Teaching Someone To Fish- Do You Start Them With Live Bait?

[NBR]

Since he has not fished at all I'd go with a spincast or spinning rig, a bobber and some worms. Build some enthusiasm with sunfish, brim(bluegill), crappie build some excitement in just catching fish then go look for bigger fish. Crappie are a good middle of the roader in size and usuall pretty cooperative. After he develops a desire to fish moving on tobass or other larger game fish is an easy step.

[Ratherbfishing]

Although I've taken my girlfriend out a couple dozen times, I still feel like I'm teaching her but that's fine. It's half the reward. I thrill probably as much as she does when she catches a fish and when it's a really nice fish, It's all the more fun. Sometimes she insinuates that fishing doesn't require much skill and then I derive a great deal of satisfaction in catching a bass (or two or three) on a lure she's given up on.

I don't use live bait because I don't think it's usually necessary to use live bait to catch fish and, speaking for myself, at least, it's more fun to be actively involved in the process than simply staring at a bobber or a taut line waiting for a bite. Your average beginner, I think, gets a greater reward when they feel like they duped the fish themselves.

Kids, on the other hand, are best introduced to fishing with a cricket or garden worm.

[Curved]

I taught my father in law and cousin how to fish with these:

I gave them a small weighted float & an unweighted #12 hook. It's hard to get it snagged and a lot of species go for it, even small bass and trout. They don't go bad and 1 worm will catch 4 or 5 fish.

[NEjitterbugger]

That's up to you, but one thing I don't do when starting someone out is attempt to fish myself while instructing someone on their first outing.

I couldn't agree more this summer I took one of my best friends who has never fished before... He didn't end up catching a thing, next time we go he will be the only one with a rod...

[Fish Chris]

Well first off, I assume you mean to say, teaching someone to fish for bass, correct ?

Alright well, I don't think chunking big heavy swimbaits all day, with a very high chance of getting skunked, would be a good way to teach a new angler..... And I really think sight fishing is more of a niche' type of thing that should probably be added to the arsenal later on down the road, after an angler has already learned the basics.

And since most of my bass fishing other than this stuff ^ is with live bait, sure. I'd probably show them how to "really use live bait" and how not to use it like the crowds do.

That would be my 1A lesson Don't fish like everybody else, or all you will catch, is fish like everybody else catches

Peace,

Fish

[WRB]

You are teaching someone how to bass fish as a bass club member, right? Does your club allow the use of live bait? If not why go there. To teach you should be capable to teaching the skill. My son wanted to learn how to golf, so I paid for golf lessons, why teach him my poor golfing skills! You need to pre fish and know where the bass are located, don't try to teach when the bite is tough!

I did teach my son how to bass fish when he was about 3 years and another 100+ 5 to 7 year olds Indian Giude kids how to bass fish successfully without using live bait.

Your spinning tackle is perfect for the technique and presentations I like to use to teach new anglers to bass fish; slip shot rig and small soft plastics like reapers or 5" finese curl tail worms*. The slip shot rig consists of a mojo cylinder 1/8 oz weight, a small black swivel and size 1 premium light wire worm hook*. This is a finesse C-rig when you use a swivel, I prefer to use a Carolina Keeper and glass bead for the slip shot rig, however with a beginner using a spinning out fit, the swivel is needed to reduce line twist. You want to start with a 18" leader length to make casting easier.

With a boat you can locate bass on your sonar unit, try to find bass areas with few or no weeds, points are a good location. Ounce you determine where the bass are located and depth the bass are at, you simply drag the slip shot rig through the area on the bottom, slowly. You can use the trolling motor to control the speed and where the rig is going until a few bass are caught, then let the angler cast and slowly retrieve the rig along the bottom.

I use night crawler color worms (oxblood red flake) and shad color reapers, skin hooked....simple and very effective.

Tom

* Roboworms and Gamakatsu #11

[SirSnookalot]

It would depend on their age, intent of dedication and species. I'm not a fan of live bait, but there is a time and place when I would use it to teach someone. Being primarily a snook fisherman, which is very similar to LMB fishing, bait is the way to go for a beginner in the wintertime, I could go for days without getting a strike that time of year on artis, that's only going to have a negative affect on a newcomer.