Help the rookie!

[grinandbearit30]

Hi folks;

 

New to the forum and looking for plenty of advice - but first a little about me - recently discovered fishing late last fall and have been hooked so to speak, certainly not because I catch any fish, I just love being outside and find the experience "spiritual" for lack of a better term. So far I'm 0 - 4 (that's four trips to zero fish ratio!). I'm targeting Bass and Walleye, and use a simple Browning 6ft rod and reel combo from BassPS, the line is (I believe) Berkly Tri-lean 7-10 lb test (this was a christmas present, my wife is getting sick of me and figured I needed a hobby). I started with a simple worm, hook, and bobber, and managed to snag a few rock bass and pumpkinseed (South Nation River). This past weekend I camped at Bon Echo in eastern ON. I decided I would try my luck at Bass, and learned how too "Texas rig" a worm. Needless to say I didn't manage to get anything, this was rather dissapointing as I am determined and patient and figure I will be eventualy rewarded, but I still wonder what I'm doing wrong. Making things difficult is my lack of a boat, I purely cast from shore. If any of my research is correct I believe my lack of success is mainly due to my inability to access fish. If I am to understand correctly; Bass are active mornings and evenings and are more likely to be found in deeper water, in the hottest days of summer, making my shore casting just a waste of effort. In a couple of weeks I will be heading up to Round lake near Petawawa for some camping. I hear that there are plenty of Walleye and Bass and will be targeting these fish again. ANY TIPS ANYONE CAN GIVE ME TO MAKE IT A MORE PRODUCTIVE EXPERIENCE ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED! Thanks.

[grinandbearit30]

Just saw the OFC anthem. I would like to apologize in advance for being a cliche.

[TC1OZ]

I am a pretty basic fisherman, maybe I have golden hands but all I use are some sinkers, eagle talon hook, and a worm. Cast and retrieve slowly.

 

You might just be fishing at the wrong end of town, like people the fish hang out at all the good spots! Usually where they aren't bothered by anyone and lots of things to eat!

 

Hopefully that helps!

[Musky or Specks]

I'm going to suggest river smallmouth fishing. Probably the easiest way to catch fish without a boat.

[grinandbearit30]

Thanks, this is a good tip!

 

I've been using both the tungsten and lead bullit sinkers with a 2/0 round hook, and the powerworm, or the chigger craw, and the batwing frog..etc...Without the boat it's difficult to get away from the busy spots..wherever I seem to go I always run into someone launching a boat.Maybe it's bad luck... On one trip I cut away a snagged line so many times it would have been less expensive to chuck the river a fifty and leave.

[Bass Tard]

A texas rigged worm isn't the easiest setup to catch fish on. Now that I'm used to fising them I do catch a lot on that setup, but it takes some learning for the feel. I think my first season of fishing texas rigged worms I must have lost 40% of the fish that bit them.

 

I would say a small crank bait like a countdown or floating Rapala is one of the easier things to learn to catch some bass or pretty much anything else on. If you're fishing in/around weeds off shore one of my favorites is a white spinner bait.

 

Always be looking for visible structure to fish if you can find something. A bend in the river, rapids and a pool after, a tree in the pond, a weed line, anything!

 

That's all I've got.

 

(patience is virtue)

[grinandbearit30]

I must admit I am curious about the crankbaits and floating baits, but am a little shy about the cost involved. Can you fish these things through the lily pads or the grass without getting snagged too much?

[Lunatic]

I must admit I am curious about the crankbaits and floating baits, but am a little shy about the cost involved. Can you fish these things through the lily pads or the grass without getting snagged too much?

i like to use braided line (30lb test) and a spro bronzeye frog and i toss it in the nastiest weediest areas i can find and watch all the bass smash my bait.

using mono line like you have, fishing weed lines with jig heads and twister tail grubs works best for me. or maybe a mepps with a worm or grub.

 

you can catch bass any time of the day,of course best odds are morning or night. but there have been times ive caught more on super hot days mid afternoon then i have in the morning.

another good lure i like is a floating rapala jointed minow in green. caught alot of bass and pike on that lure and ive owned it for 17 years.

good luck

[Greencoachdog]

Renting a boat can be fun, especially if you have someone to go in "halvsies" with you!

 

Fishing from shore can be very productive, but you have to put in the time and legwork before it will pay off!

 

Concentrate on a specific area close to home, once you learn to catch fish there... branch out.

 

There are a multitude of patterns for any given species, experiment and find one that works for you!

 

Live bait works well for a beginner, a lively minnow underneath a bobber is hard for most gamefish to resist!

 

Fishing the weeds?... a Texas or Carolina rigged worm or lizard worked very slow is hard to beat! A spinnerbait or buzzbait can be very productive at times as well!

 

I had my best results fishing small inline or beetlespin type spinnerson steep rocky slopes when I was starting out, cast out and let the lure sink to the bottom or close to the bottom and start your retrieve... usually a slow retrieve works best.

 

REMEMBER the #1 rule!!!... if you arent losing at least a little bit of tackle, you aren't fishing where the fish are!!!

 

The fishing Gods require that you pay "tribute" to them in $$$'s lost in fishing tackle... if you don't pay this "tribute", you will not be smiled upon!!!... simple as that!

[cram]

mepps spinner....black fury or a red and white comet. Most versatile bait going. Cast....reel in...maybe vary retrieve here and there (sstops, speed ups, break the surface here and there), and you'll catch fish.

[Dozer]

Evening to night fishing with a black Jitterbug or SkitterPop near weeds around the shore and you'll be happy.

 

This forum holds lots of answers. Look at the recent smallie report with the hundred photo's... 3-6 pm and fish were caught with topwaters... look at the weeds they were fishing, how close to shore? Maybe a picture has a bait in it?

 

Well, I'm hoping you come back with pictures, we love photo's.

 

Lets go 1 - 4!

[GBW]

Get some of these : Shakey Jig

and rig it with a fake worm (like these) : YUM Dinger

rig it and fish it like this :

use braided line for sure as well.

good luck

[grinandbearit30]

These are all fantastic ideas, I'm looking forward to hitting crappytire and getting some of these to try out. I live in ottawa so maybe I'll go down to the local slow water area on the river and fire out a few cast to try my luck! Thanks folks!

[ChrisK]

While your at crappytire go check out the kayaks to see if any of them are on sale....Kayak fishing is a growing sport and a great way to get off shore and away from the crowds..

 

Cheers !!

[spinnerbaitking]

Going to your Local tackle shop will same you time, ask lots of question & spend some money, the information should help, I use spinnerbaits different size blades & weight & crankbaits shallow to deep, you can cast a small fat crankbait a mile, tubes work every where & don't cost a fortune on a jig or weedless, LETS GO 1 FOR 5

Tight Line Richard

[johnnyb]

If you're worried about losing lures to snags, make a $15 investment and spool your reel up with some PowerPro. The diameter of what you're using now should give you about 25 or 30 lb test...so if you happen to snag, you can usually rip the lure free. If it's REALLY stuck, you just wrap the line around something sturdy, like a stick, or the handle of a net, and pull steadily. The line will last a looong time, and when it looks like it's time to change, you can take it all off, and put it on the spool backwards...using the untouched stuff that's been buried at the bottom.

As for lures, well, the sky's the limit...but definitely get yourself a white spinnerbait...one hook to worry about, can be fished shallow or deep, and even skimmed over top of weeds without getting caught up TOO much.

As for where to fish...look for the "differences" in your spots. If the whole area is weedy, look for the log, or rock, or even just the hole in the weeds. Where the depth changes. Where the water goes from calm to choppy. Where water is flowing in, ie. from a creek.

 

1 FOR 5! 1 FOR 5! we're pullin' for ya

[blaque]

and when it looks like it's time to change, you can take it all off, and put it on the spool backwards...using the untouched stuff that's been buried at the bottom.

 

Hmmm, ive never even thought to do that, thats a pretty heckuva darn good idea

[spinnerbaitking]

For easy removal hook it to a fence and take a walk, I usually do this at our local fair grounds lots of room & nobody around, don't do it fair day HAHAHA

Tight Lines Richard

[Governator]

Without a doubt, get yourself a white spinnerbait to start. They don't snag too often, you'll pull in some weeds like any lure but being a single hook they aren't as likely to get deep snagged. You also have a bit of control with depth holding your rod tip up will keep it above the weeds while holding it down will allow it to dive a couple of feet below the surface.

 

Also a rapala crankbait, preferably a shallow running one or a floating one to keep above the weeds.

 

I have a lot more success with these setups then any worm rig for bass. Retrieving a spinnerbait is as easy as just cast and crank her in. Crankbaits have a variety of methods to play with for triggering bass. Usually jerking, twitching or sweeping works best but even so a simple retrieve will have the lure wobble left to right.

 

Walleye will be much more difficult to target from shore, they tend to stay deeper and not always easy to find.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Governator

[oates]

Mann Baby 1 minus

 

It is a heavy crankbait that can be cast (with 7ft rod) 50 ft or more, it swims one ft. under water so it doesn't get weeded, has a loud rattle and is a good lure for a starter, it worked for me - won't catch much other than bass as it is quite fat.

[kevinhiles]

I'm a newbie too just learning what works and what doesn't (mostly I know what doesn't...haha). All of these posts have given me a lot of good info.

 

Thanks everyone!

[Jonny]

If you're shore-fishing the Ottawa, you should be able to hook into some pike. Even if you don't want to keep them, they'll sure liven up an outing!

 

Red-and-white daredevils (the cheap ones Can. Tire carries) are good for them and you can lose a bunch without it costing you much. You'll catch other fish with them as well. Mepps, Blue Fox or Panther Martin spinners (in various sizes) are a slightly more expensive alternative.

 

If you think the water is fairly deep off shore, cast out and give a slow 5-count or even a 10-count and then retrieve. If you're fishing alone, make sure your net is always within reach!

 

Make sure you have a few fairly heavy baits as they make a big difference in how far you can cast.

 

Switch to a bobber-and-worm rig when you feel like sitting down and having a sandwich or just communing with nature. If there's a current you can cover a lot of water, especially from a point.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Jocko

[limeyangler]

mepps spinner....black fury or a red and white comet. Most versatile bait going. Cast....reel in...maybe vary retrieve here and there (sstops, speed ups, break the surface here and there), and you'll catch fish.

 

 

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE!!!!

[Dozer]

Bring a pair of long pliers ( errrrrrrr... ) for taking out hooks from the mouths of the sharp tooth fishies.

[grinandbearit30]

Lol..yup..I have a couple of types of pliers, the net, the tackle box etc...I have all the painting supplies now only if I could just paint it would be all worth it-hehe.

 

What a wonderful response from everyone..you don't even know how much I appreciate this. Clearly there is a sense of comraderie with anglers.

 

I've written down all the suggestions and am going to sneak out on payday and see what I can pick up.

 

For those in the Ottawa area..who sells cheap bait around here...would I have better luck ordering online from BPS or other suppliers?

 

 

edit - Oh and on a side note I do have 3 sizes of red and white daredevil, but I thought they were just cheap spinners to make my tackle look more full.

Edited July 21, 2009 by grinandbearit30