Newish to Fishing - Some help please
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 4:30 pm
Hi all,
Due to injury I wasn't able to do my usual array of sporting activities (hiking/canoeing/rugby etc.), so I took up fishing in the Spring as a way to get outside. Having a blast!! Wished I'd started sooner (I'm 34).
I've been shore fishing like crazy around Kingston/Ottawa mostly by myself and have caught a decent amount of respectable bass and exactly one big pike (some small ones too), a good size walleye and a big ol catfish. Lots of mishaps from not knowing what I'm doing. I rented and fished from a boat for the first time a few days ago, which is miles different than shore fishing. I rented the boat in Seeley's Bay and was fishing mainly on Little Cranberry Lake and I'm headed back there on Wednesday.
Questions:
1) I've tried throwing a big-ish booyah frog over lillies and I'm getting tons of strikes, but I'm not hooking many. I hooked two fish this way, but my line snapped pretty quickly after. Good bye frog and fish. My line has snapped (not the knot, the line) just casting the frog before. I'm using 10 lb flouracarbon. Is this just too light for this kind of fishing? If so what would be more appropriate and could I use the same line for fishing "regularly" for bass?
2) I've been using a Improved Clinch Knot. Tied text book, looks fine. Usually everything is OK, but a couple bigger fish have snapped my line. Is this a knot issue or a line issue? Generally I have the drag at a decent level (I think) and try to reel a bass in quickly to prevent it from jumping or having slack in the line. Should I switch to a Palomar knot or is it probably a problem with reeling too fast or something? Or am I just tying bad clinch knots somehow?
3) Leader. I'm fishing for bass mainly, but I hooked a huge pike on the Rideau that snapped my line, so started using a leader, then stopped. Does it matter? I'm fishing for bass mainly, but I'm happy to hook anything and would love to catch pike (seems harder though). Would it help prevent my line from snapping? Does it deter fish from biting?
4) I've been using a wacky rigged worm. I'm letting it hit bottom, then giving a few yanks, then letting it settle again. Repeat. Is this smart? I've caught fish on the worm, but usually pretty soon after my cast hits or VERY close to shore so no clue if this is working. Seems to take forever to reel in like this.
6) Like I said let's say it is 15 feet deep, the weeds go up about 10 feet from the bottom. Is there any point fishing a crankbait in that 5 foot area with no weeds? Not sure if fish are deeper and will come up to bite it? Had some luck with crankbait in this scenario, but mostly very small bass.
7) Otherwise I'm trying to fish off weedbeds, in weedy areas that are decently deep and casting near stumps/logs/docks/points.
Tried using a weedless jig as trying to bottom fish a bit more, but it still picks up a ton of weeds. It looks like this: http://www.tacklesupplydepot.com/v/phot ... 258-01.jpg. How to fish deep intelligently?
9) I tied a 4 inch Gulp minnow to a weedless hook (Texas style I guess) with a sinker and pretty much just let it sink and slowly reel it in off bottom with some occasional tugs on the line. This make sense? I hooked a big bass that got away doing this.
10) Any point fishing very shallow areas this time of year? Talking about 6 feet of water or less.
Sorry for so many questions, I google as best I can, but half the time I seem to find some guy in Florida fishing in a pond or the discussion is way too advanced for me. Doing this all solo mostly so nobody for some sorta basic tips.
Due to injury I wasn't able to do my usual array of sporting activities (hiking/canoeing/rugby etc.), so I took up fishing in the Spring as a way to get outside. Having a blast!! Wished I'd started sooner (I'm 34).
I've been shore fishing like crazy around Kingston/Ottawa mostly by myself and have caught a decent amount of respectable bass and exactly one big pike (some small ones too), a good size walleye and a big ol catfish. Lots of mishaps from not knowing what I'm doing. I rented and fished from a boat for the first time a few days ago, which is miles different than shore fishing. I rented the boat in Seeley's Bay and was fishing mainly on Little Cranberry Lake and I'm headed back there on Wednesday.
Questions:
1) I've tried throwing a big-ish booyah frog over lillies and I'm getting tons of strikes, but I'm not hooking many. I hooked two fish this way, but my line snapped pretty quickly after. Good bye frog and fish. My line has snapped (not the knot, the line) just casting the frog before. I'm using 10 lb flouracarbon. Is this just too light for this kind of fishing? If so what would be more appropriate and could I use the same line for fishing "regularly" for bass?
2) I've been using a Improved Clinch Knot. Tied text book, looks fine. Usually everything is OK, but a couple bigger fish have snapped my line. Is this a knot issue or a line issue? Generally I have the drag at a decent level (I think) and try to reel a bass in quickly to prevent it from jumping or having slack in the line. Should I switch to a Palomar knot or is it probably a problem with reeling too fast or something? Or am I just tying bad clinch knots somehow?
3) Leader. I'm fishing for bass mainly, but I hooked a huge pike on the Rideau that snapped my line, so started using a leader, then stopped. Does it matter? I'm fishing for bass mainly, but I'm happy to hook anything and would love to catch pike (seems harder though). Would it help prevent my line from snapping? Does it deter fish from biting?
4) I've been using a wacky rigged worm. I'm letting it hit bottom, then giving a few yanks, then letting it settle again. Repeat. Is this smart? I've caught fish on the worm, but usually pretty soon after my cast hits or VERY close to shore so no clue if this is working. Seems to take forever to reel in like this.
6) Like I said let's say it is 15 feet deep, the weeds go up about 10 feet from the bottom. Is there any point fishing a crankbait in that 5 foot area with no weeds? Not sure if fish are deeper and will come up to bite it? Had some luck with crankbait in this scenario, but mostly very small bass.
7) Otherwise I'm trying to fish off weedbeds, in weedy areas that are decently deep and casting near stumps/logs/docks/points.
Tried using a weedless jig as trying to bottom fish a bit more, but it still picks up a ton of weeds. It looks like this: http://www.tacklesupplydepot.com/v/phot ... 258-01.jpg. How to fish deep intelligently?
9) I tied a 4 inch Gulp minnow to a weedless hook (Texas style I guess) with a sinker and pretty much just let it sink and slowly reel it in off bottom with some occasional tugs on the line. This make sense? I hooked a big bass that got away doing this.
10) Any point fishing very shallow areas this time of year? Talking about 6 feet of water or less.
Sorry for so many questions, I google as best I can, but half the time I seem to find some guy in Florida fishing in a pond or the discussion is way too advanced for me. Doing this all solo mostly so nobody for some sorta basic tips.