Shore Fishing For Bass and Ungrateful Anglers

[Ping]

So after I posted up a picture asking everyone how much they think the bass I caught weighed, I had an unnamed person PM me asking where abouts on the lake I caught it. I shared the exact location with this person and then thought it would be a good time to ask for a good shore fishing spot in return (I know people don't like to give up their spots but I've had a heck of time looking already.) I didn't even get a thank you in return, let alone a location. I guess for all the helpful people on this board I'm bound to run into ass's like that as well. The funny thing is, I see the same guy asking other people for advise...

 

So... This is a pitty plea, not trying to cover it up. I'm a newbie angler that's been renting a boat almost every weekend and my pockets aren't getting any deeper if you know what I mean. So for me to continue fishing I need to find a decent spot to continue refining my skills and trying lures and so forth since continuing to rent a boat every weekend isn't feasible. If anyone here know's of a spot I can work for a day and even come up with a bass or 2, not looking for anything crazy, it would be much appreciated if you can PM me. I live in the GTA and am willing to drive upwards to 1.5hrs.

 

Thanks in advance and a big thank you to everyone who has already filled me with a wealth of new information from my last post.

[oates]

Not cool at all

[Victor]

As you spend more time on here you'll learn that who you can trust/who u can't.

 

There are quite a few lakes within 1.5hrs of the GTA ... Scugog, Simcoe, Rice, etc. As for spots I can't really tell you any ... not that I don't want to ... but even I can't catch any myself still trying to figure this bass thing out ...

[johnnyb]

definitely a ton of lakes to try within a 1/5 hr drive....instead of hitting lake after lake looking for the big score...pick one that looks "fishy", that's close to home, and work on it. Multiple visits to one lake are goign to yield more fish than one visit to multiple lakes. And...sorry for your luck with the PM. Maybe that person just takes a while to check their inbox? Maybe they are being inconsiderate. But seriously, pick the closest lake, or the one with the cheapest boat rental, and focus on it. The fish are in there...you just have to try a few different tactics...sometimes it's as simple as changing the colour of the lure you're using

[bushart]

OK we're working on my grey haired old memory here..

 

I used to be able to wade around on those tribs (Like Bronte) and fish the holes tossin spinners and catch smallies

 

Won't look like the one you caught but you could get a look at some trout or salmon as well.

 

Far as shore fishin a lake---may be very hit and miss---Trent system may be an option

 

I do know the bigger smallies are workin their way deeper here soon. (But don't tell anybody)

 

Bushart

[Ping]

Thanks for all the advise all!

[tdotfisherman]

Yeah, you better get used to that.. it happens.. Over the last few years I've had a few people PM me for fishing information or for GTA shore spots, and most of the people haven't said thank you or anything when I shoot them a helpful reply..

[solopaddler]

It's entirely possible that whoever pm'd you has less knowledge than yourself although I can relate to your feelings.

I have responded to countless pm's for info, some from active board members.

Many, many times without even a resonse saying thanks.

[splashhopper]

so far nobody has asked ME for advice

lol

 

But if they do and they act like you say this one... rest assured... I WILL "OUT" THE jerk !

[singingdog]

If you are ever up Haliburton way, drop me a line. I will steer you towards some excellent shore fishing spots.

[Greencoachdog]

Not trying to be critical, but the sweetest fishing spots will be the ones you find for your self! Get yourself a good map and get out and drive around, make an adventure out of it!!!

 

I would think that alot of the shorelines are choked with weeds right now, but that's ok if you know how to fish the slop.

 

When I go shore fishing for Bass, I look for stretches of rip rap to fish... rip rap is good structure that holds bait like minnows and Crawfish!

 

You can shoot me a PM for my secret presentation for fishing this type of structure if you're interested.

 

A couple of my rip rap fish:

 

 

Edited September 17, 2009 by GCD

[Fish4Eyes]

For the money you have spent renting you could of bought a small tinny with a kicker. Your better off getting a loan to pay for a $1000ish boat than renting. Don't throw your money away dude.

[Raf]

there's a certain river, starts with a G ends with a rand.. it's a long river. Pick an area and explore it, there are smallies to be had along most of it! Not just the well known areas. Don't be afraid to get wet and walk it either.

Edited September 17, 2009 by Raf

[charlesn]

For the money you have spent renting you could of bought a small tinny with a kicker. Your better off getting a loan to pay for a $1000ish boat than renting. Don't throw your money away dude.

 

I'd agree with the above. I wish I could have back the many thousands of dollars I spent on rental boats, fly-ins, outfitters, guide trips before I had my own boat - nothing compares to that freedom. That money would have made a good sized dent in to the downpayment of a very nice boat. Also, if you have a fishin' buddy that you fish with all the time, you can even split it since it is more fun and easier to launch and stuff like that with a partner.

 

Another idea is to join a bass fishing club in your area. You can learn things and fish events as a non-boater (so basically you get to fish out of a tournament rigged bass boat for less than what you'd spend on a rental and you can also win back that money and more - a huge bargain). As you meet and befriend the club members, you will find that if you are friendly and considerate as a non-boater, you will be asked out on fishing excursions outside of the regular events and be able to develop more and more contacts through word of mouth between the boaters as we all go out from time to time alone and would gladly take someone along for the conversation if nothing else - helps the day go by.

 

There are lots of clubs in CBAF (cbaf.ca) and OBFN (ontariobass.com) and both are grass-roots bass fishing organizations that you can learn from and meet a bunch of bass fishing addict freaks. Feel free to PM me for more info.

 

Charles

[Ping]

Thanks for all the great advise guys! I will definitely take my time to look into some of these options!

[SBCregal]

if you're looking... i have a boat that im considering selling, a little 12' tinny with a small outboard on the back, pm me if you like

[LeXXington]

there's a certain river, starts with a G ends with a rand.. it's a long river. Pick an area and explore it, there are smallies to be had along most of it! Not just the well known areas. Don't be afraid to get wet and walk it either.

 

Noooo thats my spot

[bigfish1965]

Noooo thats my spot

 

I'm still trying to figure out what spot he's talking about...

[SRT8 smoker craft]

:A couple of my rip rap fish:

 

 

 

is that a silver bass ? it's huge if it is only get 12" mabye a pound around here

[GBW]

I have to agree with Charles on this. I joined a club for 2008 (didn't this year due to cash) and only made one event but it was worth it! For those that golf, think of it as a greens fee at an average to decent course for a day per event and you can win cash too! I learned some great tricks and have been invited out to fish with the boater I was with (and others) since this event and every time fishing with the club members has been GREAT! One is even on my lake and we go out head to head from time to time...

[River Rat]

Not trying to be critical, but the sweetest fishing spots will be the ones you find for your self! Get yourself a good map and get out and drive around, make an adventure out of it!!!

 

I would think that alot of the shorelines are choked with weeds right now, but that's ok if you know how to fish the slop.

 

Good call GCD....get out and find those fish. There was no internet for me early on or my Dad and we were skunked tons of times till we figured it out. Why would you tell a complete stranger the exact location of a great fihing spot ? These people aren't your friends, you don't know them and they don't know you ? How have they earned the right to a spot that took you weeks to find ? I see all the posts (and guy PMing strangers info) and I just scratch my head......IMO, it's and insecurity. If you want to help a stranger, open a door for someone at Tim Hortons, let an older person have your seat on the bus, volenteer as a big brother or sister....hand a homeless guy a sandwich from your lunch bag and sit and talk to him.

 

I spend TONS of money and time figuring stuff out. Subscribe to some good mags like FLW, Bsssin, In Fisherman etc...here's a tip for the shore angler this time of year that I read in Bassin. Fish inside weed edges and docks with mini jigs and worms. See, no hot spots reveiled....most weedy lakes have this kind of cover along most of it's shore line. If you work them now, you will get fish. I did it last weekend and found some good fish with a buddy of mine that is a pro on both sides of the boarder. See if you can hook up with someone that has a boat and fishes lots, simallar interests....meet people that share your passion and learn from each other.

 

getting skunked is the BEST way to learn new tecqniques. If you stop doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, you will automatically do more of the right thing.....get a journal, record your catch along with time, water clarity, air temp and barometer,water temp, wind direction, catch location, baits colors etc...mke a spread sheet and record your findings....you will se patterns evolv after a year or two and know what to do under certain conditions.....just a thought

 

RR

[aniceguy]

Another idea is to join a bass fishing club in your area. You can learn things and fish events as a non-boater (so basically you get to fish out of a tournament rigged bass boat for less than what you'd spend on a rental and you can also win back that money and more - a huge bargain). As you meet and befriend the club members, you will find that if you are friendly and considerate as a non-boater, you will be asked out on fishing excursions outside of the regular events and be able to develop more and more contacts through word of mouth between the boaters as we all go out from time to time alone and would gladly take someone along for the conversation if nothing else - helps the day go by.

 

 

Charles

 

but then he could get stuck with me............and thats a whole other story

[cuzza]

Interesting to see the responses on this thread.....

 

Ping, it sounds like you started out in the wrong direction, and hiring a boat ona weekly basis wasn't sustainable anyway, it also sounds like someone's taken advantage of your good nature which is a shame. There's a thread on here about someone who found a canoe for $50 from a web-classified site, why not go down that route?

 

As a newbie, fishing time is what you need rather than a hotspot (if you need someone to give you one in order to continue fishing, IMO you're missing the point of the hobby) - find a lake near you that contains bass and give it a try. Secondly, get hold of a good book - I bought Roland Martin's book recently and it's very good, describing methods for most situations and how to fish different types of baits.

 

The tip about joining a club is a great one, thanks for the pointer, Charles - as a fellow bass newbie, I'll be joining one of them

[jaydub]

Sorry, can't help with any great shore fishing spots but here's my advice. As far as I know it costs about $50-150 per day to rent a boat. You can easily find a 12'er with a 9.9 for less than $1500 in good shape. You do the math. Now's the time of year to look!

[SBCregal]

ping.... did you get my pm?