LipRipper978

Hey guys, I love to try new styles of fishing and working for new species. I have caught Cats before, but nothing of size (biggest maybe 2 pounds on a live worm on the bottom. I have never caught a carp, though I do see a lot of them around in various bodies of water. No spots need to be given (unless you wanna PM me and help a guy out!), but I would love to know the basic set up for fishing for either species. I will mostly likely be using 2 of my sea spinning rods in rod holders from the shore to cast out and do a bait and wait technique I was hoping someone could tell me the simplest rig they use for either fish. I have heard carp go for corn and catfish will go for hot dogs or liver, but prefer alive or fresh cut gills. I have been panfishing and had a couple casualties so I have chunked them and let them sit, but never had anything take it. Any suggestions would be great. My sea gear is tuned for stripers so I have no worries about being able to handle a large freshwater fish. Mostly looking for a rig set up and what baits have the most success. Looking to try out something new and enjoy the fight of a potentially large fish (state record for a channel is 26 with other species of Cats running much smaller, state record for Carp is 46....not that I'm going to be setting record or anything. But that will put a 5 pound bass to shame.) Thanks!

Being from the same area, I can provide a little insight. You can't avoid the pickerel. I almost always catch at least one when I'm out. Carry a lip gripper and your life becomes much easier. Also fish with braid as you'll break off less (though there are plenty of times I set the hook and it cuts instantly). I have learned to just enjoy the fight of the fish. Some pickerel around here get pretty big (my biggest is 3 1/3lbs, one at a pond 20 min away got taken through the ice this year at just over 5lbs) I would suggest fishing soft, unweighted plastics. Most of my area bodies of water are filled withe tons of grass and pads, or the bottoms are inches (sometimes feet!) of muck. I use between 3/0-5/0 EWG hooks and a senko, bug, creature or whatever and work it slow in the weeds or in the grass. I use full sized senkos and most other soft plastics (I've have plenty of 6-8in fish try to eat a Gary). I've also noticed pickerel don't like to attack things that aren't moving very fast. I think they reaction strike most of the time, so soaking plastics isn't there favorite. (I do keep junk plastics on me at all times if there are a lot of pickerel around.....a fish is a fish is it is slow going out there). I also use weighted swimbait hooks (1/16th - 1/4th) and try to push the weight up as far as I can to the eye/bait keeper. I don't swim them but I use it as a light jig that is virtually weedless. Try a ned rig if you aren't in too much grass (very light and super glue the TRD to the mushroom head). Just let it sit in a high opportunity area and twitch it. Or bounce it through the grass and if it feels caught up, give it a couple quick pops to get the grass off. Can't count how many I have hit it right after the pops. I pulled in dinks to 3lbers on that rig (just like you, if there were bigger fish in the pond, I'd imagine they would hit it too). Trying out the Tokyo rig too this year...but the juries still out as I haven't tied it on a lot this year. Good luck!

Nail on the head haha. I'm fine with that. I'm also hopeful that as I invest time into this style of fishing, that I will also start to tie my own flies. Nice down time activity. I carry 2 surf rods, a pier/jetty rod, and 3 conventional reels for freshwater in my car at all times. I have waders and rubber hunting boots in my car as well. All of my plano boxes and probably 15lbs of soft plastics. I carry special rigs for different fish as well (pickerel cause they destroy things, fluke/flounder, and squid). The trout specialization stays in the shed until Spring/Fall. Not many places around me naturally have trout in them year round so I wait till they are stocked. I am a tackle addict, so I have no issue taking the red pills and falling down the rabbit hole....may I never recover from this addiction. A joke a coworker recently told me: If you have kids and you are worried that they will start to use drugs, get them into fishing. They will NEVER have the money to buy drugs.

This looks affordable and like it will get me on the water and learning. Very nice and has great reviews. Most likely ordering one later today. Thank you everyone for the responses. I'm definitely more of a finesse angler so I'm excited to try something new and expand my skills.

I went with 2 of the Bass Mafia boxes for two reasons: 1. It is waterproof and it floats. I am a kayaker and I flipped last year (my fault....too many adult beverages). My plano box was full of water and I needed to find it at the bottom of the lake. I didn't lose any lures, but most of the hooks began to rust and it ruined the box. The boxes are waterproof and float so if you happen to have it slip, it's no worries. 2. It is crushproof. I also drove over a plano box of spinners a couple years ago...goodbye box and goodbye most of the twisted wires on the baits. They are HEAVY. I keep my terminal tackle in one and I keep my day box lures in the other. I'm really happy with them and as a younger guy I don't have much problem with the extra weight. Both easily fit in a standard backpack just as all other 3700s do. Only real problem is their logo is big and right in the middle of the box. I HATE their logo and seems very cheesy. I grabbed a couple fishing stickers (who doesn't have a dozen tackle warehouse stickers lying around???) and plastered right over it. I've only had them for maybe 3-4 months, but I really like them. They have tons of slots so there is no limit to the arrangement and customization you can make. Hope this helped.

Thank you guys for all the input. For reference, I have LOTS of fishing gear (I fish both fresh and salt water, shore, kayak and surf). When I said affordable, I did not mean budget junk. I can spend around 200 for the rod and reel (or more if it's a good deal). Gear can be more of course. Thank you for the suggestion of Cabela's (surprisingly decent gear....hate BPS crap though) and Pfleuger. I own multiple presidents and a patriarch so I like the company. Obviously companies that do different styles of fishing may not produce equal quality gear so thank you all for the inputs. I was considering the 5w but would a 3w be better for a beginner (more manageable)? Appreciate the quick responses. That's what is really drawing me to it. I often fish topwater with things not necessarily designed for topwater (plastics, live baits, sometimes I can keep hard bodies up in the water column). There is nothing like watching the swirl. And with a nice pair or Costa's you can literally watch the mouth open up and suck it in. Tight lines and game on!

Hey guys, One of my goals this summer is to teach myself how to fly fish. I have been doing some reading and watching some videos to build my beginner skills. I will be doing fresh water fly fishing targeting panfish to learn (nothing over a pound), but I would also like the rod/line to be able to handle a bass and I will eventually be out there trying to land larger fish after I get the basic skills under my belt. What I am asking is the following: Best affordable Rod/Reel setup for a beginner? Best line if the set up does not come pre-spooled or with line in the package? Handful of best flies for bluegills/perch/bass/pickerel (aka general fresh warm water species)? Miscellaneous gear that I wouldn't have for normal fishing? (I also carry grippers, fishing pliers, line snippers, knife, scale...just in case!) Storage options for flies or other materials? Any information is super valuable. I am very excited to start getting out there and seeing what it is like. Hope everyone has a great day. Thanks

Went out Sat and Sun on the North Shore in the kayak. No shortage of LMB's....just nothing big. My biggest was 2.2 lbs. Hope you guys were able to get out and enjoy the nice weather. Looks like this weekend is supposed to be nice as well. May be targeting Stripers this weekend as I have read that new fish with sea lice have shown up recently. I love fishing the surf at night so hopefully I can get out to the fruity island and grab me a big girl! Best of luck out there guys.

Hadn't paid much attention to that model but it does look very similar. Has a short butt and a split grip. The Triumph X was 90-100 on Tackle Warehouse so if it is the same blank with more or less the same components, 65-75 bucks seems like a steal. I'll be using it after work (if the rain holds out) to do a bit of worm/shiner fishing at a river on my drive home. Let you guys know

Thanks for the warm welcomes! I will definitely be checking out those links. And hopefully the rain will clear out a bit so I can shiner/worm fish a river on my drive home from work.

Quabbin last Friday (5/31). My PB smallie (3.52) on a body of water that has given me fits in the past. Surf fishing for Stripers this week and back on the kayak for LMB this weekend!

Anyone else pick one of these up? Curious as to what others think. I've had the 6'6 Purple Crush ML for a couple weeks now and really like how it handles. I have been using it for drop shot and finesse fishing, as well as some live bait stuff around my local ponds after work. For 65-75 dollars, I think St. Croix did a great job on this rod. Value is there, split grip as well which I prefer. They have it in Purple and Grey both in spinning and casting models. I haven't put it through the ringer yet, but I am a St. Croix fanboy for life and I think this feels very similar to their other models, especially at that price point. I only knew about it through the newsletter.

Morning All, Finally found the time to join after a while of lurking. I am a huge fan of some threads (i.e. latest tackle sale thread!!) and I am excited to get more involved. I am located in Eastern MA on the North Shore and I fish probably 60-70% freshwater and 30-40% salt water. The numbers are always bouncing around as I learn more. I target mostly LMB, SMB, Picks, Trout, Striped Bass, Flounder, Macks, and Squid. I love to kayak fish (I have a 13' SOT) and I'm also a big fan of ice fishing. Just introducing myself so feel free to say hey, especially if you are near my area. Having a okay year so far, but wish I could get out more. Making the trips I do have worth it though. Happy hump day all and tight lines!