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Nice OP! I'm determined to post a good trip report from my rod and gun club where there is a stocked quarry. I've been skunking out there way too much. I'm having a problem there where the fish (trout in this case) get off my line right before I land them. I must be doing something wrong because 50%+ seem to be able to jump or just wriggle off the hook usually when they are close enough that I can see them or practically on land. I do have a net which has helped in the past but usually they get off before I can even net them. Any tips on this? I'm guessing make sure to keep the line tight? Maybe pull back harder when setting the hook?
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Apr 26, 2012 14:40
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 02:34 |
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Cluricaun posted:What size hooks are you using? For trout you're going to want to use tiny hooks in the 1 or 2 size (not 1/0 or 2/0, those are bigger) and make sure that you're keeping steady, constant pressure on your line while retrieving. Tight lines mean caught fish, slack can provide leverage for the fish to throw the hook easier when it jumps or takes off and too big of a hook can also provide leverage for the fish to throw you off. Excellent thank you. My hooks must be too big. I don't recall their size but I do remember them having /0 after it. I'll pick up some size 1 and 2s and report back. I never thought to check my hooks like that or consider line stretch either.
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Apr 26, 2012 15:17
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Thanks again, the smaller hooks seemed to do the trick. I also learned a lot just by talking to the older guy next to me. Here's a view of the quarry I fished this past weekend. It opens up a lot off to the right and is quite deep.  Finally broke my dry spell with this trout caught on a small hook and a piece of nightcrawler. I used a slip bobber so I could present the bait at a decent depth. 12.5 inches which while smaller than my last catch was still a keeper.  I thought I had another shortly afterwards when I pulled this little guy in. It was weird catching anything but trout here as that is all I saw since joining. I guess now that it is warming up the bass and sunfish hit more. The old guy said there are tons of bass that should be hitting in the next 2-3 weeks. After letting this one go I started noticing a bunch of these sunfish in the water close to shore.  Later that night, I settled in for a nice dinner. These trout are pretty tasty, and one is about the right portion for a meal.  One thing I noticed is that a lot of people here use live minnows as bait. The old guy next to me gave me one and showed me how to hook it. I got a ton of hits on it before I lost the bait. They seemed to do really well on them so I think I'll try them out next time I head up there.
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May 9, 2012 16:33
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Any advice on tying a slip bobber rig differently if I have consistent problems with it getting tangled up on the cast? Usually the tangle occurs with the leader or swivel (or both) getting caught up on my sinker. A lot of times I can tell when it gets tangled by how the bobber sits in the water, but sometimes I can't. In that scenario it kind of sucks because I let it sit out there for a long time only to later discover the bait presentation was horrible. This causes the additional problem of me being paranoid it isn't sitting properly so I end up reeling it in too early when it was fine. Going from top down, I have a knotted stop to set depth at about 10', a bead, then the slip bobber, after that a 1/2 oz. rubber-core twist weight, I usually leave about 6 inches between that and a swivel (although I also have problems with the weight falling down to the swivel), the swivel, then a 6 inch leader to a small hook with either a minnow, half a nightcrawler, or cricket typically.
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Jun 21, 2012 15:19
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Dik Hz posted:You might try a 3-way swivel, if I'm reading your rig right. It'll let each part rotate individually and greatly reduce tangles. Interesting... I'll give this a shot, thanks for taking the time to reply. Another trip out fishing my favorite location which is a quarry and canal right next to each other, and wow sunfish galore. I caught two smallish bass, but would get action from the sunnys as soon as the bait hit the water on most occassions. Fishing a little deeper than usual seemed to get past the sunny frenzy and into bass/trout territory. Five inch rubber worms rigged up texas style seemed to get a whole lot of bass attention. The water was clear enough that I could see them following my lure. A turtle was hanging out right next to me all morning and would sometimes also chase my lure. I'd just have to reel it in a little faster to avoid him getting hooked up. I also saw, and took a video of one of these... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_(animal) Great trip all around.
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Jun 25, 2012 15:30
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Jasper Tin Neck posted:I went fishing with my dad a week ago. Nice catch. What were these guys biting on if you don't mind me asking?
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Jul 23, 2012 14:30
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Any pointers on using top-water frog lures in very patchy still water? I started using one and I get a TON of interest but I can never seem to hook up. Almost all the strikes seem to occur shortly after my lure hits the water, a few are while I'm reeling slowly but mostly it is on splashdown. I can actually see the fish hit it which is really awesome, and they'll take it down for a second or two before it inevitably is back top-side. I try setting the hook right when it hits and shortly after it goes under. Should I wait even longer perhaps? Could it just be these are smaller fish that aren't engulfing the entire lure, but just the legs where the hooks aren't?
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Aug 8, 2012 16:34
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Cool, thanks to both of you. I've got the kind with solid legs not the stringy ones like above. Maybe I'll try cutting off a bit of those legs, and yeah definitely will wait a bit longer to set the hook. Trial and error seems to be the way to go with a lot of this stuff but it helps to get some ideas on what to try ahead of time.
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Aug 8, 2012 17:53
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tesilential posted:Lol I can't even take my own advice. You lucky bastard, I wish I could just walk a few houses down and fish a pond. I just looked up that lure, I happen to have one and will try it out along with my frogs this weekend. My last trip out I got all that action with the frog lures, then fished a deep quarry on a slip bobber with nightcrawlers. Got this guy early on, then 4 sunfish, and one 3" baby bass.  My battle plan for this weekend is to hit that same canal with my frogs and a few other floating lures to see what works. I'll use the ideas posted here and report back. After that I think I'm going to try live minnows and go even deeper on my slip bobber to see if the trout are still down there somewhere.
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Aug 9, 2012 18:53
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Anyone have carp fishing experience? I could clearly see three very large carp just kind of hanging out near the surface on my last outing. I tried a few different baits but they didn't seem interested in anything. I'm actually not sure my 8 lbs. test line would've been up for the challenge, these things were pretty massive! Looking online I see corn might work, or stink baits similar to what you'd use for catfish. Would cut bait sunnys work? I'd like to get back out there with maybe heavier line and some bait that may actually produce some strikes. They seem to just hang out in one spot and not move around all that much so I suspect I'll be able to find them in the same general area next time.
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Aug 13, 2012 21:03
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Hand of the King posted:I have some questions about hooking nightcrawlers. How do you guys hook them? I've been told to hook them through multiple times so one end isn't dangling off hook and eventually bitten off - is this right? I hook my nightcrawlers one of three ways: First, if going for trout, I typically cut the nightcrawler in half and just hook it through a thick area once. This also seems to be effective for most panfish. The second way, is as you describe, multiple passes through the hook with a whole worm. I find bass typically hit this, but trout tend to not. You can use this if your bait keeps getting stolen by little sunnys or whatever that you have no interest in catching as they won't typically hit a presentation that big. The third way I find pretty effective for all sorts of larger fish. You hook a whole nightcrawler maybe half an inch in from the nose. I then essentially do what I'd do with a rubber worm on a texas rig. The goal is to have the worm hanging straight down with the top near the eyelet of the hook and the hook point embedded in the worm. This will make it a bit more weedless, and give it a more natural presentation. You can reel this one in slowly if it isn't getting strikes by just sitting out there. It should appear more realistic than the above options on a slow reel. Yes, they drown and die. Fish will still hit it. Sometimes if I don't get any action though I may put a fresh worm on so it is all nice and wriggly. Stick with it, scope out new areas, try new techniques. When I first got back into it not too long ago, I barely caught anything but now I'm fairly confident I won't skunk out on any given trip (although I still do from time to time).
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Aug 17, 2012 19:00
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I didn't even catch it properly.
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Flu Roo posted:Nice OP: Also in eastern PA. While I never caught a musky, I've talked to a few guys who have and from what I recall the one used a smaller spoon, one used a giant fake minnow lure, and a third used live bait in the form of a smallish chub. I heard as recently as a year ago that the Lehigh has some decent musky in it. Seems like a fun goal, I'm not sure if I could give up bass/trout fishing and go 100% musky though. I would probably want to split it up and maybe use lures that might work on both during the time I don't have my huge lures on. Oh one last story, my Dad said he'd shoot for musky only after his line was obviously cut by one striking his normal bait/lures. If that happened, he'd just put on a steel leader, use the same bait and cast right back out. He said they are likely to hit again.
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Aug 17, 2012 19:10
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Well the carp were nowhere to be found probably because of some crazy bloom going on. Just a week passed and this canal became almost unfishable due to heavy vegetation. Still a great trip though. Deer spotted on my way in, it wasn't afraid of my truck.  Finally got a trout, they have been pretty elusive since the water got warm. I had to go about 18 feet to get this one. He had 4 hooks in his mouth excluding mine. I wonder how he managed that.  I had two lines out and right after getting that trout, a small bass hit my shallow minnow. I took a quick picture before letting him go.  Immediately after I got my lines out my shallow line's bobber went down and I knew something was strange as it didn't feel like a normal fish. Got my first turtle. Thankfully the hook fell out on it's own when it was almost on shore. I think it was a snapping turtle so I was a bit unsure what I'd have to do there. Kinda big guy too. No picture of that one since I didn't actually land him.
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Aug 23, 2012 15:11
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Cool pictures, thanks for sharing. It looks like you guys were using a drop shot rig. I'm planning to try that method out for my first time and read online that a Palomar knot works well for that. Any general tips on rigging this way? Is it still advisable to use this method if shorebound and needing to cast long distances? I'm kind of worried about the lead swinging around and getting all tangled with the hooks or baits.
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Aug 29, 2012 14:28
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jvick posted:Where will you be fishing? Nice, I'll check out the carolina rig. I'm hitting a small lake near the Poconos in PA this weekend as part of my bachelor party. I'm pretty comfortable with my bass and panfish techniques but wanted to try out something for catfish at dusk/night. I thought a drop shot might be good so I can suspend the bait near the bottom and let the line sit without worrying about it drifting into hazards. Also, I wanted some setup where I can put my rods down and not pay attention to the lines 100% of the time. Just check back now and then while I hangout nearby, or run to them when I hear line being pulled.
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Aug 29, 2012 16:13
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Hopefully this post revitalizes a great thread, perhaps with ice-fishing goodness now that Winter is coming on. Any veteran icefishers out there? I may give a go of it for my first time this year. Unrelated to that... I'm pretty sure this is a horrible idea (and possibly illegal) and kind of just want confirmation of that fact. How bad would it be to slowly stock say, one lake that is a few miles away from another lake, by catching in one and releasing in the other? Suppose all fish caught could legally be kept, and that they could be safely and quickly transported. I'm not sure how different the water is but would be more than willing to take pH readings or whatever is needed to make sure the fish would be okay in there. I'm sure some people will say I couldn't possibly make a large enough difference to make this worth it at all but the target lake is really small, and I fish a lot so I think I could successfully stock it over time. Why? I found this very small lake and am pretty sure not many people know about it. I was interested in getting it super stocked up over time with a variety of species so I have my go to spot when I want to take the nephews somewhere for guaranteed action. I get regular catches at the big lake and would be transporting them in large minnow buckets.
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Dec 3, 2012 21:32
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^^^ Nice post, should be helpful thank you.hypersober posted:I love fishing, but sort of hate it at the same time. After years of not getting my permit, I'd gotten it the last 2 years. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I've never had a bite. I've asked for tips, talked to others etc. We'd be glad to give you pointers, we need more details though. Where, what type of bodies of water, what are you going for, what are you using, method, anyone else around you catching fish?
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Mar 26, 2013 13:59
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hypersober posted:I live in the Bay Area, CA. I fish mostly a stocked lake for trout (rainbow/brown) and find, at least here, live minnows to be the best bait followed by a cut worm. I tried power bait and salmon eggs with very little success. I'd recommend not being afraid to switch it up. Bring multiple baits and try them all at different depths and locations. Maybe try some small to medium sized spoons or inline spinners. Try not to sit in one spot with the same bait for too long if there is no action. Fish deep on hot days and shallower on cool. Maybe consider using a slip bobber to control depth. I'm not familiar with your line setup but I thought the whole idea of three way swivels was to connect two lines for double presentations not as a way to attach a sinker (not saying this is wrong just that I'm unfamiliar with it). You can get sinkers that attach directly to your line which I'd think would be easier. Trout tend to target smaller prey in cold waters due to their slowed digestion, so consider maybe waxworms or mealworms if the water is still cool/cold there. Use smaller hooks, a goon here suggested that which helped me with my hook up rate a ton. Maybe another poster can help you with the stripers, I've only caught a couple of them in saltwater and don't really have any experience outside that. It's great that you are keeping with it! I really hope I have that willpower if I ever get a dry run like that. Keep plugging away and good luck.
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Mar 27, 2013 20:45
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^ Nice fish! We had our trout opener here this past weekend and it was packed! That morning I caught my first pickerel followed by seven of his buddies and three small LMB yet zero trout. The pickerel were great fun to reel in. I thought maybe that school of pickerel hanging by the good cover I was fishing scared the trout away from that area. These things weren't huge about the same size as most of the trout. Anyone have an idea if this theory may be correct? I couldn't find another area to fish because they were all taken. One of the pickerel I caught without hooking. The little guy just refused to let go of my minnow but didn't bite high enough to catch the hook. I landed him this way and had to literally pull him off the minnow because he wouldn't open his mouth. Pickerel are kind of awesome. I went out a couple days later when it was less crowded and fished nearby and finally caught these two guys... 
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Apr 5, 2013 15:01
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Anyone ever use cicadas as bait? Someone over in the cicada thread suggested it and BROOD II is invading my area soon. I figure the fish will get very used to them as a familiar food source.
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Apr 11, 2013 20:16
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DixielandDelight posted:Is it just a slow retrieve skipping along the bottom? If someone could please elaborate on the technique with soft plastics I'd really appreciate it. Nice catch, looks like a fun day. Yeah you pretty much got it, what we do with plastics is texas rig them and let them sink, then slowly pull them along the bottom. We mostly get hits as they sink, and if you feel a knock you want to set the hook pretty quickly. I've noticed missing a few and read an article where the first knock is them inhaling the plastic, and the second is them spitting it out. I like texas rigging because it is mostly weedless so we get less snags and it also looks pretty natural, a lot of people on here suggest wacky rig which I'd like to try, but my go to lake is REALLY overgrown with weeds.
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May 30, 2013 13:58
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SERPUS posted:How does lake fishing change during the next few months as temps start to drop? Do I need to use different lures or what? I target different species that are still active in colder water (perch, trout, pike) and give up on bass. Smaller presentations (wax worms, mealworms, small spoons, jigs etc.) also seems to be a good idea as their digestive systems slow down which causes them to not be interested in larger meals. I think this kind of depends on your location though.
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Sep 23, 2013 14:00
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 02:34 |
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My 2014 trout opener outing went pretty well! I'm not super confident in my trout ID abilities but I'm thinking top-down: Brook, Rainbow, and ummm Tiger (brown/brook cross-bred)?  Closeup - Left side is the top of the above image. 
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Apr 3, 2014 16:47
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