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?

[threebag]

Critical error would be mono

[bdj23]

Originally Posted by threebag02

Critical error would be mono

I lost lots of fish down there last summer with 30lb braid. There is too much rebar, metal, concrete and rocks down there to use braid successfully. It frays on everything.

[bdj23]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

It sounds like maybe the critical error you made might have been not to re tie the line after those first fish, if in fact you did not do that. You really have to cut about a foot or two off at least and then make a fresh knot on the hook. That line goes under a lot stress from the weight, friction of the fish's mouth, twisting around, and likely scraping against rocks or other debree while fighting those fish.

You're probably right tbh, i never really considered that. I'm new to targeting Blue and Flathead exclusively, so I'm learning by the mistakes i make.

Unfortunately, this mistake just happened to be on what i believe would have been the fish of my life.

[bdj23]

Originally Posted by loochy

So, what will you different next time? Were there knicks in your line? Was your line old? Did it break at the knot? Did you not have the drag set properly?

The line is brand new, Whisker Seeker brand, so it isn't cheap Eagle claw mono. I think the spool ran me close to $25.

Probably need to keep a closer eye on knicks and frays in the line.

Also need to get the snell knot down.

[threebag]

Originally Posted by BDj23

I lost lots of fish down there last summer with 30lb braid. There is too much rebar, metal, concrete and rocks down there to use braid successfully. It frays on everything.

That sucks losing fish for sure. Hope you land the big dude soon

[ptlyon]

I never knew tying a snell knot was so easy until I learned earlier this year

http://www.animatedknots.com/snell/i...hp#ScrollPoint

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by BDj23

You're probably right tbh, i never really considered that. I'm new to targeting Blue and Flathead exclusively, so I'm learning by the mistakes i make.

Unfortunately, this mistake just happened to be on what i believe would have been the fish of my life.

Hopefully you get another chance. I never target fish that large but the same applies to really any fishing, just with gear scaled down. I know it gets exciting when you are catching fish and want to get back in the water as soon as possible. I know I have lost fish for the same reason though.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by BDj23

Decided to take the day off and head down to the Kaw this morning. Went out yesterday and had no luck for hours, not one single bite.

Hit the Perry outlet for shad, i caught about 60 in one cast of my net. One toss for more bait than i needed all day. Amazing.

About 45 minutes into fishing something smashes an 8" shad i had on a circle hook. 20 minute or so fight and i pull in a blue cat about 30lbs. New personal best fish. Great morning so far.

Bait and recast, and hook a nice channel about 7 or 8 lbs.

About 20 minutes or so after i get my line back in the water i feel a flight bite and then nothing. I notice my line is slowly moving up stream where the water kind of swirls and i start to reel it in. I think I'm snagged for about 1 minute until the snag starts fighting back. I have a Rippin Lips 8ft heavy rod, Abu Garcia c7000 reel and 50lb mono. This is the fish I've been waiting my entire life to catch. Unfortunately, after a 30 minute battle Mr. Flathead won. He broke my line.

I've never felt a fish like that on the end of my line. I've never broken my personal best, and left disappointed until today. It had to have been a flathead or blue cat over 50lbs. That 30lber i caught earlier didn't fight like that.

I thought i had everything i needed to land that fish, but luck didn't smile upon me at that moment.

I'm still sad.

Damn man, that story is getting me all excited... gonna break out my heavy gear this weekend and hope for that much fun

How do you target blues and flatheads exclusively, just use live bait?

[bdj23]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

Damn man, that story is getting me all excited... gonna break out my heavy gear this weekend and hope for that much fun

How do you target blues and flatheads exclusively, just use live bait?

Don't get me wrong, i will take channel cat too.. but i was using whole shad about 6-8" in length.

Most trash fish wont mess with them.

Turtles love cut bait too.

Also, i don't say exclusively like that is all i catch lol! Occasionally, I'll have a drum or gar hit my shad. Blue and Flathead are what i want to catch, so they are what I'm geared for.

[raybec 4]

The wife and I caught 42 keeper size crappie yesterday at our "secret spot". We let em all go but we did keep a couple of channels we got into.

[Dunit35]

Nice stories. Makes me want to leave work and catch some fish.

I've never been crappie fishing. Only caught one in my life.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by raybec 4

The wife and I caught 42 keeper size crappie yesterday at our "secret spot". We let em all go but we did keep a couple of channels we got into.

Nice day.

I got skunked this morning. Did great yesterday.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Dunit35

Nice stories. Makes me want to leave work and catch some fish.

I've never been crappie fishing. Only caught one in my life.

I only catch them by accident, usually on plastic grubs attached to a spinner rig while looking for bass...one thing I do like about them (other than taste), is that they hit HARD

They totally inhale a lure, its like doing stomach surgery trying to get the hook out

[threebag]

6 bass yesterday
13 bass this evening.


Hoola Hoppers made it a short trip.


Transported them to a buddies pond down the road.

Same pond I will be hunting later this year...

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by threebag02

6 bass yesterday
13 bass this evening.


Hoola Hoppers made it a short trip.


Transported them to a buddies pond down the road.

Same pond I will be hunting later this year...

Sounds like the right strategy... topwaters in the evening and morning