For - Born 2 Fish

[gillenkl]

Frank - since I think you're the fishing expert on these boards I was hoping for a bit of fishing advice.

Let's preface this by saying I (and DH) know absolutely nothing about fishing and have never been fishing ever..I know this probably horrifies you

When we go to state parks there is usually a lake and DH would like to take the kids fishing - but we don't know where to begin. We just want to catch from the shore and throw back.

What supplies do we need as far as - what type of poles (for the kids) and lures?

Do the kids need a fishing license?

When you're done laughing at our fishing ignorance I hope you can give a little advice to us beginners.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Glad to help with what I can ! It's very cool ya'll wanna fish !

(check your PM 's)

 

[dudelydude]

Glad to help with what I can ! It's very cool ya'll wanna fish !

(check your PM 's)

AwwwwwuHHHHHH....why can't we see? We get such little action on this board anymore.

 

[gillenkl]

Thanks, Frank, whenever you have time to answer - no rush here.

So much for "fishing from the shore" - I think I just found a 17 foot used canoe today that we're considering purchasing.....

I hope I'm not having a mid-life crisis...

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Thanks, Frank, whenever you have time to answer - to rush here.

So much for "fishing from the shore" - I think I just found a 17 foot used canoe today that we're considering purchasing.....

I hope I'm not having a mid-life crisis...

OOOooooo, a canoe, very cool , Fishing is a whole nother story when you can get around on the water,

AwwwwwuHHHHHH....why can't we see? We get such little action on this board anymore.

Okay, just remember, you asked for it,

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2765026



And any other anglers are more than welcome to help with your knowledge, suggestions, and know-how. (I'm just winging it here)

First, how young are little people (your kids) ?

Fishing can get into some money when you first start , so I'll try to make this a $ painless as possible. For some reason, that I'll never be able to understand, not everyone likes to fish, So we need to find out is ya'll like to fish.

Yes, a fishing license is a must ! Unless you are fishing on private property, such as Disney 's Fort Wilderness,,in most states (but not all states) this is true. However, under a certain age , children aren'r required to have a fishing license,

The very first thing that you should buy is life vest for the children, even if you are fishing from the shore (or inna canoe/boat) It's a must for adults also if you are inna canoe/boat.

Okay, got the life vest?,,good,, now lets talk equipment.

Fishing poles and reels,,I would go to Wal-Mart and purchase the least inexpensive rod/reel combo possible, make sure to get a "closed face/spincast reel combo. This is usually a "Zebco", or a "Shakespeare".
I grew up as a kid using Zebco 202 and Zebco 303's.

I'll be back later to post more.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Now, the next pieces of equipment you will need is some tackle.
You will need Bobbers/Floats, hooks, sinkers/lead weights and med. size Needle Nose plyers. I also like to carry a couple of old hand towels/rags with me when fishing to wipe my hands and at times to hold the fish to get the hook out. The plyers are used to remove the hook from a fish. If a fish has swallowed the hook (and I intend to return the fish to the water) then I cut the fishing line as close as possible to the fishes mouth and not try to remove the hook. IF I intend on keeping the fish, then I use the plyers to remove the hook.

Bobbers (or floats) are used to suspend your bait in the water and alert you when to set the hooks. The harder the bobber is to pull under, the harder it will be to hook a fish. Small floats will help convince the fish to take your tasty bait and run. “Slip” bobbers work well for kids. Slip bobber rigs cut down on the amount of line needed at the end of the rod and are easier to cast. Simply follow instructions on how to use these. If no instructions, let me know and I'll help.

Sinkers help get your line down to the fish. They can also create “zero buoyancy.” Ideally, you want your bobber to just barely float on the top of the water. Squeeze small BB-sized split shot sinkers onto your line one at a time until your bobber nearly sinks from the weight. Since there is very little resistance when the fish takes the bait, it is more likely to bite the bait and run.

Hooks,,Small hooks = big catches
Avoid hooks larger than size 10 (hook sizes run backwards—size 12 is smaller than size 10). Fish won’t readily take large hooks unless they are feeding voraciously. I tend to use a #6 hook, it's kinda in between sizes.

Great big gobs of worms won’t do.
There’s no need to use whole whopping-big, writhing night crawlers on your hook. Keep the bait approximately the size of your hook or slightly larger (about twice the length of your hook.. Live bait such as worms, or crickets work best (from my experience).

Lets put a worm on your hook,
Take the worm in one hand and the hook in the other hand. Now push the worm over the hook like the worm was a sock and the hook was the foot. Once the top of the worm is at the top of the hook you can stop and you are done. The rest of the worm can just be left the way it is.

Another method is to hook the worm is to just push the hook through the worm at one end and then wrap the worm around the hook once or twice and push the hook through the worm again. Both of these methods secure the worm on the hook and make it harder for the fish to steal the bait off the hook.

More to come soon !

 

[gillenkl]

Holy moly.....this is great Frank! I had no idea there was so much to know! DH is going to print all this info out so we have it. Looks like a little shopping trip is in our future. Thanks so much! Really appreciate the time you took to do this!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

You are more than welcome, I'm glad ya'll wanna learn to fish,

I almost forgot, you need to learn to tie a hook on your line, and since I can't be there to show you, here are a couple links to hook tieing. (I mostly use the "Clinch" and "Snell" knot)
http://www.fish4fun.com/snell.htm
http://www.fish4fun.com/knots.htm#Clinch Knot
http://www.fish4fun.com/palomarknot.htm

Okay, now in order to catch a fish , you havta "set the hook". Setting the hook is a relatively simple motion once you get the hang of it.

Once you have cast your line where you want it in the water you need to reel in any excess line between you and the Bobber, then you wait for a fish to bite,, you will see your Bobber move or bob-up & down quickly, or your Bobber may go completely under water very fast, ANY OF THESE ACTIONS are the time to set the hook.
Set the hook by giving your rod (and consequently the fishing line) a quick jerk backward (toward you) and up. If you have a fish on line, it will fight back and your line will follow the movements of the fish.
When you get right down to it, to set the hook in order to catch fish takes time and practice, don't get discouraged, learning this will come to you,


More to come.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Howdy ! I'm back !

Okay,,besides worms, I also like to use crickets.
I have found from my experience the best way to put a cricket onna hook is to thread the hook under the collar, which is right behind the head. Turn the hook 180 degrees and stick the point of the hook thru and into the cricket's rear end.

By hooking the cricket in this fashion, you will catch the light biters and those that suck the rear end of the cricket off the hook.

Fish really like this little bug, but the cricket is so soft it is generally gone after one or two fish bites so you will be replacing the cricket often.

Now, worms and crickets can be bought at most Wal-Marts, and Wal-Mart usually has the best prices too.
Of course, you can always dig your own worms. And as for the crickets , around my home they are the black crickets and the fish don't seem to like them as well as the light brown crickets from Wal-Mart or the bait shops.

And you will need to buy a cricket cage if you want to try fishing with crickets.

More to come.

 

[dudelydude]

Yeah, I asked for it, didn't I...

I was doing good until ya started batin' yer hook with crickets...<<shivers>>

THanks frank.

 

[gillenkl]

Yeah, I asked for it, didn't I...

I was doing good until ya started batin' yer hook with crickets...<<shivers>>

THanks frank.

I know right....as if touching the fish won't be bad enough....:

Thanks for all the info Frank - it's great! We were actually given a free canoe by a family who was done with that adventure - including lifevests and oars. I love FREE! DH has to do a fiberglass repair to a small 2 inch spot and after that we're ready for our maiden voyage - followed by our first fishing expedition. Thanks!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Very cool for the canoe,

remember, one adventure at a time, Canoe first, get it ready and take that maiden voyage, get a couple trips on the wet stuff under your belts ,,

THEN fishing is the next adventure !! TIME TO MULTITASK !!

You do know that we really need pictures of this whole process, don't cha ?

 

[2goofycampers]

Next step, how to filet a fish. If you're squeamish cover your eyes.