RE: Freshwater Fishing

Question
Greeting,

I want to thank you for your help and take time to answer my questions.

I am new to fishing.
I went to lake for fishing for few time but only got few small fish.

I would like to know what kind of rig I should use?
Should I put sinker?
If so, where should I put the sinker? (top of the lure or bottom of the lure)
Do I need float?
Do you have any recommend site for me to learn?

The lake has largemouth, carp, bluegill, etc.
What type of lure is better? (I used artificial lure)
When is a best time for fishing?(evening? night?)

I don't have boat, how can I cast better?
After I cast, do I wait or reel it back?

I know I asked you a lot.
I do have questions on pier fishing too.
I always get tangle up with sea weed or the lure got cover up with them.
Is there any way to avoid?
Which rig is better at pier fishing?

Thank you very much for the help.
I appreciated.
Thanks.

Lap
New to fishing  

Answer
Hello Lap; I'm sorry to be so long in replying.  I had the answer almost typed up and we lost power and I lost what I had done.  I will start over. (Even if you have read all this please go to the end where I give you a site to ask questions about fishint.  JackfromSeminole

To begin with may I suggest that if you do not already have a reasonably good rod and reel take some of your savings and buy yourself an open face spinning reel for about $25-40 and a 7 foot spinning rod for $15 or so. I have a reel that cost me $20 several years ago and I am still using it.  It is not necessary to have a really expensive outfit.  But buy good quality line.  For most fishing you will be doing monofilament line of 8 to ten pound test will be fine.  I use Trilene XL myself but Stren and others in the same price range are fine. Just don't buy some $1.98 per spool line.  It will not work nearly as well.  Next put your line on the reel correctly. Start by tieing an overhand knot in the end of the line and then passing it down reel the rod guides from the tip to the big guide and to the reel. Next open the bail then make a loop in the line by tieing the end with the knot on it around the main part(standing part) of the line.
Put the loop over the spool as far back as possible on the reel spool and pull tight. Then take hold of the line between the reel and the big guide with the index finger and thumb of the non cranking hand. (Most such spinning reels operate with the reel on the bottom of the rod and are cranked with the left hand if right handed. If you are left handed you might want to get one with the handle on the right side or a reversible one.) and keep tension on the line as you reel it off the spool of line lying on the floor as you hold the rod horizontal over the spool of line.
After a dozen or so cranks stop cranking and still keeping tension with your finger and thumb drop the rod tip half way down.  If the line tends to curl or twist turn the spool on the floor over and crank some more.  Remember always when reeling in lines at any time keep some tension on it to keep it from forming a loop on the spool and causing a bird's nest next time you cast.  Hopefully the line will now be straight when you test it by repeating the step above.  If it still curls or curls worse turn the spool over again.
To cast one of these rods and reels first hold the line between your index finger on the non cranking hand against the handle of the rod.  Hold it near the finger tip fairly tight so it does not come lose before you want it to.  Bring your rod tip smartly just past your ear using your wrist only not your elbow.  AS the rod passes your ear stop it suddenly.  This will cause the weight on the line to bend the rod like a bow and give power to the cast.  Pause for only a half second or so then again using the wrist only bring the rod back past your ear to about eye level. As you cast forward ease the pressure of your finger on the line and let the weight pull it out.  This will take a little practice to find just where to let it go but it isn't hard.  As the line goes out keep the rod tip about as high as your eyes watching your bait sail out.  Just as it starts to drop crank your reel to close the bail but do not crank in line. Drop the rod tip to just below horizontal and let your bait sink.  When the line goes slack reel in the slack carefully so as not to move the bait lying on the bottom.  Once you master casting like this you are almost ready to begin fishing.  Practice in your back yard with a sinker but no hook until it becomes easy.  I used to put a paper plate about 40 feet away and tried to put my sinker in it.  It takes some time to do this regularly but it is fun and also will make your fishing much more productive.

Now let's look at how to rig your line.
If you are fishing for catfish or carp you will be fishing on the bottom most of the time.  Both of these fish will bite on worms at times but sometimes you will do better with a commercial bait made for either catfish or carp.  Don't let people keep you from fishing for carp.  They are very good fighters and if cooked right are good eating.  Catfish, of course, are considered good eating but not much for fighting until you get into the very big ones. You are not too likely to be fishing for these big ones for a while.  So use small treble hooks made to hold bait you buy at the tackle store.  They have a little spring soldered to the shank to hold the bait.  Make up a little ball about the size of the tip of your pinkie and press it onto the treble hook and spring.  To rig for both of these fish you can put a slip sinker (one with a hole through it) of about a fourth to half ounce depending on how deep the water and how much weight you need to cast decently.  Put a small split shot below the sinker about 8-10 inches above the hook to keep the main sinker from sliding down to the hook.  After you cast and the bait sinks and you have taken up the slack be ready for the  bite.  You may prop your rod on a rod holder or do like I used to do use a forked stick stuck in the bank. If you see your rod tip twitch or your line moving pick up the rod carefully and gently lift the tip until you can feel the sinker.  If a fish is biting wait until you feel him pulling definitely before setting the hook.  It isn't necessary to turn him inside out when setting the hook either.  With those small hooks a short snap with wrist only will almost always set the hook.  Carp especially have soft mouths and a hard yank will just pull the hook out.  There are lots of other ways to fish for both these species but this is a good one to start on.

Next lets talk about bluegills.  Bluegills like worms, crickets, larvae of several insects and many other small bugs etc.  To fish for these often a bobber is necessary especially when fishing from the bank.  An elongated bobber of some sort is usually good or one with a stick through it.  If you know how deep the water is where you think there are bluegills set the bobber about 6 inches to a  foot less than the depth.  If it is over about 3 feet deep you will need a sliding bobber.  Rigging for bluegills is similar to the previous way but use a very small hook and small sinker.  This will not be easy to cast so a bobber helps give weight for better casting.  First slide a small bead onto the line then put the line through the bobber so that it can slide easily up and down. Most bobbers have some little pegs with holes in them to run the line through. Pull out the top peg and pass the line through it then through the bobber then through the other peg the opposite way.  Put the pegs in the bobber holes where they came from.  If you did it right the bobber will slide easily on the line.  Next put a split shot large enough to tip the bobber up when it is not on bottom.(maybe two smaller split shot will be necessary.) By doing this you can adjust the depth as I will explain so that the bobber lies flat and then when you slide it down just a little it will tip up.  You will know then that it is just off the bottom.  You will have to learn to play with this until you get good at it.  To keep the bobber from continuing to slip up the line and allowing the bait to go to the bottom every time you will need a bobber stop.  Ask your tackle dealer for some of these and have him show you how to put them on. It isn't hard but hard to describe.
Now hook your worm, using small worms or pieces of big ones for bluegill.  Or hook a cricket through the shoulders same with grasshoppers.  (I used to catch grasshoppers using a "rubber" gun.) I don't know if you know what that is or not.  If not give me a follow up and I will tell you how to make one.  When you learn accurate casting you can put your bait near the openings in the weeds and find the bigger bluegills.

Bass are a totally different story.  You can use the same rig I described before for bass.  I keep one rigged with a plastic worm or other light lure when I am fishing.  I can pick it up and use it when the conditions call for it.  Otherwise I use casting reels and rods but you don't need to worry about that right now.  I used a spinning rod for bass for many years and caught some nice ones on it.

There are hundreds if not thousands of lures designed to catch bass.  They all will catch bass sometimes but there are none that will catch bass all the time.  Even the pro's get skunked sometimes.  While there are many many lures there are only a few general categories and one or two of each category is usually enough to catch some bass. A part of the excitement of bass fishing is trying to find something that they will hit at a given time under given conditions.  Then sometimes they will hit something when the conditions say they shouldn't.  Only the bass know why.
Anyway here are some of the categories and an example of one or two of each and how I fish them.

We will begin with plastic worms and other plastic critters.  Rig essentially as you would for catfish or carp except use a hook made for  plastic critters and make sure it is very sharp.  I often either do not stop my sinker (one shaped like a bullet with a hole in the center) but let it slide down against the hook. Put the line through the small end and then tie on the hook. Sometimes I put a round toothpick in the small end of the sinker to keep it down against the worm.  Start by pushing the hook about one fourth inch into the head of the worm and bring it out on the bottom side.(some worms are symmetrical and have no bottom or top side while most "critters" have a top and bottom.) Twist the hook so that you can run it into the worm's (critter's) belly so the tip of the hook comes out. Now back the hook back so that it is just inside the worm. This will help keep you from getting so many weeds although it is not absolutely weedless.  Putting a little oily fish attractor scent on the worm and head of the hook and even the sinker will help it come through weeds slicker.  Of course, you will have to reapply this often as the weeds will wear it off.

Cast this lure right into treetops in the water or around stumps or into weeds.  Once it sinks take up slack as I told you before. Slowly bring your rod tip up a foot then stop and let the worm or critter sink again. Work it in and around the limbs and stumps or weeds.  If you feel a sort of "thunk" take up slack and wait for a few seconds to see if the fish swims away.  If he does let him go until it is a definite pull then with wrist only set the hook then put your rod tip almost straight up and reel.  If the fish is a big one he will pull your rod down if you let him.  Don't let him pull it down but crank your reel in reverse giving line.  Never Never reel while a fish is taking line off your reel.  If you can do this your drag is set to loose and such reeling will put a twist in your line each time the reel is cranked and you will soon have a real mess.
I guess I should have told you how to set your drag before.
The best way to set a drag is with a small pull scales but most of us do not have one unless we have one of those de liars for weighing fish.  If you do have such a scale tie it to a pole and tie the line to the part you pull. Now point your rod directly at the scale and pull until the drag gives or the line breaks.  If you are watching the scale you should see what it read when the line broke or the drag gave.  The drag should start to give line by the time you are pulling about half the listed breaking strength of the line or just a bit more. (Personally I keep my spinning reel drag pretty tight because I have learned to "back reel" well enough to keep control of a fish but a beginner needs the drag.  While fighting a fish keep your rod tip high and make him fight the bend in the rod.  I could tie a six pound line to you and you could not get away from me walking not running by breaking the line. I would eventually wear you out.  A fish has little chance of pulling and getting away.  Of course a bass will not only pull but will jump and that is where they often can get away.
I would suggest some 6inch worms (check locally for colors that work on your lake) and some 8-10 inch ones if your lake has many big bass in it. I consider anything over 5 lbs as being big.  The big worms will cast well without a sinker but sometimes you want it to sink fast so try both with and without.

The next category is topwater lures.  These stay on top of the water when worked.  Some have propellers on one end, or both ends example a Devil's Horse and some have heads shaped to make different sounds either plop's or gurgles when jerked, examples Pop R, Chug Bug, Hula Popper etc. These should be cast close to stumps, weeds or even open water.  Let the lure lie for a few seconds then barely move the rod tip to make the lure sort of shudder. Often this will bring a strike.  Be ready because strikes often come with the lure lying perfectly still.  (Another caution; Do not strike when you see the splash of a strike. Wait until you feel the fish pulling then using the wrists only set the hook, ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS)
Still others will work from side to side when handled properly and are great big bass catchers examples Zara Spook, Sammy etc..These require a lot of practice so I do not recommend you purchase them right now.  Still others have some sort of device on them to make them walk across the water going plop plop plop.  The Jitterbug is one of these, another the Crazy Crawler.  I love to fish the magnum Jitterbug at night.  I have caught my biggest bass on this. These are easy to use and I recommend a couple of sizes.  I do not think color is of great significance. I use all black for the big one and frog for the next size.

Crankbaits are another lure that while they can be used if you are fishing along something like riprap by a dam etc. but you will lose lots of them in most places along the bank.  Still you might try one or two. Start by looking for bargain lures.  This is the only place I suggest using the non name brand bargain lures.  They will catch fish and are not too expensive.  Walmart often has a box of these for $1.98 or so.  Watch them because they put more expensive ones in the boxes marked $1.98 and when you check out they charge you the regular $5-8 price.  Watch them! Color here is more important but like plastics you need to see what the locals are using.  Don't hesitate to ask at a tackle shop. WalMart is not a tackle shop. The guy or gal there probably doesn't know any more about fishing than you did before you read this.  A small private tackle shop is best.  You may pay a little more for some items from him but it is worth it to get to know him and some of his customers who will usually be glad to answer your questions.  I still buy from Wallyworld when I know what I want but still have a favorite tackle shop in a town about 30 miles away that I stop in every now and again.  I used to have one closer but he retired darn it.
Crank baits are basically self operating.  You can catch bass by just casting them out and reeling in but,of course, there are many ways of fishing them to catch more bass. You can start by reeling slow one time then fast the next time.  Then do a start and stop or a fast,slow fast.
This will get you some strikes.

Then there are the minnow lures that have a bill to make them dive a few inches when jerked and pop back to the surface.  Bomber long A, Original Rapala, Rebel etc.  Cast these near a stump or over some brush or near weeds.  Let them set for a few seconds then give them a gentle jerk and stop. Try this a couple of times then reel them straight in.  Fish may hit them either way.  They are very good springtime baits.

There is one other type crankbait that I like.  It is a lipless or flat crankbait.  The line tie is on top rather than in front and it has no bill.  It sinks fast but it makes a sound when reeled fast and can catch lots of fish.
I often start by casting it by a stump in 10 feet of water and letting it flutter down alongside the stump.  Often a bass grabs it on the way down.  If he don't then I give a good upswing of my rod to make it jump up giving off its buzz.  Then stop it and let it flutter down again. After a couple of such flutter, jumps I reel it in fast and often get a fish on that retrieve. I like Chrome/blue or Chrome/black but many other colors work in different places. Again ask what is good locally.

Next are spinnerbaits.  There are several kind of these but all have one similarity.  They have some kind of blade that spins when reeled in or allowed to flutter down.  They can be fished just under the surface in shallow waters with weeds under the surface. They can be slowly rolled along near bottom near creek channels and dropoffs.
Some are made to run on the surface making a buzzing sound called "buzz baits, what else?)  Some have a straight wire on which the blade spins.  Some are made on a wire shaped like an open safety pin with the line tie in the middle a hook on one end and blade or blades on the other.  There are basically three kinds or shapes of blades.   One is almost round called a Colorado blade. One is elongated and narrow like a willow leaf, called a willow leaf blade.  The Indiana blade is somewhere between the two.  Some lures have two or more blades on them sometimes alike sometimes different.  The bigger Colorado blade runs more slowly than the others and makes a thumping sound the fish can feel or hear.  The willowleaf runs faster giving off a higher pitch and lots of flash.  Of course the Indiana is a compromise.  The Colorado is good for running just under the surface pushing up but not breaking the surface or being allowed to fall fluttering down and then run slowly along the bottom.  Willowleaf is used for fast surface or just above weeds as it runs faster.  Both catch a lot of fish.  The straight in line spinnerbaits such as the Snagless Sally are very good in weeds and lilly pads.  I put a pork frog (not plastic) on the hook behind it and pull it through many kinds of weeds.  It has a weedgard that works well except in  hydrilla.

Finally there are the spoons.  They take their name from the fact that the first ones were made from teaspoons stolen from the kitchen years ago.  They still have some of that shape but many are more elongated.  There are many kinds and may be used much like a Colorado spinner bait.
My favorite is the Johnson Silver Minnow which has a weed guard and I put a pork frog on it like the Sally. I like to cast it way back in a lilly pad patch and work it with my rod held high to keep the line up out of the weeds. I have caught some nice bass like this.  Here just as with any topwater bait wait until you feel the fish or you are likely to jerk the lure away from him.

Pier fishing.  I am not sure what kind of pier you are fishing from.  If it is heavily choked with weeds like mine is it is very difficult to fish except with a bobber and being  careful not to let the bait go too deep.  I don't do much fishing from the pier.  I take my boat out a little ways and fish in toward the pier.  I realize this is of no use to you without a boat. A plastic worm carefully cast into openings if there are any in the weeds and worked very slowly might catch fish.  If the weeds are below the surface you might work a topwater lure or spinnerbait over them.  That Johnson Silver Minnow might work.  The weeds often catch on the know where you tie the lure on.  Be careful to make a careful knot and cut off the tag end as close as possible.  I think the polymer knot would be the best for this.  To tie this knot double your line about 10 inches and pass the doubled end through the line tie on the lure. Now take the doubled end and take it around the still doubled part above the hook and through the loop made by this. Next pass the lure through the loop of doubled line and pull both ends tight. Cut the tag end off as close as possible.  This is a strong knot and will not slip yet maintains high line strength while leaving little for weeds to catch on.  If you need help learning to tie this knot ask someone who fishes to help you.


I forgot to give you a site that might be of some help in learning more than what I can include.  I have been on it for several years now and I continue to learn.  You can ask any question you want and someone will likely give you a good answer.  The site is fishing.about.com  Ronnie who runs the site will likely answer your questions as well as myself or one of many others. Sorry to resend the whole thing but couldn't find any way to give you the site otherwise.
I hope this has been of some help.  While there are no pat answers to some of your questions I think I have covered them sufficiently for you to start catching more and bigger fish.  Thank you for calling on me to answer your question.

I am

Jack L. Gaither (JackfromSeminole)
Lake Seminole, Georgia