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I feel like I'm back to basics this year. Last year I would go out and have no problems throwing a big piece of plastic with a big ol' 3/4 skirted Jig head for hours at a time. I've lost pretty much all of my confidence. I went out fishing for Muskie and Saugeye (Odd combination, I know, but I fish a very shallow river with a large pool under a larger roller dam that gets to about 5-6 ft constant depth for about 20 feet) and had bait fish activity EVERYWHERE. I threw everything I could from jerks, small cranks, large cranks, giant double jointed muskie lures, 2 oz rooster tails, plastic craws, swim baits and even attempted to match the forage. I caught nothing, even though I could clearly spot the muskie, saugeye and smallies feeding. Was a very depressing morning, but I come back to one thing; my lack of fishing this year has busted my confidence in a terrible way. I'm considering going back to basics this morning, waking up the wife, picking up 2 dozen minnows and hitting the saugeye in that spot for an hour or so.
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Sep 27, 2015 11:24
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| # ? Jun 3, 2024 05:42 |
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I live near Lake Meredith in the Texas panhandle. The lake has basically gone dry for several years, but over the past two years the lake has finally risen enough to be usable. They've only stocked feeder fish this year, with plans to stock game fish next year, both fingerlings and some full-size fish, but I'm having a field day taking my nephews out to the lake and catching whatever is left in the lake - mostly carp and perch, and a few small largemouth. Hopefully next year we'll be able to catch crappie and walleye out of the lake again. The two little towns on the lake - Fritch and Sanford - used to have a ton of stuff like boat rentals, bait shops, marinas, etc. All that went away when the lake dried up. One guy has reopened one of the bait shops, and I absolutely adore his little store and his knowledge of lure fishing. I've spend hundreds of dollars there on tackle so far this summer. But he's having a hard time of things, because the crowds haven't returned to the lake yet. I seriously want to see him stay in business. He keeps plenty of bait on hand, and he's got beer and ice, and a ton of tackle at reasonable prices. So my question, what do you want to see in a successful bait shop selling to both serious fishers and the casual boat-and-beach crowd? I've been a part of management for a convenience store, so I've got a good idea of what the general consumer wants in a small store, but I've never worked in a store near a lake. What else could he sell that would help him stay in business and make money?
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Sep 27, 2015 19:41
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rndmnmbr posted:I live near Lake Meredith in the Texas panhandle. The lake has basically gone dry for several years, but over the past two years the lake has finally risen enough to be usable. They've only stocked feeder fish this year, with plans to stock game fish next year, both fingerlings and some full-size fish, but I'm having a field day taking my nephews out to the lake and catching whatever is left in the lake - mostly carp and perch, and a few small largemouth. Hopefully next year we'll be able to catch crappie and walleye out of the lake again. Weed, beer and porn. Honestly though good luck. I'd say minimize the stock to the basics and have a sterling bathroom for customers. That alone is a huge draw.
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Sep 27, 2015 21:07
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rndmnmbr posted:So my question, what do you want to see in a successful bait shop selling to both serious fishers and the casual boat-and-beach crowd? I've been a part of management for a convenience store, so I've got a good idea of what the general consumer wants in a small store, but I've never worked in a store near a lake. What else could he sell that would help him stay in business and make money? I always like it when a bait shop also has a shelf for clip-on sunglasses, towels/shammies, sunscreen, bug stuff, chap stick, and other things my idiot self forgets to bring or has gone off. Oh, and those re-usable shopping totes, those are always great. I don't mind paying an extra dollar or two either over the box-store prices either for my idiocy. Beer, sodas, mints, candy, salty snacks. edit: Insulated bags. Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Sep 27, 2015 |
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Sep 27, 2015 22:08
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bunnielab posted:
As mentioned, PVC is pretty good and cheap. Doesn't need to be fancy, a straight length of pipe is fine without any additions. Just make sure you get it down deep enough or the weight of your rod might tip it over (I've had a couple of reels get a dunking from this). I push the pipe in as far as it will go, then take it out and shake the plug of sand out of it, then push it further into the hole. Do this a couple of times and you'll have a nice, secure rod holder. Mine are about 1m long, I get them in about 40cm deep which leaves your reels high and dry if a set of big waves comes in. They work with both threadline and overhead reels, and can be used on rock if there are crevices to jam them into. I can tape up to 4 pipes together and strap them to my tackle bag if it is a long walk in.
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Sep 28, 2015 11:37
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Yea, I have a rod holder, but the way I fish this park is to wade out to my knees and walk up the shore line, casting and retrieving as I go. There are a couple of good spots (a steep drop off, a tidal pool inlet, sections of rip-rap) that are spread out over a few hundred yards. Usually I just catch perch so it is simple to stick the rod under my arm and unhook them, but the stripers are way to feisty for that.
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Sep 28, 2015 15:09
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Landing fish while wading is hard. I fight then until they lose most of their spunk, then tuck the rod under my arm while I grab the leader. Then I try to get a grip on the fish with my free hand. Depending on the species I will either get a lip grip and remove the hook or for toothy fish I try to grab them just behind the gills to hold them in place. It looks awkward and for big fish usually takes multiple attempts, but that's the price we pay wading. Usually I am in water around waist deep and am a 1/2 mile or more from land so I don't have the option to go to shore. If I was within 50 yards of the beach I would just walk them back and deal with it there.
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Sep 28, 2015 15:24
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bunnielab posted:Yea, I have a rod holder, but the way I fish this park is to wade out to my knees and walk up the shore line, casting and retrieving as I go. There are a couple of good spots (a steep drop off, a tidal pool inlet, sections of rip-rap) that are spread out over a few hundred yards. Usually I just catch perch so it is simple to stick the rod under my arm and unhook them, but the stripers are way to feisty for that.
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Sep 28, 2015 17:16
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What are you supposed to do with your rod when the fish jumps out of the water while hooked? I was bringing in a Rainbow trout this Sunday (would have been my second of the day). It jumped a good 2-3 feet out of the water while I was bringing it in. I pulled way up on my rod and when it landed back in the water it wasn't hooked any more  Did I do something wrong, or was it just unlucky?
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Sep 28, 2015 17:27
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Marshmallow Blue posted:What are you supposed to do with your rod when the fish jumps out of the water while hooked? I was bringing in a Rainbow trout this Sunday (would have been my second of the day). It jumped a good 2-3 feet out of the water while I was bringing it in. I pulled way up on my rod and when it landed back in the water it wasn't hooked any more I drop the tip. Try to maintain line tension otherwise the fish can shake out the hook. Where I live, hooks can't be barbed, so managing line tension is huge.
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Sep 28, 2015 17:32
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That's what jumping does? Working as intended. Subconscious the fish is creating slack you don't have time to take in and coming down with enough force to knock it out.
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Sep 28, 2015 17:32
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LingcodKilla posted:That's what jumping does? Working as intended. Subconscious the fish is creating slack you don't have time to take in and coming down with enough force to knock it out. drat, I guess 10lb test won't solve all my problems lol. I couldn't believe how high that fish jumped. It was a fun day at the river regardless. The most frustrating but beautiful thing was the river being crystal clear and i could see the assholes just watching my lure go by most of the time. I'd cast beyond them, reel it in nice and slow, and every fish in the school would just turn and watch it go by. And I know it's a good lure cause it's landed 5 rainbows (and lost 2 other hooked ones). They must be catching on to me.
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Sep 28, 2015 17:45
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Marshmallow Blue posted:drat, I guess 10lb test won't solve all my problems lol. I couldn't believe how high that fish jumped. It was a fun day at the river regardless. The most frustrating but beautiful thing was the river being crystal clear and i could see the assholes just watching my lure go by most of the time. I'd cast beyond them, reel it in nice and slow, and every fish in the school would just turn and watch it go by. And I know it's a good lure cause it's landed 5 rainbows (and lost 2 other hooked ones). They must be catching on to me. Try letting it fall to the bottom then twitch it up. Constant speed retrieve may not be triggering the feeding/annoyed instinct.
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Sep 28, 2015 18:11
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LingcodKilla posted:Try letting it fall to the bottom then twitch it up. Constant speed retrieve may not be triggering the feeding/annoyed instinct. Do spinner blades have to be spinning to be effective?
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Sep 28, 2015 18:13
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^^^ Yes. They cause vibration. If it's not spinning because it's tangled on itself or because you've got weeds on it or because you're not retrieving fast enough for the blade type.Marshmallow Blue posted:drat, I guess 10lb test won't solve all my problems lol. I couldn't believe how high that fish jumped. It was a fun day at the river regardless. The most frustrating but beautiful thing was the river being crystal clear and i could see the assholes just watching my lure go by most of the time. I'd cast beyond them, reel it in nice and slow, and every fish in the school would just turn and watch it go by. And I know it's a good lure cause it's landed 5 rainbows (and lost 2 other hooked ones). They must be catching on to me. Why were you so careful to retrieve slowly? When one style of retrieve isn't working, change it up. Try fast, try dropping and retrieving and then letting it drop again a few times. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 18:18 on Sep 28, 2015 |
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Sep 28, 2015 18:15
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coyo7e posted:^^^ Yes. They cause vibration. If it's not spinning because it's tangled on itself or because you've got weeds on it or because you're not retrieving fast enough for the blade type. It's a Colorado style blade if that changes anything. The box said "Built for ultra slow retrieve". It does still spin for faster retrieves though. I think I was just in my own head mostly. How do I go about cleaning that lure by the way, It's not always spinning unless I shake the line a couple times after it goes in the water. I'm guessing its got some gunk lagging it up somewhere.
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Sep 28, 2015 18:21
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coyo7e posted:I've repeatedly been told by people who catch shitloads of perch - if you're up to your knees, there are fish behind you. I wear rubber boots to keep the surf from getting me wet, not to wade. Standing knee-deep is a great way to end up 50 yards out to sea without realizing what happened, I've seen it happen. I wade out, then turn around and cast almost parallel to shore so the lure passes infront of the fish sitting facing the shoreline. It works very well in places where the bottom is level enough to wade 20-30' from the riprap. The places I perch fish are tidal rivers and smaller creeks that feed them, so there isnt much wave action going on. The specific spot I was at when I caught the striper is like 10 min from my house, so I go there all the time when I am too lazy to drive further or drag my kayak out somewhere. I think I am going to buy a hammer holder and try to rig up a belt mounted rod holder.
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Sep 28, 2015 19:27
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I'm sure you've got better condition than me for perch because I've never caught an ever-loving thing, but I have seen a few people hit by sneaker waves and even dove in and pulled my cousin out once when he got hit in the back of the knees at maybe thigh depth (he was the stupid city slicker cousin, though.) There are too many stories I've heard on the coast where I go, in the last couple years, about "yeah there was an abandoned car and some fishing gear on the rocks over there and it took a week to find the bodies of the guys who'd been fishing on those rocks." I'm crazy paranoid about ocean and salt-rock fishing, I went to a seminar with my dad when I was little and heard "just assume you'll break an ankle or leg and then plan from there before you go out, and you'll be fine." It's never left me but I sure as heck have seen people almost drown, and I've yet to be caught without enough gear to salvage myself and get back to my rig (always bring a warm dry change of clothes LOL).
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Sep 29, 2015 01:20
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Man I used to fish the rocks in Santa Cruz as a youth. Basically on the rocks don't step on green anything. Grey, tan shells are safe. As for the waves.... Wow I don't know what to say. Never been nailed by a wave, it's just a given you should be watching the breakers. Still love to poke pole for eels and crabs.
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Sep 29, 2015 01:46
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Again, brackish tidal rivers. There are really only waves when it is windy or some dick wakes me. Half the reason I wade out is to avoid walking along slippery rear end riprap.
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Sep 29, 2015 02:09
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I'm wondering if some sort of baton holder would work to slip the butt in and a clasp near your shoulder to attach further up your pole might be simple enough to work.
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Sep 29, 2015 03:48
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Marshmallow Blue posted:What are you supposed to do with your rod when the fish jumps out of the water while hooked? I was bringing in a Rainbow trout this Sunday (would have been my second of the day). It jumped a good 2-3 feet out of the water while I was bringing it in. I pulled way up on my rod and when it landed back in the water it wasn't hooked any more Were you using treble hooks? Fish are pretty good a spitting those and I've replaced nearly all mine with Decoy singles. The other trick is to use a 'straight through' lure like a Tassie Devil that can slide up the leader when a fish hits it, stopping the fish from getting any leverage from the lure.
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Sep 29, 2015 06:22
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Given your profession bunnielab, I bet you have a D cell Maglite holder laying around that'd work pretty well for keeping the butt of the rod secured. http://www.amazon.com/Maglite-D-Cell-Flashlight-Leather-Holder/dp/B00CHJXF2W
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Sep 29, 2015 13:46
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charliebravo77 posted:Given your profession bunnielab, I bet you have a D cell Maglite holder laying around that'd work pretty well for keeping the butt of the rod secured. Hah, no way man, stagehands are all about the classic 2xAA model. Being a nerd I have hundreds of dollars worth of fancy flashlights now rendered obsolete due to advances in LED technology.
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Sep 29, 2015 14:25
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Nonstop posting! I bought my first surf rod today for a trip this weekend to VA beach. I just bought a "little" 9' rod and Okuma 55 reel. It will end up being my catfish rod most of the time and in any case my interest is more in casting lures than soaking bait, so a smaller rod seemed to be better all around. I went out today and made some casts with it. Holy poo poo, I can fling a 1.5oz Kasmaster a loving mile. But man, 20 casts in, my loving arm hurts. It also makes my bait-caster, formerly a rig I felt was too heavy and large, feel literally weightless. I threw some topwaters with it afterwards and was almost afraid I would throw the rod into the water, I could barely feel it in my hands.
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Oct 7, 2015 00:51
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Yeah, it might take a bit of getting used to. I've seen blokes surf spinning with 12' rods and I have no idea how they do it. A stiff 9' or 10' rod is perfect for spinning though, I've got a 902 Catana Nano XG and even with my terrible casting I can punch a 40g lure 70m or so out. If you're using metal lures try a Sea Iron or a Halco Outcast, those things cast like bullets.
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Oct 7, 2015 08:17
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RIP huge rear end Kastmaster, you were too pretty for this world.
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Oct 8, 2015 15:18
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Hung up or broken off?
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Oct 8, 2015 15:26
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I went ot the river this weekend but the water was very high due to a ton of rain. I figured I wasn't gonna catch anything (I was right). Then I lost a lure (#4 Bang Tail). So i decided to pull out this goofily large plastic swim-bait lure I won on Listia with trouble hooks as big as my thumb. I figured it would be good to test it out now since nothing was going on. It casted a long way like I figured it would. Turns out the action on it is really cool. From shore it looks like a fish chasing bait. Then out of nowhere this big Great Blue Herron flies in and tries to take the bait. I had to yell at it so it didn't get hooked. Now I'm sure it would work on something like northern pike maybe? It's 3 or so inches long and has 2 comically large treble hooks on it.
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Oct 8, 2015 15:36
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LingcodKilla posted:Hung up or broken off? Forgot to open the loving bail, sent that bastard to a watery grave. It flew far as poo poo though. So far I had the tails bit off like 8 gulp mullets and maybe 6 BKDs. The culprit seems to be small blues in the surf. I keep going to smaller and smaller plastics on larger and larger jig heads in hopes of catching one of the short striking little bastards. So far no luck.
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Oct 10, 2015 03:03
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bunnielab posted:Forgot to open the loving bail, sent that bastard to a watery grave. It flew far as poo poo though. Oh gently caress dude I feel you. I did that with a 4oz chrome bar. I almost threw the pole with it I was so surprised at the motion the pole made.
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Oct 10, 2015 03:22
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Do Not Lip A Pike! 
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Oct 10, 2015 19:32
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Did you really lip a pike?
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Oct 10, 2015 19:57
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I did. I was shocked to catch him and as lmbs make up the huge majority of the fish I catch, instinct took over. I'm got about 5 nice deep slices in my thumb. Even worse, after walking back to the car and bandaging my thumb up, I lost my lure the next cast to a snag. I didn't have any other appropriate tackle with me either. I've been slightly breaking myself of the habit of bringing every piece of tackle I own everywhere I go, this is going to set the progress on that back.
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Oct 10, 2015 20:46
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Oh man that's too funny. Guess you going to start bringing a lip grip? Last major fishing injury I got was a venomous spine under a finger nail a few years back.
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Oct 10, 2015 21:38
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LingcodKilla posted:Oh man that's too funny. Guess you going to start bringing a lip grip? Last major fishing injury I got was a venomous spine under a finger nail a few years back. Oh, I had one in my bag not 5 feet from me, as I was hoping to catch some blues. It really was just a momentary lapse in judgement. I have even caught pickerel before, but only in winter from my kayak, when I was already wearing gloves.
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Oct 11, 2015 02:25
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Caught this girl on thursday. ~30lbs and full of free bait! 
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Oct 11, 2015 02:43
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Aw man that looks awesome. Bunnie whered you get the pike?
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Oct 11, 2015 23:00
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bunnielab posted:Do Not Lip A Pike!
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Oct 12, 2015 16:17
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| # ? Jun 3, 2024 05:42 |
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Blood stains are good on your fishing gear. As long as it's your blood that is. Fish blood is just cheating.
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Oct 12, 2015 16:39
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