 The Angler’s Ace blood knot tool was invented by Charlie Howell, an avid fisherman, and hunter. The idea of a blood knot tool came to Charlie when a good friend of his named Paul visited their home in Montana.
While fishing with Paul, an older guy with thicker fingers, tried to tie a blood knot with monofilament. He had limited dexterity, so he struggled with the knot. Charlie said, “the whole process went on for quite some time.” He began to think that there had to be a better way than just using your hands. Maybe there was a tool on the market that could help. He looked online at several different options and ended up buying them all. He tried each one with little success and efficiency. He thought maybe it would be a good idea for his wife to try the tools out as well. She grew up in Montana fishing and thought she might have better luck with the other blood knot tools since her fingers were smaller. However, she couldn’t figure out the tools and their instructions either. Charlie then started to wonder if he could invent a tool that would be better. Anglers Ace blood knot tool was born. It started out with the disk separate from the card part. When he figured out that his invention worked, he asked his son-in-law to look at it. He suggested that the blood knot tool would be better in one piece. So that’s what Charlie set out to do, creating a blood knot tool that encompassed both the disc and card parts. Soon after using the tool for a while with blood knots, Charlie discovered that it worked well for making your own tapered leaders. The blood knot tool can tie all kinds of fishing line without kinking it, even the tippet. To read more about how the tool works visit our instructions page.
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 Photo by Jack Murrey on Unsplash With snowfall, wind, and cold, fishing in Montana during the winter is not for the faint of heart. If you are a fair-weather angler it’s probably not for you. However, if you enjoy solitude and don’t mind getting a little chilly, this is the perfect time for you to fly fish in Montana.
If you fish during the winter make sure you have the right gear to keep you dry and warm. It’s a good idea to watch the weather because winds can kick up anytime making a wintry day even colder. The best time of day to fish in the winter is when the temperatures are the warmest. No need to get up early this time of year. It’s imperative during the winter that you know where to go. Many rivers and lakes have large ice formations, especially if they are slow-moving. You need waters that are faster or have more consistent temperatures for good fishing. The three rivers we recommend fishing in Montana during the winter are...
The Gallatin River has geothermal hot springs that feed into it near Bozeman. These springs keep the water from freezing, even warm enough to wade in with the right gear. Stretches of the Madison River near Bozeman and Ennis are fast-moving, which means less ice and more opportunity for fishing on wintry days. The Missouri River near Craig is big enough, and the current is fast enough to keep these waters open. Best fishing is off the shore and if the weather is cooperating, you can even float this stretch during the winter. Need help tying those blood knots in cold weather? Nothing is better than the Angler's Ace blood knot tool. It's specifically made for days when dexterity is compromised. Check out our shop for more information.  Photo by Robson Hatsukami Morgan on Unsplash As weather conditions across the United States are beginning to turn cold and most people are hanging up their gear I believe this is the best time of year to fish in California. Since one half of the Angler’s Ace team lives in the mountains of the Sierra I have to take every opportunity I can get to fish here. The colder months in California are not that cold in a lot of places, plus there is the added benefit that not as many people are out crowding the shores. So don’t hang up that gear quite yet and head on out to these 6 places to get more fishing in. Trinity RiverThe trinity river is 110 miles long. It’s known to be one of the best steelhead streams on the west coast. The entire river is almost all wild. It runs through BLM land, Six Rivers National Forest and Shasta Trinity National Forest. The Steelhead in the river now are mainly from restoration efforts, since dams that were built in the 1960’s led to the steep decline of the species. Now scientists estimate the population into the thousands. Daytime highs are usually in the 60’s from now until March, but temperatures can often be below freezing. Fall and winter are not for the faint of heart when fishing on the Trinity River, but there is more than just Steelhead to catch. There are also Chinook and Coho salmon as well as brown trout. The upper 40 miles of the river is where most of the best fishing occurs. You can float or wade in most spots. Eastern SierraStocked by California’s Fish and Wildlife department with trout, bass and catfish. In Mono and Inyo counties waters are open year around. The crowds are low especially before or after storms. Best places for fly fishing in designated waters in Mono County are Hot Creek and Upper Owens River. You may even want to explore Bishop County’s Pleasant Valley Reservoir that feeds into Owns River for brown and rainbow trout. Lower Sacramento RiverThe Lower Sacramento River has an interesting history that you can find out more about here, but what can really be said about this river is that there are more than 50 miles of good fishing. It’s been known to have average catches of 16 inches, but is commonly known to have several rainbow trout over 20 inches. Since there is a lot of space on this river to fish you’ll often feel alone as fisherman can spread out along this river. The DeltaThe California Delta offers a variety of fishing opportunities during the winter months and with recreational boaters packed up for the winter you’ll have a peaceful expedition. The Delta hosts a number of different species from bass, catfish, Bluegill, salmon, Steelhead and Sturgeon. With temperatures ranging from 55 to 65 degrees fahrenheit from November to March the Delta is perfect to keep fishing all through winter. The Delta also offers many fishing tournaments with big prizes. If you don’t like fish don’t worry the Delta is full of crawfish if that’s more your speed. Southern California LakesWith average temperatures in the high 60s you can’t go wrong fishing in any Southern California Lake. There are easily over 100 lakes to visit and you can find out which ones are the best by visiting this website. Beach and Pier FishingOne of the greatest fishing experiences in California is beach and pier fishing. The coast is always a great place to visit at any time of the year. Some places in Northern California might be a little cold, but what you can catch in the ocean is worth the chill. The most common fish caught from the beach or pier is surperch, halibut, bass, and smelt. To find out more about beach and pier fishing visit California Fish and Wildlife.
Don’t forget that you might be struggling to tie blood knots during the colder months, so this is the best time to use the Angler’s Ace blood knot tool! Get yours in the store today! Looking for a quick way to make dinner tonight from your fresh catch? Try the recipe below. It's one of my favorites.  Ingredients:8-12 ounces skinless white fish fillets Sea salt and pepper 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter 4 tablespoons roughly chopped flat leaf parsley 2 tablespoons lemon juice Instructions:1. Rinse the fish fillets and blot dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Heat butter in a large sauté pan over medium low heat. When the butter foams, place the fish into the pan. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. 3. Tilt the pan toward you and using spoon, ladle the garlic butter over the fish. Continue to baste while the fish is sautéing for 2-3 minutes. 4. Gently flip fish with a spatula. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 2 minutes. 5. Uncover pan and continue basting fish with butter, until it is just cooked through, another minute or two. 6. Add 3 tablespoons of parsley and turn off heat. 7. Transfer fish onto platter or individual plates. Tilt pan and spoon butter sauce evenly over fillets. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and lemon juice.  September is a great month to be outdoors, especially Saturday September 5th, as it’s free fishing day! This means the state of California doesn’t require a fishing license to fish today. Check out California's Fish and Wildlife website here for more information.
So if you know someone who wants to try fishing, this is a great opportunity to do so. Take someone who is interested and doesn’t normally go. It’s a great time to teach newbies fishing ethics, fish habits, methods for catching fish and fishing tackle. Also, this is a great time to teach your friends how to gut, clean and prepare fish for dinner. Another reason September is a great month is that it’s National Public Lands Month and National Public Lands Day is on September 26th. On this day you can visit a National Park for free! There are volunteer projects you can take part in that help restore habitats, remove invasive plants, fly-fishing clinics and more! This year, for obvious reasons, volunteer events are going to look a little different. Some NPLD managers will host virtual events designed to educate about public lands, while others are hosting in person events that comply with local COVID regulations. You can register for an event here. Spending time outdoors is beneficial to our physical and emotional health, especially during this time in our history. Don’t miss this opportunity to reap these benefits for free! Plus, this would be a great opportunity to fish in public lands that you might not have before. But before you do, make sure you check out the National Park site for their fishing regulations.  How does that saying go? Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for life. Give a kid a fish they eat for a day, teach a kid to fish they have a skill for life. Fishing has shaped much of this family’s life. We are grateful that our parents live in the beautiful state or Montana on the river and that fishing is just want you do there. But there are many of us that are not so lucky. There are also many kids that never get the opportunity to make those amazing memories with their parents and grandparents. But fishing is one skill that teaches so much more than just feeding yourself. The other skills that I am about to mention should be taught to all kids and fishing is one of the easiest ways to do just that.  1. Fishing Teaches Kids Where Their Food Comes FromNot all, but a lot of kids, don’t know where their food comes from. They often think it’s the store. Beyond that they just don’t know and I’m not sure where the disconnect is coming from. For example, there was a video going around on one of the social media sites that featured a 10 year old boy sobbing. He had just found out that burger patties are made from cows and he was sad about it. I thought, how does he not know, at 10 years old, where burgers come from? What could be a better way to teach kids about how we get our food than a hands on lesson in fishing? From catching the fish, to cleaning it (anatomy lesson), frying it up (cooking lesson) and then eating it (nutrition lesson) you just covered a full day of home school, plus the conversation about food sources will continue beyond fish. Our five year old now asks where cheese comes from, chicken and just about everything else he can think of. He won’t be surprised at 10 to find out something he’s eating comes from an animal. 2. Gets Them Outside and Away From the Temptations of ScreensThere is something uniquely different about getting those endorphin hits from your phone versus getting them from catching a fish. Snagging your first fish is a memory you’ll always have and so will your kids. I’m pretty sure they won’t remember the first time they played on the phone or tablet. The Child Mind Institute claims that children spend 4-7 minutes outside in unstructured play and 7 hours a day in front of a screen, plus there’s school and after school activities. So how much time are they spending outside collectively? Based on those statistics not a whole lot. The great thing about fishing is that it’s a start to getting your kids outside. They may start out fishing, but if they are anything like my son, fishing turns into rock hopping, swimming, bug catching and a host of other things. Even if they don’t fish, at least they are outside getting some much needed free play time.  3. Fishing Builds a Love for the Outdoors, Responsibility and ConservationIf you want people to conserve fisheries for the future than you start by building a love for the outdoors with your children, which means introducing outdoor activities to them like fishing. You have to teach them to fish, teach them how fish become fish and how the rest of the natural world works with fish. Children who know more about nature tend to be more responsible in all aspects of their life. They tend to pick up trash off the sidewalks, be caring towards animals and have natural curiosity of how things work and our impact on them. We need our children to be passionate about what we love so that can have it for their future and the future of their kids. Being outside, in general, has so many benefits from respecting the environment to providing stimulation of all five senses and that’s something you can get with screens. 4. Fishing Builds ConfidenceFishing is a skill. It’s activity that you get better at with practice. Fishing also has skills within the activity like tying knots (fine motor development), cleaning fish (anatomy) and being aware of your surroundings (common sense). Having more skills equals more confidence, when your children become adults. By the way, you can always use the blood knot tool to help them build their fine motor development and tie the best blood knot around.  5. Fishing Helps Build Conversational SkillsIt’s hard to hold a phone or tablet in your hand when you’re holding a fishing rod. Better yet, it’s hard to be on your phone when there’s no cell service or wifi because where you are fishing there most likely isn’t any. So this is the perfect time to actually talk to your kids, for them to learn the art of conversation. I always notice that my son is a lot more talkative when we are fishing together, probably because he has my full attention. He tells me about his friends and wild stories about how he’s going to catch the biggest fish. If that's not worth a fishing trip I don't know what is. 6. Fishing is More than Just About FishingAs you can tell from the other reasons listed above fishing is more about life skills than fishing. Fishing also teaches kids patience and survival skills. It’s also is a hobby that lots of kids really get into, which means they’ll stay out of trouble and have something to do when they are bored. We hope that you have the opportunity to take your children fishing one day and hope they'll like as much as our son does.   There are lots of ways to tie a blood knot and there are many tools on the market to help you, but there’s nothing like the Angler’s Ace Blood Knot Tool to help you tie blood knots easily and efficiently! Here are 3 reasons the Angler’s Ace is the best blood knot tool on the market. 1. It's Small The Angler’s Ace blood knot tool is the width and height of a credit card. It is slightly thicker than a credit card, but can still easily fit in a pocket on your fishing vest, in your pants pocket or even your wallet.  2. It Floats Unlike other tools made from metal we make our blood knot tool from PVC plastic giving its ability to float, plus it comes in bright colors which makes easy to spot when dropped in the water.  3. Affordable Since the Angler’s Ace is so affordable you can buy multiple and stash them in tackle boxes, vests and cars, always having one on hand in case you forget it when you leave the house.  Well, the new year is upon us and with renewed focus the website should finally be finished soon. Look for added product photos, new instructions, and an instructional video on how the tool works in the near future.
The new website is up and running, but not quite complete. Check back soon for ordering options and a video tutorial on how the Angler's Ace will make blood knot tying simple and easy.
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