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pro fishers wanted

Al C. Oholic

Monkey
Feb 11, 2010
407
0
FoCo
Just getting into fishing, it's summertime again and the couch is not where I want to be, even if I got nothing to do.
Primary questions, whats the difference in function between a spinner and conventional reel? I bought a relatively cheap, but decent shimano rod/reel combo with a spinner reel on it, but don't know what I should be using.

Primary targets: trout, catfish, bass. I've done quite a lot of fly fishing for trout, but I don't like it as much, and I've never gone after catfish or bass before. Tips, suggestions, anything?
One more question, Northern Colorado favorite spots. I wanna go hit the top of the Poudre, and go up to Grand Lake sometime this summer, but anywhere else I should keep my eye on?

Thanks for any and all help.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Spnning reels work fine, get a good graphite rod though, you want sensitive. Trout are easy, for the most part, if your bait fishing, youll set up with probably a four lb test mono , a small sinker, 1/8 probably, a bead and a swivel, probably a foot to a foot and a half 2 or 3 lb leader off the swivel and a treble hook<basically a carolina rig>... Use just enough of the dough bait to cover the hook, soak it in teh cold water a bit befor eyou cast..... Sit back, drink beer while you wait. Fishing lures is also easy, for that I would suggest a 4lb Flourocarbon line, alot like a mono, only WAY smoother, making it easier to feel the bite. YOu can toss a jig, through a rooster tail, when using lures for trout, just tie them onto the line and go, no real need for a leader/tippet setup here.


Bass..... Ok this is were you baitcasters start becoming something nice to have, basically for the heavier stuff, youll find they work with braid the best, My two bait casters I have are both setup with 20lb braid, one is a seven foot heavy action which is super super sensitive for that delicate bite, and another that is less sensitive yet very flexible for that agry your fishing a swimbait feel. Set the reals up properly and youll be trouble free. Takes a bit of practice to get the casting just right with them, but once you get it, you actually end up with a massive amount of control.... the reals are also usually a higher retrive rate, so they work better for lures that are best worked fast.... Buzzbaits, poppers, jerk baits ETC....... Keep a spinner handy though, for one you always want a back up, nothing like spooling your real without a back up, same thing as the trout, get a good graphite pole for sensitivity, it can be the difference in catching or casting. On my psinners for Bass, I like to run a Berkley fireline, super thin, super strong Extremly sensitive.... needs to break in a bit though, so the first couple times you cast it, it might piss you off..... Helps to run about 30 yards of 8 lb mono backing.... connect them with a uni to uni blood knot... that way you can run about 20 yards of the good stuff on the business end, without using up the entire 25 dollar spool.

As far as Bass lures go, there are MANY ways to go, biggest thing you have to do is know what they are eating for were your fishing. If your in an area there are just no worms..... worms are out. no frogs, frogs are out. Usually a good idea to get out to were you want to fish and check out whats there. Finesse worms are always a good way to go. Worms can be run many ways, Texas rig< weight right on the hook/work> works wonders whe your fishing a drop off, work it up and down the drop off, I see alot of people run a texas on the bottom, but problem with that is that bass dont watch the floor, they look up..... So texas rig it for the drop off so you can work it up and down in front of them.
Caroline rig, weight, swivel, leader then floating worm.... Work that bitch right across the bottom, worms are slow movers, wiggle the line just enough to make it dance, doesnt take much, just enough to get there attention, keep your line fairly taught though, you going to want to feel the hit on this, if your line goes loose, keep an eye on it, if you see the the line snap a bit.... SET IT!!!
Drop shot rig...... Use a palomar knot on the hook, leave a fairly long tag..... two or three feet sometimes..... then tie a sinker on the end, use this to bring the bass to your worm. Throw it out there pretty far, le tthe weight get down into the weeds, and just jiggle the slack in the line, the hits on this are usually a couple quick taps, or a holy **** its gone yank. Work it in a spot for a good minute or two... no hits pull it in five to ten feet, work it over again. Again keep the line fairly taught,



When nothing else is working...... Senko worms...... 4.5 slug looking worm.... they just look like nothing would ever want them..... but damn. Best to set these up weightless, personally I like a # ott hook for these, I stick with gamakatsu hooks.... retarded sharp..... throw them out, they damn like a wounded minnow on the drop, hit the lilly's drop them in the hole, waht your line for the hit, if you know its 7 feet deep, and it stops way before it should... set it, you see the line snap... set it, Leave your line a bit slack, you probably wount be feeling the hit on these, gotta be watching your line pretty good, hell alot of times on the bigger bass youll just see the line move sideways.
If your fishing the senko in a hole, once it hits bottom, bring it in and recast, if your fishing it over a long distance, let it hit bottom, snap it up like a jerk bait and let it sink all over again. If this isnt working, you can also work them as a jerkbait, that one youll feel the hit.

Spinners, jigs, crankbaits, jerkbaits..... all this stuff comes down to personal preferance. Personally I am partial toa good finesse plastice, just something about working for that little tap tap and BAM a monster on the end...... Next in line I like spinners. YOu always know when you have one on the end with a spinner.

Cranks jerks and spinners..... dont set on the little taps with those, thats a finnesse move. With these you want to wait till you get that slammer hit. When you get a take on these.... youll know it. Its hard, its fast, and its like snagging a tree.....



Catfish..... Belvie it or not, most catfish are active hunters, most are not mud suckers. So fish them like they are hunters. Stinky works, spicy works, broken works. Just gotta find were they are at. Most people like to fish them on the bottom, when in fact they are further towards the middle, a nice float from the top works well, or a slido weight rig with a weight lead of four or five feet to get your bait up off the bottom and out of the weeds....
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Some pics from the bass fishing from this year.

Ill try to remember the weights and lures to go along with the pics.

two and a half, drop shot 4 in robo warm


5.5 lb, drop shot six in robo worm




1.5, 4 in robo dropshot



3.1 lbs, 3 in bluegill crankbait rattler



1 pound, 4 in robo worm



three pound..... weightless senko, 5 in 3 ott hook






8.8 pound, weightless senko 5 in, 3 ott hook, line snapped on the drop about ten seconds after it hit the water





Then there was this little suprise this past wednesday..... After a half dozen ish 2 to 3 pound LM, I hooked this guy..... estimate about a pound anf a quarter

 
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RaindogT

Monkey
Dec 22, 2005
186
0
Kansas City
I only fly fish --- and my primary target is Bass.... Sounds like you've done some fly fishing. Try it. I fish for Trout rarely-- Very few native trout waters around me, and To fish Trout, I have to travel. I like trout fishing, but bass fishing is much more fun to me. Top water is, of course, my favorite.

As was mentioned, Bass look up-- they don't watch the floor. Thus, any terrestrial pattern is fairly productive, I also tie tons of deer hair bugs in various patterns (mice, divers, 'poppers', sliders, gurglers, etc.)

For subsurface bass fly fishing,you can't beat woolies ( I only tie black, olive and some white. All have some sort of Krystal flash, or flashabou, and about half are weighted with cone heads or bead heads.) and leach patterns. Nymphs are productive as well, although my nymphs are almost always on a dry/ dropper rig. I'm experimenting with a craw pattern-- haven't fished any of them yet, still perfecting the tie.

It sounds like you aren't thrilled with fly fishing, but the first time a 4 pounder explodes out of the water to take a mouse pattern, you'll be hooked (no pun intended.).

I really hope you consider giving the long stick a try for Bass.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Primary questions, whats the difference in function between a spinner and conventional reel? I bought a relatively cheap, but decent shimano rod/reel combo with a spinner reel on it, but don't know what I should be using.
You've gotten some good advice so far.
There are exceptions to everything, but the main advantage of a spinning reel over a baitcaster or a "conventional reel" (I believe you're referring to a spincast reel like a zebco 33) is that it allows you to throw lighter baits/lures further on lighter line. They're also easier for beginners to cast than a baitcaster because you don't have to worry about backlash. Shimano makes pretty decent gear, and I've found even the cheap-o spinning reels last for years and have decent drag systems.

When not flyfishing, I use a spinning reel probably 90% whether Im after bass, trout, crappie, walleye or sauger. I typically never use anything over 12lb (mono) line either, and 8-10 is pretty standard for me. Rarely do I ever get broken off by a fish. Not saying anyone else's approach is wrong, I just prefer using lighter stuff and keeping it simple.

For bass, actually it is untrue that bass "dont watch the floor". One of their primary food sources are crayfish, and they are a bottom dwelling organism only. There are a lot of baits out there which will mimic crayfish or baitfish... you just have to know what the primary food sources are in the body of water you're fishing. Bass will eat just about anything, and the best thing you could do is ask the local bait shop guy what most people in the lake use. The locals will have figured out the general pattern, and you can branch out from there.

Also, consider getting a float tube (like DirtyMike has). They're relatively cheap and will greatly expand the amount of water you can fish vs. sitting on the bank.

Here's mine rigged up:



And here's some fish I've caught recently.

Smallmouth bass:







Walleyes:






Crappies:



A couple trout from last week:









Also (and perhaps most importantly), get yourself a stupid hat, and remember to post up pics when you catch fish!
 
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DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
You've gotten some good advice so far.
There are exceptions to everything, but the main advantage of a spinning reel over a baitcaster or a "conventional reel" (I believe you're referring to a spincast reel like a zebco 33) is that it allows you to throw lighter baits/lures further on lighter line. They're also easier for beginners to cast than a baitcaster because you don't have to worry about backlash. Shimano makes pretty decent gear, and I've found even the cheap-o spinning reels last for years and have decent drag systems.

When not flyfishing, I use a spinning reel probably 90% whether Im after bass, trout, crappie, walleye or sauger. I typically never use anything over 12lb (mono) line either, and 8-10 is pretty standard for me. Rarely do I ever get broken off by a fish. Not saying anyone else's approach is wrong, I just prefer using lighter stuff and keeping it simple.

For bass, actually it is untrue that bass "dont watch the floor". One of their primary food sources are crayfish, and they are a bottom dwelling organism only. There are a lot of baits out there which will mimic crayfish or baitfish... you just have to know what the primary food sources are in the body of water you're fishing. Bass will eat just about anything, and the best thing you could do is ask the local bait shop guy what most people in the lake use. The locals will have figured out the general pattern, and you can branch out from there.

Also, consider getting a float tube (like DirtyMike has). They're relatively cheap and will greatly expand the amount of water you can fish vs. sitting on the bank.

Here's mine rigged up:

Also (and perhaps most importantly), get yourself a stupid hat, and remember to post up pics when you catch fish!



My spinning reel for bass currently.... is a 9.95 shimano from Bass pro.... Stupid reel just wont die, and works sooo friggin well. In fact look at my gear, most all the money is all in the poles themselves, which is were you will see the most difference. Remember stiff doesnt mean sensitive, flexy doesnt mean good casting.....

Man the float tube friggin rocks, there is no reason why you cant be fishing in one for under 3 bills total for waders, flippers and tube.... Other items might add up a bit, but start off with a few items, them work your way up.... Speaking of which, Burly... did you make that pole rack or buy it? If you bought it were at.... I need something like that for mine.

Oh one more note on the tubes..... spend a bit more on the tube itself, I started on a cheapie 65 dollar uboat.... jsut ecently got the fishcat..... Sooooo much nicer, instead of hanging to my belly button in water and slowly sliding down, Its just my calves in the water... In fact last time I went out I didnt use the waders, just my snorkeling flippers.





Oh yeah.... the hat is extremly important, Nothing worse than sunburnt ears..
 

jasride

Turbo Monkey
Sep 23, 2006
1,069
5
PA
For bass, actually it is untrue that bass "dont watch the floor". One of their primary food sources are crayfish, and they are a bottom dwelling organism only.
Lots of great advise so far for sure. And I have to agree with burly, crayfish work fantastic for bass. I love fishing but tend to just keep it simple with live bait.

trout:
night crawlers
mealy worms
wax worms
butter worms
corn
minnows

bass:
crayfish
might crawlers
minnows

but im sure there are a ton of other things to use as well.
awesome photos here. i gotta find some too.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Speaking of which, Burly... did you make that pole rack or buy it? If you bought it were at.... I need something like that for mine.
I just made it using some PVC and couplings. Here's what I made for the other side.




It's a craftsman roll-out wrench pouch. I popped some grommets in the corner and lashed it to the d-rings on the tube. Now I have easy access to pliers, hemostats, lip gripper and another rod holder. Very easy to make.
 

Polandspring88

Superman
Mar 31, 2004
3,066
7
Broomfield, CO
A lot of how you are going to fish for bass will depend on where you live and how warm the water temperature is. A few quick tips to remember:

1. Largemouth bass love structure and will typically be found in or near weedbeds, downed trees, stumps, rock piles, etc....
2. Largemouth bass have no eyelids, so they typically like to set up in places where you are not getting direct sunlight. There is an ideal temperature range that they like to be in, so they will move deeper during the summer and shallow in the spring as the water warms.
3. Match the type of bait you are throwing out to what their food source in the lake is, whether it be baitfish, crayfish, or worms. The clearer the water, the more natural looking the lure you should be using

In terms of equipment, DirtyMike nailed it. Get yourself some offset shank work hooks (1/0 - 4/0 depending on the size of the worm, perhaps extra wide gap offset hooks for thick ones, bullet & egg weights), a few spinnerbaits (white & white/chartreuse are my favorites), a couple of topwater crankbaits (Jitterbug, Hula Popper, etc...), and some crankbaits (shallow/medium divers depending upon the depth of the water). Most of the fish I have caught this year have been caught on a small, medium diving (~5 ft.) perch pattern crankbait.

I have used spinning reels all of my life up until this year when I decided to try out a baitcaster. It has made a TON of difference in both the length and accuracy of my casts. Low profile baitcasters are popular for bass and are more often able to handle heavier line than spinning outfits. Good if you have thickly vegetated water or larger fish. Get yourself a good graphite rod tailored to what type of baits you intend to use most. What you would use for throwing out crankbaits and spinners might be different from what you would use for jigs. Do some research before grabbing a rod, there are so many out there it can get confusing.

Don't forget to bring a plastic bag with you when you go fishing. There is always lots of trash littering the streams/lakes from other people so do your part to make sure the water and the woods are clean.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Another note on the line that should be mentioned, for LM, some places will regulate what line your allowed to use, so always have a reel or two ready with basic eight to twelve pound mono ready to swap out. Personally, I absolutly hate using my baitcasters with anything other than braid. Mainly because the braid just works soooo much smoother. The other thing to remember about braid, it that is is ALOT thinner than mono. As in ten pound braid is about the thickness of two pound mono. Im usually running the ten, but this last time I went for line it was teh twenty that was on sale, and when a spool was ten bucks instead of 25, I had to step up to a heavier line, still thinner than the 8 lb mono I have on one of my spinners.


Make sure to check with the lakes and rivers your fishing is your a braid user, not all of them allow braid to be used.
 

Al C. Oholic

Monkey
Feb 11, 2010
407
0
FoCo
all the advice is fantastic, although I need to buy a fish-speak dictionary if I'm gonna understand some of it. DirtyMike, based on the fact that I understand about one of every five words you wrote, I would guess you're very competent.

I went out after bass the other day, only got one about 7 inches long and ended up catchin crappies instead and just ran with that. brought home three, i'd have pics but I need a new battery for my camera first.

Shopping list: some more hooks/lures. I've got some jigs of various sizes, two different spinners, a box of night crawlers in the fridge, and that's damn near it.
New hat: a must. or I might just go with my Boonie Cap from the Army.
Bellyboat: want, but i don't really have the room. Maybe when the ol' lady moves out in a couple weeks, i'll turn her closet into a fishing room.

Thanks for all the tips, keep em comin or just post up to show off the latest catch. wish me lots and lots of luck :thumb:
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
The point of a belly boat is that it deflates and takes up almost no room. Can keep it in the trunk or wherever. They pump up really easily.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
all the advice is fantastic, although I need to buy a fish-speak dictionary if I'm gonna understand some of it. DirtyMike, based on the fact that I understand about one of every five words you wrote, I would guess you're very competent.

I went out after bass the other day, only got one about 7 inches long and ended up catchin crappies instead and just ran with that. brought home three, i'd have pics but I need a new battery for my camera first.

Shopping list: some more hooks/lures. I've got some jigs of various sizes, two different spinners, a box of night crawlers in the fridge, and that's damn near it.
New hat: a must. or I might just go with my Boonie Cap from the Army.
Bellyboat: want, but i don't really have the room. Maybe when the ol' lady moves out in a couple weeks, i'll turn her closet into a fishing room.

Thanks for all the tips, keep em comin or just post up to show off the latest catch. wish me lots and lots of luck :thumb:
The point of a belly boat is that it deflates and takes up almost no room. Can keep it in the trunk or wherever. They pump up really easily.
What he said about the tube..... Thats the idea is that they take minimal space, Hell I have two of them. Go with the boonie cap..... It will work perfect.

If you went for bass, and all you got was somehting around the seven in range, go with a bigger lure.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Dont have to drink to be a drinkerman....... Its just a statement. Means you rather just be hangin than catching. Its all good, alot of people do that. Its all part of fishing, sometimes its about sitting and waiting, relaxing and bull****tin, sometimes its about going out and going after them.


The note about taking a large ziplock.... Great thing to do, didnt even think about it myself, I usually keep at least two gallonsize bags in the tube, and grab stuff while I am out and about, one of the biggest thing I find myself picking up is other peoples friggin string..... If your going to strip a bunch of string off for whatever reason..... Make sure the line gets into the trash, and not on the ground
 

Al C. Oholic

Monkey
Feb 11, 2010
407
0
FoCo
Thanks for all your help, got my first bass yesterday! I'm stoked, 14 inches, didn't weigh it but it's good size.
It is now taking up 14 inches of my freezer. Pic to follow.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Thanks for all your help, got my first bass yesterday! I'm stoked, 14 inches, didn't weigh it but it's good size.
It is now taking up 14 inches of my freezer. Pic to follow.
Your last post said that you caught one that was 7 inches. :confused:
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Thanks for all your help, got my first bass yesterday! I'm stoked, 14 inches, didn't weigh it but it's good size.
It is now taking up 14 inches of my freezer. Pic to follow.
Probably pound and a half to two pound range. 14 in is a little shy for what most would keep though, normally look at the three pound range. All good though, good fish to cook up.


Trout was on my menu today, ended up hooking into 19, bunch of small ones but kept my limit of goodies though... Dinner was very nice

 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
HA, its trout if yo ucant catch a ****ton of trout.... Get a new hobbie.

Now what I am having an issue with, is one of the local lakes here is higher in altitude, I want to say the water stays sub 75 at the absolute highest. This is were I do my summertime trout fishing, while I am there I see some absolutly monsterous bass..... so far I have had **** luck for hooking up into the big guys. Fun part is.... there is absolutle swarms of small bass in the lake... Love catching those little ****s with a fly when I am bored...

I just gotta find something that will inspire the Bigguns at Jenks to hit in the cold water..... So far...... Not even a bite from anything there over half a pound
 

Polandspring88

Superman
Mar 31, 2004
3,066
7
Broomfield, CO
Anybody here fish for carp? Saw a bunch of the ugly suckers trolling the shallows of a lake I run around last night and figured it'd be fun to try and catch a few. Didn't have my gear on me but I don't know anything about catching them other than they like corn bread/dough balls. What kind of rigging should I be putting together?
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
Anybody here fish for carp? Saw a bunch of the ugly suckers trolling the shallows of a lake I run around last night and figured it'd be fun to try and catch a few. Didn't have my gear on me but I don't know anything about catching them other than they like corn bread/dough balls. What kind of rigging should I be putting together?
Ask the Cambodians that catch and eat them.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Anybody here fish for carp? Saw a bunch of the ugly suckers trolling the shallows of a lake I run around last night and figured it'd be fun to try and catch a few. Didn't have my gear on me but I don't know anything about catching them other than they like corn bread/dough balls. What kind of rigging should I be putting together?


------
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Anybody here fish for carp? Saw a bunch of the ugly suckers trolling the shallows of a lake I run around last night and figured it'd be fun to try and catch a few. Didn't have my gear on me but I don't know anything about catching them other than they like corn bread/dough balls. What kind of rigging should I be putting together?
If its a lake were people walk around, and feed teh ducks bread and such..... A nice hard peice of bread, a small weight to get it down, and a hook is all you need.

As far as Eating carp goes... Pressure cook it, or pickle it. Personally pressure cooking, then making fish patties out of it is my favorite, will also make a fish meal out of it for fish tacos as well.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,196
4,419
nice fish BurlyShirley! Do you use live bait for those smallmouth & walleye?

I've had best luck with live minnows. Everything seems to eat them - trout, bass, pike, catfish.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
nice fish BurlyShirley! Do you use live bait for those smallmouth & walleye?

I've had best luck with live minnows. Everything seems to eat them - trout, bass, pike, catfish.

I don't generally use live bait, but Im not opposed to it. In fact, Id probably catch more fish (particularly walleyes) if I did, but usually the places I fish are so remote that carrying live bait is more of a pain than it's worth.
To catch a lot of fish, you can either be a great fisherman, or you can be in shape and unafraid to hike into areas that most lazy "sportsmen" wont go because motorized boats and ATVs aren't allowed. Stupid fish are easy to catch.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,196
4,419
To catch a lot of fish, you can either be a great fisherman, or you can be in shape and unafraid to hike into areas that most lazy "sportsmen" wont go because motorized boats and ATVs aren't allowed. Stupid fish are easy to catch.
Definitely agree with that. When I was a kid, I used to bike to spots - I had a collapsible pole and put everything in my backpack. It definitely allowed me to get to places others were a bit too lazy to walk to.