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Spike posted:
mepps spinner baits are very good for multiple species. They come in a variety of sizes. I'd suggest a #1 aglia for panfish and a #3 black fury for bass.M
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May 2, 2012 04:59
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Definitely check with the local authorities. Here in Iowa, the department of natural resources will stock your pond for free but there are requirements for the body if water.
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May 2, 2012 22:27
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WayneCampbell posted:Anyone have any recommendations for websites for learning different types of rigs? So far my repertoire consists of bobber/sinker/hook and that's it. What type of fish are you fishing for?
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May 17, 2012 17:17
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Also on Texas rigs, if you catch a couple fish or if your worm just gets worn, bite off the top section that's ripped making the worm shorter and re thread it on the hook. You can use a 7" worm until it is like 4" long. Some of my biggest bass have been caught on a Texas rig with a 4" worm with half a tail. My favorite type of bass fishing is top water. I've had best luck at dusk when the water surface is dead calm. Run a buzz bait, hula popper or zara spook along the shoreline. Just remember to pause before you set the hook when you see something smash your lure.
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May 18, 2012 16:34
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It's definitely about practice. Takes awhile. My suggestion is to start with a fairly heavy lure and dial the spool so it doesn't free reel easily. Most reels have a knob that controls spool tension. Make sure you are casting downwind. Once you get a feel, slowly dial back the tension until you cast further and further. Also you want a nice steady speed cast. Don't whip it. Casting side arm is easier than overhand, imo. When you do get a rats nest, put your thumb on the spool and slowly pull line out until you get to the knot. Then grab by the knot with your thumb and finger and rip up so that you have loose line. Pull more out until you get to another knot and repeat. Hard to explain but you can get most backlashes out with some short work. That's with mono...small braided can be impossible. I could never go back to a spin cast for bass fishing. I'm much faster and more accurate with a baitcaster. Good luck!
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Jun 14, 2012 06:05
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ClumsyThief posted:Is 12lb mono acceptable for the reel I described? When you say lure weight, how heavy is usually ideal at least starting out? I feel like the downwind thing might be a big source of my woes; it makes sense, I've just never heard it said before. 12 mono is what I usually use. When I say heavy lure, i'm talking a crankbait or Texas rig with 3/8 or 1/2 ounce bullet weight. Just not something like a wacky rig senko without a weight. Once you get good, you will be able tocast about anything. The wind is big with a baitcaster. Casting into the wind is very difficult even with practice...just have to make sure you are adjusting your reel to conditions.
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Jun 15, 2012 13:58
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Obsoletely Fabulous posted:My girlfriend absolutely loves fishing, but said she needs a new tackle box. Any suggestions on a decent one or what to put in it it? I don't want to give her an empty box as a present. She generally just fishes for bass and pike by her dad's house. We are in Michigan if that matters at all. I've never really fished, but I got dragged out yesterday. Now I plan on picking up a combo deal at Gander Mountain or Bass Pro when I get a chance. It was a lot of fun, though her dad did tie my hook on and all that and she baited my hooks for me. I really like the soft sided tackle boxes. They are just a bag with 4 or 5 plastic organizers that fit inside vertically. Nice thing is you can get like 10 of the plastic boxes and switch them out for the type of fishing you will be doing.
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Jun 17, 2012 19:13
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With the zara spook it's called "walking the dog" get some slack in your line and jerk the line tight. The lure will move one direction. Repeat and it moves the other. Continue this in a steady back and forth while you reel up slack.
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Aug 1, 2012 20:20
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It could also be smaller fish trying to take the bait and just grabbing a leg. You'll get bluegill and rock bass grab those things all the time. Really annoying. If you get a big aggressive fish, there's usually no doubt. You'll see a huge swirl. When I see the swirl, I say "1" in my head and then set the hook. It's definitely trial and error. Set too soon and they aren't to the hook, set too late and they realize it's not a frog and spit it out. Definitely my favorite type of fishing, though.
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Aug 8, 2012 23:34
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^^^Nice bass! Got my fishing fix in today. The subdivision we're in has a small pond (approx. 3/4 acre). When I talked to the builder, he said it had some big catfish in it but I wasn't sure what to really expect or if he knew what he was talking about. I walked behind the house and threw out a 1/32 jig with my ultralight the other day and this guy devoured it:  Really nice crappie. I didn't have anything to measure him but I'd say he was a good 10 1/2-11". I used to do a fair bit of crappie fishing and we wouldn't keep anything under 9" and he was well over that. I've been out a couple times since and have caught a couple other crappie the same size and a couple small bass. All on the ultralight and that 1/32 jig. I talked to one of the neighbors who was out there fishing and he said there are some nice bass in the 5 pound range in the pond. My baitcaster setup is out of commission since the movers broke my rod but once I get a new one I'm anxious to head back there and try some top water action at dusk for bass. It is my favorite kind of fishing. Nothing like a 5 pound bass exploding on a buzz bait. Also, I've been considering buying a canoe to fish out of. Anyone here fish out of a canoe extensively? I know SOT kayaks are preferred but with a canoe, my wife and I can also use it for recreation so it would be useful beyond fishing. I have been looking at the Old Town Saranac 146. Any thoughts on it?
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Mar 25, 2014 04:53
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Armed Neutrality posted:I left work early today to go fishing, and ended up catching my PB trout, right around 20 inches. I used a 5 weight glass rod, and a gold ribbed hare's ear I tied myself. Awesome day. Beautiful fish. I really need to get another fly rod and learn to use it properly. Had a cheap Cabelas 5 weight that I would use to catch spawning bluegill out of my parents pond but it got broken.
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Apr 2, 2014 15:43
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Well now I just feel terrible about gigging gar in the backwaters if the Mississippi when I was a kid. 
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Apr 3, 2014 19:30
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bunnielab posted:Hello fishing thread! A 1 acre pond is a great size to fish. My parents have one behind their house that is about that size. Do you know the depth of the pond? I'm not sure what your winters are like in Maryland but if it gets pretty cold and freezes, you'll need more water depth or the fish will die from lack of oxygen. Also, the depth will determine what types of lures you'll use if you're running crank baits and at what depth you set a bobber if your float fishing. That said, as a general rule on ponds, I've found that "points point out fish". Meaning that if there is a natural point that juts out into the pond somewhere, try fishing around that area. Also, if there are any other naturally "different" spots in the pond...say a spot where the depth changes abruptly or a spot where run off or a stream enters the pond, those would be good places to try. If the only fish in the pond are catfish, it limits the type of fishing. Catfish typically won't bite as much on artificial lures like crank baits or spinner baits (Though they certainly will at times). Typically, people fish for catfish by throwing bait on the bottom or suspending it from a bobber. When I've bottom fished for catfish, I've typically used stink bait, which is just that...nasty stinky gooey stuff that looks like peanut butter and smells like death. You can buy these type of dip baits that you stick down in the stink bait:   If you're going to fish them on the bottom, you'll want to add a sinker most likely to be able to cast out a bit further. Something like below:  You can also use what's called a slip bobber. They allow you to suspend your bait at a certain depth which you set by moving a slide above the bobber on the line. This is my preferred method of fishing for catfish:  You can use stink bait with a slip bobber as well. Nightcrawlers tend to work well as does cut bait (cut up pieces of small fish like bluegill). The other thing that I've had luck with in ponds is just putting a plain hook on, say 3/0 in size and hooking a live small bluegill through the tail. I've caught a lot of large catfish this way. That should give you an idea of baits to use. The other thing with catfish is that you typically want heavier rod/reel and line. They fight well for their size and have a tendency to spin when hooked and can cut your line or snap it. Catfish also generally examine and take the bait slowly so if you see your bobber, line or end of your pole move slightly, wait for just a few seconds before you set the hook. Once you've caught one, make sure you avoid their side and top fin as they'll cut ya and they have a sort of semi-poisonous substance kind of like getting scratched by a cat. Doesn't do any real harm but stings like hell. For the smaller catfish, you can grip them with your pointer finger and thumb just behind their top fin. There are some indentions there that allow for a decent grip. I started fishing as a kid catching catfish on a lake we'd go to every year. We would sit out on the beach and throw stink bait out on the bottom.
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Apr 7, 2014 21:00
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bunnielab posted:General questions: Maybe. Sometimes rain can be good, sometimes it can turn off the fish. It's really more about the atmospheric conditions than the raindrops themselves. Cold fronts generally turn off the fish bite where warm fronts have a tendency to turn them on. There is a huge science to it and magazines and fisherman get really super crazy about fishing when the moon phases, barometric pressure, temperature, cloud cover, etc, etc, etc are just perfect. To be honest, unless there's a big cold front, I wouldn't worry about it. At worst, you'll drink a 6 pack and catch no fish. The only time I would say this wouldn't apply is if it's rained so much that it has clouded up the water a whole bunch. Even then, you might catch catfish as they typically rely on their smell to feed. bunnielab posted:[*]What time of day is best for catfish? Depends. Generally fish feed most near dawn and dusk but it just depends on the time of year, how the recent weather has been, etc. Catfish love feeding at night. I've caught more catfish during the night than during the day. Usually early in the spring, the fish will bite better in late afternoon from my experience. Once the water gets warmed up a bit by the day's sun.
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Apr 7, 2014 22:04
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Nice bluegill! I should have taken my phone with tonight. Went out to the pond behind the house and caught my biggest crappie yet. An absolute slab! 12.5 or 13 inches and thick. Thought it was a bass until I got him in. Caught it on a Mepps 00 Aglia. Talked to another neighbor and he said there are 10+ pound cat, 5+ pound largemouth and even a few 2-3 pound smallies in there. Surprised it can sustain that size fish. Pond is a good 2 acres but only about 5 feet deep. I guess I'm just used to the ponds up north where I'm from. A 5 foot deep pond up there can't support fish through winter.
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Apr 22, 2014 03:09
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Looks great. I'm planning a canoe purchase so I'll probably be building one of these soon. Nice job!
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Apr 24, 2014 16:27
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:What kind of canoe? Looking at either an old town saranac 146 or a mad river adventure 14. There's a used Adventure on craigslist with paddles, motor mount and trolling motor for $500 that I think I'm going to go look at. Thoughts on either for fishing/recreational padding with the wife?
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Apr 24, 2014 18:17
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bunnielab posted:I caught my first bass today, I believe a smallmouth. Check out Texas rigged worms for a weedless way to fish that. Since it is so narrow and shallow, I'd go without a weight. Just hook and Texas rigged worm without the bullet weight. bunnielab posted:Bonus Gross poo poo: I'm pretty sure you've found Buffalo Bill's human skin suit from Silence of The Lambs. If someone asks you to help load a couch in their van around there, RUN!
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May 13, 2014 05:13
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Do you guys really break rods enough to worry about warranties? My bass rig is a rod I picked up by Leech Lake in Minnesota about 10 years ago. Can't see breaking one unless I slammed it in a door or something.
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May 15, 2014 22:42
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Nice looking fish but I think your scale may be reading a bit heavy. 
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Jun 3, 2014 17:35
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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.
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Jul 11, 2014 06:47
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DoctaFun posted:Just make sure there's always tension on the line when reeling in and you should have no problem with a spinning reel. This isn't a problem when you're reeling in a heavy lure, or at least one with some resistance like a crank bait. But when you screw up a cast, set the hook and miss a fish, or any other number of situations where all of a sudden there is slack in your line, that's when you need to pay attention. This is good advice for any type of reel. Always make sure there is tension.
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Jul 12, 2014 16:57
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Slightly Toasted posted:And that fishing rods don't float I've learned this tough lesson a couple times fishing for crappie in Wisconsin. We generally troll small jigs with minnows and if your line is out and you need a beer or are eating something, you just kind of sit your pole down in the boat. If you get a crappie, no problem, you are able to grab it but sometimes a northern will grab a hold of it and then it's curtains. Superior never gives up her dead and Round Lake never gives up her Pfluegers. 
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Jul 23, 2014 20:04
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 12:19 |
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DoctaFun posted:Figured it out, the motor visible in the first picture is the kicker motor, probably like a 9.9 horse, the motor visible in the 2nd picture is the main motor, I think a 250 hp, it made for a weird perspective. Definitely see why you thought that. I had figured it out and was going to reply when I saw your second post. That is an absolute monster! Can't imagine catching one that size. I've caught 10 pounders and they fought like crazy.
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Jul 31, 2014 00:36
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