neophyte

I live on a small fresh water pond in Southeastern Massachusetts. I have never been a fisherman, but my kids want to go. They have a couple toy poles, and we have caught some perch from the shore, but I am wondering what other kind of fish would be out there. What kind of poles, lures etc should we be using? Any advice would be appreciated.

[BPoi523433]

Hey and welcome to the forums,
I live in south east mass too (Plainville), but i do most of my fishing in maine, once in a while i fish on a small pond near my house (lake mirimichi) and i've caught lots of little sunfish there as well as small largemouth bass, some perch, and i've seen a pickerel once or twice.

I wouldn't expect more than a 3-4 pound fish on my lake in mass but you never know what might be in yours.

You could probably get a couple of cheap (but fairly well built) push-button reels and a corresponding rod for your kids and a spinning rod for yourself if you get into it. Wal-mart has the best prices in my experience and there will probably be someone there that can tell you more in depth what you need

Good Luck,
Bob

ps. what part of mass are you in?

[454ss]

Welcome to the wide world of fishin my friend, Well for that pond im sure there are some bass,brim in there depends how long the ponds been there unless its stocked maybe more kinds.
Just your basic pole should be fine and for reels you can use either a spincast=begginers ,spinning=smaller fish, or Baitcaster=Hardest,more & bigger fish.For lures you should probably start with a plastic worm texas rigged. You should get more replys soon with beter descriptions and such just thought id start ya off. P.s you should join the forum.

[Rebbasser]

Welcome!

First let me warn you: this sport gets addicting . I agree with the other folks-for just getting started a rod/reel combo like a Zebco 33 or Rhino combo-both available at places like WalMart-is a great choice for a beginner. There are several lures you can try. In-line spinners like a Mepps, Panther Martin or Roostertail, a beetle spin-a small lead jighead with a soft body attached to what looks a lot like an open safety pin. These baits are great for catching small fish and an occasional big one. You also might try a topwater. I'd recommend a Heddon Tiny Torpedo in chrome with a black back. Here is what it looks like:




It will catch just about anything that swims. Good Luck!

[lizardsrule]

How old are the kids? If they are young it may be too soon to try lures, live bait is great, because they can catch fish pretty easily with it. I would talk to other folks that are fishing there and ask what is the best things for the kids. Hopefully you'll also learn(using the kids as a guise) what lures are good for the fish in the pond. Any local tackle shop should be able to point you in the right direction. The other guys covered the poles already. Or a garage sale is even cheaper. Welcome and have fun, watching a kid catch fish is better than me catching fish.

Lizards

hey guys,
thanks for the great advice. I am in Westport, Massachusetts. We are on a small pond about 1/4 mile in radius. I agree that watching a kid catch fish is even better than fishing myself. My kids are 12,10,and 8 ... big enough to be able to cast a short ways by themselves. I think that there are bass in this pond but I am not sure what other fish are here. I have a few more questions: Do bass swim down deep or near the surface? Is it better to fish at dusk or nite or is mid-day OK? Is it best to fish near the shore or should we paddle a kayak out to the middle of the pond?
Thanks again for the advice.

[Dyas]

I would fish off the shore in the morning or late in the afternoon.............. You could probably catch a few at night with the tiny torpedo Reb. showed ya.

[rrw4258]

Bass will hit anytime of day for the mostpart... but at night I like to take a pop-r type lure and chug it very fast. As for the Kayack... , It all depends on what kind of fish you are going for. If you are going for bass, you can go either way, but if you are going for bluegills, then you can easily catch some on some crawlers, or wax worms. All u need is a hook bobber and sinker... and a worm. LOL Also, bass can be deep one day and hitting topwater the next, you just have to figure out what they want. If the pond is about a 1/4 mile across like u say it is, then I have most of my bass pulled out on a 4" worm, on a 1/0 extra wide gapped hook. Fish as close to cover as you can. By cover I mean weeds, docks, timber, etc. Hope ya catch a big one!!! And Good Luck!!!

[Dyas]

Why dont you join the forum............

[Rebbasser]

I agree with Dyas-why not join? It is free and easy to do.

To answer your question, it depends. This time of year, when it is hot, early and late are probably better. Not only are the fish going to be more active, it is more comfortable to be out in. On the other hand, in the cold months the best time is the warmest part of the day, say 10-4. Shallow or deep-once again, it depends. In the heat of the day they are either in deep water or buried deep in cover. They go deep in winter, too. In your pond I'd say check both-try both shallow and deep.

[basscatcher03]

i would try a green with 2 black stripes also there is no bad time to go fishin there is no best time to go fishin but the most important thing is that there is no best no best at all in bass fishing all depends on ur surandings

[lizardsrule]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

hey guys,
thanks for the great advice. I am in Westport, Massachusetts. We are on a small pond about 1/4 mile in radius. I agree that watching a kid catch fish is even better than fishing myself. My kids are 12,10,and 8 ... big enough to be able to cast a short ways by themselves. I think that there are bass in this pond but I am not sure what other fish are here. I have a few more questions: Do bass swim down deep or near the surface? Is it better to fish at dusk or nite or is mid-day OK? Is it best to fish near the shore or should we paddle a kayak out to the middle of the pond?
Thanks again for the advice.

I have fished in your area years ago, and pretty limited. I believe you definately have bass in the lake. My experience on the Eastern coast has been clear lakes, with some very big chunk rock. We had some good days catching quite a few. My father lived there, and the best thing he ever did was get a prop gaurd for his boat. We would find a rock pile in the middle of the lake, and work plastic worms on and around the rock piles. I would say your best bet for catching some bass, especially for the kids, is to put one of those smaller baitfish you catch(perch, bluegill, whatever) on a hook and bobber and throw it out close to some cover. The low light times are usually the best times this time of year as already stated. I beleive you may also have some Pike or Muskee in there too, so you may lose some lures, from the sharp teeth. Anyway good luck, and please do join. Always nice to hear about a father and kids catching fish. Get them hooked on fishing, instead of drugs or the xbox stuff. Oh yeah I would make sure you have some tougher line for the bigger kids, the bass sure will take you for a ride, if your only used to catching small ones.


Lizards