links for beginners
Tim Evans
old enough to take fishing. I hate to admit it, but I've forgotten a lot in
those ten years, such as how to bait a hook properly. Do you know of any
links that have good information for beginners, or someone like me who is
beginning again?
Thanks,
Tim
Rodney
Still a work in progress, but maybe enough to help you out
Just click "enter" from the page
--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the Boomerang Fishing Pro. , Straight Up Hooks
Mojo's Rock Hopper, and Rig Saver weights, and the EZKnot
http://ezknot.com
Chuck S.
Fishing Basics
Jun 2003, v1.0
chuckr30 at netzero dot net
Here is a document to help you get started in freshwater fishing. It will help
you select a rod and reel, lures, and places to fish from. You don't have to
have a boat to go fishing, there are many good places to fish from the shore.
Locations
=========
To find a good place to fish you must find where the fish are. The location of
fish depends on the water temperature, oxygen content, and food availability.
Dams provide high oxygenated water, so fish right below a dam where the water
slows down. A fish in a river doesn't want to expend most of his energy just
staying in place so look for places sheltered from the current, like just
behind a sand bar or logjam. The rushing water from a dam also kicks up bottom
insect larva which the fish feed on.
In the spring the fish are looking for warmer water. Head to the shallow areas
or areas where the bottom is a dark color. Dark colors absorb more heat and
warm up the water sooner.
In the heat of the summer, look for fish in places where there are shadows:
under freeway over passes, under bridges, under fallen trees or near logjams
which cast a shadow. Fish will also seek the cooler deeper water if it gets too
hot.
In the fall when temperatures start to drop to 40F during the day, search the
shallows again.
At a river near my house there are 2 dams. One dam on one side of a river, an
island, then the other dam. Usually only one dam is open making for a fast
flowing river. The larger bass congregate just downstream from this dam gate.
At the other side is a calm area with a deep hole created by water from the
other dam. Smaller fish hide in here, but they are always biting.
The up side of a dam is also good because the water is slower. Try to find the
river channels which are deeper, these will hold more fish. Fish don't have
eyelids so they tend to shy away from bright sun. Thus overcase days tend to be
better for fishing.
Fish, especially bass and panfish, like to stick close to weeds. Bass can
ambush their prey from there and panfish can hide in the weeds if necessary.
The weeds also provide some shade from the summer sun. If possible, cast just
inside the weeds and retrieve the lure so it falls down the outside edge of the
weeds.
Fish also like to hide under fallen trees or inside large underwater stumps.
They are sometimes found under quiet docks, if the dock is deep enough, or
close enough to deeper water (more than 4 feet).
Taking kids
===========
The first thing to remember about taking kids fishing is they don't like to go
long, maybe for an hour or 90 minutes. Also, kids don't mind if they catch a
big fish, they just want to catch fish. As long as the little ones are biting
it will keep them occupied.
Rods and reels and tackle
=========================
You don't need fancy tackle to get started in fishing. Just get a rod and reel
combo at your local chain store for $20 and that will be fine. If you are
fishing for panfish (sunfish, bluegill, crappie, etc) 4-6 pound line will do
fine. If you are bass fishing or fishing for larger fish, 6-8 pound line should
be fine. Monofilament lines are fine for beginners, and they will stretch a
little before they break.
You should also get some hooks of various sizes, some weights of various sizes
(like the round squeeze on kind, and maybe some sliding egg sinkers). I also
like to use swivels, it makes changing the hook or lure much easier. If you are
using live bait that's all you need.
The type of fake lure (spoon, spinner, plug, diver, buzzbait, etc) depends on
the type of fish you will be fishing for. The color of lure depends on the
season, water clarity, and local fish preference. Usually in stained or muddy
water, brighter colors like chartreuse are better. Contrasting colors are also
better in stained water, like red on yellow.
Whole books have been written on which baits and colors are best for which fish
so I won't get into that here. Go to your local library and just start reading
up on fishing and lures. Take notes and take those to the lake with you.
I'll go over some basic baits here. The 2 main types are hard baits and soft
baits. But first, a little about fish smell.
Fish have an excellent sense of smell. They don't really have noses like
mammals do but they can smell scents in the 1 part per million range. This
means they can smell things humans can't, and that means they can smell your
scent on anything you touch, the lures, line, hook, bait, etc. Fish get
extremely agitated when they smell people so you want to keep your smell off
anything you possibly can. When you reach your fishing spot, rub some fish
attractant on your hands to hide your smell. Or wear rubber gloves. (I haven't
read any studies where the rubber gloves leave some kind of smell that fish can
sense or not.)
Soft baits
==========
Soft baits are the soft plastics, like grubs with curly tails which spin when
retrieved, soft plastic worms, salamanders, crayfish, minnows, and frogs. You
can buy them with or without hooks in them already.
Hard baits
==========
Live Bait
=========
Fish love a variety of live bait but they favor soft, high-protein bait, and
that means leeches and crawlers. They will also eat whatever insects are on top
of the water that day, so if there are lots of mayflies about, grab a few and
hook them through the chest (the strongest part of the body). Fish also like
mealworms and minnows. This spring the bass would not bite a crawler if it hit
them in the head, they really liked minnows for some reason though. Now the
water is warming up and they are biting crawlers again. Just go to your local
bait shop and ask what fish are biting on today.
Hooking worms
=============
I use a certain technique of putting a crawler on a hook that increases the
amount of hookups I get. First, know the front of the worm from the back. The
front of the worm is more pointed, when it crawls away, the front goes first.
The front is also usually darker. About 1/4 to 1/3 down from the front is a
thicker tougher part of the worm called the collar. I usually use a hook that's
3/4 to 1 inch long with a barb, plus 1/2 of a Canadian night crawler (about 4-5
inches unstretched). Start by threading the hook into the worm where you cut it
in half. Just thread it on like a tube on a stick until you get to the collar.
Then poke the hook through the middle of the collar. Be careful, the worm's
heart is in this area and if you damage it you kill the worm, and it doesn't
wiggle anymore. Poke the hook through the worm just enough so the barb comes
out. This keeps the worm from falling off. Clamp on one or two small sinkers
about 8-10 inches up from the worm, then put on a bobber about 8-12 inches
above that, or enough to get the bait down to the fish.
Increased weight will get the bait down to the fish's level and give you more
casting distance. Cast the whole thing out to where the fish are and wait. If
the top of your bobber dips below the waterline, give your pole a quick tug
straight over your head with both arms. If you have a fish, reel it in.
It's a good idea to store your worms in a refrigerator when not using them. Or
keep them in ice water. The ice water makes them tougher so the fish won't rip
them off the hook as easily. Storage in any temperature above 60F is too hot,
they will die and rot, and rotten worms have the WORST smell. And you thought
your kid's diaper was bad!
Using crawlers and bobbers I've caught catfish, panfish, largemough and
smallmouth bass. I like the bobbers that have a thin pencil top on both ends.
When the bobber is at rest it lays flat in the water (if your bait and weights
are on the bottom). When a fish nibbles, the top tips up making a very visible
cue.
If I've been using the same worm for more than 15 minutes, I spray on some fish
attractant to get the fish interested again. The type of attractant you use
again depends on the species you are fishing for. In murky water I like to hook
the worm with something flashy, like a silver spinner or silver jig or ice jig.
It helps to tell the fish "there's something to eat here".
Basically try different lakes and rivers in your area to find the hotspots. Or
ask at your local bait shop or tackle shop and the people in there could point
you in the right direction.
Time of day/month
=================
There actually was a study done once which showed the 20th day of the moon
phase was the best day to fish. Fisherman also swear that certain times of the
day are also better: when the moon is overhead, and when it is underfoot (about
12 hours later). A window of +/- 1 hour from these times is when you should
fish.
People also say that 2 days before and after a full moon, and the day before
and after quarter moons (first and third quarter) are better for fishing.
Fish generally don't get real active until the water temperature is about 55F
or more.
Here are some links where you can find the best time or day to fish based on
the solunar calendar.
- http://www.krauseguideservice.com/lunar_table.html. Shows best time of day to
fish.
- http://www.primetimes2.com/pages/7-FAQ.html. A FAQ about fishing times.
I'm also making free software to calculate the best fishing time of day and the
best days. It's not quite done yet.
Generally the best time of day is at dawn and the few hours after it. The fish
are hungry after resting during the night and insects are getting more active.
Identifying fish
================
- http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_18958---,00.html. Sport fish
species found in Michigan.