Largemouth Bass Fishing Tips

The largemouth bass are from the Sunfish family and are closely related to the black bass. Their characteristic large size differentiates them from the rest of the fish in the sunfish family. As their name suggests, a largemouth bass has a mouth that extends beyond the eyes. It is a freshwater fish, that is found in the large and small lakes, ditches and small farm ponds. Presently, they are fished in the waters of the continental United States and some parts of Canada. Thanks to the successfully carried out stocking programs, they are fished in places such as, Europe, South America, Mexico, Hawaii, Asia and Africa. There are two subspecies - the Florida largemouth and theNorthern largemouth. Of these, a fully matured Florida largemouth, at 10 - 12 pounds weighs more than that of the fully matured Northern largemouth bass, which weighs between 6 - 8 pounds. The biggest one was caught in 1932 weighed more than 22 pounds.

Lures
A big largemouth has very few natural enemies and feeds on red and leaf worms, leeches, insects like bee moth and fish like crayfish and minnows. These along with the artificial baits such as under water spinners and spoons, crank-baits, grubs, plastic worms, spinner-baits and top water baits, can be used as fishing lures. The bass has a huge appetite and can even go for a catfish stink bait. So, as far as fishing it is considered, lure is not the problem. It is said that, finding fish constitutes 90% part of the fishing.

Time
Find them, bait them and land them is the fisherman's motto. Knowing largemouth bass facts or information, when and where to fish for this fish, can make a noticeable difference in the number and weight of your catch.

When the water temperature is in the range of 50 -68 Fahrenheit, the largemouth bass fish goes on a feeding being. This is the right time to catch it. Their feeding activity slows down when the temperatures decreases below or rises above this temperature range.

Place
In the summer and spring, the largemouth lives at a depth of 5 feet or less water. However, in the fall and early winter, they move to the 10 feet plus depth of water. In winter, it lives at approximately, 10 feet of water.

These fish prefer to go after their prey in the dimly lighted and dark waters. The fish also prefers the underwater structures to hang out in search of its prey. These are the places where you should set your bait.

Tips and Tricks
Largemouth bass are sensitive to light and you can seldom see them basking in the sunlight on the surface of water. They can also see things, such as a fishermen and colored baits, that are above the water. However, if you happened to be fishing for them, at the time of evening twilight, when the intensity of the light is decreasing with every passing second, try using top water bright colored baits as a largemouth bass fishing lure. If you are lucky, you may see a bold largemouth bass breaching the surfaces of the water, gaining height in the air, turning at the top of the flight and diving for your bait, with the water droplets splashing in the water off its body - a timeless moment that can turn a fisherman into a poet.

The lateral line, which extends on both sides from the gill to the tail of the fish helps them pick up underwater disturbances as small as those made by the fish. It warns them about their predators and help them in catching their prey. It also makes them aware of the bait. How you throw a baited line in the water can make a real difference. If the bait is weighted and sinks fast, out of the visual range of the fish, then you can hardly expect to catch a fish in a day. A trick, such as pulling a head leaden bait close to under water structure, is one of the fishing techniques, for which a largemouth bass can surely fall for.

The largemouth bass swallows a prey and if, it doesn't like, it throws it out. So if you are using a large bait such as mackerel, frogs, or something exotic as salamanders, let the line hang loose and the bass to swallow it with the hook. Then tug on the line to set the hook. However, in case you are using a small bait, set the hook quickly, before it can throw it out. If you are using artificial baits, then select a soft-bodied lure, because, they tend to hold on to these.

You don't need a bass boat fitted with the 120 horsepower engine to catch the bass in a small lake. This you can still do with a fishing pole, stout line and bait. In case of bass fishing in the large lake, a boat equipped with a depth finder, etc. can be useful. I hope the above information on the largemouth bass proves to be of help to you.

What Are the Health Benefits of Anchovies?

Anchovies are small fish that abound in temperate oceans all around the world. Although also found in colder ocean regions, their numbers are not as plentiful or concentrated as in warm waters. Anchovies are very popular as an edible variety of oily fish. Anchovies are mostly used for flavoring purposes and added to a lot of other dishes and used as ingredients in food seasoning and dressing products. They are also consumed in their canned, salted and dried forms but their popularity as an edible fish rests mainly upon their flavoring property. Besides ranking high on the seasoning factor, anchovies are also believed to have a lot of health benefits when consumed in any of their aforementioned forms. The following segment takes you on an informative tour of anchovies' nutrition and health benefits.

Anchovies Nutrition

As in the case with all oily fish, anchovies pack a lot of nutritional value and share some common health benefits of fish oil with other oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout, herring and tuna. Following are some of the key nutrients and related health benefits that can be availed of on consumption of anchovies:-

Selenium
Anchovies are a rich source of selenium which is an extremely heart-friendly mineral. Selenium plays the role of a micronutrient in keeping us healthy by preventing the arteries from hardening and keeps blood vessels healthy. This is extremely essential for maintaining cardiovascular health and preventing strokes. Selenium also ensures that the thyroid functions normally and maintains the health of those cells in the body that partake of thyroid hormones. Recent studies have shown that sufficient amounts of selenium in the body lowers the risk of various types of cancers such as those of the skin, lungs, prostate and stomach.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
By now, most of us are well aware of the health benefits of consuming oily fish. These benefits are attributed primarily to various 'good' fats, such as omega 3 fatty acids, that the bodies of these fish contain. Polyunsaturated fats are not called essential fatty acids for nothing! These fats are extremely effective in cutting down the risk of cardiovascular disease by half when consumed in healthy amounts and on a regular basis as they are known to keep harmful cholesterol levels in check. These fats also reduce the risk of various cancers and discourage the growth of malignant tissues inside the body. Being an oily fish variety, anchovies are also loaded with beneficial polyunsaturated fats.

Potassium
Potassium plays an important role in safeguarding the health of nerves and the brain in order for them to function properly. Healthy potassium levels are also necessary for maintaining musculoskeletal health as this mineral has a key role to play in facilitating smooth muscle function and makes sure that musculoskeletal structures are able to undergo contractions when necessary. A decline in smooth muscle contraction functions can lead to serious consequences such as cardiovascular abnormalities or failure of organs or physiological systems that involve muscular contractions such as the gastrointestinal tract.

Essential Vitamins
Similar to most other oily fish varieties, anchovies are a rich source of the three powerhouse vitamins - A, D and E. Both Vitamin A and D are necessary for promoting and maintaining skeletal health besides keeping the immune system up and running in perfect condition. Vitamin E, along with Vitamin A, is a key nutrient in maintaining dermal health and promoting overall health and wellness of the body and the mind by acting as potent antioxidants.

Calcium and Proteins
Yes, it's true. Anchovies, like most fish and other lean meat alternatives, are a rich source of beneficial proteins and abound in calcium as well. While adequate protein intake ensures that your muscle and skin tissues remain in sound health and the damaged ones get replaced with healthy ones in little time, healthy calcium intake is also necessary to ensure that your bones remain strong. A robust skeletal structure which does not give in to the threat of osteoporosis coupled with abundant proteins resources for accentuating lean muscles - what more could you ask for in a dietary source if you're committed to lose fat and gain a lean, sinewy physique?

So, you see, great things do come in small packages! That reminds me of an interesting fact about the health benefits of raw and dried anchovies - they're believed to be potent aphrodisiacs! However, there are some things that you need to be aware of before you go on an anchovy-stocking spree and turn your refrigerator into a cold storage of sorts. Delicious and healthful as they might be, anchovies may also lead to certain health problems if caution not assumed when shopping for these. You see, anchovies, like a lot of shellfish varieties, contain certain toxic chemicals such as domoic acid and traces of heavy metals like lead and mercury. Hence, they must be sourced from reputed and reliable vendors only. Also, anchovies are among the top purine rich food items and, as such, should be consumed in moderation if you suffer from gout or joint pain and care about keeping your uric acid levels under control.

Zucchini Calories

"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." Jim Davis.

Believe me people, if there was anything like a 'pure non-vegetarian' it was describing me about a year back. I just couldn't have enough of meat and fish and eggs. I alone could have been blamed for the decline in the number of animals slaughtered to nourish humankind. But then I shifted to this place where the greater number of the people are vegetarians and all the joints and eateries in the vicinity only served vegetarian food. That is when I discovered the delights of Brussels sprouts, broccoli, lettuce and zucchini. Yum is the word for all of them. I mean I know a lot of you are already screwing up your noses, but believe me people, they are healthy and very tasty. It's all a mindset that vegetables are yuck. Besides all of you who are on the heavier side, as reflected on the weighing scale, should eat more of the aforementioned vegetables and give that packet of French fries a miss! You want to know why? I'll tell you exactly why. Take zucchini for instance, belonging to the summer category in the list of types of squash. Zucchini's water content is as high as 95%. So, it not only keeps you totally hydrated during the summers, it rids your body off toxins and boosts your metabolism. Want to know more of such zucchini health benefits? Well, in the following paragraphs I will give you more zucchini nutritional information including zucchini calories.

Calories in Zucchini

The following table will tell all weight-conscious folks about zucchini calories and why zucchini should become their plates' best friend.

Zucchini Form	Serving Size	Number of Calories	Calories from Fat	Carbohydrates (in grams)	Proteins (in grams)
Raw Zucchini	124 g	20	2	4.15	1.5
Baby Zucchini	85 g	2	0	0.34	0.3
Boiled zucchini with salt	90 g	14	0	3.54	0.58
Grilled zucchini	110 g	70	54	4	2
Beer battered zucchini slivers	100 g	190	99	19	2

Need I say more? Really, zucchini can be devoured even by those on a low-carb diet. Of course the calorie count mounts when you beer batter it, but that is because of the beer and not the green vegetable that the French lovingly call courgette. But I guess you would want to know more about zucchini nutrition and so here goes.

Other Zucchini Nutritional Information

For those who are building up arguments like zucchinis are bitter, just because their anti-zucchini forum is going down, here are some more facts that will take all of you on a guilt-ride for having shunned zucchini for so long. By the way, zucchinis are sometimes bitter due to disrupted habitat conditions, such as depleted soil nourishment, increased temperature and reduced moisture which produces compounds known as cucurbitacins in them. But that is true for even cucumbers. Moving on, here are some more information on zucchinis to bore it into your heads that eating is more than just gratifying the demands of your taste buds.

• While raw zucchini has about 20% of the total daily requirement of vitamin A and 14% of vitamin B₆, boiled, salted zucchini the skin of which has been left on is so rich in vitamin C that 35% of the Daily Value stipulation is fulfilled by it with lan!
• Zucchini also contains thiamine (4%) and riboflavin (10%) both of which are B vitamin varieties, good for maintaining appetite, prevention of beriberi and ensuring growth and preventing localized abnormal structural change in a bodily part and weight loss, respectively.
• 24 mcg of folates, a vitamin B form imperative for cell development and reproduction, are found in every 100 g of zucchini. This makes it a must eat for expecting mothers to ensure the health of the fetus.
• Besides this it has about 2% of the DV of pantothenic acid which is a vitamin of the vitamin B complex that is supremely important in the oxidation of fats and carbohydrates and certain amino acids. Along with this, it has 3% of the DV of niacin content which again is vitamin B essential for the normal function of the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.
• Raw zucchini has high potassium levels of about 325 mg and a sodium content of 12 mg.
• Zucchini also has small amounts of the minerals calcium (2%), copper (3%), iron (2%), magnesium (5%), phosphorus (5%), and zinc (2%).
• It has 19% of the DV stipulation of the mineral manganese which aids the bodily functions of mineral channelization, optimal extraction of the benefits of minerals to keep bones, cartilage, and the skin in ship-shape and also helps tend to soothe strained or cramping muscles.
• Zucchini is a very important source of lutein, which is great for macular health preventing macular degeneration, with about 113 grams containing 2.401 mcg. of it, resembling Brussels sprouts nutrition in this respect. In fact people who are circa 60 years of age should increase its intake due to this as macular degeneration is the primary blindness causing problem among people of 60 and above. Lutein is high in all varieties of squash.
• Raw zucchini has no cholesterol presence at all!

[* Percentages in the bracket indicate the DV (Daily Value) of the contents and not their quantity in the vegetable.]

See I am not discouraging you from following Jim Davis and eating zucchini bread. Indulge in zucchini bread recipes as much as you want but understand that eating green vegetables on a regular basis is very essential for a healthy body as well as mind. Zucchini is one such health friendly option which is rich in proteins, energy giving sugars (2.15g), 1.4 g of fibers, and negligible amounts of fats (0.04 g) out of which saturated fat content is a minuscule .009 g. Most importantly you have nothing to worry about when it comes to zucchini calories as only 16% from proteins and 75% from carbohydrates. In fact, before I end this article, I will give the lip-smacking recipe of Salmon Provenal with zucchini - a dish super rich in vitamin D, B₆ and B₁₂, Omega-3 fatty acids, niacin, selenium and magnesium!

Salmon Provenal with Zucchini

For four servings, you need to have, Salmon fillet, 4 pieces (6-ounce, skinless) Zucchini, 3 medium (8-ounce, cut lengthwise in half, and then crosswise in "-thick slices.) Tomatoes, 1 28-ounce can (whole tomatoes in juice) Onion, 1 (small, chopped) Kalamata olives, cup (chopped) Water, 2 tbsp. Olive oil, 1 tbsp. Capers, 1 tbsp. (drained and chopped) Lemon juice, 1 tbsp. (fresh) Oil, 1 tbsp. Black pepper, tsp. Salt, tsp. Procedure Apply the salt and the pepper on both the sides of the fillet. Now, pour the oil in a 12" skillet and place it on medium-high to get heated. Once hot, place the fillet on the skillet and turn the heat-knob to medium. Let one side of the fish cook for at least 3 minutes before turning it over. Simultaneously, reserve about th cup worth of tomato juice from the can and drain out the rest. Cut up the tomatoes. Gradually you will see that the fillet are turning uniformly opaque. This indicates that they are cooked. Place them on a plate and immediately enwrap the plate with aluminum foil to retain the heat in the fish. After that, add the onion to the skillet and stir for 5 minutes. Next, pour the tomato juice and throw in the tomatoes. Keep stirring until a steady boil sets in. Once the sauce has thickened sufficiently, remove it from the heat and add the capers and olives to it. While the sauce is thickening, you need to place the zuchhini slices immersed in water in to the microwave for 5 minutes. Remember to wrap the bowl with a well ventilated plastic wrap. Cook it on High. Once the zuchhini is soft enough, drain the excess water. Now, add lemon juice to the sliced beauties and toss well to mix. To serve, first place the fillet on individual plates, top it with the sauce. Place the zuchhini slices on the side of each filet.

Oh, and if you wish to extract the maximum number of zucchini benefits then do not de-skin it as the maximum number of these nutrients are all in that exocarp. Really you cannot ask for more. So, go ahead on a zucchini binge sans that the awful cringe!

Rainbow Trout Recipes

Recipe for rainbow trout is no big deal. When it comes to fish, any mix-match combination with the fillets tastes good. I can eat it by merely frying it as well, so talking about various recipes is like a cat that got the cream. Thinking about a number of ways to prepare rainbow trouts, perhaps, something like Parmesan cheese or fresh jalapeno-mango salsa could be used while you plan to foil up the trouts for baking or grilling purpose. When you learn how to cook trout in the most perfect and the correct way, they taste extremely delicious.

There are plenty of barbecued rainbow trout recipes out there in the world of solid food and sea food. All the essential, exotic flavors of seasons and foods commingling together for you to experience a new savor. Here you are, for now, if you are planning to settle down with one of the grilled, baked, whole recipes, and much more .. you must take a look before you miss out on something scrumptious.

Grilled Rainbow Trout Recipe

Ingredients You'll Need

• 4 pieces of six-ounce Fillets of Rainbow Trout
• cup of Canola Oil
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon Grated Lime Peel
• 1 tablespoon Ginger Root (Minced)
• 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper

Preparation

In a medium-sized pan or skillet pour the desired amount of canola oil and saut the grated lemon peel and minced ginger over medium heat flame. Saut it until slight golden-brown in color and also aromatic. Once attained that stage. Take the pan off the heat and crush in some red pepper (crushed) and stir. Now you will have to wait for the canola oil to cool off completely. The moment you see that happening, slowly whisk the lemon juice in the pan and keep it aside.

Here comes the fish. Heat the grill until it attains a moderate temperature and grease the grill with a little bit of oil to avoid sticking. As you're done with that, grill the trout pieces over 'em placing the fleshy side down for say 2 minutes. Proceed grilling the trouts by turning 'em upside down with your pair of tongs for more 2 minutes till its opaque.

Time To Eat: Now that the fish and the ginger/lime-pourri is ready, commingle them with each other with a nice big splash over the grilled trouts. Serve hot and eat.

Mmm... seems you might soon get very bored by the simplicity of this recipe I have started off with.. No worries! Here try something different and I promise you will love it. Have you thought of baked fish recipes?? Baked recipes are fun to make and also quick to make. Because half the work the baking oven accomplishes. So you are left with just one job - chomp and chomp!

Baked Rainbow Trout

Ingredients You'll Need

• 2-3 Trouts
• 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons Parsley (chopped)
• 1 Large Onion (thinly sliced)
• 2 Cloves Of Garlic
• 1 Large Tomato (thinly sliced)
• 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoons Seasoned Salt
• 4 teaspoons White Wine
• Baking Oven

Preparation

Initially before beginning the procedure of cooking a baked a rainbow trout, grease a 13x9 inch pan by liquid shortening. Then in the pan, arrange the fish neatly and immediately sprinkle lemon juice, some seasoned salt and chopped parsley for taste and grace. On the other hand; heat olive oil in another pan or skillet and fry thinly sliced onions and 1 clove of garlic till you see a slight golden brown color of the mixture. Once you attain that, pour the whole mixture over the fish which is ready to get baked. Now it's time for a little dressing. Mmm.. what's left out?? Oh! the finely sliced tomatoes that you have cut. Well, don't wait, go ahead and place them over the fish pan. Also, don't forget to pour that rich white wine over the entire mixture once its ready with all its dressings.

Time To Bake: Seems like your dish is already looking all delicious even before its baked. Well-being a breakneck wouldn't help you. Put the pan holding the trouts and dressings safely into a baking oven at 350 degrees and just wait for another 30-45 minutes for it to get cooked. (wink) (Caters 2-3 servings)

This is one of those rainbow trout fillet recipes called 'whole rainbow trout' that actually can be made in a variety of options and ways. It depends upon the cook and his/her style of dressing. In many countries, rainbow trout fillets are available in halves - opened up like a butterfly shape. People, foil them up and bake them with all the juicy savory flavors accumulated inside. OK, now my mouth's all watery, before pangs of hunger starts off in my stomach, take a look at one of this amazing recipe.

Rainbow Trout Piccata

Ingredients You'll Need

• 2 tablespoons Butter (divided)
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• cup Lemon Juice
• 4 Rainbow Trout Fillets (each 4 oz.)
• 4 tablespoons Parsley (chopped)
• 2 teaspoons Lemon Peel (grated)
• 2 tablespoons Capers
• White Pepper

Preparation

First step, get hold of a skillet. Melt 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 divided butter chunk in the skillet over a medium-high heat flame. Next, add and fry fillets with its raw flesh side down. Fry for about 2 minutes, until it is slightly golden in color. Once you fry the trouts flesh side, with your spatula, gently turn the fillets on the other side and cook them for another 2 minutes more. Now that all the fillets are nicely fried, serve them in a platter and keep them aside for sometime. Cover them so that they remain warm. They'll be used later when the part 2 of this recipe is ready.

Now, the other chunk of divided butter must be melted in the skillet over a low heat flame. Once the butter starts to melt, pour lemon juice in it. Immediately to this activity, add the remaining four ingredients, i.e chopped parsley, lemon peel grated, 2 tablespoons capers and white pepper. As soon as all of these materials are added, keep stirring the entire mixture to plainly deglaze the skillet or pan which you are using. Now I shall say, you are ready with your part 2 of your rainbow trout piccata. In fact, just a small step and you are through with your fish recipe.

Time To Pour: Whole of this mixture is supposed to be poured on the warm, cooked trouts that you have fried. Serve instantly and Enjoy. (Caters 2-4 servings)

If you planning to spend your vacation on a coastline near a country side, freshwater trout fishing might just be the perfect activity you can plan in your stay. From the country men you can discover all the rainbow trout fishing tips and get hold of some of these highly scrummy trouts to cook and eat. I hope you try 'em all and have a lovely pleasant-tasting meal.

Killifish Breeding

I do agree that when it comes to keeping or having pets at home, we generally prefer cats and dogs, mainly 'coz they are interactive and prove to be excellent companions, yes indeed. However, raising fish can be an altogether different experience since they are elegant and quiet pets. Fish, precisely being aquatic, prefer living for themselves and do not require much of our attention and care. Though this sounds easier in comparison to other pets, the prerequisite for fish farming is to give them good quality fish food and create an environment similar to their natural habitat, only after which they can grow and enjoy the same. Now, if you have a killifish or are planning to raise one, then you ought to know the breeding techniques, and the dos and don'ts associated with them. Take a look through the paragraphs given below.

Killifish Raising

To start off with, killifish are small elongated types of fish having varied attractive colors and basically associated with aggressive behavior. If you happen to check, there are around 1270 species of this aquarium fish mainly because they are flexible to any type of water habitat.

Habitat
As I stated, killifish adjust to any type of water form, right from large water bodies like oceans and seas to smaller rivers and lakes. They can accustom to mud puddles and standstill water body forms very easily as well. This adaptability makes them a variant in all parts of the world although, they have not been found in Australia and extremely colder regions of Arctic and Antarctica. For breeding killifish at home, you need to first buy a spacious fish tank and fulfill the water requirements suitable for their optimum growth. What matters here is the alkalinity of the water, too much alkaline water is not tolerated by these fish, the optimum pH values being between 6 and 7.

Behavior
When you will go buying, you will realize killifish dwell in 3 parts; some prefer living at the bottom while some prefer in the middle and many dwell at the surface of the water. However, when it comes to breeding, some killifish prefer spawning eggs at the bottom preferably on sand while others lay eggs in the cracks of rocks or generally in hidden areas (within mosses). If you study the killifish behavior, you will find that they are not highly active aquatic species and generally maintain a low profile; they are very shy. However, as I mentioned, they are one of the most aggressive fish, especially the male species and can cause harm to other species dwelling with them. But this happens only during territorial defense and not otherwise. But you need to choose good tank mates for them. If you are raising killifish in an aquarium, you will also need to buy some artificial aquatic plants, mosses, wood or rocks as well.

Food
The next thing that comes to mind is what do fish eat? You need to feed them with hygienic and good quality fish food that would keep them healthy and free of any freshwater fish diseases. Being aquatic in nature, killifish love to feed on insects, mosquitoes and worms which prevail in the surroundings. However, the diet varies with the species; wherein some like to eat water algae and aquatic plants while few feed on other aquatic fish too. You could buy some killifish food available in the market as well.

Now, the most important thing to understand here is, while raising killifish, you need to give a special treatment for the eggs they lay and the resultant fry, mainly because killifish do not take care of them. You have to remove the eggs from the tank and grow them in another one. The fry are developed in a span of 14 days and mainly feed on infusoria, brine shrimp or microworms. And if you are interested to own the most common and popular killifish in the market, then go for Golden Wonder killifish breeding, since these are easiest to spawn and breed, with always being in mood.

I hope you have gotten the gist of killifish breeding. Be sure to undertake proper killifish care, for these are certainly the most exotic freshwater fish ever, and a delight to possess.

Drawing Koi Fish in a Few Simple Steps

Koi fish are generally known as a domesticated and ornamental variety of carp that are used for decorating ponds and water gardens. Commonly known as the Japanese koi fish, they are a symbol of love and friendship. They come in various colors like white, red, black, yellow, blue and their shape signifies their ethnic origins.

Japanese Koi Fish Drawings

These drawings are considered legendary in art, as it has been symbolically practiced and portrayed from ancient times. Koi fish are not only a famous form of art but are also used as tattoo designs by many tattooers. Koi fish tattoos are a favorite with many tattoo fans.

Step 1
The simplest way to draw koi fish is to start with some basic shapes like a round circle for the head and an oblong shape for the body. Draw a big triangle for the tail and you can make one small circle on the head for the eyes. You can also draw two parallel lines right below the head and other small lines extending from the body to make outlines of fins.

Step 2
In this step you have to start drawing the face of the koi fish so, start with the two whiskers (join the two parallel lines with the head). Now join the extensions you drew from the body to make the fins, three in the bottom and a big one on the top. Add some details to the tail fin as well.

Step 3
Further to make the koi fish look more natural, detail the fins with small scratching sketch lines on the five fins and a few on the body to show the curves. Now make the face or head detailing by drawing a small semi circle on the side of the face to show the position of the gills and roundness of the head. Also use the eye ball in the eye.

Step 4
Once you've done all these minor sketching details, the last step will be to draw the different markings on the body. You can draw any design on the body but make sure they are precise and of the same pattern. Now erase all the basic outlines that you made and let the secondary details be.

Step 5
After you erase all the rough lines, sketch the body and other parts with some more sketching lines and in no time you koi fish drawing is made. To make your koi fish look a little more attractive, you can shade the body and the head with red and white colors and the fins with a darker shade of red.

Oil painting and watercolor painting enhance the fish drawings and aid in reviving the authenticity of Japanese culture. You can teach these drawings to kids as well, and also make them into life size portraits for exhibitions and art galleries. Koi fish look very pretty when they are seen from above the water. If you like to sketch fish or other aquatic animals, a koi fish can be a great choice. They are not only easy to draw but elegant and artistic to look at.

Koi fish drawings, though simple to make, totally depend on the artist for recognition. If you are a beginner and want to be an artist, koi fish drawings will definitely help.

Dangers Involved in Ice Fishing

Ice fishing is a popular winter time activity, especially in North America. Similar to fishing, it involves catching fish with fish hooks and spears by making a hole in the ice on a frozen water body. Traditionally, it was a family activity, but now commercial competitions are held every year and are attended by thousands of budding anglers (fishermen). This winter pastime is certainly entertaining, but even the best anglers are required to take various precautionary measures before going for ice fishing. The following information will educate readers about the dangers involved in ice fishing.

Ice Fishing Dangers

Ice fishing is really not that simple and easy as shown on television. There are various dangers which anglers should be well aware of before they sit for a good catch. Here are some examples:

• Safety on the ice should be the first concern of any fisherman going for ice fishing. If the ice is too thin or transparent, there is a high chance that the angler and his/her vehicle will fall into the frigid water.
• The thickness of the ice varies from region to region. Hence, it is recommended to carry a spud or chisel to check its thickness before fishing. The frozen surface should be at least 6 inches thick to support an average person and at least 9 to 10 inches thick to drive a car.
• Never step on ice that has started melting from the shore. Melting ice is very fragile and incapable of supporting any weight.
• Never step on small ice areas in an open lake. The waves from the lake can easily break the ice in small areas.
• People who participate in ice fishing competitions should make sure that they don't dig holes very near a competitor. This can weaken the thickness of the ice which may eventually collapse and put both competitors in danger.
• Never go ice fishing on a day when strong wind currents are blowing, as these are instrumental in melting ice.
• Anglers should never drink alcohol while ice fishing. Consuming liquor impairs one's judgment and can result in mishaps during this activity.

Safety Tips for Ice Fishing

Now that readers are aware of the dangers of ice fishing, there are various steps that can be taken to minimize the same. Yes, ice fishing is a scary activity but the possibility of an accident can be minimized if anglers follow some safety regulations.

• Always have a companion for ice fishing; this is called the Buddy System. This system ensures that there will be someone with the angler in case of an accident.
• Wear warm jackets in layers and never forget to wear a PFD (Personal Flotation Device) underneath the coats. In case the ice breaks and you fall in the water, remember to keep your head and shoulders above the water. The chilling water shocks the body and the person experiences difficulty in breathing. In such instances a PFD comes in very handy.
• Drastic change in weather is very common in cold places. Hence, it is essential to keep oneself updated with the latest weather news to avoid any unpleasant situation.
• Anglers are advised to wear ice creepers (shoes with spikes) to avoid falls and injuries. These shoes provide better traction and save people from slipping and from getting a broken arm, a sprained ankle or a concussion.
• Always inform a family member or a friend about your exact location. Inform them which route you will take and to which lake you have gone for fishing. This ensures that someone knows about your exact location and if you don't return in time, they would know where to look.

Being aware of the different dangers and following basic safety tips are enough to keep the anglers safe and make ice fishing a fun experience. To make ice fishing safer, people can go to various ice fishing resorts which provide all the necessary fishing equipment and also take care of your safety.

Imitation Crab Recipes

Imitation crabs, that are made from Asian fish paste also known as surimi, are mostly used in salads, dips and appetizers. It is a seafood and is mostly sold in the form of sticks or chunks. Imitation crab is prepared by mincing the flesh of pollock fish to a fine paste. This fish paste or surimi is given the shape of tubes or chunks and is cut into small pieces, which are later cooked till the texture resembles that of a crab's meat. Imitation crab recipes, also known as Krab in the United States can be cooked using various methods. Since imitation crabs are already cooked, recipes with imitation crab also taste delicious when they are served chilled.

Imitation Crab Salad

Ingredients

• pound imitation crab, cut in small chunks
• 3 medium-sized onions, diced
• 1 cucumber, cut in small pieces
• teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons cream
• 1 small cup seashell pasta
• cup ripe olives, diced
• 1 cups mayonnaise
• cup frozen peas
• 1 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Salt to taste

Preparation

In a medium-sized bowl, whip the cream, mayonnaise, sugar and pepper together. Thaw the frozen peas for about 10 minutes or till they become soft. Mix all the ingredients in a separate bowl till they combine well. You can also serve this salad after chilling it in the refrigerator. Before serving the salad, garnish it with tomato wedges and the remaining chopped celery.

Imitation Crab Quiche

Ingredients

• 8 ounce imitation crab
• 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
• A dash of hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 3 eggs, beaten
• cup Gruyere cheese, grated
• 9" pie crust

Preparation

In a medium-sized bowl mix all the ingredients and add the minced imitation crab and combine well. Pour this mixture into the pie crust and bake it in a preheated oven at 150 C for about 30 minutes. To check if the pie is cooked, insert a knife or a knitting needle. If there is no residue on the knife or knitting needle, then your pie is ready, or else cook it for 15 minutes more. Allow the quince to cool for about 10 minutes and serve it with a salad of your choice.

Imitation Crab Dip Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 package frozen imitation crab, defrosted and peeled
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
• cup mayonnaise
• 1 small cup lemon juice

Preparation

Melt the cheese in a double boiler and stir in the lemon juice, mayonnaise and crab and blend them together. Now add Louisiana hot sauce according to your taste and mix well. If you want to add a tangy taste to your dip, use sweet and sour sauce instead of Louisiana sauce. You can serve this dip with crackers or bread rolls.

Imitation Crab Ceviche

Ingredients

• 2 pounds imitation crab meat
• 2 avocados, finely chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 medium-sized white onions, chopped
• 2 serrano chile peppers, seeded and cubed
• cup cilantro
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 8 limes
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Preparation

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the imitation crab, peppers, cilantro, tomato, onions, lemon juice with garlic salt and pepper. Combine the ingredients properly and transfer the avocados, and keep the bowl in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Garnish this mixture with remaining cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.

Imitation crab recipes when prepared with seasonings, mayonnaise and herbs taste delightful. Though imitation crabs or Krabs have less protein and potassium than the real crab, people find it equally appealing.

How to Draw Cartoons Step by Step

Though there are many people who wish to learn how to draw cartoon step by step, very few of them actually succeed in drawing good cartoons. Drawing cartons can be fun and full of entertainment. It can also help us to enhance the creativity in ourselves. By learning how to draw cartoons characters you can make this your hobby which you can practice in your spare time.

Easy Ways of Drawing Cartoons

The first step would be to observe the cartoons drawn in newspapers, on the Internet and also those printed in the books and magazines. The cartoons can be of humans and also of the animals. While you are drawing cartoons of human beings, you should first create a rough sketch or an outline which you can further develop and then color it to give it an appearance of a real and attractive cartoon. The head and the body of the humans can be started with an oval of sufficient and appropriate sizes. Draw the chest portion again with an oval shape. You can use a small triangle to denote the region of the waist. You can use the straight lines to denote the legs of the male as well as the female cartoon characters. The legs for the taller carton characters will obviously be longer than those for the shorter funny cartoon characters. The shoes can be drawn by a semicircle and be colored with brown color. The cartoons should be colored attractively and with suitable colors to give them a very lively look.

Now, let us talk about how to draw the facial details of the cartoon characters. You can use small horizontal black lines to draw the eyebrows of the cartoons. The eyes can be drawn by two small circles each having a dark pupil. You can use a cone to denote the nose. The cartoons with a smile or an angry look quite funny. Drawing the face of the cartoons in a great way is important as it is the only way of showing the expressions of the cartoons. The hair of the cartoons can be drawn either in the curly way or simply kept straight depending on the personality of the cartoon character. For a studious and sincere character, have round spectacles over his eyes. If the cartoon is of a office going person, then you can draw formal clothes with a colored tie for the cartoon. Have colorful and funny clothes for the female characters with skirts with small dots and flowers.

Along with the human cartoon characters, you will definitely find the need to draw animal cartoon characters. Drawing the animals such as cats, dogs, elephants, lions, monkeys, pigs etc. is easy and can be full of entertainment and fun. Drawing a caricature of a cat is quite simple-start off by drawing a circle and then draw the eyes sand triangular ears. Have a v-shaped nose for the cat and draw the stripes which are often there on its body with small lines. Drawing the paws is also easy-you can draw them with three u-shaped curves. There are many books in the bookstores which can give you tips on drawing a cartoon. The only way to master drawing these cartoons is by consistent practice and full dedication!

In the beginning you may find it difficult the master both the act of drawing and the putting the clownish look into them. However with practice, you can manage both of them and can make the characters and unfamiliar or familiar expressions on the known faces realize on the paper.

Porcupine Fish

The porcupine puffer fish, as the name suggests, has body covered with spines to protect it from its predators. It has a heavier spine and teeth fused together as a single row. Let us know more about this aquatic creature in detail.

Porcupine Fish Facts and Information
The porcupine or the blowfish or balloon fish, as it is also known as, are medium size fish that have body like a mini baseball bat. These fish are found in warm water oceans all around the world. One of the unique adaptations of this fish is its characteristic of inflating its body to almost double its size. They swallow water or air and get inflated into a perfect round, similar to a ball or a balloon. This is one of its natural mechanism to keep predators at bay. The body of this fish is covered with long sharp spines that remain flat when the body is deflated. When the fish inflates its body, these spines stand out and seem like hundreds of needles protruding from the body. Hence, this fish is aptly known as the porcupine fish. Once the fish inflates its body, it is simply impossible for its predator to attack it. Peculiarly, if a predator gobbles up the fish before it gets time to inflate its body; it still inflates itself in the mouth of the predator, which results in the death of the two!

Their diet usually consists of sea jellies and mollusks. These fish hunt at night when they move stealthily to find their prey. They also have a natural tendency to spurt jets of water on their prey. If kept in an aquarium, they can spurt water on other objects when they are hungry. These fish also eat crabs, oysters, clams and snails as they have teeth and jaw modified to crush the hard shells of their prey. Their reproduction method is also very distinct. The male and the female fish mate in the open ocean, or sometime a group of males mate with a single female. The eggs fertilized at this time, drift to the surface of the ocean due to currents. When the eggs hatch, the larvae floats on the surface. Only when the larvae transforms into a small fish, it goes to the bottom of the ocean, in the reef.

• Family: Diodontidae
• Order: Tetraodontiformes
• Scientific name: Diodon hystrix
• These are the non-threatened species of fish in the world.
• These fish fall into nocturnal variety of fish.
• Whale, shark and large tuna are the predators of porcupine fish.
• They are poor swimmers and cannot move swiftly in the water.
• Mollusks are the favorite prey and food of this fish.
• Some species of this fish also have venomous spines.
• These fish are also sometimes used as souvenirs in certain places.

Porcupine or the blowfish can be kept as a pet. After reading the above information and facts, we can unanimously agree that the porcupine fish is one of the most interesting and unique aquatic creature found in the world!

Anatomy of a Fish

Fish are cold-blooded aquatic animals, found in abundance in various water bodies on the planet. In fact, there exist thousands of fish species in the world, each of which has adapted to a specific environment which they inhabit. Different varieties are found in different habitats, ranging from saltwater deep oceans to freshwater shallow streams. It is very important to know the fish anatomy to understand its ability to sustain itself in such diverse environment.

Body Shape
The body shape of a fish corresponds to the habitat it dwells in. Surface dwelling fish have a flat back, whereas bottom dwelling fish have flattened bellies. Fish living in slow moving waters have broad laterally compressed bodies, while fish living in fast-moving waters have slender bodies. These variations make it easier for them to swim in their respective habitat. An air filled bladder, known as the swim bladder, helps the fish to remain in a neutral state of buoyancy, wherein they neither float to the surface nor sink in the depths.

The Mouth
The mouth of the fish indicates the feeding habit of the species. Surface dwelling fish, which feed on insects present on the surface of the water, have an upturned mouth which makes it easier for them to swoop up on their prey. The mouth of a predatory fish is wider than that of an omnivorous fish. Bottom dwelling fish have an underslung mouth, often accompanied with whiskers, which act as radars, helping the fish to locate its prey in deep dark waters. The suction-cup like mouth of the species of fish which dwell at the bottom of the ocean helps them to feed on marine life, like algae and plants growing on the ocean floor.

The Fins
One of the most important organs of fish, the fins are utilized for movement, stability and as tactile organs. The tail fin, also known as caudal, is used as a propeller. Forked tail fins help the fish to swim faster; such a tail is generally noticed in fast swimming fish. Predatory fish have rounded caudal fins, which help the fish to get into action swiftly. At times, large elongated fins noticed in some female species are used to attract the male species. The single anal fin located on the underside of the body, helps the fish to be stable while swimming. In some species of fish, longer anal fins are also used as propellers along with caudal.

The paired pelvic fins, also known as the ventrals, are long and thread like in nature. They are multipurpose and act as the tactile organs of the fish, provide stability to its movement and also help a species, like the catfish, to carry the eggs while breeding. The paired pectoral fins, used by the fish for maneuvering, are located near the gill cover. Pectoral fins, armed with spines, are used as defense against lurking predators. The dorsal fin, located on the back, helps the fish to balance its body while swimming.

The Gills
The gills are the respiratory organs of the fish. They help the fish to extract oxygen dissolved in water, and excrete carbon dioxide. Though many aquatic animals do not require gills for respiration as their modified skin allows them to breathe through the entire body, it is observed that those species which use gills for respiration are more active than those who don't. Some species of fish swallow water and store it in the swim bladder, where the oxygen is extracted.

The Scales
Scales, rigid plates on the skin of a fish, work as a protective covering for the fish. Not all species of fish have scales, species like the catfish have bony plates as their protective covering. The fluid filled ducts located under the scales are designed to feel and pick up vibrations in water. This helps the fish to detect predators and find food. Because of this mechanism, many species of fish can move through the dark parts of the ocean which are too deep for the sunlight to penetrate.

The Color
Color plays an important role for the different species of fish. The color of the fish is determined by pigmentation, for fish which are dark in color, and by light reflection, for fish having a silvery appearance. Color helps in camouflaging, for predators as well as the prey. In some species, bright colors are used to attract members of opposite sex.

Over the period, fish species on the planet have adapted themselves to a wide range of conditions, which, in turn, has helped them survive the odds. It is this very adaptability that has helped fish survive for more than 450 million years now, while several other species which came after them, including the dinosaurs, have become extinct.

Betta Fish

The Betta fish, also known as Siamese fighting fish, is one of the most popular species of fish seen in many aquariums at home. This fish requires very little attention from your side and this is probably why, this fish is very much in demand today. Its vibrant colors could be yet another reason why people prefer to add it to their aquariums. So, if you are planning to add this fish to your aquarium and wish to know all about Betta fish, read on for some interesting facts associated with it.

Description and Habitat

The Betta fish is a colorful fish and is rather small in size. The size may differ - from 2.5 centimeters to 6 centimeters! One can find it in a variety of colors such as red, blue, purple, etc. The male is more vibrant in color as compared to the females. The beauty of these species completely attracts people to include them in aquariums.

The Betta fish belongs to the ray-finned species generally found in freshwater areas. It can even live in streams and large puddles as well. These fish were first noticed in Thailand, and are thus native to this land and many other places such as China.

Aquarium Care

Ensure you keep the water in the aquarium fresh and clean at all times. You may not need to use a filtration system but it would be a good idea to change the water after every three days. The water will need to be changed once it appears cloudy. While cleaning the bowl, you can shift the fish to another bowl, which has clean water.

You must also be aware of the temperature of the water. The tank needs to have water with temperatures that ranges from 75F to 85F. You can also get a pH testing kit for your tank. This will help you to maintain the pH level of 7.0.

Decorations for aquariums are a common sight to see nowadays. In case of Betta fish, you must refrain from decorating the tank more than required. Always give this fish ample space to swim around. Addition of rocks in the aquarium may cause problems for the movement of the fish.

In case you wish to add plants to the aquarium, you need to be aware of the kind of plants you add to avoid hurting the Betta fish. Some plastic plants can cause injury to the body when the fish swims around at great speed.

The Betta fish is known to be very active in nature therefore it is a better idea to cover the tank. This is because it tends to jump out of the water in excitement, at times. If you do not have a cover then you can even use some mesh cloth as a cover. In case you don't want to have a cover at all, then you need to fill the tank with 80 percent water to prevent the fish from jumping out of the tank.

When you purchase Betta fish from the pet store, you need to keep a few things in mind before transferring the fish into the aquarium. You can pour some of the water from the aquarium into the bag so that the fish can adjust to the temperature gradually. You can then transfer the fish carefully into the aquarium once you know it has adapted to the change of water.

If you wish to add more fish to the aquarium, then you can add other species of fish. Betta fish should not be paired with the same species because it has the tendency to fight with other Betta fish.

Clean all the decorative plants and rocks with warm water. You can even use a small brush to clean the grime collected on it. The use of soap is not recommended for the same. This is because any residue left on these objects can affect the quality of water in the tank.

When feeding, you need to give it live food whenever possible. You can also feed it flake foods or frozen dried food.

Use these tips to enjoy the company of this beautiful fish at home! They can surely prove to be delightful companions in due course of time!

Types of Betta Fish Diseases

Betta Fish is one of the various genera in the family Osphronemidae, and comprises small, colorful, freshwater ray-finned fish. Betta fish feature a unique organ called the labyrinth, which enables it to breathe atmospheric air. Thus, these fish are able to thrive in low oxygen water conditions such as rice paddies, drainage ditches, large puddles and slow moving streams. In all there are 28 known species of betta, of which the B. splendens or the Siamese fighting fish is very popular in aquariums. Since these fish are easy to care for, they are popular aquarium fish. When feeding and water conditions are not maintained properly, then the fish is likely to develop an illness. There are several diseases that can affect this fish. Here's an overview.

Fin Rot disease: The first noticeable signs of this disease are the presence of tiny holes on the surface of the fin. The betta fish appears drowsy and hovering over the water surface. Dirty and poorly maintained water causes this disease. Moreover, it can also get itself damaged on certain obstacles in the fish tank, such as plants, etc. Any such obstacle must be cut or removed. Using fungal medication to treat the fish will be helpful. To avoid this problem, one must make sure that the water in the fish tank is changed regularly.

Ich: White spot disease or ich is a disease associated with ongoing fluctuations of water temperature. The betta fish appears to have tiny white spots resembling white grains of sugar on its body and fins. This disease is caused by a ciliated protozoan parasite named Ichthyophthirius multifilis. These protozoans are present in the water of all aquarium tanks, except those tanks which are filtered through ultra-violet sterilizing units. They are introduced into tanks along with new fish, plants, nets and equipment. When the temperature drops below 27 C (80 F), their outbreak occurs. Maintaining a constant temperature helps prevent ich outbreaks. Adding salt or sodium chloride to the water helps reduce the infection. Medications such as malachite green or methylene blue are available for more efficient control.

Fungus diseases: Poor water conditions or damage to the fish leads to fungus diseases. White fluffy growth appears on the mouth, fins and eyes of the betta fish. This disease is contagious and can spread rapidly. To reduce the infection, addition of common salt or sodium chloride is recommended. Malachite green or methylene blue are available for more efficient control. Fish with torn tails and fins, are prone to be attacked by a fungus called Saprolegnia.

Velvet disease: This disease causes yellowish, granular, patchy marks along the body of the fish. The fish appears to be sprinkled by golden sand or pepper. This disease spreads rapidly and is the result of poor quality water, water changes, stress or chilling caused by transportation. The infected tank must be drained, washed in copper sulfate solution and then rinsed.

Dropsy: This disease is the result of internal bacterial infections and causes the sides of the fish to bulge and the scales to protrude. High nitrate levels, over feeding and poor water conditions are the probable causes for this illness. Treating this illness is difficult and require veterinary advice.

Besides the above mentioned illnesses, there are also some other diseases such as Popeye, and swim bladder disorder which affect this fish.

How do I know if my Betta Fish is Dying?

Appearance: The illness causes alterations in the appearance of the fish. The body may show the presence of red spots, white cottony patches, lumps, etc. One or both eyes may appear to be swollen or protruding, and the gills may not close completely, remaining open halfway. The scales may be raised resembling pine cones. The belly may appear abnormally swollen and protruding. The tail and fins may appear blackened or spotted. Overall, the fish may appear paler, duller and darker.

Appetite: Betta fish are voracious feeders and eat properly daily. Lack of interest in food implies something is wrong. Sick fish may even spit food out of his mouth.

Behavior: Healthy fish are active swimmers. When something goes wrong, the fish becomes lethargic and may lie at the bottom of the tank, coming up only for air. They may also stay at the surface in a corner. If the fish is infected by a parasite, then the fish will appear to rub its body on any hard object, in order to scratch itself.

Diagnosing a sick betta fish will become easier as one spends more time examining the fish. Daily examination will train one's eyes to detect even the slightest change in the fish's body language and appearance.

Cool Things to Draw on Your Hand

Like tattoos, there are many other forms of body art, one of them being, drawing designs on your hand! In many Asian cultures, this form of art is used as an ancient tradition, by using henna as the temporary color. There are various designs that one can use to draw on the hands, some can be artistic and others can be very casual. Many people are truly fascinated by this art of drawing designs on the palms, thus coming up with various types of things to draw. Some of these cool things to draw on your hand can be very random and funny. If you are creative, you can surely come up with such unique ideas. But if you need help, find out what are some funny things to draw on your hand, from the coming up paragraphs!

Cute Things to Draw on Your Hand

If you visit any Middle Eastern or South Asian countries, the art of "Mehndi" or henna tattoos is very well-known. This art includes drawing beautiful and creative designs on the palm with a mixture of henna and other ingredients, using "henna pens". This color gets richer over a period of a few weeks (because of body heat), and then gradually fades away. However, there are various other designs that can be drawn by using different ways of drawing. In this article you will find some cool things to draw, so take a look and pick your favorite designs from those mentioned below.

Flowers
Nature is always an inspiration for many designs that are drawn, flowers being the most commonly chosen. Since there are so many varieties of flowers which exist in different colors, shapes, sizes and patterns, they make beautiful designs if they are drawn as a single flower or many together. The most commonly used flower pictures are of roses, marigolds, periwinkle, etc. The specialty of these designs is that, they are easy to draw and look great when combined with other designs like leaves, creepers or birds.

Animals and Birds
Another great inspiration from nature for cool things to draw when bored, are animals. There are so many small and big animals which are very easy to draw on your hand. Animals and birds like elephants, camels, tigers, horses, swallows, peacocks, swans, butterflies, etc. are great structures to be drawn. Their shapes are easy to make and they can be very uniquely designed with varied patterns. These animals and birds are a common influence on henna tattoos because of their beautiful features and elegant postures. Therefore, if you are looking for some fun things to do, these can be some of the perfect designs for your hand drawings.

Names and Phrases
If you are fond of the "text look", drawing a name or a phrase on your hand can also be a very cool idea. These alphabets or words can be written in various languages as well as formats to give them a stylish and elegant look. Many people get these text written on their bodies as tattoos, but drawing them on your hand can be a painless advantage! You can also have them written in unique styles (3D letters) or symbols and then add some other designs, like the ones mentioned above to personify them. With these designs I am sure, you will have a lot of creativity to display.

Other Ideas
Apart from the above mentioned elaboration on cool things to draw on your hand, there are some more ideas you can pick. These are very random and fun things which you can simply come up with when you are bored. These great things to draw can be; cartoons, hearts, flags, teddy bears, trees, Evil Skull Drawing, Cars, Christmas decoration, Cups and Saucers, Stars, Moon, Clouds, etc. You can add in some of your own ideas and make them artistic by combining various other designs, and in not time, your super cool hand design will be ready to flaunt!

With these cool things to draw on your hand, I am sure you have found some attractive designs for yourself. Well, if you have any ideas, feel free to add to the list, but till them enjoy bringing out that artist within you!

Bahamas Fishing, An Anglers Paradise

By Linda Orlando

Youve probably heard it said, "the worst day of fishing is better than the best day at work." Well, come on down to the Bahamas to find out just how true that is. With winter raging outside, it might be time to head south for some warmer weather and excellent fishing. Some of the best fishing in the world can be found in the islands of the Bahamas, which explains why thousands of anglers flock to the Bahamas each year not just to wet their hooks but also to test their skill in fierce and exciting fishing tournaments.

Prime sport fishing in the "Bahia Mer"the shallow sealures seasoned anglers and first-timers alike. Famed sport fisherman Ernest Hemingway immortalized these islands in prize-winning books based on his fishing escapades in Bimini, the big-game fishing capital of the world. Biminis coastal waters are teeming with giant tuna and enormous white and blue marlin, along with barracuda, grouper, amberjack, bonefish, and tarpon. If youre looking for speed, cast your line for a wahoo, one of the fastest game fish in the world. No matter what you reel in, the chef at your restaurant might even prepare your catch for you.

Andros Island offers some fine deep-sea fishing for marlin, kingfish, and tuna, as well as fly-fishing, reef fishing, and seasonal tarpon fishing. But the real allure of Andros is the bonefish. Bonefish anglers say, "if fishing for marlin is a battle, then hunting for bonefish is a chess match." Angling for a bonefish may take patience, but once it strikes, youd better hang onthe bonefish is one of the hardest fighting fish in the world. Bonefishing is a year-round adventure on Andros, where experienced guides can take you to famous fishing holes such as "Bonefish Boulevard" and "Land of the Giants."

If youre looking for a trophy-sized fish to mount on that blank wall in your rec room, then head straight for Exuma. Inside the barrier reef, hundreds of miles of "flats" covered with knee-deep water seem to extend all the way to the horizon. Most of this vast region is still unexplored, and the fishing is excellent. The waters of Exuma Sound, where the ocean drops 6,000 feet into dark, cool feeding grounds, are brimming with gigantic marlin, sailfish, and wahoo. Sixty square miles of crystal-clear flats make for world-class bonefish, snapper, and grouper fishing. Fishing tournaments are frequent on the Exuma Islands, and the July 4th Annual Bonefish Tournament at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club brings in competitors from all over the world.

Fishing tournaments are frequent in the Bahamas, and they bring in competitors from all over the world. The biggest tournaments are held in Bimini, Abaco, Exuma, and Eleuthera, but several other islands host annual tournaments as well. For sport fishing fanatics theres no better destination, whether youre looking for a world record trophy or just tonights dinner. Experienced guides and fishing lodges are plentiful in the islands and are fully outfitted to be sure you have a great time.

One fishing trip to the Bahamas is all it takes, and youll be hooked for life!

Betta Fish Tanks

The Betta splendens, also known as the Siamese fighting fish or the fighters are very beautiful freshwater fish used in aquariums. They have a small body and large fins which are brightly colored. Every fish in this species has a different color combination on its beautifully structured fins. The Betta fish are specially bred for commercial purposes due to their ever growing demand. They are also popular among people who love having fish pets at home. If you are one of those and if you would like to decorate your tank, well, I must tell you; there are a variety of ways in which that can be done. The tanks can be made to look attractive is aesthetically decorated.

In the upcoming paragraphs, we will concentrate on various ways to make these aquariums look as pretty as the fish inside them. Read on and find some great ideas for the same; we've brought them just for you.

Unique Tanks to Choose From

All over the world, Betta fish in aquariums and tanks are kept on display because they look beautiful while they swim. The manner in which these fish swim presenting their vibrantly colored fins, can remind you of paint colors dissolving in water. They are definitely one of the most unique creations in the water world and displaying them in tanks can surely be pleasing to the eyes of the onlooker. To match up to the beauty of these creatures, even the place they stay in should be made to look beautiful. Yes, these tanks have to be as attractive as the fish are. There are many aquarium decorating tips that you can refer to. Here are some great ideas coming up for you!

Aquarium with Plants
Any glass object such as large vases, bowls, deep casseroles and aquariums can become tanks. Because the fish are so attractive to look at, you will not require many additions for your tank other than a few plants and pebbles. If you are worried about the swimming space for these fish, there are various tank sizes in the market. The fish is colorful, thus, having green plants in white pebbles can give the perfect look to tanks. Many people think Betta fish are isolated and aggressive in nature, which is not true; they are quite social and they just love to swim around. Thus, you can include plants in the tanks, and watch the fish play with them; perhaps, that's their favorite 'water' sport.

Aquarium with Corals
Another good idea you can implement while decorating your tank is to add corals in it. Even though these are freshwater aquarium fish, they have a tendency to hide themselves behind rocks or at the base of the water bodies. Therefore, when you introduce corals in tanks, the fish get a hiding place, and the corals add to the design of the tanks. Corals are also uniquely shaped, hence they can be great options to fill up large-sized tanks and aquariums. Many times, when you have corals, there is no requirement for pebbles and plants, but if you have enough space to accommodate all of them, well and good!

Aquarium with Ornaments
Other than gravel, large colored pebbles and lush green plants, you can include various types of ornaments in the fish tanks. In every pet store that keeps fish, there are many artificial toys and ornaments for sale. These can be hide-outs, plastic divers, bridges, rocks, ships, etc. which give the tanks an entertaining look and make them enjoyable for the fish as well. Since these fish, also known as the best aquarium fish like swimming around and playing with accessories added to their home, making such unique and creative additions will keep them occupied.

With these great ideas for decorating tanks, I am sure you have made your choices! So, go ahead and get those colorful fish and enjoy making place for their home in yours.

Different Types of Fish to Eat

Fish are a healthy source of protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, that aid in keeping our health and heart in check. Not all fish can be eaten on a daily basis, and one must know which fish are okay to eat often, and which aren't. There are so many types of fish out there that one can eat, but not all fish are edible. Fish is a versatile meat, that goes well with any kind of spice, and thrives in regions worldwide, where each one has their own way of preparing the dish. Some places may be able to stomach some kinds of fish that others can't, but at the end of the day, it has its nutritional content.

Different Types of Fish List

It is key to know which fish can be eaten often, and which ones to cut down on, to avoid future health problems. Two portions of fish a week, added with one part oily fish is all right. Fish and shellfish are two food items that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and vitamins. There are three types of fish that are edible - shellfish, white fish and oily fish. These contain omega-3 fatty acids, and can be eaten by pregnant women, or those that are breastfeeding, since it helps develop the baby's nervous system. White fish is a great source of omega 3 but not as much as oily fish. It's a great low-fat food that one can eat to even aid in weight loss.

Oily Fish

• Salmon (Dog fish, Huss, Rock eel, Flake)
• Hilsa
• Pilchards
• Kipper (Herring)
• Sprats
• Tuna (fresh)
• Whitebait
• Mackerel
• Hilsa
• Sardines
• Jack (Trevally, Scad, Horse Mackerel)
• Swordfish
• Herring (Bloater)
• Orange Roughy
• Carp
• Anchovies
• Trout

Shellfish

• Crawfish
• Clam
• Abalone
• Oyster
• Periwinkle
• Lobster (Rock, American, Spiny)
• Shrimp (Prawns)
• Octopus
• Crab (Mud, Snow, Sand, King, Dungeness)
• Mussel
• Clam
• Snail
• Oyster
• Cockle
• Cuttlefish
• Conch
• Squid
• Scallop (Bay, Sea)

White Fish

• Catfish
• Ling
• Plaice
• Parrot fish
• Marlin
• Snapper (Red/Job)
• John Dory
• Halibut
• Rigg Eel
• Flying fish
• Monkfish
• Hake
• Lemon Sole (Dover)
• Flounder
• Brill
• Dab
• Coley
• Cod
• Haddock
• Pangas (River Cobbler, Pangasius, Basa)
• Hoki
• Pomfret
• Redfish (Rose, Ocean)
• Rohu (Ruhi)
• Red/Gray Mullet
• Gurnard
• Pollack
• Skate
• Shark
• Sea Bream (Porgy)
• Tuna (canned)
• Tilapia
• Skate
• Whiting
• Turbot
• Sea Bass

When it comes to eating fish, there are portions that one must stick to in order to steer away from health related issues. One needs to eat more of omega-3 enriched fish, that is, oily fish, more often, although there is a portions limit. Girls and women who are expecting to have babies in the future, or those who are already pregnant/breastfeeding, can have two portions (twice a week) of oily fish, which is approximately 140 g a portion. Those girls and women who aren't expecting to have kids in the future, can incorporate four portions of oily fish in their diet (four times a week); the same applies for men/boys.

The Mercury Content in Fish

Mercury is a poisonous and toxic element, that is found in fish. Too much of it causes damage to one's system over time, especially to those who are pregnant/breastfeeding since it can damage the fetus/baby. Women who are pregnant, as well as toddlers, can eat 2 - 3 servings of fish a week, which is not more than two ounces, of low mercury content fish. Pregnant women/small children should stay clear from moderate mercury content fish.

Three servings/less per month of high mercury fish is sufficient, but pregnant women/small kids cannot eat these, while others can. Here we list out the types of edible fish that you need to go easy on in terms of mercury content, along with other kinds of fish that are safe to eat often. Keep in mind, that fish with way too much mercury in it, has to be absolutely avoided. These fish are not edible, and do not come under the safe fish to eat.

Low Mercury

• Catfish
• Haddock
• Herring
• Anchovies
• Crawfish
• Mullet
• Crab
• Oyster
• Mackerel
• Pollock
• Flounder
• Sardine
• Sole
• Scallop
• Trout
• Squid
• Salmon
• Shrimp
• Tilapia
• Whitefish

Moderate Mercury

• Mahi Mahi
• Snapper
• Halibut
• Cod
• Bass
• Perch
• Monkfish
• Tuna (canned)
• Lobster
• Carp

High Mercury

• Sea Bass
• Bluefish
• Tuna (Albacore)
• Tuna (Yellowfin)
• Grouper

Highest Mercury

• Swordfish
• Orange Roughy
• Marlin
• Tilefish
• Tuna (Ahi)
• Shark

Different Types of Fish in the Ocean

The ocean is our source to a wider catch of fish, filled with a cornucopia of choices. Let's take a look at the kind of fish that aren't meant for human consumption but to be left alone as part of the sea's inedible group of fish.

• African Flameback
• Axelrod's Clown Blenny
• Axilspot Hogfish
• Bandfin Cardinalfish
• Banggai Cardinal Fish
• Bicolor Angelfish
• Bicolor Blenny
• Bicolor Foxface Rabbitfish
• Bigeye Cardinalfish
• Bignose Unicornfish
• Black Striped Angelfish
• Black Triggerfish
• Black Velvet Angelfish
• Blackbar Triggerfish
• Blackbelly Triggerfish
• Blackcap Gramma
• Blackfin Hogfish
• Blackfinned Clownfish
• Blackspot Angelfish
• Blackstripe Cardinalfish
• Blacktail Angelfish
• Blue Angelfish
• Blue Tang Surgeonfish
• Blueface Angelfish
• Bluehead Fairy Wrasse
• Bluespotted Angelfish
• Bluespotted Triggerfish
• Bluethroat Triggerfish
• Boomerang Triggerfish
• Brazilian Gramma
• Bridled Cardinalfish
• Brown Combtooth Blenny
• Brown Surgeonfish
• Cherub Angelfish
• Cherub Angelfish
• Chestnut Eyelash Blenny
• Chevron Tang
• Chinese Trumpetfish
• Chocolate Surgeonfish
• Cinnamon Clownfish
• Clarkii Clownfish
• Clown Triggerfish
• Clownfish
• Cockatoo Waspfish
• Comical Blenny
• Convict Surgeonfish
• Cook's Cardinalfish
• Coral Beauty
• Coral Hogfish
• Coral Rabbitfish
• Cortez Angelfish
• Cuban Hogfish
• Desjardin's Sailfin Tang
• Doederlein's Cardinalfish
• Dog Toothed Cardinalfish
• Doubleband Surgeonfish
• Drab Sole
• Eight Lined Wrasse
• Elongate Surgeonfish
• Emperor Angelfish
• Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
• Eyestriped Surgeonfish
• False Cleanerfish
• Finescale Triggerfish
• Finespotted Fairy Wrasse
• Five-lined cardinalfish
• Flame Angelfish
• Flamefish
• Foxface Rabbitfish
• French Angelfish
• Gilded Triggerfish
• Golden Angelfish
• Goldspotted Rabbitfish
• Gray Angelfish
• Gray Reef Shark
• Gray Triggerfish
• Gray Unicornfish
• Great Barrier Reef Blenny
• Green Chromis
• Halfback Angelfish
• Halfmoon Picassofish
• Halfmoon Triggerfish
• Hartzfeld's Cardinalfish
• Hogchoker
• Hogfish
• Humpback Unicornfish
• Indian Triggerfish
• Iridescent Cardinalfish
• Japanese Surgeonfish
• Keyhole Angelfish
• Korean Angelfish
• Large Toothed Cardinalfish
• Large-scale Triggerfish
• Lemonpeel Angelfish
• Leopard Blenny
• Linear Blenny
• Lined Sole
• Linguado
• Live Sharksucker
• Longnose Surgeonfish
• Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse
• Lyretail
• Magnificent
• Majestic Angelfish
• Mango Angelfish
• Maroon Clownfish
• Masked Rabbitfish
• Masked Triggerfish
• Midnight Angelfish
• Nalolo
• Ocean Surgeon
• Ocean Triggerfish
• Ocellaris
• Ochre-striped cardinalfish
• Onespot Foxface Rabbitfish
• Orange Angelfish
• Orange Skunk Anemonefish
• Orange-lined triggerfish
• Orangeside Triggerfish
• Orangespine Unicornfish
• Orbiculate Cardinalfish
• Ornate Wrasse
• Painted Frogfish
• Pajama Cardinalfish
• Palette Surgeonfish
• Passer Angelfish
• Percula Clownfish
• Persian Blenny
• Picasso Triggerfish
• Pink Skunk Clownfish
• Pinktail Triggerfish
• Potter's Angelfish
• Purple Mask Angelfish
• Queen Angelfish
• Queen Triggerfish
• Queensland Blenny
• Rabbitfish
• Red Fin Fairy Wrasse
• Red Sea Mimic Blenny
• Red-speckled Blenny
• Redmargin Fairy Wrasse
• Redtail Triggerfish
• Redtoothed Triggerfish
• Ring-tailed Cardinalfish
• Rock Beauty
• Royal Gramma
• Rusty Angelfish
• Saddle Clownfish
• Saddleback Clownfish
• Saddleback Hogfish
• Sailfin Tang
• Sargassum Triggerfish
• Scott's Fairy Wrasse
• Scribbled Angelfish
• Seale's Cardinalfish
• Shaggy Angler
• Sixbanded Angelfish
• Skunk Clownfish
• Sleek Unicornfish
• Social Wrasse
• Sohal Surgeonfish
• Solar Fairy Wrasse
• Spanish Hogfish
• Spotted Hogfish
• Spotted Oceanic Triggerfish
• Spotted Surgeonfish
• Spotted Tang
• Stone Triggerfish
• Striated Frogfish
• Striated Surgeonfish
• Striped Triggerfish
• Striped-fin Surgeonfish
• Talbot's Blenny
• Thompson's Surgeonfish
• Threadfin Sardinalfish
• Titan Triggerfish
• Tomato Clownfish
• Tomini Surgeonfish
• Twospot Surgeonfish
• Twotone Tang
• Vermiculated Angelfish
• Virgate Rabbitfish
• Warty Frogfish
• Watanabe's Angelfish
• Wedge-tail Triggerfish
• White Jawed Cardinalfish
• Whitemargin Unicornfish
• Whitetail Pygmy Angelfish
• Wolf Cardinalfish
• Wolf Eel
• Wolf Fish
• Yellow Tang

The fish that are edible, are packed with vitamin A and vitamin D, and contain calcium that is good in making bones stronger. Make sure you experiment with different types of fish you can eat, so as to avoid the build up of toxins from a fish that is high in mercury. Alternate fish types according to mercury levels, and learn how to eat fish the safe way.

Sketching Techniques

Ever since you and I started toddling around the house, our moms started giving us a pencil and a paper and that awakened the artist in us! We would scribble crap mercilessly on the poor paper and mom would love our 'art'. And then we grew up into school-kids and even took drawing lessons after school and loved playing with colors. And then we grew up even more, each one of us with a few hobbies and interests with very few, yet substantial number of us developed the hobby of sketching.

None of us can define art, it has no appropriates and knows no boundaries. In spite of that fact, let me tell you, a sketch is not a painting. A sketch is a quick freehand drawing which is used to record an idea for further use. A sketch is not considered as a finished work, it has to be painted to be complete. Graphite pencils, modern sketch pencils or charcoal pencils are usually used for sketching today.

Sketching Techniques For Beginners
For beginners, these also involve lessons on how to hold a pencil. Well, there is no single perfect way of holding a pencil and probably whatever works for you will give you the best results. There are also many myths on how a sketcher should hold a pencil and if you are buying those myths and trying to hold a pencil artificially, you are probably doing the worst thing for your art.

Tripod Grip: The tripod grip is the most common way to hold a pencil which is also used for writing. This is when your forefinger and your thumb form a triangle with your middle finger and is supported by your ring finger and little finger. It allows the fingers to have a fine control over the pencil. If you hold the pencil in its upright position in a tripod grip, it will allow the most accurate shading with the tip. If you hold a pencil in a tripod grip, your thumb and your fingers can control the pencil and for fine work you can rest your hand on the paper sheet. Always use a spare paper sheet to keep your sketch away from smudging that occurs due to skin oils and sweat.

Extended Tripod Grip: Extended tripod grip is another way of holding a pencil. The way you hold a pencil in this grip is the same as in the basic tripod grip, just the location of the hold changes, this time being on the upper side of the pencil. Since its grip is the same as in the basic tripod, it is an easier way of practicing sketching, especially for amateurs as it allows more liberty. Extended tripod grip allows small movements of your fingers to produce larger movement of the pencil which makes it an efficient grip for sketching. Always keep a relaxed grip on the pencil, it will yield the best results. A tight grip is restrictive and tiring.

Overhand Grip: Most of the artists use the overhand grip to hold a pencil. It is often recommended for sketching because of its easy way to use the side of a pencil. The pencil is lightly positioned against the fingers with the flat of the thumb. The exact position of an overhand grip will vary from hand to hand, depending on the proportions of your hand. One thing that should be remembered is to have a relaxed grip on the pencil. This grip is best suited for vertical drawing surfaces like an upright tripod canvas. For obtaining the best results with overhand grip, you should either sit or stand so that the arm gets a wider space to allow free and expressive mark-making process.

Underhand Grip: The under hand grip is, in fact a loose and relaxed way if holding a pencil for sketching. It can be explained as a tipped-over tripod grip although you can move your thumb higher or you can allow the pencil to pose in a V-shape of the thumb and the palm, with your middle and index fingers, slightly controlling the pencil-tip. The underhand grip is used for a more casual and broad sketch.

Basic Sketching Techniques
Basic techniques is something that cannot be given lessons of, in an article. It needs a passion to sketch and experiment with freehand drawings. It requires observation, patience and practice of self-expression. The entire art of sketching can be practiced in two different ways. The first way is to sketch as a primary step for painting later and the second way is to sketch just for the art and for the fun of sketching, which can more specifically be called casual sketching. If this is done with perfection, it might turn into a magnificent piece of art itself! Let's take a look at few basic sketching techniques that can be used by sketchers, artists and even professionals.

Pure Contour Sketching and Blind Contour Sketching
The technique of blind contour drawing is intended to enhance your hand-eye coordination. Blind contouring means drawing a primary outline of your sketch without looking at the paper. This technique needs superlative levels of observation. Blind contour sketching will improve your ability to coordinate the observation with your hand movements on the paper, both simultaneously. Pure contouring involves sketching the perfect clearly defined edges while looking at the paper. Even a shade of a line drawn holds a meaning in pure contouring. It also involves cross-contouring which deals with vertical and horizontal lines that help us form a visual two-dimensional effect of a 3D object.

Texturing and Shading
Shading and texturing can be started once you gain expertise in sketching an outline of your drawing. You will require kneaded erasers in shading. Erasers help in giving lighter tones to your sketches. The first step is to find highlighted spots on your sketch. Then, take a pencil which has a medium tone (between dark and light), and start shading with the pencil in angle strokes. Move towards the darkest spots on your sketch and then shade those spots with dark pencils. Always remember to first observe and then start to shade. You can also use different textures for your sketch like hatching, cross-hatching or you can create your own texture with a combination of these along with smudging. Smudging is a simple way of adding a soft and blurred texture to your sketch. It can be done simply by smudging your sketch with fingertips.

Bonus Tips!

• Draw straight lines quickly by marking the end-points first.
• A wrist movement is not enough for drawing straight lines, allow an arm movement.
• Always have a continuous movement or a series of strokes that overlap.
• Your pencil should point at fixing your eye on the second point, that will draw the pencil towards the second point.
• Usually, the same technique is used to draw a diagonal line, but a simple add on would be, turning the paper so that it appears horizontal.
• Start with sketching of the general contours of big shapes. Keep them angular and avoid sketching the details of the drawing so soon.
• As far as shading goes, highlight the large portions first in simple and light shades.
• Avoid using half-tones at the initial stage of shading.
• Watch your source of light and relate it with your shades in the sketch. Then start putting the halftones after which you can
  furnish the details and all the necessary finishing touches and accents in the final stage to complete a sketch.

It is a brutal truth that you wouldn't become a great sketching artist after reading these sketching techniques. An art is not something that you can read about. As it has been rightly said, it takes a long time for a man to look like his sketches. Practicing your art with these techniques is what you should be trying. Reading information on techniques and tips about sketching will just be an experience of confirmation of what you, as a sketcher, already know! So, grab that sheet of paper and a sketching pencil and get going; rather, get sketching!