís successful anglers:

The Texas Rig:

†††† This is one of the most versatile rigs for fishing. The rig consists of a bullet weight, sometimes a small glass bead, and a hook.† You can fish almost any style soft plastic lure on a Texas rig but a worm or lizard is the most common. You can fish a Texas rig over any kind of structure, through weeds and grass, and at any depth you want. You can use any size bait and the sinker weight can vary to control the rate of fall, and you can fish it at any speed.

Your gear should consist of a medium-heavy rod about 6í -6î to 7í long with a moderately stiff tip.† You can use any spinning or baitcasting reel but a faster gear ratio is recommended.† All though the hook tip is buried into the body of the bait, hang ups are the biggest problem with a Texas rig so you should use a 14lb to 20lb test line.

††††† For finesse fishing, try a soft plastic lure rigged Texas style but without the sinker or Wacky style with the hook through the center of the worm and the point left exposed.† This will allow the bait to drift through the water without sinking to the bottom.† Use a floating soft plastic for exciting top water action.

The Carolina Rig:

†††† A Carolina rig consists of a slip sinker, swivel, bead and leader with a hook rigged Texas style to a soft plastic lure.† The Carolina rig is fished by dragging or twitching the sinker along the bottom but unlike a Texas rig, the leader attached to a swivel allows the lure to swim or ìfloatî off the bottom above the weight.† The bead makes a ìclickingî sound as it makes contact with the sinker that helps to attract fish.

†††† Again you want to use medium to heavy action gear with 16lb to 20lb test line.† Use a lighter line for a leader.† The lighter line will allow you to break off easier if you get hung up and you will not lose your rig.† Just replace the leader line and hook and you are back to fishing.† This rig is to be fished slow keeping the weight in contact with the bottom and the length of the leader will determine the swimming depth of the lure.

The Drop Shot Rig:

†††† A Drop shot rig is simply a hook attached up on the line for a desired depth and the sinker tied to the bottom.† This rig has been around for many years but recently has become very popular with Bass fisherman.† This rig is best when fished with light action gear such as a 6 foot spinning rod with 6lb ñ 8lb test line.† Present this rig vertically with the weight on the bottom for suspended fish.

†††† A good technique for fishing soft plastic lures is the art of Pitching or Flipping.† This involves fishing in heavy cover so using a Texas rigged soft plastic lure with the sinker pegged to the head of the bait is recommended to avoid hang ups.†† When flipping, you want to get as close to the fish as possible.† With the rod tip elevated, flip your bait a short distance allowing the lure to enter the water with little or no splash to avoid spooking the fish.† Let the bait settle to the bottom and then work the bait up and down vertically through the cover.† Pitching is just a long distance flip or underhand cast.† This is great for fishing in shallow water where the fish are easily spooked.

††† You will want to stock up on a variety of hook sizes and sinker weights for these rigs and have a good selection of soft plastic lures to choose from.† And donít be afraid to experiment with retrieves and presentations until you find the right one that catches the fish.

WOW! Just received the AMO rodholder free.† Indeed the strongest rod holder I have seen.

ìWhat lure do the fish want today?î Most anglers begin each fishing trip asking themselves this $1,000,000 question. With a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors to choose from, here are a few tips for choosing a soft plastic lure and increasing your fishing success.

First you need to know what species of fish you are after. Then determine what ìbaitfishî is present in the body of water you are fishing. This information will focus your search by reducing your options.

The standard rule for color is bright days bright colors and dark days dark colors but you need to know the clarity of the water. A good way to determine this is by lowering a white jig into the water and using the line to measure depth. If you can see the jig at a depth of 6 feet or more, the water is clear. If the jig disappears between 2 to 6 feet, the water is stained or colored. If you no longer see the jig at 2 feet or less, the water is muddy or dark.

For clear water on a bright sunny day choose a brighter or ìNaturalî colored lure. These include white, yellow, watermelon, pumpkinseed, and motor oil to name a few. For cloudy skies you might try watermelon seed with green/red flake or smoke purple. For stained water, chartreuse is a good choice on sunny days and blacks ,blues and reds for overcast conditions.

The shape of the lure will also depend on water clarity as well as the ìbaitfishî mentioned earlier. Fish primarily depend on sight in clear water therefore you will want a more natural presentation. Your lure will need sound and vibration to attract fish in stained or muddy water. Most soft plastic lures produce some sort of vibration but some more than others. For instance, try a larger lure in muddy water as it will displace more water and be more visible. Also lures with twist or paddle tails will create more disturbance.

The correct size depends on the weather. Fish slow down during a cold front or frigid temperatures. Use a smaller bait with a slow retrieve to entice a strike.

So ìWhat lure should I use today?î Using these simple guidelines should make finding the right soft plastic bait much easier and help you get more fish in the boat.

American†Made Outdoors†is proud to bring you the world’s largest supply of American Made outdoor products. Whether you are looking for Hunting Gear, Fishing Gear, Camping Gear or Marine products, American Made Outdoors is sure to have what you are looking for. American Made Outdoors is committed to bringing you quality products from categories such as Archery, Fishing Rod Holders, Camo, Clothing, Tents, and Much More. We hope to become your number one outfitter of outdoor products, as we continue to seek American manufactures for the finest in outdoor gear. Help us put Americans back to work by supporting these American Manufacturers. We hope you enjoy shopping at American Made Outdoors and if there are products that you know are American made and we don’t carry it, let us know and we will get it. Our goal at American Made Outdoors is to keep American’s working and to remain the world leader in Hunting Gear, Fishing Gear, Camping Gear and other Outdoor Gear.

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