Learning how to fish

[shuler74]

Hi I am totally new to fishing and was wondering what advice you guys have for me for fishing. The type of fishing I want to do is pier or surf only because I get sea sick and hate boats. As for the type of fish...anything I can eat...lol

[shagman]

Where do you live? Cause it really depends...........

[shuler74]

Gaithersburg was thinking sandy point or Jonas Green State Park

[Sticksboi05]

I don't care what anyone says, fishing is the ****. And are you talking lakes I'm guessing? Like for bass and whatnot?

[shagman]

Buy the nicest rod and reel (Penn reels are decent) that you can afford from a local tackle shop and take good care of it by rinsing it off with soap and water after you are done fishing. Salt water will ruin you reel very quickly. Not too sure about fishing the chesapeake but go get yourself some lunker city sluggos( get several colors that the tackle shop recommends). Learn a few knots from the internet before you go. Cast out and jig it off the bottom and mix up the retrieval speed.

[#98QBKiller]

If you're doing surf fishing get yourself some sand spikes (PVC) so you can enjoy beers while waiting on the fish to bite.

[HailGreen28]

It's as easy as bobbing for apples.

You probably know this already, but just in case:

Best advice is go with friends. Fishing's more fun that way. At least ask around.

If you go alone, and don't know how others fish where you're going, first go look where you want to fish, and see what everybody else is doing. Also helps to find out if you need new gear, and where to go for best prices on bait or lures. And what might be fun trying to catch. Scouting first will waste one trip, but save you a ton of time and money from that point on.

Don't go hog-wild on buying gear. Unless you hook up with guys fishing the big surf fish or trophies, walmart has all your fishing needs, except bait. You'll be happier first seeing what others use, buy the minimum gear, then if you buy fancier stuff later, you'll know better what you want.

Surf is normally best on a rising tide up to high tide. (Guess it's true in the gulf, dunno) I've had the best luck pier fishing round fall/winter for events like spot runs, but it's elbow to elbow crossing fishing lines at piers during those times too.

When surf fishing, you can feel a bite better if you loop the line around your finger, just above the reel, if you think you might have something. If you think you just had a bite, go ahead and reel it in. You might be surprised you just reeled in a fish, lol. Or you might have an empty hook 'cause you just got robbed or the bait fell off the hook. (Both can happen a lot.)

Don't forget to get a salt-water fishing license if required in your state. And look up size limits and type of fish caught where you go.

And when you don't catch anything, especially at first, remember it's called fishing not catching. My advice go where you'd enjoy going anyways, beach / pier / even if it's a dedicated 4-wheeler fishing spot, enjoy where you're at. If you catch something it's a bonus.

Hope it helps.

edit: Seconding what shag said about washing out all your gear, when you get home from salt water fishing. Reels and hooks rot very fast from the coast.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

It's nice to note that you will be able to eat for a lifetime. Or something.

[Stew]

As other have said, it depends on where you want to fish. Since you are talking about piers and shoreline fishing, you will prolly mostly be bait fishing. If you are fishing lakes, and are still on shore, you will prolly be bait fishing, or flipping lures (jig n pig, crank bait, soft plastic/jerk bait, etc) into coves for Bass, Perch, Walleye, etc. In freshwater bait fishing will get you mainly catfish, but also Pike/Muskee, Walleye (sometimes) snakehead and bass for the most part. In sal****er, its a crap shoot, depends on where you go, as to what you use.

Fishing is awesome.

[sacase]

I was thinking about starting a thread like this. I haven't fished since I was 18, I used to be pretty good at it, but all my experience was fresh water. Now that I am out here in San Diego I really want to get into fishing again, but this time I want to focus on Salt Water fishing. I went out on a 1/2 day trip and noticed that the style is far different that I am used to, the way knots are tied and how the hooks and weights are rigged. I think surf fishing and boat fishing is what I want to focus on. Pier fishing I don't think I will care for as the piers are crowded out here and I tend to like my space when fishing. Any hints or advice would be welcomed.

[Elessar78]

Big proponent of fly fishing. Plus if you don't like boats, then little streams are perfect.

[mardi gras skin]

Big proponent of casting a line with no bait, finding a nice solid tree to lean against, and pulling my hat over my eyes. Carry a bottle of water but leave the cell phone in the truck. I can go hours without a nibble.

I have rotten luck.

[Rudechain]

Well if your Texas still, there are lots of options.

If you have never fished before, a pier is a good thing to start with. There should be plenty of blue-gill around, and they can be quite tasty, but you will need a few of them to make a meal.

Another one that is easy off a pier is catfish and you can use almost anything for bait. (chicken, dough, bread or cheese are quick and easy bait for catfish)

If I found you correctly on the map, check out Patterson lake, Century Lake or Lake Sulpher Springs.

Fishing can be quite the experience. Have fun and invite a friend.

And if they don't seem to be biting, remember it's called fishing not catching.

[youngestson]

Big proponent of fly fishing. Plus if you don't like boats, then little streams are perfect.

Fly fishing done well is a real craft. I don't do it that well despite having started when I was about 11 or so, but when someone really has the knack it's the only way to go.

That said, the guy starting out would be better off with spincasting.

[shagman]

Fishing has been a huge part of my life since I was two years old growing up in Vermont. I now live on Cape Cod and get to fish Bluefin tuna and stripped bass from May until November with friends. Even after catching giant tuna though, I still love catching 6 inch brook trout on a dry fly up on mountain streams in Vermont(maybe not exactly as much though). Im telling you this because no matter what event goes on in my life fishing is always there to ground me and help me work out matters in my head. Go get a rod and reel (Im a believer in buying a nice and take care of it instead of a chinese POS model). Find a buddy that is willing to teach you a little bit and get a field and stream magazine subscription or something similar.At some point, try to get out of your element and fish a new species. Take a vacation to Cape Cod and I will bring you Striped bass or tuna fishing or if you can afford a charter go fish Billfish in Florida or Tarpon or grouper. Expand from what you know and you will enjoy a lifetime of great stories and expierences. Think modern day Hemingway! Not sure if I told you before but I am borderline obsessed with fishing and it sure beat cocaine for an addiction.

[bpoch]

If you are in Gaithersburg you can hit up Black Hills Regional park in Boyds, it's up off 121. It's a 500+ acre reservoir. If you just want fish, I'm sure you'd catch a ton of bluegills with a bobber, worms, and a hook.

if you are a little more ambitious you can roll up to Frederick and wade around in the Monacocy river. Pretty decent wading and fishing up at Pinecliff park .

I've been crushing some smallmouth bass and bluegills up there with just a few crank baits this past month.

[Kosher Ham]

PM mikeDinNYC. I think that is how his name is spelled.

If I had to fish to live I would starve to death within a week. I have been twice in my life and the biggest I ever caught was like a 5 inch little ...who knows what it was after all these years.

I have a few buddies that go and love it. I prefer hunting.

[Botched]

Fishing at Sandy Pt is pretty straight forward. This time of year it's mostly spot, croaker, white perch,and small blues and rockfish. Soaking bloodworm fishbites on the bottom will catch you the first three, then you can cut those up and use them to catch the other ones. Lots of big cownose rays up there this time of year as well.

You don't need any kind of fancy gear, a 7-8' surf spinning combo from Wal Mart is cheap and will catch just about anything out there. Small hooks on a simple bottom rig will work fine. Only thing that can be difficult is the current, it really rips sometimes. Some days you can get away with a 2oz sinker, sometimes you need upwards of 6. A PVC sand spike makes a good rod holder. Cast out and wait.

I fish up there every Spring when the larger rock come through. It's generally my first salt water trip of the year. It gets crowded but when the fish are biting it's alot of fun, and some very nice fish are caught.

I've never fished at Jonas Green before but I've heard it's a good spot for white perch.Good luck.

[shuler74]

Thanks everyone for the feedback will try it out I know my location says Texas but actually live here in gaithersburg ....are any fresh water lakes like seneca have any fish I can eat for example catfish?

[TheGoodBits]

YouTube search "Peoria carp hunters."

[shuler74]

Anybody fish great seneca state park?

[sideshow24]

Big proponent of casting a line with no bait, finding a nice solid tree to lean against, and pulling my hat over my eyes. Carry a bottle of water but leave the cell phone in the truck. I can go hours without a nibble.

I have rotten luck.

Until Huck Finn wanders by and ruins your peaceful afternoon. Or N-word Jim.

[shagman]

http://www.takemefishing.org/

[shuler74]

Thanks man