|
Bought a Kayak today! Avid catfish and bass fisherman. I've been looking to get into Crappie and Saugeye for years, but without water craft it's difficult. Spent $300 on a really nice Hobie Maui, $87 on some DIY items and will probably spend $25 to build my rod holders, and the remainder of my loading mount for my car. Really looking forward to getting into the local reservoir and trolling for saugeye and crappie in the next week or two!
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2014 06:40
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 19:56 |
|
|
Today was good, caught two decently sized perches.  Roughly 500 grams worth of delicious fishmeat!
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2014 22:59
|
|
|
I think it is time to get a second rod. In my frenzy to start fishing I went to a local tackle shop and told the sales guy I wanted a rod and reel that was around $100, would fit in my tiny rear end car, and was a good, rugged, general purpose leaning rig. I ended up with a Tsunami Tuff Tip 5'6" Medium action rod with a Okuma Avenger 30B reel. I cant remember the brand of line but it is a dark green braid that seems to take a ton of force to break. It has been great but I am starting to realize that is pretty sub optimal for the kind of fishing I do, which is as follows: 1)Hiking around lakes and ponds, mostly catching bluegills and white perch close to shore. 2)A little pit of pier fishing, but I have yet to catch anything off a pier. 3)Fishing out of a kayak, as soon as I figure out how to do it. Right now the idea I have is as follows: 1)Buy a short (6' is the max I can easily deal with) Ultra Lightweight rod and stick my current reel on it, maybe respool it with a lighter braid. 2)Buy a slightly larger reel for my current rod and respool it with something thicker and more brightly colored. Are these terrorable ideas?
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 04:16
|
|
|
Slightly Toasted posted:I impulsively bought a cheap new 12ft kayak on amazon last week but now that it's here I'm realizing I haven't the slightest idea where to keep it Getting a kayak is always a wonderful way to get out and explore the waters and catch some great fish. Hanging fish over the side of any kayak is doable, but it is pretty much like putting a giant brake on that side of your kayak, they will cause some drag and make your boat steer to that side constantly. Your kayak looks like a SINK, so you might not have much storage space for a cooler, you might be able to rig some type of insulated bag in one of the storage compartments if they are big enough or even down near your legs if there is enough room.
|
|
#
?
Jun 29, 2014 05:14
|
|
|
Last week I was going to the beach for a couple days and planned on trying surf-casting so I picked up a 9' Ugly Stick 'Whuppin' Stick' and a cheap store-brand (Cabela's) salt-spinning reel. I was dumb and didn't think about the trigger on the handle which is a trifle annoying on a rod of that length while using a spinning reel, but it's perfectly usable and I was able to nearly pitch a padlock over a powerline when I took it to a park by my house to double-check that my line wasn't mispooled and that the whole rig would be able to put some power and distance on pitching into the wind, since it was a windy afternoon. My neighbors probably think I was fishing for gophers or some poo poo, but the ones who know, know.  Dropped in to a bait shop on the coast when I got there Thursday and picked up some frozen squid (it'll keep for eons, I barely used any) and to asked about a newly restricted fishing area by the ODFW which had some confusion verbiage in the reg booklet, but unfortunately the old coot at the shop just ranted about sea lions no matter what I asked him about. Oh well, even a pair of camoflage cargo shorts from Wal-Mart won't make some fishermen take you seriously, or at least get them to quit going off on whatever their pet peeves are.  Got to the beach and fuuuck, super duper high winds, nasty rain, and huge waves full of garbage. I was heading to my car with my rod case and gear when my aunt and her husband showed up, and he lit up like a 60-watt bulb when he saw a fishing pole, pulled a little bass rod out of the back of his truck and we spent a couple hours casting into the waves anyway. I was able to get a decent feel for throwing into the waves and retrieving it correctly however, I repeatedly got abysmally tangled up below my triple-eye swivel so I need to work on how I rig things up still. I also got the bonus of getting "man points" with my aunt's husband who's a serious loving salmon fisherman who lives on the res and pretty much eats nothing but stuff out of his garden, and that he raises or hunts/fishes. He subsequently invited me to come down to his place to fish salmon with him. ("August first, blue backs!" were his parting words as he and my aunt left for home this morning  ). http://www.oregonriverguides.com/guides-fishing-report/?tag=sea-run-cutthroat-trout-bluebackI also got a second invite to go fishing with one of my military (and nerdy, dude's got a 'One ring to rule them all' tattoo around one forearm, in elvish) cousins in Tillamook, who's got a nice little boat with a ridiculously huge motor on it. Despite not getting much time casting in the waves I consider those two invites to be worth their weight in Yesterday I went out with my brother and his gf to go clamming - which I've never done successfully. We wandered around for half an hour with no success before I noticed a Ranger coming out toward us with a German tourist family so I hung around and listened in on him for a few minutes, which was all I needed to immediately get a 90%+ success rate digging for butter and soft shell clams. We took home several dozen, which my brother's gf cleaned and split up for us - unfortunately her "cleaning" involved cutting the neck off and throwing away the rest of the clam but I am confident that I can fill my limit with an hour or two of effort now that I know what exactly to look for and recognize clam beds and clam sign. As we were leaving and cleaning off our gear we chatted up the Ranger (dude's a local legend named "Clameron" who knows everything about fishing up and down the OR coast) and he dropped us a tip to a much, much better clamming spot nearby, which isn't as heavily harvested as the area we were at.  FYI, for If nothing else, now I can easily find all the sand shrimp and clams that I could desire to use for bait when I go back to the coast in the (very near!  ) future. I also chatted up a guy who had a dozen surf perch and he shared his spot with me, so I'll probably be able to find some next time. This morning I got up at first light and took my dog and rod to a spot under a bridge where I'd noticed fish jumping around on Friday, and promptly caught three baby salmon about 500 yards upstream from the beach. My aunt's husband knows that particular river really well and I'm pretty confident that I can drive a couple miles up-stream, put on my waders and catch some serious fish. I was too tired from the four day family gathering so I went home afterward and felt pretty successful despite not taking home anything but a couple pounds of cleaned clams and some frozen bait. I'm also stoked because my surf casting rig should be more than enough to use for salmon, and I was able to round out my sea/salmon gear going to shops on the coast, since the Cabelas in my town has a poo poo selection for saltwater stuff, and the guy who I asked to point me toward that section almost literally ran away from me so I wouldn't ask him questions he couldn't answer. I just really need to figure out how to get my rig set up to not tangle up on itself in the surf but perhaps that was just a symptom of the super violent water I was throwing it into. Oh well, can't win them all.  bunnielab posted:I think it is time to get a second rod. Go to Wal-mart or something, buy a spool of 8-10 lb test monofilament, and then whatever rod and reel strike your fancy. At your price range you aren't going to lose out much if you buy something you aren't happy with and hell, you can always remove the line and return it to the store if it just doesn't feel right, or has a lovely action, etc. Bonus points if your new reel has Snoopy on it or something.. Then buy a shorter spool of 2-6 lb test, and use that to tie on a leader so you can snap the leader and save the stronger+more expensive line from being stretched or from you breaking off 40+ feet of it. Serious question: do you understand leaders? Do you use one? Do it. I like to buy a bunch of hooks and then while I sit at home watching movies, I tie up a dozen leaders with hooks and then stick them into individual little bags that used to contain weights, swivels, etc, so when I break a leader I can just reach into my bucket and grab one and slap it on, rather than sitting around for 10 minutes trying to tie one while getting sunburnt and looking like a dork who can't get a hook into the water. This small amount of prep has saved me TONS of effort and time when I actually am out on the water!  If you buy a reel, it won't come with line so "respooling" is a moot point. Unless you buy a ready-to-cast combo, which is fine but at that point you will likely be able to find better+cheaper by putting it together yourself. Personally I wouldn't buy anything that had line pre-spooled before purchase, as it'll have a ton of memory and probably be curly as gently caress every time you throw it, until you throw it away in frustration. Color doesn't matter except as an aesthetic choice, there are plenty of bright colors to choose from. Why in the world do you think you need to get a reel with "thicker" line? If you're catching perch and bluegill you won't ever need anything over 10 lb test. A lighter action rod will probably be funner to fight fish on, for what you're doing - just stand in the aisle and wave the rod around and see how it hefts. Hell, sit down on the floor with it and see how it feels as well, since you're planning on using a kayak with it primarily. Fishermen are weird and intense about their hobby, nobody will give a gently caress unless you're hitting people with it. Then when you get home, put a 1/4 oz of weight onto the end of your line and try tossing it around - if it doesn't give you the power you want, you can take the never-seen-water gear back to the store right away, but always save your receipts in any case, and don't be afraid to return something if you aren't happy with it (except lures, everybody buys lovely lures they later realize they hate, that's just part of learning the difference between fishing and getting suckered by fancy packaging!) Spool the line yourself unless you're offered to have it done for free by the store - it's easy as gently caress (just put the spool label-toward-you and keep a finger on the line to maintain a little bit of tension as you reel it up). Wal-Mart sells generic spinning lures for like $1.25 each, so if you use them a lot, I'd recommend going in and buying those rather than $5 each rooster tails and panther martins et al, the fish won't notice the difference until you can, and color doesn't matter that much until you reach a certain level. edit: checking your post history ITT, I notice you got the kayak for catfishing, you ought to look up trotlines since you live in MD and they're legal there. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Jun 30, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2014 03:09
|
|
|
Oh god so much info. Phone posting, so just a few points/questions. I do understand the idea of leaders, but not why to use them. I have never lost more then an inch or so of line. If I snag, I just wrap the line around my knife handle and pull. Eight times out of ten the hook bends and I get my tackle back, one time I break the line at the first knot, and once I drag some huge branch or wad of tackle to shore. Like, I honestly dont understand why, when super strong line is available, you would want a breakaway leader? Even more confusing is that, in my reading about catfish fishing, I see recommended to use a leader heavier then the main line. There is so much fishing info out there but very little that explains the basic "whys" of things. Second, I may not have been clear. I want a slightly bigger reel for my current medium rod with brighter line to use for pier fishing and dragging bait on the bottom while I drift down river drinking a beer. I also want an ultralight rod to mate to my current reel and go with a lighter line. This rod would be for bluegill in ponds and amusing myself while the other rod is cast out with bait on it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2014 03:46
|
|
|
bunnielab posted:Even more confusing is that, in my reading about catfish fishing, I see recommended to use a leader heavier then the main line. Catfish tend to live on the bottom where there is a ton of stuff to snag and tear on your line. I tend to use heavy wire leaders due to fish with teeth everywhere and lots of oyster beds that will even shred braided line.
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2014 03:56
|
|
|
^^^ Yeah, toothy fish can really do a number on a leader, and if you do something like use a trotline, they might spend all night fighting against it along the bottom, rubbing the leader on rocks and poo poo while the main drag-line is basically stationary due to being tied-off and weighted.. This isn't as much to deal with the strength of the fish as the potential damage that can be caused to the line from a variety of sources.bunnielab posted:Oh god so much info. Phone posting, so just a few points/questions. Being in a kayak will definitely often provide you with the option of paddling over and being able to lay your hands onto the line and lure a lot of the time when you get hung up on brush and crap, but eventually you're going to snag a log or wing it thirty feet up and into a tree.. When that happens it's lovely (and environmentally irresponsible) to leave dozens of feet of line underwater or up in tree branches, so you use a lighter piece of short line and then just give it a hard tug and POP that piece snaps, and you've got the swivel and the rest of your line back. Have you ever seen someone fly-fishing, or seen a movie like A River Runs Through It, etc? You'll notice that fly-lines are really thick and brightly colored (they're actually weighted to assist in casting distance, since the fly lures themselves weigh next to nothing) and then there's a section of nearly-invisible monofilament line tied to that thick+colored line, and then to the fly.. This both makes it so the fish are less likely to spook because of your heavier and easier-to-spot line, and because when it breaks you are less likely to damage the main line and your rod itself.. Nicer fly leaders are actually tapered to make this effect even more pronounced!  Leaders also allow you to more effectively utilize many techniques, such as a Carolina Rig for instance, which pretty much requires two separate pieces of line. http://www.fishinfo.com/fishing-articles/article_512.shtml (You can potentially use a split-shot crimped on as a stopper, but that can also put a kink into your line and create a weak spot which will give out at an inopportune moment.) The important bit with using leaders is that it allows you to potentially tie weights and other expensive crap onto your main line (again, only potentially sacrificing a hook/lure and cheaper line) above a swivel, and then you can just clip whatever else you've got, directly onto the swivel. I personally have a few "blank" (I don't know what the real term might be) leaders laying around in my tackle box, which I specifically use for lures - I can clip a couple cheap+tiny split-shot onto the leader with a spacing of a couple inches apart (this greatly reduces tangling as the lure hits the water, believe me!) and then I have a second swivel at the end of the leader which I can use to swap out my lures yet still not worry about losing a ton of line. Especially if you're spooled with braid, a leader is a really smart and valuable thing to use, because braid is expensive and has some other technical issues as well once it snaps! It really is inevitably that you're going to hook up on something and break your line and lose a BIG chunk of it, and leaders make it much, much less likely that this occurs. Having a lighter-weight leader also shouldn't be adversely affecting the fish you hook and bring in anyway, because that is what loosening the reel drag is important for.  Finally and potentially most importantly if you care about animals and poo poo like that, the worst-case scenario from a naturalist standpoint, is that something BIG grabs your single-piece line, and takes off.. You try and bring it in and SNAP your line is gone because of some flaw or old nick/kink/etc, and then whatever big-rear end lunker of a fish that grabbed your lure and got away now has tens or scores of feet of line trailing out of a painful hook in their mouth - likely a fatal scenario which would end in killing a really nice and valuable fish which ought to be able to continue breathing and breeding when it gets caught on some piece of wood or garbage underwater.. If a fish snaps off the leader and takes off with a hook and just a couple feet of line hanging off his jaw or in his guts, they can potentially survive long enough for the hook to rust apart - even a gut-hooked fish will (supposedly) be able to survive if you clip off your line just at the edge of their mouth and then gently release them, their stomach enzymes (or something) will break down the hook - I'm a bit leery of how well this works but DFW says this, as well as most experienced anglers.quote:Second, I may not have been clear. I want a slightly bigger reel for my current medium rod with brighter line to use for pier fishing and dragging bait on the bottom while I drift down river drinking a beer. I also want an ultralight rod to mate to my current reel and go with a lighter line. This rod would be for bluegill in ponds and amusing myself while the other rod is cast out with bait on it. I use some bright yellow-green line on one of my reels for days when I am lazy and wearing sunglasses and just can't really see my own line above (not to mention under) the water however, you ought to keep in mind that whatever is easier for you to see, could potentially be easier for the fish to see as well and may spook them away. I don't think most of the monofilament colors are gonna scare off anything you're interested in fishing for but some people are way more intense about how important colors and line visibility are than others, in terms of how much they might scare off the fish. Finally, as you may have noticed, it's a pain in the rear end to tie braided line securely to a lure or hook - especially as they get smaller. Tying a piece of mono line to the front end of that braided line allows you to tie on your hooks and lures a ton more easily, even if you skip using a swivel (don't skip the swivel, they're just about the best fishing invention ever!) coyo7e fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Jun 30, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2014 05:37
|
|
|
coyo7e posted:Leaders are for when you snag something underwater or fifty feet out when you're bank-fishing however, they're invaluable when doing pretty much any style of fishing as they save time (and money over buying those pre-made hook+leader sets) and line. The main theory is that the line on your reel ought to be heavy enough to catch and fight anything that you plan on possibly biting with a bit of extra toughness just in case, and that when and if something goes wrong you only lose a couple feet of cheap+light line and whatever hook/lure you had.. You can bring in a 20 lb fish on a 2-lb test line if you do it right and tire them out enough but using a shorter piece of lighter line tied to your main spool of (slightly) heavier line is a lot smaller risk of losing your gear, and trust me one day you WILL break/cut a couple dozen feet of your line off and then realize "oh poo poo, I don't have enough to even cast the distance I need, until I re-spool!" Honestly I am mostly just lazy and would rather tie fewer knots. The longest bit of line I have ever lost was about 30' in a tree and I got it (and 2 crankbaits and a few floats) back my next trip with the assistance of a large snagging treble hook and some 5mm accessory cord. If the fish arn't biting I like to amuse myself by harvesting gear from trees with my grapple. Kinda lame, I know. coyo7e posted:Have you ever seen someone fly-fishing, or seen a movie like A River Runs Through It, etc? You'll notice that fly-lines are really thick and brightly colored (they're actually weighted to assist in casting distance, since the fly lures themselves weigh next to nothing) and then there's a section of nearly-invisible monofilament line tied to that thick+colored line, and then to the fly.. This both makes it so the fish are less likely to spook because of your heavier and easier-to-spot line, and because when it breaks you are less likely to damage the main line and your rod itself.. Nicer fly leaders are actually tapered to make this effect even more pronounced! Fly fishing seems like the most insane thing ever. It looks like I will get to spend a few weeks in CO this fall and am going to look into getting some lessons when I am there. coyo7e posted:Leaders also allow you to more effectively utilize many techniques, such as a Carolina Rig for instance, which pretty much requires two separate pieces of line. http://www.fishinfo.com/fishing-articles/article_512.shtml (You can potentially use a split-shot crimped on as a stopper, but that can also put a kink into your line and create a weak spot which will give out at an inopportune moment.) How do you keep them from getting snarled in your tackle box? I use pre-snelled bait holder hooks on one of those tree-looking wire leaders when I am pier fishing and the snells are forever getting tangled. coyo7e posted:Especially if you're spooled with braid, a leader is a really smart and valuable thing to use, because braid is expensive and has some other technical issues as well once it snaps! Hah, honestly, going from shooting to fishing, nothing seems expensive. Enough say 9mm ammo for an afternoon of shooting is like $80-100. coyo7e posted:Finally and potentially most importantly if you care about animals and poo poo like that, the worst-case scenario from a naturalist standpoint, is that something BIG grabs your single-piece line, and takes off.. You try and bring it in and SNAP your line is gone because of some flaw or old nick/kink/etc, and then whatever big-rear end lunker of a fish that grabbed your lure and got away now has tens or scores of feet of line trailing out of a painful hook in their mouth - likely a fatal scenario which would end in killing a really nice and valuable fish which ought to be able to continue breathing and breeding when it gets caught on some piece of wood or garbage underwater.. This is a pretty persuasive argument. I have only deep hooked a few fish and usually just kill them and take them home to eat unless they are super tiny, then I cut them up for bait. One of the old men I talked to said that if you see blood coming out the fish is generally done for but if not to do like you said and cut the line right at it's mouth. coyo7e posted:Ahh okay, that makes a ton of sense and is a very savvy idea. The main thing you ought to be interested in is the numbers on side of the reel spool itself, it'll say something like "5/400 10/320 20/250" etc, which (in this example) indicates that you can reasonably hold 400 yards of 5-lb test, or 320 yards of 10-lb test, etc. Yeah, my current small reel is rated "200/6 (0.22), 160/8 (0.25), 110/10 (0.30)" so I think it will be fine as I was planning on using around a 6lb mono or equivalently thick braid on it when I get the ULW rod. For sake of argument, lets say I go with the same make of reel when I upsize, would "380/10 (0.30), 340/12 (0.32), 240/15 (0.37)" be reasonable or should I bump a bit smaller or larger? The main piers I will be fishing at are super congested with snags and old tackle and I do really enjoy pulling stuff out. I think I will never need to buy pyramid sinkers if I keep pulling them up at the current rate. coyo7e posted:I use some bright yellow-green line on one of my reels for days when I am lazy and wearing sunglasses and just can't really see my own line above (not to mention under) the water however, you ought to keep in mind that whatever is easier for you to see, could potentially be easier for the fish to see as well and may spook them away. I don't think most of the monofilament colors are gonna scare off anything you're interested in fishing for but some people are way more intense about how important colors and line visibility are than others, in terms of how much they might scare off the fish. Noted, but most of the rivers around here are very stained most of the time and bright line seems to be what most of the old guys who seem to live on the pier use. coyo7e posted:Finally, as you may have noticed, it's a pain in the rear end to tie braided line securely to a lure or hook - especially as they get smaller. Tying a piece of mono line to the front end of that braided line allows you to tie on your hooks and lures a ton more easily, even if you skip using a swivel (don't skip the swivel, they're just about the best fishing invention ever!) I do disagree with this, I find braid a ton easier to tie than mono. It feels in the hand more like rope, which I have a ton of experience tying knots in. Every time at work when we had to use mono for something it would give me fits trying to tie it. Ok, so, you have convinced me to give leaders a try. Is there a specific type to look for or just get whatever brand that is a few pounds lighter then my main line? Second question, how much will I have to spend to get a decent 2-piece rod?
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2014 18:10
|
|
|
bunnielab posted:
Leader info aside(sometimes leaders are invaluable and sometimes they just aren't valuable), I would give you this advice about line choice. I would actually give the opposite advice of coyo7e, I would try to use the lightest line possible for your application. Check out which lures you are using, and use a line that fits those well. Are you using a tiny little panfish jig/fly? 4 lb test will be MORE than enough. When I'm ice fishing (where there is no casting involved), I'll often use 3 or even 2 lb. test for panfish, and have successfully landed ~3lb bass/northern on those rigs. Sure, maybe you'll run into a big bass or a toothy northern pike every once in awhile, but you still stand a fighting chance at those fish and using lighter line, you will catch more of your target(sunfish/perch) than you would with 10lb or something like that. If I go panfishing for a day and catch 50 sunfish/crappie/perch, 2 bass and 1 northern, I'd much rather use a rod/reel/line combo that makes catching those 50 sunfish/crappie/perch more enjoyable. Using lighter line will make you better at fighting/playing larger fish as well, you will no longer be able to just horse the fish in because your gear completely outclasses them. This is all advice for the freshwater fishing you are describing, surf/salt water fishing probably plays by completely different rules. Get yourself a nice 6' ultra-lite rod, a 500 series reel(shimano sienna is a great cheap option/shimano sedona or Tica Cetus for a slightly more expensive option), some 4 lb monofilament line, a pack of these: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cubb...03003531&rid=40 Throw a slip bobber on your line, a tiny piece of red worm on the hook and you will have a blast catching even 6-7" sunfish. When you get a nice bass on the other end of the line you will never go back to using a heavier rod/line for panfish.
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2014 20:50
|
|
|
Wow that was a serious  post!A couple things I want to clear up because I believe you are mixing up facts a bit. 1) In 99% of fishing, you want your leader to be stronger than your running line. This is because you need abrasion resistance to protect against the fish's teeth, gills, body, etc. Also to protect against them rubbing that line against structure. You want the part of the line in contact with the fist to be the strongest. 2) The exception to the above, as you already mentioned, is fly fishing. In fly fishing you want the leader to be the weakpoint, because if your fly line breaks you are out $80. For spinning or conventional gear, mono and braid are pretty cheap (less than $30, as cheap as $5 to spool up). Having a soft tippet also protects your fly rod, which are typically wimpier than spinning or conventional gear designed for the same size fish. 3) As far as losing your running line (mono or braid), that is usually not a worry. The weakest point and thus the most likely to break is always going to be a knot. Example: braid with breaking strenght of 15 lbs and 30 lb fluorocarbon leader. The weak point would be braid to fluoro knot. This knot will be weaker than the original 15 lb strength of the braid. Knots ALWAYS make the line weaker than no knot. The above scenario is a common inshore rig of mine and in the few instances of breakoffs, I always get all of my braid back, minus the 3 feet of fluorocarbon leader. I've never had a breakoff occur randomly down my running line except in 1 case where I'm sure the line was defective, it was an extremely thin 10 pound braid and you could feel the line get thinner near where it broke off. Another example: Say you are using 10 pound mono line, you don't really have to use a leader as 10 lb mono is hard to see underwater. If you do use a leader, it should be a stronger leader, for the reasons I mentioned above. As far as trying to save the fish by ensuring a breakoff results in the minimum line being dragged around by the fish, it would seem a weak leader would ensure they don't end up pulling 50 yards of line, but conversely you are greatly increasing the odds of a fish breaking off in the first place, and thus increasing the chances of them swimming off with a hook and some line. You should not be breaking off very often when fishing, unless you are hooking the bottom and losing your rig. As coyo7e stated, you can catch pretty big fish on really light line. The key is to make sure your drag is set right. It should be tight enough to set the hook (although you will probably hear some line pulling out when you set the hook) but loose enough that there is a cushion for the fish to run without breaking the line. Also hold the rod at a 45* angle and fight the fish with the butt of the rod and the reel, don't high stick or hold the rod straight up as that places undue stress on the rod, and don't point the rod straight at the fish because that will place all the force on the line itself. tl;dr you don't need to create weakness in your line via a light leader because your leader to lure knot or your leader to mainline knot are already your weakest links in your connection, so you should already be breaking off at or near the end of your line. Oh yea, as far as swivels, keep terminal tackle to a minimum. The only metal in my setup is the hook . Albright knots connect two different sized lines, uni to uni or blood knots connect similarly sized lines. Canoe man's loop knots for the terminal tackle (hook/lure).
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2014 21:27
|
|
|
More leader chat: In my area, the Maumee River, most guys are using leaders weaker than the main line during Walleye season. It is very easy to get snagged in the river, and when you do it is a simple case of pull until the leader breaks. Put a new one on that is already tied, off you go again. They do not worry about abrasion damage, chances are you are just going to put a new one on in a few casts anyways. It makes the bottom of the river a mess, but most guys don't seem to care  Anywhere else, leader is stronger if I have one on. Know your area!
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2014 02:27
|
|
|
I've never lost a fish due to the leader breaking (except fly-fishing and I'm admittedly Bad At Fly Fishing), although I've lost plenty due to bad knots. I guess I've never done "99% of fishing" because I've never had a bass/trout/bluegill/crappie/catfish cut my line. Dude who posted with questions is fishing for bluegill, not pike. I would also personally prefer to lose a fish than risk losing a fuckload of line and possibly killing a fish on top of that. Of course, I'm not fishing for gar or sharks, etc, and I use wire leaders when the circumstances need them. Tying mono requires you to wet the knot before pulling it tight. That's the thing you might be doing wrong. Also, test your knot once it's done, you'll be able to quickly tell if it's going to slip. I am fond of shakespeare ultralight rods, they're dirt cheap and will give you a ton of fun. Fly-fishing is a blast, every fish feels huuuuuge when they bite. It's like hooking a steelhead and holding your rod straight vertical and watching the tip still bend over 180 degrees. Then you pull a 9" cutthroat out of the water and it's like "d'aww!"  I don't have a huge tangle of crap in my tackle box, because as I mentioned, I use my old packages from weights and lures and stuff, and then put one (or two if there's a cardboard divider) leader into each. They roll up small so you can fit a half-dozen of them into a small corner of your kit. You can also buy tiny ziploc baggies like the kind you buy dime-bags of weed in. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Jul 1, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2014 03:29
|
|
|
I have been looking for a cheap kayak and this is about the best thing I can find. Anyone have any suggestions for a sub-$500 starter? Click
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2014 21:15
|
|
|
The kayak dealer I bought my X-Factor off of said that if he had to do it all over again he'd go with the Malibu mini-x Granted it's about $100 more than your budget, and $200 more than boat you linked, but it might be worth checking out. The advantages I cans see with the mini-x is there are hatches, you can use a real kayak seat, and I'm pretty sure the circular thing in the rear storage area is the same size as the bottom of a 5 gal bucket, so you could lash a bucket down without it sliding around. FPS_bill's late night adventures in jitterbugging: We've had a really lovely summer so far, lots of rain, not a lot of hot weather, cold water, you name it really. So for the last few weeks it has actually been like summer should be, hot weather, no rain, warm water, the river went down to where it should be and cleared up. Right on, time to throw on a headlamp, bust out the river shoes, and tie on a jitterbug! I got a call from my buddy around midnight the other night asking if I wanted to hit the river when he gets home form work. Who am I to say no especially since I'm on medical leave and didn't have work the next morning. So I throw my fishing poo poo in the jeep, meet him at Sheetz, and follow him to his house. Get to the river and it's not bad, warm, fog was rolling in, but the stars were still kind of visible. Started fishing caught a few little guys who were about the size of the lure, moved up stream a little bit and wham got a pretty good hit, set the hook, got the fish about 10 feet from me and he spit the lure. Reeled the lure in as fast as I could to get it back out, as soon as it hit the water boom another nice fish hit. Managed to get this one in and was pretty happy, measured about 16". Fished till about 3:30 neither of us caught anything else. The fog rolled in pretty heavy and blocked out the stars, guess it was too dark for the fish to see what was going on?  Then a few nights later I hit the river again. Late dusk right after the sun went down. Right away I hooked into something nice but lost it 3 feet from the river bank. Maybe an hour later I hooked into another fish that I could tell was pretty nice just by how it fought, made the drag sing when it made a run. This one measured 17 1/4" but for some reason I thought it was way bigger than the 16"er from the other night. Didn't catch anything else though.  On a somewhat related note you'd be amazed at the little bastards that will hit a lure. I was catching rockbass barely bigger than the jitterbug I was using.
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2014 22:56
|
|
|
Yeah, bass are extremely territorial and will attack just about anything that they think is big enough to bite back.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2014 17:57
|
|
|
It's been a few months since the last road-trip fishing trip, each year we try to get up to Shark Bay in Western Australia. The actual town of Denham is about 840kms (~515 miles) north of Perth, WA's capital city, easy enough to do in a day even though we break it up in the middle to keep the driving cruisy. It wasn't the best fishing haul but always an amazing trip. Shark Bay is the area below and includes the popular tourist stop off of Monkey Mia  Day 1 - Road Trip Towing boats keeps the going slow, limited to 100km/h in WA when towing. This year we hired a big rear end house in Denham that sleeps 12 comfortably, we arrived in mid afternoon.  Middle of somewhere on the drive north Day 2 - An inauspicious start We got out early on the first day of fishing even though the forecast was shithouse. The plan almost every day was to head out to the western side of Dirk Hartog Island just north of Steep Point. We didn't last long out there before a howling breeze whipped up the sea state. In the end we got a few undersize pink snapper and emperors, nothing to keep.  Still full of motivation we headed down the jetty in Denham that night around 9:00pm. In the past we'd seen a heap of stingrays and sea snakes come in due to the lighting around the jetty and we thought we were a chance to catch some squid.  We managed a bucket of squid and possible the smallest Pink Snapper I've ever seen, that's a normal size set of nail clippers there.  Day 3 - 4wding Day Wind kept up all night and well into day 3, we cut it loose and went 4wding. Ended up kayaking, crabbing and generally bumming around on the beach, the views all around Francois Peron National Park are awesome. Tough life.  The view from Skipjack Point looking North West  Our day on the beach in Herald Bight Day 4 - Now we're talking Day 4 starts with forgotten boat keys, spare keys are the best. Also looked like it was going to be a pretty lovely day, so we decided to stay on the Eastern side of Dirk Hartog and see what we could get.  rCloudy with a chance of greatness First hookup of the day felt alot like the bottom, a ragey swimmy bottom. The missus powered on for about half an hour trying to bring the bastard up and the best we got was a dodgy photo. Ended up being a Lemon Shark and since then I've been told numerous times to keep the motor running and use the sharks natural lift to coax it up.  Bent rod  Lemon Sharky We tried to beat the weather then and head around to Steep Point. The below video was our ride out and it was majestic. Once we turned the bottom corner of Dirk Hartog though the full brunt of the wind hit our little boat and we turned back to the first spot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggwqRZm2K1E After we got back we fished around a bit before finally having a good hook up. Pulled in a very nice Black Snapper or Grass Emperor. Was worth the wait, very underrated fish and was a great dinner that night.  [/url]Black Snappery Next we hooked up a nice little reef shark. The aftermath of its struggles took a while to clean up, poor thing death rolled itself and ended up with reams of line embedded in its head. Also it was pregnant, not ideal but we couldn't tell until after we gutted it. Tasted so delicious.  Day 4 ended trying to avoid feeding the lone dolphin who found us. They're extremely smart in that they wont take any dead fish, such as bait, but return a live little snapper and it's goodnight & cya!  Day 5 - Let's do some gentlemen fishing! ElZilcho fucked around with this message at 13:47 on Jul 8, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 13:45
|
|
|
Excellent trip report ElZilcho! The scenary looks beautiful out there but I gotta admit I'd be worried about crocs out there. Do they inhabit areas that far west and south? I know they are all over the tidal areas of the northern territory and even along the beaches. Basically I would never get within 10 feet of shore of any body of water in northern Australia, and this is coming from a guy who regularly wades through similar environments in Florida where we have obviously have gators.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 15:30
|
|
|
Recreational fishing time has been displaced by professional fishing time for me lately. Here's a mini fieldwork trip report. I've been leading a sampling crew with the purpose of studying/removing invasive Northern Pike and White Sucker and monitoring native Colorado Pikeminnow, Flannelmouth Sucker, and Bluehead Sucker populations in western Colorado. The White Suckers hybridize with native suckers and generally gently caress up the genetics, since they produce viable offspring. We run fyke and trammel nets, which catch the poo poo out of fish. Here's a gravid female pike shortly before being whacked with a shovel and buried.  My first Colorado Pikeminnow  Not my first Flannelmouth Sucker, but still a very cool fish.  Sorting through millions of daphnia for larval fish in a light trap.  Constantly catching beavers. Constantly repairing nets.  Science.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 18:47
|
|
|
I live in a bayou and right by grand isle so I have good fishing spots (100 yard walk with the kayak to the bayou). Is it ok to start fishing with a cheap zebco 33 and 10 lb line or do i need something better? I haven't done much besides fish in my uncles tank with crappie and some smaller bass. Also what is the difference in reels? I just know my zebco 33's but there are like 3 different types now? Thanks
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 00:18
|
|
|
Recently I've been doing a lot of fishing in a river around here (Wabash) and there's just tons of silver carp. Ended up catching this guy a couple days ago. Tried to filet it up but didn't end up getting much meat due to all the bones. Wondering if any of you guys know a good way to filet a silver carp?
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 18:34
|
|
|
So, I'm a fishin' newbie and some friends and I are going to attempt to catch some fishes this weekend. As usual I am the only one who tries to learn about what I'm doing before I go, so here I am asking you fine people for advice! According to ~the internet~ in the location we're planning to go to we can expect: smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, carp and panfish in the early summer, and potentially some wandering brown trout (but they apparently don't usually show until late summer). I'm looking at this as a starter rod. Any thoughts? I'll pick up some new line as well, but as to lures/hooks/bait/whateverthefuck I have no idea what I should be looking for. All fishing will take place in southeastern Ontario. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 18:55
|
|
|
AllTerrineVehicle posted:So, I'm a fishin' newbie and some friends and I are going to attempt to catch some fishes this weekend. As usual I am the only one who tries to learn about what I'm doing before I go, so here I am asking you fine people for advice! You can get by with one rod for all those fish, but it probably makes more sense to have a rod for the bass/carp and a rod for the panfish. I would say those Bass pro shop rods will be just fine, for an all-around rod the 6'6" Medium action rod would get you by. It will probably not be super exciting catching small panfish with it, but it should handle the bass/carp well. The length will give you decent casting distance and it should be sturdy enough for you to throw some medium sized crank baits as well as some more finesse presentations. Bass love worms, smallmouth and largemouth absolutely love them. Nowadays there are a million soft plastic worms/grubs that are deadly on bass. If I were to suggest a starting kit for bass, I would go to a fishing shop and chat up some of the employees, ask them what their favorite plastics are, they should be able to help you out. I personally am a big fan of the Yamamoto Senko worms. I would start with worm-shaped plastics though, they are the most common and I think the easiest to use. I know there's probably a place for crawdad shaped soft plastics, but I've had pretty good luck on worms and it's easier to find rigging info/tips for them IMO. http://www.basspro.com/Gary-Yamamoto-Senko-5/product/58909/ I usually grab one bag of a bright color, and one more natural/darker color with some sparklies. Look up online how to 'texas rig' and 'wacky rig' those baits, or ask a fishing shop employee, they should know how. You'll have to buy a bit of terminal tackle as well for those, stuff like hooks/weights. They are both pretty basic presentations and both very effective though. I would also pick up a couple crank baits to try, bass like crank baits too. It's tough to argue with a Rapala Shad Rap, I like the Deep Runner, sizes 5 and 7. The sizes refer to the length of the lure(in cm) I believe. http://www.basspro.com/Rapala-Shad-Rap-Hardbaits-SR07/product/285107/ My favorite colors are silver fluorescent chartreuse(especially in stained/dirty water), purple descent and blue. Otherwise there's a slew of bass crank baits out there, Bomber model "A", Bandit 200/300 series, etc. I've always had luck with Rapalas so I have a lot of those.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 19:36
|
|
|
AllTerrineVehicle posted:So, I'm a fishin' newbie and some friends and I are going to attempt to catch some fishes this weekend. As usual I am the only one who tries to learn about what I'm doing before I go, so here I am asking you fine people for advice! There's fantastic fishing in Ontario. I'll be doing backcountry in the Kawarthas this weekend - some of the best bass fishing in the province. Happy fishing!
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 21:29
|
|
|
Thanks for the words doctafun! Probably gonna grab the stuff tonight or tomorrow.Bangkero posted:sup fellow Ontario goon. Good advice from DoctaFun. I use a 6'6" medium-light rod with 6lb mono. For canoe trips I use a 6' medium rod with 6lb mono. Size 3 or 4 spinners are fantastic to use around here - mepps (aglia and black fury are my two favs) and blue foxes are guaranteed to catch you perch, pike, LM/SM bass, walleye, trout (use size 2 or 1)...you name it. Live bait nightcrawlers are also great to use. I understood like 25% of this before furious googling  Glad to know there's somebody I can bother for more specific advice though :P I'll be fishing off the shore at Ashbridge's bay in the GTA because I don't have a car to drive anywhere, but I hear it's surprisingly good there.Bangkero posted:I'll be doing backcountry in the Kawarthas this weekend Nice! I'm hoping to make my bones in the next few weeks and do some fishing up in the Muskoka area on the upcoming long weekend. Gives me a handy excuse to be a bit antisocial edit: also, bobber/float: when do I use them? AllTerrineVehicle fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jul 9, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 21:58
|
|
|
Brain Issues posted:Recently I've been doing a lot of fishing in a river around here (Wabash) and there's just tons of silver carp. Ended up catching this guy a couple days ago. I have never had much luck with filleting such a bony fish like carp, the only way I have had carp is left whole and gutted and just smoked. Then you can more or less meal the meat right off of the bone without too much issue.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 23:16
|
|
|
Go find a Chinese grocery store that carries fresh fish and ask their fishmonger. Silver carp are a big food item in Asia and somebody who cuts fish all day should be able to help you out.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 02:28
|
|
|
AllTerrineVehicle posted:Thanks for the words doctafun! Probably gonna grab the stuff tonight or tomorrow. If you have the time, go up to Basspro Shop in Vaughan Mills and spend the afternoon there. The better prices vs. CT are worth it. I've only used floaters/bobbers when using live bait such as nightcrawlers and/or when I want to regulate what depth to present the bait.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 04:31
|
|
|
Hello goonfriends. I grew up fishing but stopped around my early twenties. I recently hit thirty and wouldn't mind busting out the old tackle box again. But one thing has bugged me forever. What the loving hell is the difference between the different kind of reels?! I didn't see it mentioned in the OP and would like some goon wisdom here. I think I started fishing when I was seven or younger. I always just used whatever reel I could get my hands on. I've never used one of those...err...exposed line reels before. Can someone help learn my reely dumb rear end? (You see what I did there. I'm not a Dad but I made a fine Dad joke.)
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 08:32
|
|
|
tesilential posted:The scenary looks beautiful out there but I gotta admit I'd be worried about crocs out there. Do they inhabit areas that far west and south? I know they are all over the tidal areas of the northern territory and even along the beaches. Basically I would never get within 10 feet of shore of any body of water in northern Australia, and this is coming from a guy who regularly wades through similar environments in Florida where we have obviously have gators. Nah no crocs that far south. Crocs don't start appearing until around Broome which is another ~1000 miles by road north. Lots and lots of sharks, Shark Bay really is an appropriate name. Splash is a spare fish we had, there is a big rear end Tiger Shark behind it. We saw it coming back from Dirk Hartog to Denham on our trip last year.  Inquisitive fella came right up to the boat, wish I had my GoPro on a broomstick that day! 
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 10:40
|
|
|
Captain Log posted:Hello goonfriends. Depends what type of fishing you are doing. Majority of mine is boat fishing and we use a combination of overhead reels and spinning reels. Overhead Reels - Good for trawling a lure with a nice lever drag that lets you easy adjust on the fly to tighten or loosen the drag. Also used for bottom bouncing where we pick our big fish up, basically sending a bait down with a big sinker and drifting over reefy/rocky areas where fish congregate. Trawling is better because the line comes off inline as opposed to at right angles, as with a spinning reel, but for bottom boucing it doesn't reely matter that much. I've got one of these bad boys, the lever drag is the blue paddle thingo;  Spinning Reels - Good for casting a bait out. I don't think I've ever cast using my overhead. Good versatile all rounder that will catch almost anything. We use them alot for casting out squid jigs and getting the littler fish. Great for jetty and beach fishing. Typical spinning reel  Baitcaster - Great for putting a bait exactly where you want it. Used a lot in river fishing, I want to get one and target Black Bream this winter. Usually a lot smaller than overheads or spinning reels and gives you more precise control when casting and retrieving lures. Typical baitcaster;  A choice in reel really depends what you are fishing for and how.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 10:56
|
|
|
Hi fishing thread, Found this thread looking for fishing advice for newbies and you guys delivered! I used to fish a lot of I was younger but then totally stop until now. We rented a log cabin for the week that is overlooking a small lake that has trout in it. When the owners told me that we could fish here, I went to get some 40$ rod/reel combo at the store and just hit the lake with standard live worm a hook with a bobber. Nothing special really. Getting in the lake just felt relaxing and fun. Hopefully I will be able to go back fishing when I get back home in Montreal. I do not know if anyone in this thread lives near Montreal, if so, where are you fishing in the region? Is Lac St-Louis a good place to start?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 13:02
|
|
|
To add to Else Zilcho's reel post, baitcasters have a huge learning curve, are fairly unforgiving, and are really lovely until you get into the $75-100 and up range. But, they are also basically a winch, so if you are looking to get bass or catfish out of thick cover or structure, they are the way to go. Ive been trying for a year and still suck at casting mine, but it works great for dropping bait to the bottom off of a pier or out of a canoe or kayak. I think someone else mentioned it in the thread but I have been using my light weight setup lately and it has been super fun. When you are using a 5'6" rod with a tiny spinning reel and four pound test, even bluegills feel huge. It's probably not a good long term all purpose set up, but something very light makes pond fishing more fun. I caught a snapping turtle this weekend ( who are just loving filled with hate by the way. I'm really glad I had my needle nose pliers with me to get the hook out) on it and you would have thought I had a whale.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 13:26
|
|
|
I'm in key largo for the week and I'm aiming to do some pier fishing. What do you guys recommend to rig?
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 00:34
|
|
|
ElZilcho posted:it doesn't reely matter that much 
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 03:05
|
|
|
Almost all bass fisherman use baitcasters. Once you learn, it's like riding a bike. A baitcasting reel can generally cast a lot further than a spincast or close faced reel which is nice if you're throwing crankbaits. You want to be able to cover as much water as possible. I have an ultralight spincast that I use for crappie and panfish and a baitcaster setup for bass. I think you'll find this to be pretty typical.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 06:47
|
|
|
leekster posted:I'm in key largo for the week and I'm aiming to do some pier fishing. What do you guys recommend to rig? http://www.floridasportsman.com/2012/03/27/features_0902_snapper_fishing_florida_keys_bridges/ Scrapez posted:Almost all bass fisherman use baitcasters. Once you learn, it's like riding a bike. There is much debate about which type ultimately casts further from what ive seen. Ive done tests and similar setups end up casting equal distances. The only real considerations ive ever been able to find for which one to choose are line size and personal preference. Spinners cast sub 12lb line better, baitcasters the inverse. Everything else is what you like. Spinners also have the huge benefit of not birdnesting. A lot of the baitcaster presence in the bass fishing world comes from cargo cult like following of the pros. Despite that I use and prefer a baitcaster for all bass fishing. Its more fun and satisfying to me to use one. I also like that I dont have to flip the drat bail. But I would prefer a cheap spinner over a cheap baitcaster any day of the week. IM FROM THE FUTURE fucked around with this message at 21:09 on Jul 11, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 20:47
|
|
|
I use a spincast reel because I'm a bad fisherman and even a spinner reel bird's nests too much for me. also I'm cheap
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 21:56
|
|
|
My friend just asked me to go fishing so I bought a license and dropped $100 on gear. We used to go just about every day from age 10 to 15, and its been about 15 years since we did. So long money, hello fish?
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 22:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 19:56 |
|
|
FogHelmut posted:My friend just asked me to go fishing so I bought a license and dropped $100 on gear. We used to go just about every day from age 10 to 15, and its been about 15 years since we did. So long money, hello fish? You mean hello fish, hello money. You can sell those fishes for much monies. Just get a cooler, a hand painted sign and park that pickup at the nearest four way stop. The money will roll right in.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 22:44
|
|