Fishing Advice

[Hollywood]

I haven't been fishing since I was a kid but find myself wanting to take it up. Anyone have suggestions on where to start? Poles, lures, bait, etc.

 

[MrYeahBut]

Good for you. I'm no expert but you can see from the pic below that I can catch fish! I caught this Northern Pike on Friday... Of course, I was fishing in North Dakota and there's fish in practically every pond/river/lake.

For starters, it depends on where (lake, stream etc) and what you want to fish for (trout/bass etc).

A good quality rod that is in sections is great for the camping you do. It collapses and fits into a small space. It also largely avoids the stress of worrying about breaking it. Eagle Claw is what I used to start with. Quality is good and not expensive. Shimano is a good brand for reels. You most likely would want a spin casting reel. Spin casting outfit is versatile. You can bank fish a lake, river fish with lures or live bait) or troll from a boat (you're a troll so that should come easy for you, lol)

If you're talking about fly fishing, I can't help you because that's a disease all its own. Take lessons for that.

If you get a spinning outfit, put a sinker of some type and practice in your back yard. Accuracy is important.

@Russ Smith is a fisherman and he may be able to help you more than I can.

There is a dizzying array of tackle and that depends on what you want to catch and how you are going to do it.

I caught this fish on a red and white Daredevil which was invented, oh maybe 100 years ago...ha! Don't be intimidad by having to have the latest greatest thing.

Don't get discouraged. There's a knack to it and some people are naturals.

Good luck.

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[Russ Smith]

I don't know Arizona at all but yes as stated above Fly fishing is a whole other beast, not so much the difficulty(not easy not impossible) but the cost. There are companies like Temple Fork that make affordable rods and reels for fly fishing but you're still going to put out more than 1 grand just to get a couple of rod and reel setups.

If you don't have a boat then your best bet is spinning or bait casting conventional tackle. Temple Fork makes the rods too but there are also cheaper rods you can start out with and reasonable spinning rules. The problem is you need to know what you want to fish for, largemouth, striped bass etc, and get the right lures and setup for that type of fish. But you can typically get a decent combo starter setup for 120 bucks or less that would serve you well. Bass fishing is basically plastic worm setups(senkos are one type), spinner baits, and crank baits. I actually think the most underrated lure is a rattle trap, here in California fishing the delta 1/2 ounce rattle trap silver with a blue back catches everything, stripers, largemouth. pretty versatile lure.

If you have planted trout in lakes there that gets pretty easy. Fairly decent lightweight rod, small sinkers (like 1/8 ounce), powerbait and a float to hang off your line or a bell at the top to let you know when you get a strike. Sort of lazyman fishing sitting in a chair waiting but it can be fun.

 

[MrYeahBut]

I've used rattle trap for Walleyes also.

Hollywood, you can catch any fish in the USA with a night crawler. I love to fish small streams with grasshoppers. You have to use hoppers that live where you are fishing, catching them is a chore but it can be fun. I use a willow branch that I cut near the stream to swat them. Always have worms with you, always! Hatchery trout can usually be caught with salmon eggs also. Don't use corn, lots of people use it because it's good bait but trout can't digest it.

 

[cardncubfan]

I would try the local lakes & ponds first. You can catch some nice bass or catfish in any of your neighborhood lakes like the one at Desert Breeze in Chandler. They used to have it set up pretty nice for anglers.

 

[SO91]

I like the lazyman fishing Russ mentioned, kicking back with a cold one while hanging out with friends or family and catching trout or catfish, but I would like to do more fishing. Any opinions on telescopic rods? Are they complete crap or worth it to get one when I wanna take a ride on a side by side or ATV packing minimal gear?
I could google it but figured I'd ask here as well. How do you fish for bass, for example, with a lot of weeds and vegetation in the water? I've never been bass fishing but it looks like a ton of fun.

 

[MrYeahBut]

I like the lazyman fishing Russ mentioned, kicking back with a cold one while hanging out with friends or family and catching trout or catfish, but I would like to do more fishing. Any opinions on telescopic rods? Are they complete crap or worth it to get one when I wanna take a ride on a side by side or ATV packing minimal gear?
I could google it but figured I'd ask here as well. How do you fish for bass, for example, with a lot of weeds and vegetation in the water? I've never been bass fishing but it looks like a ton of fun.

I much prefer a sectional rod than a telescoping. Sectional has much better feel to it and they pack up just as small, jmho

Eagle Claw Rod

 

[Mainstreet]

For the casual fisherman I think @cardncubfan gives some good advice. Fishing is a learning process and starting out on the urban lakes is a great idea.

Years ago I switched to lighter tackle using 4-6 lb line and a slightly limber one piece graphite rod (under 6 foot) for my angling. A good higher quality spincast reel makes it easy for the novice. The reason I went light is because I like to use a myriad of small lures and jigs for trout and crappie. It will even work for bass. I like to be able to feel even the slightest strike.

A higher pound test line is best if one regularly fishes for catfish and bass.

I also meant to add fishing magazines and YouTube videos are a great way to learn.

 

[puckhead]

I was the king of hooking minnows to the bamboo poles around the dock when I was a kid. Too bad I never liked the taste of the fish I caught. Grandpa was quite happy to take care of my surplus.

 

[BillsCarnage]

Maybe start with the basics, like one of these and work your way up.

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Seriously though, like someone mentioned start with some of the local city lakes. Just make sure you have a license. Also, the game and fish (i think) site will list when lakes are going to be stocked.

 

[Mainstreet]

Maybe start with the basics, like one of these and work your way up.

You must be registered for see images attach

Seriously though, like someone mentioned start with some of the local city lakes. Just make sure you have a license. Also, the game and fish (i think) site will list when lakes are going to be stocked.

When I was a very young child I started out with a fishing set set similar to the above.

It brings back memories.

 

[cardncubfan]

I was the king of hooking minnows to the bamboo poles around the dock when I was a kid. Too bad I never liked the taste of the fish I caught. Grandpa was quite happy to take care of my surplus.

I used to do a lot of cane pole fishing when I was younger. Hook, worm, sinker, & bobber attached to a line at the end of a pole. Don't get much simpler than that. Caught many blue gill & perch like that.

 

[Russ Smith]

I like the lazyman fishing Russ mentioned, kicking back with a cold one while hanging out with friends or family and catching trout or catfish, but I would like to do more fishing. Any opinions on telescopic rods? Are they complete crap or worth it to get one when I wanna take a ride on a side by side or ATV packing minimal gear?
I could google it but figured I'd ask here as well. How do you fish for bass, for example, with a lot of weeds and vegetation in the water? I've never been bass fishing but it looks like a ton of fun.

About 10 years ago "inline" rods were really a thing, they had no guides the line threaded through the rod blank and came out the other end. Much less friction so the rods cast better. The problem is it's just too damn easy to drop the line to where it falls out of the top of the rod and then if you can't find your threading tool it's a pain in the butt to thread the line back through. Also they had lots of breakage issues. My guess is the rods were built poorly, taking guides off a rod shouldn't inherently make it weaker, but they were weaker, so my guess is the blanks were made where to make the hole in the middle bigger, they reduced the thickness of the walls and they broke.

Telescopic rods just don't feel right IMO.

You can get 3 or 4 piece rods that break down very small, hell I have a 4 piece big boat trolling rod that I used to take to Loreto in Baja that worked well.

Around weeds, topwater works better, so things like spinner baits or jerk baits. There are some huge topwater baits that are great too but they're very expensive and difficult to cast so tight to weeds is difficult. The first one I used we were striper fishing in the California Delta. I made a cast, the spinning reel got line looped all over it. As I was backing line off the reel to get the nest out, a 4 pound striper came and hit the lure which was sitting still in the water! I hand lined it in.

YOu can also fish on top of the vegetation, frog lures work really well for that, are fairly weedless, and get explosive strikes from bass hiding below.

 

[puckhead]

I used to do a lot of cane pole fishing when I was younger. Hook, worm, sinker, & bobber attached to a line at the end of a pole. Don't get much simpler than that. Caught many blue gill & perch like that.

 

[Hollywood]

Thanks for all the information guys. I feel like I have a good starting point for what I need.

 

[SO91]

About 10 years ago "inline" rods were really a thing, they had no guides the line threaded through the rod blank and came out the other end. Much less friction so the rods cast better. The problem is it's just too damn easy to drop the line to where it falls out of the top of the rod and then if you can't find your threading tool it's a pain in the butt to thread the line back through. Also they had lots of breakage issues. My guess is the rods were built poorly, taking guides off a rod shouldn't inherently make it weaker, but they were weaker, so my guess is the blanks were made where to make the hole in the middle bigger, they reduced the thickness of the walls and they broke.

Telescopic rods just don't feel right IMO.

You can get 3 or 4 piece rods that break down very small, hell I have a 4 piece big boat trolling rod that I used to take to Loreto in Baja that worked well.

Around weeds, topwater works better, so things like spinner baits or jerk baits. There are some huge topwater baits that are great too but they're very expensive and difficult to cast so tight to weeds is difficult. The first one I used we were striper fishing in the California Delta. I made a cast, the spinning reel got line looped all over it. As I was backing line off the reel to get the nest out, a 4 pound striper came and hit the lure which was sitting still in the water! I hand lined it in.

YOu can also fish on top of the vegetation, frog lures work really well for that, are fairly weedless, and get explosive strikes from bass hiding below.

Thanks a lot for the info, I'm gonna look into a 4 piece rod instead.

 

[SO91]

I much prefer a sectional rod than a telescoping. Sectional has much better feel to it and they pack up just as small, jmho

Eagle Claw Rod

Thanks man, I'll go with one like this instead.

 

[Russ Smith]

Thanks a lot for the info, I'm gonna look into a 4 piece rod instead.

https://tforods.com/traveler-rods/

Looks like prices have gone up since I last looked. I love TFO rods my 2nd flyrod was a TFO. My dad and I later got to know the CFO of the company he was on multiple trips to Loreto we were on. IN fact I think the 3 piece spinning rod I have he actually gave me for free I don't think I had to buy it. Works really well and it's a 3 piece so still pretty small when broken down.

Another tip, spinning rods in multi piece take bigger rod cases than bait casting rods do, the reason is the first guide on a spinning rod, the one closest to the reel, is MUCH larger than the first guide on a casting rod. It's because of how flat the line lays to the rod with a baitcast reel compared to a spinning reel. So no matter what when broken down, the spinning rod takes up more room because of the size of that guide.

So if space is a big concern, if you can cast a baitcasting reel well, get a baitcaster setup./

I personally can't stand baitcasting, just drives me nuts trying to thumb the line and prevent overruns, I can spin cast, I can fly cast, but I've never been any good at baitcasting get overruns regularly, or no distance if I don't get an overrun. Good casters with bait casters make it look easy, for whatever reason I don't.

 

[SO91]

https://tforods.com/traveler-rods/

Looks like prices have gone up since I last looked. I love TFO rods my 2nd flyrod was a TFO. My dad and I later got to know the CFO of the company he was on multiple trips to Loreto we were on. IN fact I think the 3 piece spinning rod I have he actually gave me for free I don't think I had to buy it. Works really well and it's a 3 piece so still pretty small when broken down.

Another tip, spinning rods in multi piece take bigger rod cases than bait casting rods do, the reason is the first guide on a spinning rod, the one closest to the reel, is MUCH larger than the first guide on a casting rod. It's because of how flat the line lays to the rod with a baitcast reel compared to a spinning reel. So no matter what when broken down, the spinning rod takes up more room because of the size of that guide.

So if space is a big concern, if you can cast a baitcasting reel well, get a baitcaster setup./

I personally can't stand baitcasting, just drives me nuts trying to thumb the line and prevent overruns, I can spin cast, I can fly cast, but I've never been any good at baitcasting get overruns regularly, or no distance if I don't get an overrun. Good casters with bait casters make it look easy, for whatever reason I don't.

I was just watching a Youtube video on baitcasting! They look so easy and smooth casting those, and the one time I tried it I made a giant mess of it. I apologized to my buddy and never was allowed to touch it again.

I'll have to look at those rods. It's not so much space as length, a problem I'm unfamiliar with . I wanna be able to put it in a pack or in the box of a Ranger, for example. I saw a sweet setup yesterday that someone made. They used pvc pipe to make rod holders sitting right behind the backseat of a Ranger crew. Rods looked to be under 6' long, so they didn't have to be broken down.

 

[Russ Smith]

I was just watching a Youtube video on baitcasting! They look so easy and smooth casting those, and the one time I tried it I made a giant mess of it. I apologized to my buddy and never was allowed to touch it again.

I'll have to look at those rods. It's not so much space as length, a problem I'm unfamiliar with . I wanna be able to put it in a pack or in the box of a Ranger, for example. I saw a sweet setup yesterday that someone made. They used pvc pipe to make rod holders sitting right behind the backseat of a Ranger crew. Rods looked to be under 6' long, so they didn't have to be broken down.

That is my experience too. Bass fishermen make it look simple both for distance and accuracy, and stuff like flipping, but for me it ends up a birdnest.

I used to have a rodholder setup hanging from the ceiling inside my Tahoe but one of the rods dropped down and hit my girlfriend on the head so I was required to take it down (-:

I think most people fish with rods in the 7 foot range so a 3 piece rod is about 2.5 feet long when broken down.

 

[MrYeahBut]

You guys need to get with the times... who needs accuracy??? use a drone!!

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