Your Questions About Fishing
January 15, 2012 by Daniel Ambrose · Leave a Comment
Charles asks…
What type of fishing line is best for fishing on the shore at a lake?
So my friends and I love to fish. We fish on a river about everyday. We never fished at a lake before so we are going tomorrow to lake michigan. We don’t have much money to get a boat so we are fishing off the shore. The only question I have. What type of fishing line is best used to catch those big fish in the lake?
Daniel Ambrose answers:
The water which you fish really isn’t the issue to consider. Instead, consider what fish you will be going for and what kind of baits you will be using.
If you’re just a casual Bass and Panfish person, stick with a monofilament line in the 6-10 pound range. You can throw about any bait you want to when staying within this limit, except for heavier baits and deep running baits like jigs or deep diving crankbaits.
If you plan on using deep diving/running or heavy baits, you’ll probably want to up the line a bit. Look into the 12 to 14 pound monofilament.
If you’re going for “teethy” fish like Pike or Musky, you’ll want to at least use a braided leader. I absolutely hate braided line, but sometimes it is necessary. Beware of this stuff though. It will really screw up your rod and reel with time if you’re not careful.
Lisa asks…
What does fishing is limited to rainbow trout and brown trout mean?
Fishing is limited to rainbow trout and brown trout.
Does that that you can only fish rainbow and brown trout?
Or does it mean that you cannot fish rainbow and brown trout or maybe you can but not a lot, but you can fish other fish?
Daniel Ambrose answers:
Taken correctly, you can can drag up rubber boots all day, but rainbow trout and brown trout are the only species of fish that you are allowed to catch and take home. Anything else that you catch must be removed from the line and be put back into the water.
Lizzie asks…
What sort of fishing rods are used while fishing in the ocean?
I am planning a trip and I wanted to know what sort of fishing rods are used while fishing in the ocean? Because there is no way ordinary lake fishing rods will work. So I would like to know brands, names or any links of where I can find these fishing rods. Also if your fishing with live bait what are the chances of hooking a shark, if a shark is hook what are the precautions you take in order from keeping yourself from harm?
Daniel Ambrose answers:
Most name-brand freshwater tackle will stand up to the salt, as long as you rinse it with fresh water after a day fishing. I’ve caught good fish in the ocean using everything from an 8-pound test freshwater spinning outfit to a heavy 80-pound test trolling outfit. It all depends where you’re going and what you’re after.
For what it’s worth, for a basic inshore trip summer in southern California, I’d recommend a largish spinning or baitcasting outfit, or midsized conventional outfit, with 15-20 pound line, though if larger fish (yellowtail, white seabass) are biting, or if you’re heading offshore for tuna, you might want to go a bit heavier. In other parts of the country your needs will be different.
As for brands, Penn is the old standby, Daiwa and Shimano make high-quality saltwater gear as well.
As for sharks and live bait: Just about every fish will eat live bait (sardines, anchovies, mackerel, etc.) as it’s their natural food. Sharks will eat it, too, but you’re no more likely to get a shark with live vs. Dead bait. Most of the sharks you’re likely to see will be the small, basically harmless bottom-dwellers, these you just unhook and release. If you get a big shark and don’t want it, either break it off beside the boat or clip the line (assuming it hasn’t bit through your line already).
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Stream Trout Fishing Tips
June 1, 2009 by Daniel Ambrose · Leave a Comment
Dick Sternberg is widely recognized as an expert fisherman and outdoor writer and this article has excerpts from his book: Fishing With Live Bait. So you can rest comfortably that these stream and lake trout fishing tips are of great value.
I for one love trout fishing and it really does not matter if they are lake or stream trout as long as they will measure up to my frying pan.
As trout grow larger, they eat fewer insects and crustaceans, and more fish. All trout eat some minnows, but a big brown relies on fish for most of its diet. If minnows are scarce, a brown trout will not hesitate to eat its own kind.
A fisherman using baitfish stands a better chance of hooking a big brown trout than an angler using other live baits or artificial flies. Stream fishermen catch browns on lip-hooked shiners, dace and fatheads weighted with only a small split-shot.
On some mid-western streams, anglers seeking trophy browns still-fish deep pools with 4-to-6 inch sucker fillets. They leave the skin on to keep the fillets on the hook.
Following ice-out, Great Lakes fishermen catch brown trout as large as 25 pounds. Some anglers still-fish or slow-troll with alewives and smelt in shallow bays and near power plants discharges. In summer and fall, browns and rainbows school around Great Lakes piers and tributaries, where they are caught on slip-sinker rigs with alewives.
Sculpins take many trout in western streams. They can be lip-hooked or fished with a double needle hook. Plug-cut herring are widely used for huge rainbows in high-altitude lakes of the west.
How to rig a Sculpin:
Step #1 of 3
Tie 6-pound monofilament line to the clip of a #4 or #6 double needle sculpin hook.
Step #2 of 3
Push the tapered end of the hook into the fishes vent, through the body and out the mouth.
Step #3 of 3
Attach the clip to the hole in the shank to complete the rig. The hook should swing freely on the clip.
Remember to sharpen your hooks.