Sport Fishing | Hobby Fishing » Fishing Tips

Answers About Ice Fishing Tips

Daniel Ambrose — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:00:03 +0000

Linda asks…

does any one have any tips on ice fishing for bass?

Ive been out ice fishing a couple of times on this pond that has bass, perch and trout. I catch some trout every now and then, and the perch are almost a nuisance. Im really trying to catch the bass, but its very slow. anyone have any tips?

Daniel Ambrose answers:

What bait/lure are you using? Minnows or Shad should catch some Bass in a short amount of time. Bass will readily take Beetle Spins, Curly Tailed Grubs and Plastic Worms through the ice. For bait, i would stick with minnows or shad. You could use night crawlers also, but if they’re bluegills in the pond they’ll get ‘em before the bass.
Hope i helped ya out.

Jenny asks…

What are some good ice fishing tips?

i would like to icefish for catfish but i would like to know what kind of things to use
Thanks

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Read about it in field and stream while you are sitting on a tropical beach.

Donna asks…

Tips for ice fishing Lake Nippissing South Shore?

I’m going on a three day ice fishing trip to Lake Nippissing’s South shore. Any tips?

Daniel Ambrose answers:

When I saw your question I had to chime in. Lake Nippissing as in North Bay in Ontario Canada? I have a cottage on the upper french river and am I fishing fan only when I’m up there. I’m not sure about fishing this time of year of that is what your referring to but I’m more of a worm guy during the summer.

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Your Questions About Hobby Fishing Tips

Daniel Ambrose — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:00:06 +0000

Laura asks…

Help me set up my tank!?

I’ve recently decided to get into the hobby of having fish. From research, I’ve established that I will get a 30 gallon tank to start and use white cloud mountain minnows or zebra danios to start the cycling. I was wondering if that was a good approach to cycling? Also, I plan on stocking the tank with live plants, so will this shorten the cycling period?

Thanks so much for your help and opinions

P.S., feel free to give me any tips or suggestions on fish types to put in later or any advice for a beginner! Thanks!

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Cycling your tank with or without fish is completely up to you. I have three tanks running, all of which were cycled with fish in(or an axolotl, in one case). When cycling with fish in, though, you MUST keep a very close eye on your water peramiters. Also, don’t add three hundred million fish in one hit, as this can hinder the cycling process, due to a huge burst of ammonia, and no nitrifying bacteria.
Your tank size sounds wonderful. I’m not sure how hardy Danios and Minnows are, but if you ask at a GOOD pet store, they may recommend something hardy. I, personally, have used Guppies, Platys, Gouramis, an Axolotl and various Tetras in my cycling tanks.
During the cycling process, daily water changes of about 20-30% are recommended, to reduce the amount of ammonia/nitrites in the water.
Try and avoid overstocking a tank, especially as a beginner- no matter how powerful your filter, gunk can gather in your gravel, and throw your water quality out of wack. To try and avoid spikes, I do daily spot checks of all my tanks with a turkey baster, gathering up any fish poo, uneaten food, or anything else that may be floating around. I vacuum my cycled tanks weekly, doing a proper clean.
Live plants will shorten the cycling process, but you have to be very careful- if any of your live plants start to die off, they can cause ammonia spikes and create problems.
Don’t forget, your tank might SEEM cycled, you may have had little or no spikes in ammonia and nitrites, but never, ever add more than a few fish at one time. The amount of nitrifying bacteria can’t predict when you are going to increase your bioload, so go slow!!!
A general rule for fish keeping is 1″ of fish per gallon. It may seem rediculous, and there are exceptions(eg, notoriously messy fish, such as goldfish, need much more space), but I’d stick to something like this till you get the absolute hang of your new hobby.
As far as recommendations for other fish go, it’s up to you- I, personally, LOVE Guppies and Platys. They’re Livebearers, though, and breed like anything!! I have fourteen babies born today. Tetras of all kinds look very attractive, but you will need a school- usually around 6 or so. I have two Dwarf Gouramis in my community tank, however, it’s best to watch them carefully, as they are apparently very delicate, and can be aggressive(try telling my two that, they’re in love with every other fish I have!!). Tropical freshwater fish, when cared for properly, are beautiful fish, and can provide much entertainment. Just be careful you don’t become a sufferer of MTS(Multiple Tank Syndrome)!!

I hope I helped, and best of luck in the future!!!! (Sorry about the long reply!!!)

Sandy asks…

fish problems? please help experienced fish owners!?

Ok so I started a community tank,
I came home with
an 11 gallon tank
2 filters
1 bubbler
3 Zebra Danios
3 Neon Tetras
1 platy ( He died after the first day ! )
Gravel and decorations
Fake plants
Every thing was going great! i added 2 more neon tetras about 2 weeks later and every thing was still going great, it was a very messy and I was getting pretty frustrated.
1 of the neon tetras died, it look like he had a bite taken out of him.
a few days ago i realized something that looked like ich, only on 1 neon tetra though, then it spreaded a little, i did a 50 % water change and opened the curtains so the tank would get warmer ( I didn’t have a heater ) and they started to look better
I got some better food and a heater about 2-3 days ago, and 1 of my Neon Tetras disappeared, I didn’t know where or why, then later that day another Tetra went missing!!! I was really disappointedand was very tempted to forget the whole fish keeping hobby.
And I still couldn’t find the neon tetras.
Then today I realized the tank was getting dirty, AGAIN!!! So I did about a 60% water change and scrubbed the algae off the walls and cleaned the filters ( with dechlorinated water and cool water so I wouldn’t kill the good bacteria ) and gravel.
I dechlorinated the water I put in the tank
And while i was cleaning the tank I found 2 dead Neon Tetras! And what was really wierd was that one of the Zebra Danios was burying itself in the gravel, is he just playing? Also the Zebra Danios weren’t very active after I cleaned up the tank, they were just sitting around
the only 2 Neon Tetras left are staying very close to the ground.
and the Zebra Danios aren’t as active as before!
Any idea why all of my fish are acting wierd and dying???
Thanks for any tips or suggestions on what could be going wrong.
( BTW the tank is still in the process of being cycled, is that why they are acting wierd why the tank is so dirty? )
The tank is about 3-4 weeks established, so I think i’m past the worst of the cycling.
Any tips on cycling or anything would be very appreciated!

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Yeah if you don’t educate your self first about the hobby you are not going to have a good time. Stop everything do not get more fish and do some research by a book on fish keeping. Then once you read up on it try again.

1 You must get a heater ! These are tropical fish and if kept in cold water anything below 73 they are not going to be active and will die.

2 learn what cycling is here are some good links. You are going to need a few test kits Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

Http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/FishlessCycle.html

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

3 stop getting neons they are not hardy fish.

When you say established what do you mean? With or with out fish?

If your tank is not fully cycled yes that is one reason they are acting weird and dyeing. That and they don’t have a heater. Those are the reasons.

Mandy asks…

I want to begin breeding discus?

I already have a few fish tanks and would like to take up the hobby of breeding discus. how many tanks will i need? Is there any profit to be made from it? and what are some tips you have to help me in breeding discus successfully?

I know you have to buy them young and then the grow up and form pairs but how many should you start with? please answer all these questions and add any other information you know that could help me! thank you:)

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Oh boy what a crap load of work you’re getting yourself in for,
and no, most people can’t turn a profit breeding fish at home.
It can be fun, you can trade with local fish clubs, you might get a local store to take a few, but serious money is unlikely.

You have a few tanks already, so you’re no beginner, but unless you’ve already bred egglaying fish, and have a plan for many more tanks and live food producing tanks, then you’ve got a lot more than a yahoo answers answer to figure out.

Best of luck though, they’re great fish, and fun to breed.

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Your Questions About Hobby Fishing Tips

Daniel Ambrose — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 06:00:03 +0000

Nancy asks…

Considering Relocating to Spokane, WA?

Anyone from there that can give me tips on what to expect? I’m currently living in NorCal – but from NorMN.
Fishing? Hobbies? What to do on weekends? Prices? Community? Commute? Traffic? Living on the outskirts – any towns to consider?

Daniel Ambrose answers:

You can expect to pay WAYYY less to live than where you are now. The weather should agree with you. Very warm in summer and cold (not MN cold though) and snowy in winter. Very charming old world city with typical homes selling from 150-350k average. Close to skiing and lakes for boating and fishing. Hours to Cascade mountains…..there is so much to say. I haven’t checked in years, but the public schools left a little to be desired, if that is a consideration for you. Just a quick jaunt to ID or MT for trips.

Sandy asks…

Help from pro, or relatively knowledgeable fish-keepers/owners?

Well, I have a betta in a one gallon tank with an air pump and such (it’s the Aquaview Diamond Tank Kit I bought at Wal-Mart for $10) and yes, I know my betta should be in bigger living quarters, but I don’t have enough money being a teenager and he’s survived for nearly 3 years in one gallon tanks.

Anyways, like I mentioned before, I don’t have the money to buy a filter or a bigger tank. So, I was wondering if a single ghost shrimp would suffice. My betta is pretty old (I guess), so therefore, he isn’t very aggressive and such (he doesn’t flare with the mirror trick or move around a lot) But would the ghost shrimp do any damage to my indifferent betta?

(Basically, what I’m asking here is the best way to keep my tank clean… And I’m thinking of getting a gravel vac if they make one small enough for a one gallon tank)

Also, if you can, could you suggest a small, relatively cheap filter for a one gallon tank (preferably at Wal-Mart) and any tips regarding a cheapo owner (me) who can’t afford much, but really wants to raise fish and have fun with this hobby?

And any tips would be good, too… Thanks.
Thank you for the water changing tips, but I also have a question about the debris at the bottom. How would I clean that (because I read I don’t have to do a full tank water change) if I just do weekly water changes, because of course, it won’t get those uneaten food pellets at the bottom.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Adding more bioload to a tank that’s already overloaded is NOT a good idea. Perform weekly water changes of 50%, making sure to use “aged” water, that was drawn from the tap and allowed to sit for 24hrs to aquire the same temperature as the water in the bowl. As well, treat the water with dechlor. Keep the tank out of direct sunlight, make sure that the light for the tank is NOT one for plants, and you should find your tank staying cleaner and your betta staying healthy. Remember to feed your betta sparingly – I personally feed 3 – 4 granules of tropical colour formula in the morning and 2-3 betta pellets in evening, as well as a day of fasting. Overfeeding can cause a tank to sour quicker as well.

Despite what a lot of people here seem to think, a 1g tank is not a torture chamber for your betta. It is more work for the owner, but provided that the owner does said work, there should be no issues with the betta’s health. It is more work than, say, a single betta in a 5g tank, but as long as they’re kept clean, then there’s no harm in putting bettas in 1g. That’s personally the smallest size I would do with bettas, and I prefer to use 2g+ for a single male, but I would say the minimum to keep a betta healthy and happy, rather than just thriving, is 1g.

As far as a filter goes, there was one that was small and I purchased from walmart – it was a sponge type filter that functioned with an air pump to cycle air into the tank and water through the filter cartrage. I used it in a 5g tank, and found that the current was too strong for my betta, so you may be best to just do frequent water changes for the time being. In the future, you can invest in a new 2g tank that has an undergravel filter – also functions with an air pump, but the current is far less than with a corner type submersable filter. You may also want to think about purchasing a fully submersable heater, to help keep your tank at a steady temperature.

William asks…

I had an ich outbreak in my livebearer tank please help?

Ok so i recently started on my new fish hobby about a month ago at the end of october i would hae had them for two months so i decided to try livebearers but everything went fine then i had a huge amonia spike and had to leave it for a week i lost 3 of my eight fish (R.I.P Silver,Coral and Ripple) so i was left with 5 then next two weeks pass i’m all set i top off my tank then leave few days everything is normal then i was about to clean it when i noticed some alge on the glass then i notice my fish don’t come out i feed then about 4 come out then i notice my poor girl molly on the bottom of the tank she then came up with huge white patches on her anal fin i think it was but the rest was normal ich it must hae completely broken out in just one night! because one moment fine the next ill i take care of my fish i have never missed one day without feeding or one week without topping up the water i have a filter (a very calm one) and it helps keep the water normal but then a wait a day next morning i wake up and my poor fish is dead i’m 13 btw so there is really not much i could have done i live a fare way from an aquarium so i can’t walk and i’m not allowed to use public transport but anyway i leave one day i just couldn’t do it i have been under a lot of stress with well i just wont go into it and i am very attached to my pets even when i get bugs there is love for every animal but she would swim up to my hand and nudge it and i just had to shake the food and they would all come running… err swimming to the top it was cute but back on the topic she died and i left her a day i took her out today and put her on her way to fishy heaven A.K.A the toilet bowl i’m sorry i wasn’t thinking straight i shouldn’t have done it cause the desease spreads i’m really sorry =( but anyway i went with my nanna today to the pet shop to get some mouse supplies (i got some chew wood) but anyway i wanted to check out their mice but they had none so then i went back to check out there fish stock because i wanted to just look not touch in a sense but then a saw the guppies and i was under their spell such viabrant colours so pretty so i got 4 3 females 1 male don’t even get me started on misexing i am the victim of several missexings they annoy me who the h*ll can’t tell the sex of a guppy? i’m 13 unprofessional and they call themself “pet experts” in all areas ok so the day ended well i got treats and new fish i have a question what is with these people they think i hae one colour preference? they gave me two the same colour mind you they are so pretty two females with black and purple iridesence lol can’t spell and a male who looks like an endler hybrid almost but back on subject i started my ich treatment before Skye died that is my female molly all the signs of ich disappeared exept my one fish she is very active but the scales on her head are sticking up not very noticably but still there anyone have any advice on guppies or mollies? i’m a first time guppy owner but i’ll try my best i’ve wanted guppies since i was 5 years old but yeah i know it’s too long i actually like writing for some reason XD my bloggs aren’t even this long lol and i just asked a question ok so any help pet store said my guppies can live in room temp my tank is around 80 farenheit so any tips or help for a first time livebearer owner? and maybe some supplies i can stock for future use? you know meds,breeder isolation tanks, fry food etc thank you for the help i get =D

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Since you said you already treated it, it should be fine, but still be cautious and add 1 teaspoon of salt for every 5 gallons since you just had an ich outbreak.

For the subject on caring for guppies, they should be fine in your 80F room temp. If you want to get a heater then set it at 78F like the first answer says, the fry will be fine in the tank if there is a lot of vegetation, if you want to be VERY safe with fry, keep them in a separate tank where ONLY FRY are kept, for the fry tank its best you have a gentle filter with a small heater set to 80 degrees F and do constant water changes, the fry can eat daphnia and you can also feed very fine dry food, your guppies will get along with your mollies since they can tolerate and even thrive in saltwater.

Just remember not to overfeed and not to overcrowd and your guppies and mollies should be fine, if you have a filter in your tank that would be very good, and always remember that “a hungry fish is better than an overfed one”

BTW what’s your blog’s URL? I wanna check it out XD I completely understand why you cant go to the fish store often since I’m also 13.

And with the fish that has scales sticking out, I’d want to quarantine that dude because it might have dropsy…..

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Your Questions About Hobby Fishing Tips

Daniel Ambrose — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:00:04 +0000

John asks…

what would be the best small animal to breed?

I am looking for money, a pet (pets), and a hobby. My budget isn’t huge, so about up to $100 starting out. I DO NOT want to breed fish. I also don’t want reptiles that eat live insects. I’m thinking of rodents, but which one? I would also like some tips on where to sell the babies.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

You won’t make a profit breeding any animal. You will never be able to compete with pet stores because they buy their stock in bulk from large scale commercial breeders. If you need money get a part time job.

Donna asks…

I’m from miami fl and I just started the hobby of spearfishing?

I’m new to it. ima start going with my friends in there boat.can anyone give me any tips or advice on how to catch the fishes.
this is the gear that I bought
  1 X JAWS Spit Anti-fog (1 oz.)
   1 X Blue Reef Ultra 5mm Dive Boot with Zipper 11
   1 X Blue Reef 5MM Mens Glove with Velcro Band X-Large
   1 X Blue Reef Nytro Purge Snorkel Gunmeta
   1 X Deep See Excursion Deluxe Duffle Black
   1 X Mares “Volo Power” Open Heel Fins Regular Silver
   1 X Mares X-vision Two Window Mask Black/Black
Mares Cyrano Pneumatic Spearguns 1100 (44 inch)

is this gear good?
thank you

Daniel Ambrose answers:

ALL GOOD!! BUT DO YOU HAVE YOUR FISHING LICENSE,FOR SPEAR FISHING..DON’T LET THE DEPT OF FISH AND GAME CATCH YOU W/OUT IT OR THEY’LL BE SPEARING WITH ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT..
ALSO CHECK N SEE WHAT IS THE STATE FISH THEIR PROTECTED,AND SO ARE OTHER SEA CREATURES..

Sharon asks…

Casting Distance Related To Rod Length?

Hi,

I have two rods; One is about 6ft long (single piece) and the other is about 8ft (two piece). Both are rated up to 30lbs that can take up to 4oz line weight.

The 6-footer is very stiff from bottom to tip unlike the 8-footer which has a “flimsy” tip like most fishing rods.

Whenever I cast the 6-footer, I can try to throw it to hell but it’ll only go but so far. The 8-footer, however, is able to travel way further out. I’m not exactly sure how far out, wish I can find an accurate number, but I’m sure it’s far.

Questions are:
1. Does the length of the fishing rod make a difference in casting distance?

1a. If so (or not), what about the sinker weight? I usually use (and like) the tear drop 3oz. Friends use 5oz but it doesn’t sound like their rods are being cast out any further. To me, the heavier the sinkers, the more strength it requires to cast, equal less distance.

2. Hook sizes: I usually like size 2 hooks. I figured that if it’s small enough for a fish to swallow it along with the bait that’s on it, the likely it is the hook will set somewhere in its mouth. My friend bought 4/0 and 5/0 size hooks but I don’t have anywhere as much success. I want to catch 20lbers and up Rockfish or whatever would take the bait even though I never caught anything anywhere close to that number, would a bigger hook size play a key role?

For answering purposes, 2010 is basically my first year ever fishing (new hobby now). I have caught numerous White Perches, Spots, Black Drum, Red Drum, 3 Puffers, a few Horseshoe crabs and I missed out reeling in a what looked to be a 15″to 18″ Rockfish (it had jumped out the waters about 20 or so yards out, the hook snapped off…). I think I got patted down good is casting, now I just want to cast out further and go for gold…. gold being 20lbers and up.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Assume the reel is 1.5 feet from the butt of each rod. That gives your 6 ft rod a tip length of 4.5 feet, and the 8 footer a tip length of 6.5 feet. With the same casting motion, the tip of the longer rod (and your casting weight) will be moving 6.5/4.5 times as fast, or about 1.4 times as fast. Thus, if everything else is equal, it will cast about 1.4 times as far.

The whippier tip on the longer rod will help you casting lighter weights, but it will also limit how much weight you can cast.

The sinker weight, up to a point, will increase your casting distance — that is, if the sinker is not so heavy that it overloads the rod, or so heavy that it cuts down on how hard you can cast (again, assuming all other factors are equal), the heavier weight will go further — just like you can throw a baseball farther than you can throw a tennis ball. I don’t think a 4 or 5 ounce sinker is heavy enough to limit how much force you can put into the cast, but if they don’t get you any more distance than a 3 ounce, only use them if you need the weight to hold the bait on the bottom in the current.

If you don’t need the 30 pound test, you might switch to 25 or 20 pound — or use braided line — as thinner line will cast farther. You should also make sure your reels are full — if they’re not full, that will cut your casting distance.

I fish on the west coast, so I’m not familiar with the fish you catch, but in general I match the hook to the size of the bait — if the hook is too small, it’ll get lost in the bait and I won’t hook the fish solidly (or at all), and if it’s too big, I won’t get bit in the first place. I’ve caught several tuna from 30 to 65 pounds on a size 2 hook (with a small anchovy bait), so you don’t necessarily need a big hook for a big fish.

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Your Questions About Hobby Fishing Tips

Daniel Ambrose — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:00:05 +0000

David asks…

Tips on buying a large fishtank?

I am looking at starting a large fishtank-about 100 gallons. I need to know a couple of things.
How many goldfish can be kept in a 100 gal tank? How about a 90 gal. (I found one on ebay I like)
Is it better to get acrylic, plexiglass ect?
How much gravel will I need?
Any other tips that would be helpful.
I am an animal lover who had dogs all my life. My husband is alergic to EVERYTHING, and so fish are my new hobby. I am going to be getting the tank very soon, as I already have 2 fancy goldfish stuck in a 1 gal tank, that the pet store assured me was more than enough room.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Good size goldfish tank.

Maybe ten adult fancies in that sort of tank. Needs good filtering and lots of water changes of course.

Stocking a tank is not an exact science. Less fish, less mess, less water changes needed, less probelms. More fish – the opposite.

Glass or Acrylic? Glass is generally heavier, but cheaper and doesn’t scratch like acrylic. Personally I would go with the glass.

Gravel , unless you are growing plants you reall only need enough to cover the bottom with a decent layer. I just eyeball it and get enough bags that look like they will give a 1/2 layer across the tank. You can allways add more later.

Tips
– get a Python type water changer. It’s a gravel vac/ syphon/ tank re-filler sort of thing. Makes water changes on a big tank much easier. Big messy fish needs lots of water changes, so make them easy so you dont have an excuse to put them off

– Makes sure you have good filtration. If the tank comes with just an average filter, get another and run two. See comment about large messy fish.

Good Luck

Ian

Maria asks…

Which fish were jumping at the lake?

I’ve recently started a new hobby — fishing! Last Sunday my buddy and I went to Bald Eagle State Park , PA at dawn to fish. There were fish jumping out the water all around us, one every minute at least, so we thought we’d catch something for sure. We figured they were bass (woops) and started throwing out topwater jerkbaits and regular buzzbaits and didn’t catch anything. The sun came up and the jumping subsided completely by around 8am. We were totally bummed.

So, any idea what they were? We later speculated they were crappie but I just read they don’t jump out of the water either. The PA website says this about the lake: “Common species are crappie, yellow perch, tiger muskellunge, channel catfish and largemouth and smallmouth bass.”

Any tips on how to actually catch them next time? Thanks =)

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Yeah, Crappie very rarely come out of the water.

This question is kind of tough, being that there’s quite a few possibilities. There’s four that come to mind; Gar, Striped Bass, Carp, or possibly Largemouth Bass.

Did you see what looked to be schools of fish jumping at times? If so, there’s a good possibility that they were Gar, although Carp do the same at times. I’ve seen Gar around here travelling in schools of 10 or more. They feed on minnows very heavily, which are on top, which is what leads to them jumping at times.

If you seen a lot of single splashes, they were probably some kind of Bass (Striped or Largemouth). The morning and evening hours are their main feeding times in the Summer months. If the fish you seen jumping were in and around cover or in shallow water, they could have very well been Bass.

Carp are a lot like the Gar a lot of times. I kind of doubt this is what it was, being that you said fish were consistently jumping. I don’t know much about Carp, but I don’t believe they jump all to often. The main times I see Carp make a comotion is when something scared them, like a boat or duck flying by or something. But again, I have seen Carp jump for no apparent reason.

Maybe that can help you narrow it down a little?

Edit: I didn’t notice your question regarding catching them. If fish are on top, they are feeding on one of two things. Baitfish or bugs and what not. When I see fish jumping in towards the middle of a lake, I throw baitish imitating baits. That is most likely what they are feeding on. Weightless plastic jerkbaits do great for this. There is a bait company called Zoom. They make a plastic jerkbait called a Zoom Fluke. These are very productive baits.

If you notice fish jumping in cover, I would try out a top water lure, preferably a weedless one. They make frog lures, which I like a whole lot for the cover. They are weedless, which will avoid the hangups if you make a cast into a tree or something. Take a look at the Scum Frogs and Rage Tail frogs. Both are great in this situation.

Richard asks…

Wut do you think the best fish advice is?

I think the 5 best tips for fish keepers new to da hobby are:

1. Only 1 inch of fish per gallon of water
2. Don’t put two male bettas w/ e/o
3. Don’t out oscars and african ciclids togehter
4. Don’t use sink water when putting water in ur tank
5. Don’t buy bottom feeders they are UGLY!!!! and usually die after only a month or 2

Wut do u think r da best 5 tips for new comers to da fish keeping hobby

Daniel Ambrose answers:

You only need two…
Patience and research

Wow thats it right there…

The best tips are the ones that apply to what your doing….

Good luck Caleb!!!

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Your Questions About Hobby Fishing Tips

Daniel Ambrose — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 05:00:03 +0000

Ken asks…

Your 1 Tip/Advice for people who start fish hobby?

What fish advice would you give to people who start this great hobby?

I personally would say go online and read as much as possible about fish keeping. Never buy fish that you didn’t research before in order to avoid problems.

Hope this will help other fellow hobbyists.
I have 45 years of experience and big help from
http://aquatropicalfish.com

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Cycle the tank BEFORE you add the fish!

Susan asks…

Pier fishing in the winter?

I live in southern california and am going pier fishing on McFadden’s wharf in newport beach california. I was wondering what kind of fish are around during the winter and if its harder to catch them in the winter as opposed to the summer. pier fishing tips would help to as i am a newcomer to the hobby!

Daniel Ambrose answers:

You’re really only likely to see small fish — tomcod (white croaker), maybe perch or jacksmelt, fish in the 5-10 inch range. Small pieces of cut bait (anchovies, squid, shrimp, or mussels) on small (#6 or #8) hooks are the way to go. You’ll generally do better near or on the bottom, or in close to the pilings. (The exact species really depends on the pier.) Larger baits fished on the bottom, cast way out off the end of the pier might result in bigger fish (rays, sand sharks, or halibut), but more likely you might end up with nothing. The cooler water in the winter will slow the bite down. In the summer you have the possibility of bonito or other migratory fish, and the resident fish will bite better as well.

The best advice would be to look around and see what other people are doing and whether they’re catching much, and copy them.

This is based on my own pier fishing in Santa Monica Bay as a kid. However, I just found this link, which is specifically about McFadden Wharf:

Michael asks…

Night Fishing?

I want to pick up night fishing as a hobby. Does anybody know any tips that will help me– best times to go, special lights, etc? What about bowfishing at night?

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Night fishing is the best time for fishing on shore and really all you need is a lighted bobber because alot of fish like to go above water and hit almost anything you throw out to them. It in a way helps you “boost” your percentage for catching a fish in a way. Actually you can use worms for night fishing too, probably the only time to anyway. Or you can try for bass or anything of the kind with lures like slash and crank baits or rooster tails or even the hydra fishing lure. So I would be sure to have lots of tackle for night fishing.

Good Fishing! <

Steve

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Fishing Tips For Catfish

Daniel Ambrose — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:41:39 +0000

Please note that this article includes excerpts from the well known expert fisherman Dick Sternberg, from his great book: Fishing With Live Bait. So you know the catfish fishing tips are sound.

With jaws nearly a foot wide, a big flathead catfish eats fish that most anglers would be happy to catch. Some trotline fishermen use carp and other baitfish weighing up to 2 pounds.

Flatheads prefer live fish. Channel and blue-cats also bite on live baitfish, but most are caught on dead fish or fish chunks.

When fishing for large catfish, many anglers use a Wolf River rig to keep the bait fluttering off bottom. For smaller catfish, an egg sinker rig or a sliding Wolf River rig may work better.

Trotlines and limblines, while considered commercial gear in some states, are commonly used on large rivers and reservoirs. A trotline, or setline, consists of a dozen or more hooks. A limbline has only a single hook. It is tied to an overhanging branch so the baitfish dangles in the water. Both types of lines are set one day and picked up the next.

How to Use a Wolf River Rig:

Step #1
Thread a 24-inch leader of 15-pound mono through the eye of a bait needle.
Step #2
Push the line into the mouth and out the vent of a 5 – 7-inch shad.
Step #3
Tie on a 1/0 to 3/0 treble hook.
Step #4
Tie a three-way swivel to 20-pound monofilament.
Step #5
Attach the baited leader and a 10-inch dropper of 12-pound mono tied to a 3 – 4-ounce pyramid sinker.
Step #6
Cast into tailwaters where catfish hide among the rocks. This rig works well on rocky bottoms. If the sinker snags, its lighter line will break first so you can salvage the rest of the rig.

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