New to fishing

[Mitcher]

I know this may come to a suprise to you big fisherman out there but I am 20 and have never been fishing before. I have a daughter that is 2 and would like to pick something up that we can do together, with going to school and working i dont have much time but if i could grab 2 hours here and there with her that would be great and i figured fishing would be a great thing to get started in. Well thats alittle about me here is my question. I went the other night and caught a sunfish and a bass, i dont know what kind it was but it was really small only like4 inches. I was using some bait i found in my garage dont know where it came from. I explained what i was using to someone at work and they told me i was using a rooster tail and that is mainly used for Trout, and i dont have a trout stamp so that doesn't help me much. I am just looking for some basic things i need to start fishing. A guy who knew what he was doing showed my wife what to get me for fathers day. (Rod, reel, hooks, etc.) but didnt get me any bait. I went to wal mart last night and had no idea what i needed to get or what to do. So if anyone could point me in the right direction of where to get some good info that would be great thanks.

I live in central PA by the way, mostly fishing in streams and there is a place called Canoe Creek which is just a damed off creek lake. I dont really know what you need to know to guide me but thats all i can really tell you.
thanks alot
mitchell

[mymomisbecky]

quite honestly if you want to catch bass, the easiest way for me growing up, and still in my adulthood is a three hook pre-rigged worm. There are several brands out there, including "The Worm" and "The IkeKon" etc. Im not going to only push my own, but my grandads noodle is unlike these 2, with its custom mold form, but I wont post a link as im not a sponsor, but you should be able to figure it out. You can certainly buy any of the ones mentioned above as well, and likely catch fish on them. Good luck, and make sure to use a snap swivel . Tie that to your line, then hook one of them on. They flat out produce fish.

[m cress]

Welcome to the board Mitch. You will find all kinds of usefull information here. I don't know how much money you want to spend or how seriously you want to get into fishing, but if you are like most of us you will become obsessed. All you need is a rod and reel which I gather you already have. You are probably using spinning equipment..(reel underneath rod) or spincasting equipment..(reel above rod but can't see the line) You can be perfectly happy with what you have for now. As far as bait goes, I assume you are looking for lures to use and are not fishing with live bait. Your staples should include some of the following. Plastic worms or creature baits. These guys endorse all kinds of brands, just look around. Quarter ounce bullet sinkers, plastic beads (for noise if you want) and plastic bait hooks. There are different methods of rigging the worm that are too complicated to explain here so just google texas or carolina or weightless rigging for instructions on how to set your bait up. Depending on the capabilities of your rod you will want some spinnerbaits..(easy to use and almost foolproof for beginners) crankbaits if you wish (hard plastic lures with treble hooks hanging below that are shaped and painted like small fish). Thats probably the bare neccessities to get started and have fun. Keep in mind that soft plastic fishing requires a bit of feel and technique to consistently land bass. Whereas spinnerbaits and cranks require less skill to start. Basically cast out and reel in. They have their own built in action that attracts bass. There are more complicated methods to fishing these lures that you can master later. Twitching, stop and go, suspending, bouncing off of cover etc. If your current rod is of a light action or even light-medium you may have trouble with crankbaits or spinnerbaits. Your rod should list it's action on the underside. Just stick with the soft plastics if your rod cannot handle retrieve lures for now and have fun.

[CarpMan]

http://www.hotlib.com/articles/show...._For_Beginners There are lot of good sites for beginners. Have fun.. C man

[NCYankee]

If what you were using has a spinning blade on it, it is an in-line rooster tail spinner. They are good for many types of fish. However, they are not the best lures for larger bass. Cress gave you some good advice. At some point in time, also check out bassresource.com.

[Mitcher]

Thanks alot for the info guys, i just got back from fishing with absolutley no luck. But my daughter enjoyed hearing the frogs and she saw some "Moo Moos" across the road so she was real happy so thats really all that counts. Anyway thanks alot for the great info and disregarding my lack of knowledge, ill make a little list of the stuff you guys gave me and head to wal-mart and grab some stuff. As far as for cloudy water what are the best colors to use. Someone told me to use some black plastic worms which i got and used today and got nothing, so does color matter a whole lot, or just get a mixture? And also is there a best color to start out with so that i dont have to go out and spend 100 bucks on 10 different colors of each different type of lure.
Thanks
Mitch

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum, Mitch!

m cress ain't kidding about becoming obsessed . As far as just starting out-better late than never . Now, what to get.....you can spend a ton of money on stuff-myself and quite a few other guys you find here are living proof. HOWEVER: You don't need to. You can get by with a few baits to start out. That rooster tail will catch anything that swims-for some reason most bass fishermen don't use them much, but I can't tell you why. It is a good bait. Here are a few I would recommend:

Beetle Spin-this is a spinnerbait type bait that looks like an open safety pin with a teardrop shape attached to a leadhead jig:



The safety pin part is removable so you can use it on different baits.

Curl tail grubs either rigged:



or unrigged:



You can get the jigheads separately.

A soft plastic stickbait:



These are usually fished with no weight rigged weedless:



Or wacky:

(Yes, that goofy looking rig catches fish)

A surface bait ot topwater-I've probably caught more bass on a Heddon Tiny Torpedo than all other topwater baits combined:



In a chrome with a black back color. Both the worms and the torpedo are fished with soft jerks of your rod tip.

A lipless crankbait:



A shallow running crankbait:




And some terminal tackle. Hooks-small bait hooks to use with live bait, offset shank worm hooks-size 2/0 or 3/0-the kind in the Texas rig picture, some small sinkers such as split shots and small bullet sinkers fot fishing worms a little deeper. That will get you on the right track, and WalMart carries most if not all of them.

Quick mention of colors-for the soft plastics I'd go with natural colors like watermelon seed, green pumpkin and watermelon red flake. For the hard baits shad colors-silver, chrome, pearl-something that resembles a baitfish. Hope this helps and good luck!

Well, why pics some showed up and some didn't I don't have a clue, but if you click on the link you can see it.

[Mitcher]

Cool deal, when i went today i tried to do the texas rig but i dont think i did it quite right my worm was alittle bit bent and i didnt let the worm settle at the bottom i probably was playing with it way too much. Also i didnt have any of the bullet sinkers so that might have something to do with it too.
Got a few more questions
1. The worms, if im doing alot of small river/creek fishing should i use 4-6 inch worms with a 2/0 hook, and also should it have a tail or not.
2. What are swivels used for, should i tie that at the end of my line and then just switch between differnt types of bait or do they have another purpose? Also with that will a bullet sinker slip over that or not?
3. How do i stop losing all of my hooks and bait. I caught 0 fish today but lost 2 worms and a rooster tail to a tree... haha i had to laugh at myself but still when i buy a 5 dollar crankbait and put it in a tree, my daughters gonna be learning some new words. Any help with that.
4. With the curl tail grubs how do you fish with those, the same technique as the worms?
5. And the crank baits are they just case and reel in or is there technique there as well.

thanks alot guys this is the best place i could have come to get help, you guys are awsome thanks
Mitchell

[Rebbasser]

Mitch-
1. You can use either a 4 or 6", but in smaller bodies of water the 4" might get the nod. I'm guessing you are referring to a curl tail-sometimes it makes a difference, sometimes it doesn't-either one will work. It almost comes down to personal preference.

2. None of the above(IMO). The only time I use a swivel is on couple of different worm rigs. I tie everything directly using either a Palomar knot:

http://www.fish4fun.com/palomarknot.htm

or a Trilene knot:

http://www.fish4fun.com/TrileneKnot.htm

A lot of cheaper swivels have a nasty nabit of coming open at the wrong time so I don't use them. A bullet sinker will not pass over it-the hole in the sinker isn't much bigger than your line.

3. Welcome to fishing. EVERYBODY breaks off from time to time. That said, if you aren't getting hung up once in a while you aren't fishing in the right place .

4. You can fish it like a worm, but I usually throw them out and reel it right back in.

5. Pretty much. You can start/stop, speed up, slow down, etc. but chunk-and-wind works just as well.

The key to any bait is to vary the presentation/retrieve to find out what the fish want. For example, one time I was fishing one of those Tiny Torpedos I recommended. I was jerking it across the surface using a start/stop retrieve with no success. As I was cranking it in real fast and steady to make another cast a bass absolutely crushed it. I started casting it out and burning it back in and started catching fish on it-I found out what the fish wanted.

[bassguy2004]

Welcome to the forum. If you want to have your daughter learn some real words, try hanging a Lucky Craft crankbait in a tree at $20 a pop. Good luck with your fishing adventures with your daughter. This is a great time for both of you to learn about fishing, besides she may turn out to be a better fisherman than you. JK

[zooker]

welcome to the board. if ya like being flat broke with more tackle store in a back room costing more than the house they are stored in. you now know you are not alone.. the lil beast lurkin in the dark conner of the tackle shop is called a bait monkey. you don't have to look for them they will find YOU..


zooker

[Mitcher]

I went out to walmart and bought a couple things. I got a spinnerbait, it was a middle of the line one so i dont know how well that will work out for me, but i can atleast get the feel for it and if i catch another tree with it i wont be quite as angry. I got a mini torpedo as well. And i got the 2/0 hooks with the bullet sinkers so i can get the worm alittle straighter and i rigged the wrom up and it looks 10 times better than what i was using. I do have a question though (another newbie question)
1. With the torpedo, should i use any sort of weight with it. As well as with the spinner baits or with a rooster tail. I'm not real sure with those, thanks alot.

[Rebbasser]

Nope. The torpedo is a topwater, so any weight you add will hamper the action. The spinnerbait and rooster tail don't need any additional weight-the head on the spinnerbait and the body on the rooster tail are probably lead and will give you enough weight for casting, and they will sink so you can fish them at about any depth.

One thing I would suggest getting is a hook sharpener. Most places that sell tackle will have one. I use one of these:



They are made by EZlap I believe and cost about $5. The sharpening part fits in the cap and it has a pocket clip like a pen so it stays put in your pocket. There are a lot out there, so you can get one you like. I mention it because while some hooks are sharp right out of the package some aren't-I learned that lesson the hard way-so I always check to see if they are sharp.

Don't worry about asking questions, even if you think it is a dumb one. As has been said many times here, the only dumb question is the one that isn't asked, so ask away!

This is a great site for someone just getting into bass fishing-it will answer a lot of questions and probably raise a bunch more, but it has some great info:

www. bassresource.com/beginner/beginner.html

Good choice on the 2/0 hooks-while some think bigger than better I think it is the best all-around hook size.

[Mitcher]

AHH i can't catch any fish and i lost my spinner bait. haha, i want to fish but im so horrable at it, I cant catch anything, how long should i attempt to use a certain type of bait before going on to something else. Maybe im not patient enough with one certain lure and move on too quickley. Also with a worm i cast it, let it sink to the bottom, and how long should i wait before i start bringing it in, and when i bring it in, i should snap my rod back alittle bit to kind of jump it across the bottom or should i just reel it in slowly? I am getting up early tomorrow morning and going by myself, could be that i have to stay in one general area when im fishing is why i also cant seem to catch anything.
Thanks

[m cress]

you'll get it, if you really wan't to succeed spend an entire day if you have to at your pond/lake/river. Once you cast 3-400 times in a day,you'll really start getting the feel for it. The retrieve for the worm varies about as much as people on this site. Most people do it differently. I hop it up and down on the bottom, slowly reel in slack and do it again. If you get out of the target area that you are trying to fish, just reel it in fast and start over. When you say you are losing lures in trees; do you mean you hang it up on something on-shore before it even hits the water, or are you losing them to snagging on branches etc under water? If it's the first option that is just a matter of practicing your ability to cast at a target and it will come to you fairly quickly. Believe me we all still screw up. I've been fishing for a long time, but alot of times if I switch to a lighter lure from a heavier one that I had just been using and am sidearm casting, I'll release it so late that it almost leaves the rod at a right angle for gods sake. Embarrassing when your on a boat under direct scrutiny of another angler. If you are losing lures under the water, first off you are fishing in the right place. Advanced techniques will basically come to you out of neccessity for fear of losing too much money. You can bounce spinnerbaits off of cover with practice etc. Soon you will need to start looking at the shoreline of the area you are fishing with some imagination and fake "x-ray eyes" Try to visualize what the land does as it leaves the shore and travels under the water. Look for areas that you think may be different under the water than the rest of the pond. This will help you greatly. Also if you are shore fishing, don't confine yourself to one spot for hours on end. Walk the shoreline and try to hit everything at least once. Pretty soon you will be giving us tips. Oh yeah with swivels. It's tempting to tie one palomar knot on a snap swivel and then just quickly change lures all day long on it. I don't know what the consensus is here but I think they hamper the action of the lure and greatly reduce sensitivity. They can help sometimes if you have a problem with twisted line and you want to prevent your lures from "flashing" = running sideways.

[Rebbasser]

I cant catch anything, how long should i attempt to use a certain type of bait before going on to something else.

If you figure that one out, let us know . That is a dilemma we all deal with. It is a matter of finding what the fish want, so give things a fair try.

For the worm question-that is where varying the retrieve comes in. When you cast it out, you can watch the line as it sinks and it will go slack when it hits bottom. I then reel the slack out of the line and at the same time lower the rod tip to about 10:00. Then raise the rod tip to 11-12:00. That will lift the worm up off the bottom. When you get your rod tip up to 11-12, stop it and the worm will swing back to the bottom. Then reel the slack back down to 10:00 and repeat. Vary how fast you raise the worm to change the speed of the retrieve. If you get a hit it might feel like a thump-thump (kind of hard to describe) or it might just get "heavy". The hit will usually come as the worm is falling, so if you feel it reel down a few cranks to get the slack out and then snap the rod up or to the side to set the hook.

You will get bit eventually, so don't get discouraged. Just try different baits, different retrieves and eventually you will find what they want. Everybody gets skunked, but then there are those magical days where everything goes right-the kind you dream about-and it makes up for all the days you get skunked.

If you are going real early-like before sunup-throw that torpedo. That's prime topwater time, and there ain't nothing like having a bass blow up on a topwater!

[Mitcher]

sounds great, I'm not thinking about giving up just mad that i suck, i usually catch on to things pretty quickly but this fishing stuff isn't working out as i had hoped. But anyway thanks for the tips with the worms, I'm just taking everything in, and when the times come for me to use these different ideas i will. I think using a worm is my favorite just because if i lose it i don't really care and i can really cast it where i want to and not have to worry.

I read this thing on scents and how they are a good thing to use and how garlic and crawfish are good scents, is this something i need to worry about right now or just focus on technique before i go spending money on stuff like that?

Thanks Mitchell

[Rebbasser]

I wouldn't worry about it right now-just concentrate on the basics.

And let me be the first to welcome you to the Brotherhood of the Bait Monkey. He has found you like he has the rest of us !

[Jackl]

MITCHER,
Being somewhat of a believer in the plastic worm for all occasions, I will say that you are probably fishing it too fast. Everybody does! J.B. gave good advice on hopping the worm, but did not give directions on speed. I am a firm believer in a very, very slow presentation on worm fishing. I may hop or drag a worm, depending on my mood, and the mood of the fish. If you think you are fishing a plastic worm too slow, then slow down some more. If you are hopping the worm, lift the rod tip about 2 inches, and then wait for a full five count or more for the worm to settle back to the bottom, then hop it another 2 inches. If you are swimming or dragging the worm, turn your reel handle about twice the speed as the second hand on your watch. The fish are aware of the presence of your bait the second it hits the water. If it speeds by at the speed of sound, they may not be in the mood to chase it. But if it settles to the bottom and sits there for a while, then hops once or starts to slither across the bottom slowly, it may be something that they should investigate closer. If you are fishing standing timber, cast the worm as close to the tree (or even hit the tree lightly) and let the worm sink down the side of the tree on slack line. When the worm hits the bottom, let it sit for a 5 count, then twitch it a couple times before slithering or hopping it across the bottom. You may have a fish on befor it hits bottom. With worm fishing, you have to be a serious line watcher, and watch for very subtle "tic's" on your line when the bass inhales it. Keep trying, I think you will catch on to worm fishing, and like it for the very reason you alluded to. It does not cost much when you lose a worm, hook and weight. Because of this you will be more tempted to throw your worm into the heavy brush where the bass live.
As far as scent goes, most worms have scent already cooked into the plastic, like Berkley, Yum, Gene Larew, or have a heavy salt content. If you buy worms that do not have a scent, borrow your wifes GARLIC scent Pam cooking spray. This will give a garlic odor to the worms, and also give them a slick coating that will help them to slither over submerged brush better.
Just keep up with the worm fishing, you will get the hang of it. If you don't, you don't have a ton of money wrapped up in lures. (Plastic worms have a built in "Bait Monkey" repellent)

JackL

[Mitcher]

Was trying to find some garlic pam, searched through wal-mart and couldn't find it, is there anything else i could try. Alot of worms have salt added to them, whats the difference between them and me just shaken some salt and/or some garlic powder or real garlic into a pack of cheap-o worms? Is it worth paying 4X the price for salt and garlic or can i just add that stuff myself? And how hard is it to make them yourself i've heard people say about making worms and stuff themselves? Probably something i couldn't handle.
Mitchell
PS. of the three you talked about Berkley, Yum, Gene Larew. Which one is the best for the money,just remember im a fisherman on a budget (college is not cheap, nor is my child or wife),

[Rebbasser]

three you talked about Berkley, Yum, Gene Larew. Which one is the best for the money

That's one of those Ford or Chevy type questions. They are all good-it just depends on which you like best. Of the three I use Yum. Nothing against the other two-I just haven't used them.

The difference with the salt is that it is added to the plastic, not just sprinkled on it. The theory is that blood is salty so when the fish tasted the salt it will hang on longer. The garlic aspect-you need it to stay on the bait. It may or may not stick if you just sprinkle it on. I know(at least in my area) that WalMart carries some scents. I know I have seen Yum there along with several others.

Making worms-well, you would probably be better just buying them. There is a lot involved in making them. I haven't tried it-I do make my own spinnerbaits-but after reading what is involved I know I don't want to try to tackle it.

Getting back to the scents-I haven't tried this, but it makes sense. Read it in Bassmaster Magazine. Take a jar of Vaseline, a bottle of liquid garlic, and some rock salt. Melt 2/3 of the vaseline and add 1/2 the bottle of garlic and mix well. Add the rock salt, pour it in the container you want to use and let cool. When you get ready to fish a bait just rub it in the scent and have at it. I think that was the recipie, but I'd just check at wally world and get one of the commercial scents rather than go through the trouble.

[Mitcher]

cool deal, im gonna head out to uncle joe's woodshed, dont know if thats a store that everyone has or is just around here, but its about the best place to buy fishing stuff around, so it should have a better selection than walmart, and ill pick up some worms of different colors and some scent, and maybe some grubs, my step-father said that the grubs usually only work in the spring on bass around here so if thats true may not even waste my time, though i thought i heard grubs are good for catching crappie, but i guess these forums won't help me out much about catching crappie.
Ok thanks for all the wondeful info.
Mitch

[Mitcher]

just wanted to throw another question into the mix, i was looking today at other places rather than wal-mart and noticed a huge price increase but there were a few brands that were cheaper. I think rebel was one of them, i know cotton coredel was rather cheap, and the Berkley Frenzys were pretty cheap. all these ones were around 2.99 to 4.99 while some of the other ones (the ones that come in a pretty little plastic case) were more like 6.99 to 9.99. What im wondering is are those 3 brands i mentioned bad or does price not always matter. Of course there wer some brands i coudl tell that were complete junk but those 3 looks good but just alot cheaper.
and also along those lines how are "Zoom" plastic worms, can they compete with the Yum and other brands or stay away from them. I have a feeling that im failing at worm fishing because im using the cheap stuff and im getting bites but im not skilled enough or have the experience to recognize it and im missing the bites. So as a new, inexperienced fisherman i need the bait to do more for me that you guys do.

[KDHughes]

all of these guys have given you some good advice. take it from someone who spends a great deal of his time with his daughters, fishing...my wife had two little girls when we started dating and she already had them fishing so it was easy, but then came our little girl and it has been fun teaching her how to settle down and fish, but she's 8 now and has got a pretty good hang of it. so will you and your little girl it will just take some time, lots of patience and some prayers never hurt..

[Mitcher]

thanks, i look forward to being able to go and hang out with my daughter on fishing trips, i cant wait till i can actually get good enough so that i can teach her something, as of right now all i can do that she cant is cast the thing, she reals it in just as good as i do ha.
Mitchell