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DoctaFun posted:That’s a seriously cool offer, I’m just not quite close enough to take you up on it. Love catching nice sized bluegill, always a blast! I dunno where you are but i'm about an hour east of Chicago and can house you for a night if need be and you don't make it weird (making it weird is MY job). Catching Bluegill here is just all about tossing the line in and pulling it out. It's catching, not "fishing."
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Apr 21, 2022 23:37
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ThePopeOfFun posted:Hell yeah, what did you catch them on? I've only had a few experiences like this in my life. Amazing every time. 3 inch swim bait on a 1/4 ounce jig gear with a 2/0 hook. While they will eat most anything during feeding frenzies, it by far the most effective bait when they are in the shallow end of water column. Megabass has a 3 inch swim bait that is about as lifelike as it gets and they destroy it.
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Apr 21, 2022 23:49
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Desert Bus posted:I know I post this offer a lot, but any Chicago/NWI Goons who wanna come fish my pond? The swarm of Bluegill is just getting bigger in numbers and size. There is this beautiful 8-9" lady just begging to be caught. Every year I feed just makes it better. They get bigger and more numerous every year and I have no plans to stop feeding them. I'm nursing a foot injury but once I am not hobbling around I will come take you up on this. Probably with a fly rod.
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Apr 22, 2022 19:36
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charliebravo77 posted:I'm nursing a foot injury but once I am not hobbling around I will come take you up on this. Probably with a fly rod. The food I feed is mostly floating so getting your bait below the waterline is a negative. A fly rod should work great. I don't have any equipment so if you got a second pole I can borrow? That'd be awesome. There are also Bullheads and Bass in there, somewhere!
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Apr 22, 2022 20:07
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Just fished solo for the first time and thought I'd share. My dad used to take me fishing as a child and only fishes with live bait despite the massive tackle collection he has, which caused some issues because I'm autistic and as a child I reacted extremely badly to strange sensations. Just the thought of skewering my own worms was viscerally repulsive to me, and I refused to touch any of the fish either of us caught, but I still have some fond memories of fishing with him. He stopped bringing me after I got into my teens and still couldn't even bait my own hooks, but I still enjoyed the idea of fishing and wanted to get back into it. Cut to today, where 26-year-old me pulled into a local park with a cheap medium-light Walmart spinning combo with 6 lb mono, some discounted lures, and too much time on my hands. Part of me immediately regretted not bringing heavier tackle and/or bread because the lake was loving boiling with carp, but I wasn't particularly bothered and trudged down to the weirdly barren fishing dock. I ran into my first hurdle, which is that my dad (and by extension I) had only ever used spincasters and that I wasn't quite sure how to operate my new reel. After a lot of futzing around and almost decking an innocent woman with a tiny crankbait like an absolute idiot I eventually managed to work out how to cast, and spent the next hour messing around with the crankbait to no avail. Eventually I swapped it for an inline spinner, which almost instantly proved more fruitful as I got my first bite within the next couple of casts.  I thought it was decent for a first solo fish and congratulated myself on a job well done, and went to go and free it... only to realize that my childhood "ewww" instincts were still alive and well, although not nearly as crippling as before. I managed to get it off the hook with minimal physical contact (made easier thanks to crimped barbs) and continued on, throwing it back in the same spot in the hopes that I'd catch a few more from its school. Instead, after a few casts I got a good, solid hit that my hazy childhood fishing memories recognized as a bass, and in trying to reel it in I realized I didn't know how to adjust the drag on my new reel. I semi-learned in the moment as I messed with the reel and hauled it in, making a mental note to actually learn how to use my equipment before next time.  I was in the zone. I had hit my stride. I was ready to spend the rest of the day out there and catch fish... until I looked down at my pink arm and realized I'd forgotten sunscreen. Ended up cutting the trip short because I'm excessively white and didn't want to be miserable for the next few days. All in all I had a good time, I can see how this can be addicting and I'm looking forward to fishing more in the future.
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Apr 23, 2022 21:47
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Chicken Thumbs posted:Just fished solo for the first time and thought I'd share. My dad used to take me fishing as a child and only fishes with live bait despite the massive tackle collection he has, which caused some issues because I'm autistic and as a child I reacted extremely badly to strange sensations. Just the thought of skewering my own worms was viscerally repulsive to me, and I refused to touch any of the fish either of us caught, but I still have some fond memories of fishing with him. He stopped bringing me after I got into my teens and still couldn't even bait my own hooks, but I still enjoyed the idea of fishing and wanted to get back into it. Cut to today, where 26-year-old me pulled into a local park with a cheap medium-light Walmart spinning combo with 6 lb mono, some discounted lures, and too much time on my hands. Just a couple of notes, you can buy rubberized gloves to handle fish with, and you should try to avoid dangling them by their jaw like that since it damages the soft tissues of the jaw, which the gloves will help with. https://www.wired2fish.com/fish-biology/what-happens-when-you-hold-a-bass Nice catches though, especially for your first time back at it!
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Apr 23, 2022 22:28
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Tried to fish today! Lake Superior is kind of icy. Hopefully by next week the shore ice will melt and the rivers warm a bit. 
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Apr 23, 2022 23:00
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Desert Bus posted:Just a couple of notes, you can buy rubberized gloves to handle fish with, and you should try to avoid dangling them by their jaw like that since it damages the soft tissues of the jaw, which the gloves will help with. I'd heard that you shouldn't hold them horizontally by the jaw without supporting the body, but this is news to me! In hindsight, it's pretty much common sense. Only held them up long enough to snap a photo, but I'll be more careful in the future. As for the gloves, I'll look into getting some but in the meantime I'll just try to stop being a baby about the whole thing. Thanks for the advice!
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Apr 23, 2022 23:08
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Honestly, friend, I'm not autistic as far as i know and i still never liked handling the fish or the worms very much. My dislike of handling the fish was mostly because i started fishing at a very young age and couldn't hold on to the fish very well so i got finned a lot and developed an aversion that i never fully shook. I never liked handling the worms because they're gross af and even as a little kid i hated having sticky or slimy hands. These days i carry some wipes in my bag to wipe off the worm dirt / slime. Still don't like handling anything that can fin or bite but i power through.
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Apr 23, 2022 23:19
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I've yet to take a larger hit of catfish venom, but even small ones from hand catching 4-6" Plecos from aquariums kind of hurt. Get finned and painfully envenomed is fun!
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Apr 23, 2022 23:46
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Chicken Thumbs posted:Just fished solo for the first time and thought I'd share. My dad used to take me fishing as a child and only fishes with live bait despite the massive tackle collection he has, which caused some issues because I'm autistic and as a child I reacted extremely badly to strange sensations. Just the thought of skewering my own worms was viscerally repulsive to me, and I refused to touch any of the fish either of us caught, but I still have some fond memories of fishing with him. He stopped bringing me after I got into my teens and still couldn't even bait my own hooks, but I still enjoyed the idea of fishing and wanted to get back into it. Cut to today, where 26-year-old me pulled into a local park with a cheap medium-light Walmart spinning combo with 6 lb mono, some discounted lures, and too much time on my hands.
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Apr 24, 2022 03:09
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Anyone do any SF Bay surf/jetty fishing? I'm getting a basic med-heavy uglystik next week, gonna slap my basic Shimano 2500 Symetre on it and go throw carolina/fish finder rigs in the surf somewhere for some perch, maybe try poke-poling for moneyface, too. Thinking Muir Beach/Stinson but also maybe Pacifica area as well. I also grabbed some sabiki rigs; I know you can catch anchovies off the Fort Mason pier if the timing is right, it'd be awesome to get some sardines & maybe even mackerel as well but as far as I can tell that stuff is easier from a boat/kayak - not quite there yet in terms of price & storage. Waders are a lot easier to manage in an apartment. Anyone have tips for SF bay surf/jetties?
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Apr 24, 2022 04:05
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Desert Bus posted:I've yet to take a larger hit of catfish venom, but even small ones from hand catching 4-6" Plecos from aquariums kind of hurt. Get finned and painfully envenomed is fun! Catfish stings are so weird. For me it's the worst pain in the world for a second and then nothing.
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Apr 25, 2022 20:45
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Just splurged a bit at my local sporting goods shop, spring sales are always hard to pass up. Anyone ever used any Phenix rods before? Their ‘feather’ series are incredibly light weight for their price. Made in China, but I gave them a shot. Picked up a 7’7” Medium power spinning rod, and a 7’3” XH bait casting rod. Everything I read says their rod ratings are high, so those are more like ML and H respectively. Planning on using the spinning rod as a jog pitching rod for walleye, maybe small cranks/blade baits as well. Big rod is for big pike fishing, picked up a Daiwa Lexa 300 HD reel which feels niiiice. Now just have to wait for ice out. I have a trip to NW Ontario planned for 5/22, and it’s honestly looking like there will still be ice on the lake up there  .
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Apr 25, 2022 21:39
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DoctaFun posted:Just splurged a bit at my local sporting goods shop, spring sales are always hard to pass up. I have several! I've got an Abyss, an Elixir, a Recon Elite, and also one of the Turner's Californian rods that uses a Phenix blank. The Recon Elite is one of my favorite rods. I have not used a Feather before though. Phenix has a limited lifetime warranty which is kinda nice. https://phenixrods.com/warranty-registration/
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Apr 27, 2022 15:27
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idiotsavant posted:Anyone do any SF Bay surf/jetty fishing? I'm getting a basic med-heavy uglystik next week, gonna slap my basic Shimano 2500 Symetre on it and go throw carolina/fish finder rigs in the surf somewhere for some perch, maybe try poke-poling for moneyface, too. Thinking Muir Beach/Stinson but also maybe Pacifica area as well. I’m an old Santa Cruz jetty fisherman. Never really fished SF but fishing a whole anchovy anywhere you caught it should lead to something grabbing it.
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Apr 28, 2022 03:32
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Crab Dad posted:I’m an old Santa Cruz jetty fisherman. Never really fished SF but fishing a whole anchovy anywhere you caught it should lead to something grabbing it. There is really no better feeling in life than fishing for something small, getting it on the hook, and having it turn into bait for something bigger before you manage to pull it out of the water.
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Apr 28, 2022 17:36
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Crab Dad posted:I’m an old Santa Cruz jetty fisherman. Never really fished SF but fishing a whole anchovy anywhere you caught it should lead to something grabbing it. Haha, I wanna just go catch anchovies for the sake of anchovies right now; keeping it simple. Seems easy enough to step that up to halibut off live bait in the bay at least, but right now i just wanna gently caress around in the kitchen with fresh boquerones and stuff. Speaking of which, any experience with sardines/mackerel from jetties or piers out your way or farther up the peninsula (Pacifica, etc)?? Don't need any secret honey holes or anything just a place to start. I'mma probably hit up the Fort Mason pier next week and see what i can catch, and then maybe try some rock fishing on the coast.
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Apr 28, 2022 22:33
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Hoping someone can point me to some options because there is just so much out there and maybe what I have in mind isn't feasible. Wanting to get into surf fishing with baits on the AL/FL gulf coast for things like pompano, red fish, etc catch&cook type stuff. It will be new to me and youtube/internet will be my guide. Rod/reel if suitable I will probably try stripe bass fishing but that is for the future and could be another rod set up but just keeping that in mind as well. For surf fishing from what I have read I want to be in the 9-10ft range and 4000-5000 size reel range. But is there a quality rod in say the $50-200 range that is 2 piece? Broad price range because if $75 is the best bang for the buck I'll go with that but could spend more if needed. The rod must fit comfortably inside my truck bed with a camper shell closed which is right at 6ft with the camper shell slope. Any suggestions? I've been looking around and not seeing a suitable rod but maybe 2 piece just isn't suitable for what I'm thinking.
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Apr 29, 2022 22:46
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I use a 9ft Okuma Longitude with a 4000 size Daiwa BG. It's fine, although it has never been tested with a big fish. If I was doing it over again with the same budget I'd probably get the 10ft Offshore Angler Breakwater in the $75-$100 range. I see the Tica TC2 recommended a lot too. If you're willing to spend $200 on a rod the Offshore Angler Ocean Master and Tsunami Airwave Elite probably merit a look. e: should note Offshore Angler is Bass Pro/Cabela's house brand but these rods seem to be well reviewed Note this is all for bait, if you're plugging for striper that's a totally different ball game. There is very little wild striper in the Gulf, although the FL/AL line is near where the only self-sustaining population lives. Discussion Quorum fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Apr 30, 2022 |
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Apr 30, 2022 02:42
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Thank you very much for the insight. The tica tc2 is standing out to me for some reason. I think partially there are many options but not overwhelming and the info is laid out on tackledirect pretty nicely. I think I am going to just focus on a surf rod and take my shot at that. We have a week long+ family trip to Gulf State Park and the pier does look very enticing but I am unsure how the crowds will be early-August. I may give it a shot with some of my older bass rods. Any suggested forums or such to check out and get some ideas/knowledge aside youtube? I know it is probably very regional but I haven't really fished in years and in the past I've always had family saying do this or do that to catch a large mouth but I want to get back into fishing and largemouth just doesn't catch my attention really.
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Apr 30, 2022 18:53
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YouTube is just where everything is these days. Fisherman are notorious for not giving regional advise. Fisherman are their own worst enemies. Generally you aren’t getting any useful info unless the person is getting paid as in a guide service or creator content.
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Apr 30, 2022 18:56
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I get that when it is organized as a competition but that competition is also the thing that sours me from bass fishing. I have just never understood it. I was plenty content a few weekends ago catching a handful of legal to keep largemouth with my nephew and clean/cook with him. He is obsessed with catch&cook it's just catfish and smallish bass is what I have just enough knowledge to catch the ones who haven't seen many hooks. Bama Saltwater does seem to be a pretty chill youtube channel and is still small so maybe the dude blows up and his style changes or politics creep in. But those small informative youtube channels are the type I'd support a patreon style to keep it the same and simple. But I guess I am getting old and I digress, I just want a little success and lots of fun with my nephews.
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Apr 30, 2022 19:39
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idiotsavant posted:Haha, I wanna just go catch anchovies for the sake of anchovies right now; keeping it simple. Seems easy enough to step that up to halibut off live bait in the bay at least, but right now i just wanna gently caress around in the kitchen with fresh boquerones and stuff. Most of my fishing from shore was out of Santa Cruz. Couldn’t really have any advice beside if strip bass are something you’d like to check out there is a spot at Lands End that surf casters would catch monsters at. It’s part of the migration pattern.
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May 1, 2022 02:25
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You could check out Bama Beach Bum on YouTube, I think he shows a lot of light tackle surf fishing (your bass rods would work for this, just keep the reel out of the water and give it a good cleaning immediately after). When I was looking at getting into surf fishing I found this seminar helpful. It's South Florida focused so all of the stuff about snook wasn't very relevant to me (TX) but I still found it full of good info. https://youtu.be/0VlYi1rXeR4
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May 1, 2022 22:49
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Sickening posted:YouTube is just where everything is these days. Fisherman are notorious for not giving regional advise. Fisherman are their own worst enemies. This is absolutely true... youtubers love to give "general" advice like "this time of year target secondary points" or "throw red crankbaits in April!" then you get to your lake and it has a depth range of 2 - 14 feet with no discernable bottom structure besides "mud" and the lake its almost a perfect circle.
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May 2, 2022 16:49
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Syano posted:This is absolutely true... youtubers love to give "general" advice like "this time of year target secondary points" or "throw red crankbaits in April!" then you get to your lake and it has a depth range of 2 - 14 feet with no discernable bottom structure besides "mud" and the lake its almost a perfect circle. Its mostly "buy this" "buy that" "use my sponsor code at.." and the like because that is why they are creating the content, to get paid. Fair, as its what we all need, but it just gets annoying as very little of this content is actually tied to helping you catch fish. Trying to talk to local anglers online about what they are actually doing right now to catch fish is like asking them what their social security number is. Despite the vast majority of them are in the same boat as you are, having problems figuring out where the fish are. Like I have said many times before, fisherman love to talk about fishing, but they don't really talk about fishing. Fisherman want to have their cake and eat it too. This is why I adore youtube channels like "richard gene the fishing machine". He is just an old dude who does his best to show you how to catch fish. He is the type of guy who if you asked him what the fish were biting on, he would tell you without hesitation. A great ambassador of the sport. Someone fishermen should aspire to be. But if you were to tell me that your lake had a maximum dept of 14ft adn little to no structure, I would suggest looking for what little structure their is. I would also try to figure out what in the hell there is in the lake to feed on and try to mimic that. If this was my local lake that I was going to put considerable time to, I would also look to create as much natural structure as I could (hauling big rocks, and timber) to locations to make those locations better. I would advise against plastic poo poo everyone else recommends to dump in your lake.
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May 2, 2022 17:18
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I tell old men how to best fish my pond and... they just don't believe me. I just want them to have more fun, but the culture is so broken that they think i'm misleading them.
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May 2, 2022 17:26
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The other problem of online fishing communities is selecting for people who spend time online. A lot of fisherman want to spend more time fishing. If you're out enough you meet the good ones who will give you leftover minnows and tell you where to cast. The other factor is social media just being batshit all the time. If you you hunt down your local obscure outdoors forum, you'll have better luck than on facebook or whatever. Tons of people local to me now, and local to me in the PNW gave exact advice down to rigs, tides, times and geolocations. My local wildlife management also does a good job.
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May 2, 2022 17:36
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Sickening posted:Despite the vast majority of them are in the same boat as you are, having problems figuring out where the fish are. Yeah, I feel like some amount of the hostility I get is down to "I'm doing the same thing I always did, there must be less fish so gently caress this kid trying to also fish" as opposed to "this ain't working I should try something else or another spot"
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May 2, 2022 17:46
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there's a Facebook community for fishing on my local lake that is unbelievably friendly and helpful. everyone posts their catch and exactly what they were using and where, you ever want a buddy to go out with you or someone to show you some spots you'll get a ton of volunteers. they're even more or less the go-to for boating problems, several times a year someone needs a tow or a rescue or something and that group is the first place they post. I'm sure it helps that there's not a ton of fishing pressure on the lake compared to some parts of the country, and also as one might imagine there's a pretty heavy pro-trump strain about it, but it's otherwise pretty fantastic and I don't understand why so many other fishing communities are so toxic.
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May 2, 2022 17:49
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Sickening posted:
I was just being generic with my statement... but sure Im with you. The fish obviously live somewhere and eat something so the key is figure out where the are living and what they are eating. Figuring out where they are living seems to be the toughest most of the time. What's the old saying? 90% of the bass live in 10% of the water. If that's true, you could potentially spend a full day of fishing just trying to find em (which I absolutely have done)
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May 2, 2022 18:44
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Syano posted:Figuring out where they are living seems to be the toughest most of the time. What's the old saying? 90% of the bass live in 10% of the water. If that's true, you could potentially spend a full day of fishing just trying to find em (which I absolutely have done) This is why I've actually come to prefer fishing streams and small rivers. It's just so EASY to find fish in moving water if you know what to look for. Basically if there's slack water behind *insert large object*, cast there.
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May 2, 2022 19:09
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There seems to be a super solid, super active West Coast ocean/SF Bay youtube fishing community & dudes post a ton of info. Just started watching this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJNVzZMo8HY and he has a few other good videos for surf perch and rock fishing. Fisherman's Life and Outdoor Chef Life seem to be two of the bigger channels but there's like a dozen guys bumping around the Bay, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, the Delta, etc making content where they show you the exact rigs they're using, bait, pretty much all of it. It isn't all necessarily spelled out to a T, but Google maps lets you find like 80% of the spots they're fishing with almost no effort, and honestly looking at google maps is getting me kinda hyped to go find some good pull-outs to stop & scope out on my own. I think lake fishing feels a little different but technique will still get fish, and part of the fun is hiking around a gorgeous lake & feeling it all out.
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May 2, 2022 19:29
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The nice thing about surf fishing is that the structure is sandbars that move and change over relatively short periods of time, and the fish are constantly on the move as well. There's no secret honey hole you can go back to, everyone starts the day on a relatively clean slate. Deal alert (I think?): Been thinking about picking up a light fly rod for urban bayou/pond fishing for panfish, invasive cichlids, and maybe small bass and carp. Finding the TFO Black Label combo on sale for $150 (normally $200) pushed me over the edge. https://aventuron.com/products/tfo-nxt-black-label-kits-rod-spooled-reel-case
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May 3, 2022 14:35
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May need to post this in kayak thread but figured I'd start here. I am looking to add a motor to my boat and have it narrowed down to a Motorguide Xi3 and a Torqeedo 1103 ac. Obvious advantage to the Motorguide is price and ability to spot lock on fishing spots. Obvious advantage to the Torqeedo is overall package weight and speed speed speed. Anyone have any opinions between the two setups?
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May 3, 2022 15:58
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MoonCricket posted:Thank you very much for the insight. The tica tc2 is standing out to me for some reason. I think partially there are many options but not overwhelming and the info is laid out on tackledirect pretty nicely. I think I am going to just focus on a surf rod and take my shot at that. We have a week long+ family trip to Gulf State Park and the pier does look very enticing but I am unsure how the crowds will be early-August. I may give it a shot with some of my older bass rods. Go to your local bait and tackle shop at the beach. For surf fishing, just buy the cheapest rod. Really doesn’t matter. The local shop will have decent stuff. Don’t go to the pier; the pier shop is overpriced.
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May 3, 2022 21:32
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Foraged a bunch of seaweed out by Pacifica a week or so ago & did a little poke-poling but only caught a rock crab - I need to get a crab gauge so I can keep the legal ones, even if I'm just gonna give them to friends since I'm allergic. Also caught a bunch of anchovies + a shad from the Fort Mason piers today & it's definitely easy & worth if you either want to catch bait or just make some boquerones. Afaik its a public pier so no license needed, go get a $30 rod/reel setup and a sabiki rig (3 hooks only in SF Bay!) and just toss it right off the pier just about anywhere and jig it up and down for a bit and something's gonna bite it eventually. I'm going to make boquerones from some, fry some up, and probably freeze some for future bait. Next goal is to find some sardines to catch for more of the same...
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May 17, 2022 02:48
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Headed up to northwestern Ontario on Saturday for a week of walleye/pike fishing. Currently hoping the ice goes out completely on the lake and that the flooding calms down so the highway is open. Will post an update when I’m back if people are interested, hopefully lots of big pike and walleye!
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May 17, 2022 17:59
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Texas has officially hit that time of year where fishing isn't great but will get great again for about 3 weeks before fish escape to the deep water because its so loving hot. Its so boring right now.
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May 17, 2022 18:21
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