Fishing!

[MarshmallowBlue]

Let's all talk about fishing. Anybody do it? I just picked it back up last year and it's got me pretty hooked. Fishing and Brewing are my two top hobbies at the moment.

Here's one of my biggest catches from last year.

I know, it's not that big.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Not that big, but it is a nice one, and those babies are great fighters.

I've been fishing all my life. Love it, can't imagine living without it.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Yeah it was a pretty good size for the body of water. My brother in law pulled an absolute lunker out of the same spot though. Not sure how it even swam around.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Yes, fishing is a good pastime. I do a fair amount of marine fishing, sometimes even catching I also have access to fresh water where I mostly catch pan fish and enjoy the scenery. Trout season opens April first on Long Island, looking forward to it hope things settle down and I have some time.

 

[soccerdad]

Love it. Wish I could get out more. Usually fish from a kayak .. fresh or salt.

 

[Ridire]

Love to fish. I don't do it all that often, but I keep in gear in my Jeep at nearly all times when it is warm out. Take the boy fishing fairly regularly when we camp near decent inland fishing waters. And trout don't need to be all that big to give you a good fight.

 

[Ridire]

Love it. Wish I could get out more. Usually fish from a kayak .. fresh or salt.

I'm thinking of getting a "safari rack" for the Jeep so that I can lug a couple of kayaks around when I go camping. Do you fish from a sit-in or a sit-on? I have heard some people who use their kayaks mostly for fishing say to get a sit-on model for fishing.

 

[WI_Wino]

I'm a huge fan. Here's my smallie personal best:

I think it's pretty good especially considering it came from a northern WI inland lake.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

I plan on getting out a lot more this year. Maybe on a lunch break or two. I also got a handful of new lures for Xmas that I've been itching to tie on.

 

[Ridire]

I'm a huge fan. Here's my smallie personal best:



I think it's pretty good especially considering it came from a northern WI inland lake.

I live on, what I hear, is the best smallie waters in the world...and that thing is RIDICULOUS!!

 

[GHBWNY]

Let's all talk about fishing. Anybody do it? I just picked it back up last year and it's got me pretty hooked. Fishing and Brewing are my two top hobbies at the moment.

Here's one of my biggest catches from last year.

I know, it's not that big.

Nice brookie! Here's a way to out-fish your brother-in-law (if you're interested) .

Remove the snap swivel from your line (max of 4# test for trout) and tie the spinner directly to your line with a cinch knot. Trout, as you are probably well-aware, are very skittish. Eliminating the snap swivel and using lighter line will disguise your bait better, give it better action and insure more bites. All the fish is going to see is your bait, not extra hardware and line. Also, sneak up on your hole and be as quiet as possible. And have patience. How do I know all this? I fished with my older brother for decades and he taught me all the things that caused him to out-fish me every time. Which he still does!

 

[Ridire]

Nice brookie! Here's a way to out-fish your brother-in-law (if you're interested) .

Remove the snap swivel from your line (max of 4# test for trout) and tie the spinner directly to your line with a cinch knot. Trout, as you are probably well-aware, are very skittish. Eliminating the snap swivel and using lighter line will disguise your bait better, give it better action and insure more bites. All the fish is going to see is your bait, not extra hardware and line. Also, sneak up on your hole and be as quiet as possible. And have patience. How do I know all this? I fished with my older brother for decades and he taught me all the things that caused him to out-fish me every time. Which he still does!

If you live near trout streams, I'd get a dry fly rig. I love to fly fish but don't get into trout streams all that often.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Nice brookie! Here's a way to out-fish your brother-in-law (if you're interested) .

Remove the snap swivel from your line (max of 4# test for trout) and tie the spinner directly to your line with a cinch knot. Trout, as you are probably well-aware, are very skittish. Eliminating the snap swivel and using lighter line will disguise your bait better, give it better action and insure more bites. All the fish is going to see is your bait, not extra hardware and line. Also, sneak up on your hole and be as quiet as possible. And have patience. How do I know all this? I fished with my older brother for decades and he taught me all the things that caused him to out-fish me every time. Which he still does!

That's actually a Rooster Tail (to be specific) I pulled up with some weeds that day. I just tied it on right there, but have since removed the swivel. All my spinners get tied directly to the line.

I know it's not best practice but I still used 6-8 lb test because I'll switch to bass on a whim, and I only have one rod.

 

[soccerdad]

I'm thinking of getting a "safari rack" for the Jeep so that I can lug a couple of kayaks around when I go camping. Do you fish from a sit-in or a sit-on? I have heard some people who use their kayaks mostly for fishing say to get a sit-on model for fishing.

Sit on top for fishing .. in my not so humble opinion

 

[Yooper]

We fish all the time!

Bob came home with these yesterday (kayak fishing, here on the Gulf coast):

 

[Brewskey]

I do a lot of inshore saltwater fishing here in S. Alabama, brewing is my 2nd favorite hobby.

 

[Yooper]

Nice fish, especially that speckled trout!

 

[Brewskey]

Nice fish, especially that speckled trout!

Thanks, that was my biggest so far, 7lbs 27.5".

 

[Zuljin]

That's an amazing spec.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks, that was my biggest so far, 7lbs 27.5".

I've only seen a couple bigger, ever, so that's quite a nice fish! You don't see too many that big, for sure!

We kayak every day just about, here in S. Texas on the coast. We normally catch redfish, specs, and black drum with an occasional flounder or sheepshead. At home, we usually fish from our pontoon boat or jon boat, mostly for bluegills, perch, crappies, and bass, with an occasional walleye. I really like having those different experiences, and the best of both worlds. We are lucky to be able to have both!

 

[Ridire]

I've only seen a couple bigger, ever, so that's quite a nice fish! You don't see too many that big, for sure!

We kayak every day just about, here in S. Texas on the coast. We normally catch redfish, specs, and black drum with an occasional flounder or sheepshead. At home, we usually fish from our pontoon boat or jon boat, mostly for bluegills, perch, crappies, and bass, with an occasional walleye. I really like having those different experiences, and the best of both worlds. We are lucky to be able to have both!

Walleye might be a nice eating fish, but catching one is like snagging driftwood. No fight at all.

 

[WI_Wino]

That's actually a Rooster Tail (to be specific) I pulled up with some weeds that day. I just tied it on right there, but have since removed the swivel. All my spinners get tied directly to the line.

I know it's not best practice but I still used 6-8 lb test because I'll switch to bass on a whim, and I only have one rod.

I do bunch of small stream trout fishing in south western WI. Mostly browns, some rainbows. I swear by braided fishing line, power pro or suffix 832, for above freezing temperatures (go mono when it's cold out as braid becomes a frozen rope). You can get 10+lb test with a diameter of <4 lb mono. Amazing stuff, I regularly straighten hooks when trying to pull out snags.

My goto lures are panther martins. I find they spin easier when retrieving with the current than the mepps or rooster tails.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

+1 on panther martins. My go to for inland browns, brookies and rainbows is the black with yellow dots. I'm anxiously awaiting April 1st.

 

[wallybangbang]

Love me some fishin. 20 lb springer from the Rogue river in Oregon last year. Best eating fish I've ever caught.

 

[WI_Wino]

Here's a 40+" musky a buddy of mine got on some spinning gear of mine (while we were in a canoe no less, almost disastrous). I used it for trout days before. Right after I landed the fish and got it in the boat, he bit through the treble hooks and was flopping around teeth bared. Braid rocks.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

First pic is a lake trout from the lower niagara river during december, and the others are from my favorite trout stream that's an hour and change away.

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[GHBWNY]

Western New York is a great place to be for all kinds of fishing. I am blessed that within a small radius of home I can be on a great body of water for trout, largemouth, walleye, monster smallies, lake trout, steelhead, salmon, big northerns and muskies. Not to mention scads of panfish.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

I do bunch of small stream trout fishing in south western WI. Mostly browns, some rainbows. I swear by braided fishing line, power pro or suffix 832, for above freezing temperatures (go mono when it's cold out as braid becomes a frozen rope). You can get 10+lb test with a diameter of <4 lb mono. Amazing stuff, I regularly straighten hooks when trying to pull out snags.

My goto lures are panther martins. I find they spin easier when retrieving with the current than the mepps or rooster tails.

I like Joe's Flies spinners. They are affordable and work great. After a lot of bites the action needs a little finnicking with your retrieve to start up, but is fine after that. I've found that rainbows love the "Black Gnat" flavor.

All on the little $2.50 spinner that could.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

First pic is a lake trout from the lower niagara river during december, and the others are from my favorite trout stream that's an hour and change away.

Lovely trouts!

 

[WI_Wino]

Here are some fish from streams that are rarely > 10' wide:

This last one was a spent brooder planted by the DNR but damn did she fight!