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Facts of Fishing: 135 Secrets Fish Don't Want You To Know – Dave Mercer and Terry Battisti

Rating: *****

Sam Cudmore

135 Secrets Fish Don't Want You to Know is a book of one to two page tips on bass fishing. This book covers things such as knots, lure selection, techniques for many situations, how to organize tackle and rod/ reel care. There aren't to many knot tips, but the ones that are in the book are very helpful. There are many tips about lure selection. One of my favourites in this book is on page 218. This tip is labelled, “The Shape Of Your Crank”. Dave starts off by saying that when most anglers look at a box of crankbaits ( a baitfish shaped bait with a lip to make the bait dive to certain depths ) they only a see a box of different colours and baits that run at different depths. As Dave continues, he explains that it is much more than that. The cool thing about crankbaits is that they all have a different action. The fatter bodied baits, have a wider wobble, which is extremely effective in dirty water situations because the fish can locate the bait more easily due to the vibrations of the bait. The slimmer, slender bodied baits have a tighter wobble which are very effective in clear water situations because the fish can find the bait fairly easily, so a more realistic bait, such as the LIVETARGET Bluegill and Crawfish crankbait, will work much more effectively. Another short tip that I found effective was the tip on page 3. This tip is called “Tackle Your Tackle”. This tip is about tackle organization. Dave says that the one place that he is truly organized is his tackle, which is the same for me. He explains that tackle organization is very important. If you are not organized in your tackle you will make stupid mistakes in lure selection because you will not be able to find the correct lure for that situation or something of that nature. One way he says that is an effective way to organize your tackle, is to put labels on your boxes.

This book is a very good resource for me for quick tips that can help me in almost any situation. Before the first time I had ever read this book, I did not know many of the things that I do know now. I have already tested some of these tips and they have worked very well for me. I would recommend this book to a newer angler because it gives important tips to get you started.

Mercer, Dave/Battisti, Terry. 135 Secrets That Fish Don't Want You To Know. Toronto, Ontario. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd