Hot Outdoor Recreation How-Tos

How To: Catch Lake Trout

Lowrance Pro-Staff, Gerry Heels, explains how he caught this nice Lake Simcoe Lake Trout. Fishing in over 70 feet of water the strike came about 10 feet below the ice. Without the Lowrance HDS5 Gerry never would have know it was there.

How To: Windsurf

This tutorial is for everyone who is trying to learn how to windsurf. If you already know how to windsurf and just want to freshen up on the theory or if you have never tried it and want to give it a go, this is the series to check out.

How To: Make a Survival Light Source

This is just a simple survival light source. You can use a cheap outdoor solar yard light like the one in the video from walmart. There only about 3 to 5 bucks but you can use them not only as a light source but a way to recharge AA rechargeable batteries.

How To: Build a Campfire in the Backcountry

In this video, John E. Hiker walks you through the basics of building a campfire at a cold winter campsite in Olympic National Park. John shows you step by step how to gather the best wood and light a fire using a fire starter. Fire starters are considered to be one of the "ten essentials" for backcountry travelers, so you should carry it with you and plan to use it at your camp. Getting to camp cold and wet at the end of a long day is no time to be a survivalist and try to light a fire with ...

How To: Ford/Cross a River Safely in the Backcountry

In this video tutorial, former Outward Bound instructor and mountaineering guide John E. Hiker demonstrates a basic technique for safely fording (crossing) a river. Typically, more hikers are killed each year from drowning while fording rivers than by bear attacks, falls, avalanches, and all other wilderness hazards combined. The technique shown here is especially useful for those crossing a deep river with a heavy backpack.

How To: Go ice fishing in a frozen lake

Ice fishing can be a bit more challenging (and cold!) than regular fishing - but much more rewarding when you catch something! This video by expert fishers Dick and Sue Viera show you all the proper techniques and safety precautions for a successful ice fishing trip. Go ice fishing in a frozen lake.

How To: Add a mono leader to a braid fishing line

This great how-to shows clearly how to tie a length of braided line to a fluorocarbon leader. In the video, the demonstrator uses large rope so that the technique can be clearly seen. This trick has been gaining popularity in the freshwater fishing community lately in part because it helps to reduce twist and snarl, but absorbing some of the pull. Follow this super video yourself and see if the trick works for you. When you're out in your boat and you feel the tug of that big mouth bass, you'...

How To: Tie braided line to leader

A recent trend in freshwater fishing is adding a fluorocarbon leader to your braided fishing line. The benefits of this are mainly allowing for some more absorbtion of pull, resulting in less twist and potential tangling. This how-to will show you how to tie this knot yourself, so when you're in the middle of that beautiful pond, and you feel the bite, you'll be able to successfully land that big one with less stress on you or your gear.

How To: Make a braid to fluorocarbon knot connection

There's a popular new trick in the fishing community and that's tying a braided line to a fluorocarbon leader line. To do this, you'll need to know the proper knot, and this video will show you how to do it. With this method you will reduce some of the problems of twisting and tangling with using braid right up to your lure. Check it out. The braid helps absorb some of the pull on the line, so see if you can feel it when you go to land the big one!

How To: Make a survival belt out of paracord using the cobra knot

All you need is a single long piece (at least fifteen meters) of sturdy paracord, as well as a clasp for either end. You can also use this technique to make a rifle sling or something else for which you will need a long length of woven paracord. The knot itself is not difficult - just watch carefully and make sure you've given yourself enough time to finish this project. A great project to make for yourself, or the survivalist in your life.

How To: Pitch a pop-up tent the easy way

Pop-up tents are much more convenient to pitch than the tents of old, but doing it for the first time is still tricky. Watch this video to learn how to set up both types of pop-up tent: the umbrella style and the coiled-spring style.

How To: Peform a Ghost Ride Heelflip on a longboard

In this tutorial, we learn how to perform a Ghost Ride Heelflip on a long board. First, get on your board and start to petal. Then, bring your left foot off and bring it near the board, as close as you can. Then, bring your right foot behind you and then flip your board over. After this, jump up with both of your feet and jump onto the board to the other side of you. Practice doing this to get it right, it may take you a little while. When done, you can start to learn different variations on ...

How To: Clean skates or rays

In this video, we learn how to clean skates or rays. First, use a sharp knife to remove the roughness from the top of the ray. After this, stick the knife in both of the sides and cut all the way down. From here, you should just have the middle left and the two sides should go in a bath of clean water to get the dirt off. Continue to repeat this process for all of the rays that you have. You can cook however you want when you are finished cleaning. Make sure you cut the right parts off, the m...

How To: Winterize your boat

In this tutorial, we learn how to winterize your boat with Bill Sisson. First, you need to make sure everything that moves stays moving. You can help this by adding some oil and cream to the parts that need to stay moving. Anything that is related to the fuel system should be treated as well. The fuel system needs to be treated or else it won't work properly when you start your boat up again in the summer. Make sure you have a good fuel stabilizer in the fuel and treat the filter as well. Jus...