The Fishing Thread

[Easy 6]

Searched around & only found the video fishing & BassMasters threads, i know their are plenty of outdoorsman here, so i figured it'd be cool to draw upon the Planets vast experience in all things fishing.

I only use spincast reels & fish mostly large/smallmouth bass & cats. My choice of reels is quite the source of derision from many people i know 'duffer gear', but i haul in my share of 6 pound bass & 10-20 pound cats on that gear no problem. With a little know-how you can use just about any technique you want to on 'duffer gear'.

Berkley Powerbaits are a big part of my trick bag, the difference between those & regular stuff is night & day. My best action last summer came on Mister Twister scented white curly tail grubs, on one day fishing from shore to a bridge pier, i caught smallies, bigmouths, perch & even 1 carp believe it or not... great day. But my bread & butter is a texas rigged Berkley worm, it'll wiggle through any kind of cover without getting hung up.

With cats i strictly bottom fish, no bobber & bait is just as basic... but its always in 2's to give'em a real treat... a shrimp/with a nightcrawler, liver/chunk of cheese etc. Cats are mostly for night sport to me, time to kick back a lil...

So thats me style, how do the rest of you guys get your fish on? What do you fish for, what do you use? IIRC Missouri's trout season just kicked off, anyone getting anything?

[Terribilis]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

What I'll do for going after big cats is go out in the afternoon with a light pole and some worms so I can catch a bucket full of perch. Then I'll head out to my "honey hole" making sure I can get set up before sunset with my river rigs.
My river rigs are a couple of 7' glass rods, medium action, and I'm using bait caster reels with a "bait alarm". What that does is allow me to unlock the reel so it can free spool but when line is taken out it will make a loud clicking noise.
Flat heads in particular are a very wiley predator. They don't get big by being stupid.
And what they'll typically do is when the grab a perch, or whatever live bait your using, they won't take it compeletly into their mouths at first. They'll grab it by the head and kind of walk around with it seeing if there is a bigger mouthful to be had for not much more effort. If there is they'll spit your bait out and go after the bigger reward. If there isn't they'll stop and swallow their meal. While they're going through this process, if they feel an odd tug back on the perch they've got in their mouth they'll spit it out immediatly. That's where allowing the reel to free spool with the bait alarm on comes in handy. Even then I can't tell you how many times I've missed setting the hook on a big ole flat head. It becomes a test of nerves, waiting for the right time to set the hook.

exactly the method I used to use. I would hook the perch just above the anal fin, and cut so it would bleed in the water. It would sometimes take hours, but that sound of that big cat pulling line out of the bait caster, was pretty intense. One of my favorite ways to fish when I was a kid

[Jilly]

Apparently my husband is going to start taking on fishing as a new hobby....anyone have suggestions as to a cheap first rod to get?

[Demonpenz]

there aren't any cheap broads

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

there aren't any cheap broads

Jilly, tell him to get a Zebco Rhino rod & reel combo, only $40. Its pretty hard to screw one of those up.

[loochy]

Does anyone ever fly fish for bass? I've tried a couple of times with no luck, but I'm not an accurate enough caster to get up under tree limbs and in weed pockets, etc. I think the prospect of getting a 7 lb largemouth sounds fun in contrast to catching 1 to 2 lb rainbows.

Also, does anyone fly tie? I have tied about 10 times more flies than I can ever use. I live in Texas, so I get over to New Mexico to fly fish mabye 1 or 2 times a year.

[Jilly]

Originally Posted by scott free

Jilly, tell him to get a Zebco Rhino rod & reel combo, only $40. Its pretty hard to screw one of those up.

thank you

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by loochy

Does anyone ever fly fish for bass? I've tried a couple of times with no luck, but I'm not an accurate enough caster to get up under tree limbs and in weed pockets, etc. I think the prospect of getting a 7 lb largemouth sounds fun in contrast to catching 1 to 2 lb rainbows.

Also, does anyone fly tie? I have tied about 10 times more flies than I can ever use. I live in Texas, so I get over to New Mexico to fly fish mabye 1 or 2 times a year.

Yes to both.
I’ve had moderate luck fly fishing top water poppers for bass.
I’ve tied flies, still have all the gear to do it but it’s been years since I’ve actually tied one.

[tooge]

I'll fish for anything with anything. I like flyrodding for trout and smallies in the rivers of Mo and Ar. I walleye fish up in Mn and Wi every summer. Around here (KC) I fish alot for crappie and catfish at smithville and I have a few private ponds including mine that I frequent. I use spinning gear for thall the fishing that I dont do with a flyrod. I've fishied in salt water in California and Florida. I caught a 20 lb redfish last year in the Destin area from shore with a shrimp rig ( I was actually fishing for pompano). I am going ice fishing in Minnisota this thrusday trough saturday. I am literally dying of cabin fever right now.

[Bill Lundberg]

Originally Posted by tooge

I am literally dying of cabin fever right now.

You and me both! I sat around watching Bass Masters and restringing two reels yesterday. Also re-arranged the tackle box about 10 times.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by loochy

Does anyone ever fly fish for bass? I've tried a couple of times with no luck, but I'm not an accurate enough caster to get up under tree limbs and in weed pockets, etc. I think the prospect of getting a 7 lb largemouth sounds fun in contrast to catching 1 to 2 lb rainbows.

Also, does anyone fly tie? I have tied about 10 times more flies than I can ever use. I live in Texas, so I get over to New Mexico to fly fish mabye 1 or 2 times a year.

Yes to both.

I fish for bass with a fly rod all the time. It is definitely not as productive as traditional gear, and you're probably not going to catch the 7+ lb. lunker. That being said, there are times of the year when it's absolutely deadly. Fishing with a large popper is also a hell of a lot of fun.

I also fish for smallmouth on our Ozark streams: crayfish patterns and baitfish patterns are very effective with them, especially on a sink tip line.

Our whole circle of fly fishermen down here are all about pursuing non-trout species. We fish for it all with fly rods: white bass, stripers, hybrids, gar, smallies, largemouth, etc... We love to trout fish as well, but there are just too many other great species around in a lot cooler places than the trout.


I used to tie a lot. I mean pretty much for an hour every night. Since I have small children now, I don't have a good place to leave out all the sharp implements associated with tying. Getting the stuff out and putting it away is a serious pain, so I usually just tie if I have a big trip coming up or at the start of some fishing season (like I'm about to start tying for the white bass run soon).

I love to fish New Mexico. We go to Santa Fe every couple of years. I'm heading out there this summer and will probably fish the Jemez.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Bill Lundberg

Also re-arranged the tackle box about 10 times.

Same here lol, atleast that many times in the last month.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by tooge

I am literally dying of cabin fever right now.

Man that’s no shit. This winter is driving me crazy.
I haven’t been working on my fishing gear yet, been busy with the Corveep. But since that’s what gets my gear and I into places most have to hike into I’m sort of vicariously working on fishing gear.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by loochy

Does anyone ever fly fish for bass? I've tried a couple of times with no luck, but I'm not an accurate enough caster to get up under tree limbs and in weed pockets, etc. I think the prospect of getting a 7 lb largemouth sounds fun in contrast to catching 1 to 2 lb rainbows.

Also, does anyone fly tie? I have tied about 10 times more flies than I can ever use. I live in Texas, so I get over to New Mexico to fly fish mabye 1 or 2 times a year.

I usually tie flies the night before a flyfishing trip. Usually in a motel room. I end up tying flyes and tying one on at the same time. I can always tell which flies were after a couple of whiskeys the next day on the water.

[Radar Chief]

So of the guys that tie flies, do you also tie your own jigs?
I have but it’s been about as long as the last time I tied a fly.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by tooge

I usually tie flies the night before a flyfishing trip. Usually in a motel room. I end up tying flyes and tying one on at the same time. I can always tell which flies were after a couple of whiskeys the next day on the water.

I used to have a pedestal vise that I used to tie flies streamside in the car. That worked well until a breeze would blow through and flip over my container of size 20 hooks.