How To Deal With Complete Beginners?

[CPBassFishing]

I took a middle school-aged friend fishing today. He brought the following items. An 8' surfcasting ugly stik with a massive spinning reel on it spooled with tangled mono. He had the following rigged up. A 6" zoom lizard nosehooked on a snelled eagle claw hook with a bobber 6" from the lure. That's all he had. When I told him that wouldn't work, he asked to use my lures. I tied on a senko for him, and his line promptly snapped on his first cast, sending my senko and $1 wacky jig flying. I didn't want to lose any more lures at this point so I just rerigged the lizard and buried the point so he wouldn't hook me, himself, or any trees. What should I do? I barely have enough lures for myself and I can't have them getting lost because he can't fish to save his life. To make it worse, he apparently told his mom that he had a ton of fun. She CALLED me asking if I could take him tommorow. I was planning to go to the river to catch a few fish on a jig. I would have to be constantly helping him and losing my lures because he has no tackle. HELP ME PLEASE!!!

[gripnrip]

Okay CPBassFishing.  I'm feeling generous tonight.  If it is okay with your parents send me your address over in a PM and I'll send you some lures and some new mono to put on his reel.  Set him up texas rig on worms and lizards and such.  That should keep him busy.

[Bair]

Make it clear to him and his mom that they have to provide their own gear. If he needs advice on what to get, it shouldn't be a problem helping him do that. Honestly you should be able to get him operating for about $20-30. I personally run on a you lose it- you replace it basis when loaning lures.

[CPBassFishing]

Okay CPBassFishing.  I'm feeling generous tonight.  If it is okay with your parents send me your address over in a PM and I'll send you some lures and some new mono to put on his reel.  Set him up texas rig on worms and lizards and such.  That should keep him busy.

that's nice of you man but I wouldn't take free stuff unless I won it and I think he would feel the same.

[CPBassFishing]

Make it clear to him and his mom that they have to provide their own gear. If he needs advice on what to get, it shouldn't be a problem helping him do that. Honestly you should be able to get him operating for about $20-30. I personally run on a you lose it- you replace it basis when loaning lures.

alright man that's a good idea. I will do that. Thanks for helping me out.

[gripnrip]

that's nice of you man but I wouldn't take free stuff unless I won it and I think he would feel the same.

No problem.  

[motodmast]

Next time you go to your local tackle shop, take him with you, tell him to bring like $30 and you will help him pick out some new line, hooks, and some baits. I bet he would like that and could use the experience of being in a tackle shop with you helping explaning what all the different baits do..

[WRB]

Your friends tackle isn't suited for bass fishing, so set him up for a Carolina rig. First things first; new line, have him buy 100 yd spool of 12 lb Big Game, it's inexpensive and strong enough. Replace about 100 yards of the old line.

Next have him buy a dozen 1/2 oz egg sinkers, a bag of snap swivel and Eagle Claw or Mustad 3/0 worm hooks. Rig him up a Carolina rig with a 18" -24" leader. Have him buy a bag of inexpensive Berkley 7" Power worms.

Teach your friend how to put a weedless worn on his hook and let him cast and drag the C-rigged worm back slowly. He will keep himself busy, learn how to rig a worm and possibly catch a bass. If he gets tired put some night crawlers on the worm hook and let it set on the bottom until a catfish or whatever eats the worms.

If he likes fishing, he will know his tackle is too big and want something more suitable.

Good luck.

Tom

[Crookedneck]

My 2 cents is this......if you think catching a fish is fun.  Wait till your buddy catches one with your help.  It is one of the best feelings you'll have.  Helping someone who has less experience will actually make you a better fisherman.  You'll pick up on things he may be doing that isn't right, but if you pay attention and help him correct it, you'll realize that your own skills will improve.  Have fun, get him set up with some Texas or Carolina rigs.  It will make it easy for him.

 

Good luck and have fun.

[Scorcher214]

Ya, he's gonna have to get some new gear. Help him out though. I'd talk to his mom and suggest buying him a new nuttin fancy rod/reel combo. Maybe go with him and his mom to the store to help pick it out. Along with a small simple assortment of lures. A white spinnerbait, some power worms, hooks and sinkers, and a pack of senkos. Line as well. Highly recommend Berkley XL casting.

 

I've taken noobs fishing before too, and TBH watching your buddy catch a fish thanks to you and seeing his excitement feels better than catching a fish yourself. He obviously thinks fishing is fun, wait till he does some catching!

[stew6371]

I agree with all these posts. Helping him pick out his equipment & showing him how to use it will be fun. As far as helping him catch a fish & enjoying it, I get more enjoyment when my wife catches fish more than I do when I catch one. It's a great feeling, specially when I know she is learning what to throw, where to throw it, & how to throw it. You're a good man for doing this for him. You never know what kind of impact this can have on him.

[fadetoblack21]

I took a middle school-aged friend fishing today. He brought the following items. An 8' surfcasting ugly stik with a massive spinning reel on it spooled with tangled mono. He had the following rigged up. A 6" zoom lizard nosehooked on a snelled eagle claw hook with a bobber 6" from the lure. That's all he had. When I told him that wouldn't work, he asked to use my lures. I tied on a senko for him, and his line promptly snapped on his first cast, sending my senko and $1 wacky jig flying. I didn't want to lose any more lures at this point so I just rerigged the lizard and buried the point so he wouldn't hook me, himself, or any trees. What should I do? I barely have enough lures for myself and I can't have them getting lost because he can't fish to save his life. To make it worse, he apparently told his mom that he had a ton of fun. She CALLED me asking if I could take him tommorow. I was planning to go to the river to catch a few fish on a jig. I would have to be constantly helping him and losing my lures because he has no tackle. HELP ME PLEASE!!!

 

I have a friend like this. He knows his way around bass fishing okay, but he is still pretty green. I figure that I'm just passing it on and it's part of fishing. Teaching a friend new techniques and such. Losing lures is part of fishing, and I'm not the wealthy type that can replace lost lures on a whim.

 

I would go out and buy some line to re-spool his reel with. Maybe suggest that he gets a proper rod and reel, descent but on the cheap. Then I would give him something that he can't go wrong with but wont cost a fortune if he loses it. Start him on soft plastics and educate him if he's doing something wrong. If he shows interest, educate him some more and introduce some more complicated lures. If he really shows interest, suggest to him that he needs to build up his own tackle box. 

 

It's all about teaching to me. When my daughter comes of age, I wont hesitate to let her lose my lures, cause I'm passing it on or "paying it forward" so to speak. 

[SirSnookalot]

His present outfit is certainly not conducive for bass fishing, it's more trouble than it's worth.  Considering this is a beginner and who knows how long he will keep his interest I would start him real easy and the best way to get results.  A Walmart spinning combo for 20-$30 pre-rigged with 8# mono, 2-3/0 worm hooks and a bag of senko type worms, no need for anything else to avoid any confusion.  Show him how to tie a proper knot and when he gets the bite how to set the hook.  I personally would take more time in giving some instruction rather than fishing myself, if you are not prepared to do that, don't get involved at all.  I would avoid a b/c at all costs, teaching him how to get the backlashes out is going to take away from his learning experience.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Shakespeare makes a nice little bass fishing starter kit.  I actually bought it when I was first starting out.  Maybe not the highest quality but its only 30 bucks and his parents may not be too keen on throwing down too much money.  Comes with rod, reel with line pre-spooled, and a lure kit including hooks, weights, lizards, shaky worms, a squarebill crank, and some other stuff.  The BPS website has it but I've also seen it at WalMart.

 

http://www.basspro.com/Shakespeare-Catch-More-Fish-Rod-and-Reel-Combo-for-Bass/product/10206303/

[joeyfishes]

Shakespeare makes a nice little bass fishing starter kit. I actually bought it when I was first starting out. Maybe not the highest quality but its only 30 bucks and his parents may not be too keen on throwing down too much money. Comes with rod, reel with line pre-spooled, and a lure kit including hooks, weights, lizards, shaky worms, a squarebill crank, and some other stuff. The BPS website has it but I've also seen it at WalMart.

http://www.basspro.com/Shakespeare-Catch-More-Fish-Rod-and-Reel-Combo-for-Bass/product/10206303/

If he actually shows serious interest, do not go with the Shakespeare. I am using one right now and I spend 3/4 of my fishing time walking line out and cutting about 25-50 yards of line to fix tangles and knots. I can't stand my rig anymore! Right now my maximum casting distance is 7 yards no joke. I'm lucky if I can get it to the little sunfish.

[CPBassFishing]

Thanks for all your help everyone. I convinced his mom to take him to DSG with a list of necessary items today. Now I get to go fishing and he gets the proper stuff.

[jhoffman]

You shouldve went along

[Fishes in trees]

Do not throw that old rig away.  Do put new line on it.  15 lb big game, or whatever the strongest line that you can put on the spinning reel is.  That rod is a great cat fishing rod.  Everyone needs a catfish rod or 2 or 3 or 4.   When you set him up with a newer rig for bass fishing, bring the old rig also.  Bait it up with something (1/4 of a hot dog works good) throw it out and stake it down.  You are likely to catch a catfish, maybe a good one.

 

Or when you get to the water, make it a priority to catch a little to medium sized sun fish.  Suspend it 12" to 24" beneath a bobber.  Be sure you got a big enough bobber to float the sun fish.   Who knows what will hit that.  To help things along, take your fillet knife and run it through the sun fish a few times, start a blood trail.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

Why not just point him to bass resource and he can learn all he needs to know about bass fishing. Plus we gain a new member. It's a win win situation.

[Teal]

A teenage kid in DSG with his mom looking for stuff they are both confused about is probably pretty awkward for both of them. I would have went along with them.

Everybody had good insight, but i really liked what Snook said.

And you dont know a good feeling until you teach him something and it pays off. I spent several years training new police officers. At first i didnt like it because having a trainee in the car slowed me down from doing the work i wanted to do and i was investing more of my personal time, effort, and sometimes money to make sure these guys were ready at the end of each of thems 14 weeks. I didnt always put my best foot forward or do my best with it at first. But after a while i really saw the fruits of my labor and saw that i was producing some fine officers. It then became more about how to help each trainee get better. I then spent more time on and off duty prepping the recruit from mind set to equipment.

As for equipment, im sure your on a tight budget. And your are right to deal with his mother. I promise you tho, if you do this full bore and remain selfless you will not regret it, you may even make/mold your future fishing partner.

[ColdSVT]

my advice is to forget about youself for a trip or two and teach him what he needs to do and know to get started

I take my friends 10 year old fishing with me all the time and I rarely fish when he is with me.

when I do fish it is all instructiinal, and he uses one of my old spinning rigs.

[Lil'skeeter]

First off CP I commend you on taking him fishing in the first place. You are a fine example of what fishing is all about. If it weren't for our peers a lot of us either wouldn't be fishing or would be like your friend. You may find you have established a life-long friendship. Be patient, teach what you know and the new things you learn. He will make a lot of mistakes and really try your patience but when you two are older you can look back and probably have some good laughs. You will have plenty of time to fish but maybe not a lot of opportunities to share it with others.

By the way.....as of this post, you have made 403 posts. YOU'VE WON A PRIZE!    PM me your address and I'll see that you get it!  

[nipopotamme]

OMG, American's are so generous. we europeans can teach some of that ...

[aavery2]

I took a middle school-aged friend fishing today. He brought the following items. An 8' surfcasting ugly stik with a massive spinning reel on it spooled with tangled mono. He had the following rigged up. A 6" zoom lizard nosehooked on a snelled eagle claw hook with a bobber 6" from the lure. That's all he had. When I told him that wouldn't work, he asked to use my lures. I tied on a senko for him, and his line promptly snapped on his first cast, sending my senko and $1 wacky jig flying. I didn't want to lose any more lures at this point so I just rerigged the lizard and buried the point so he wouldn't hook me, himself, or any trees. What should I do? I barely have enough lures for myself and I can't have them getting lost because he can't fish to save his life. To make it worse, he apparently told his mom that he had a ton of fun. She CALLED me asking if I could take him tommorow. I was planning to go to the river to catch a few fish on a jig. I would have to be constantly helping him and losing my lures because he has no tackle. HELP ME PLEASE!!!

We all start at about the same place, just ask yourself how you were treated when you were a complete  beginner, what did you like, what did you dislike?  Helping someone to learn to fish is a very rewarding experience, you should be honored that he trusted/respected you enough to help.   The reward and satisfaction that will come your way when he is capable to fish on his own will far outweigh the cost of a senko or two.

[CPBassFishing]

We all start at about the same place, just ask yourself how you were treated when you were a complete  beginner, what did you like, what did you dislike?  Helping someone to learn to fish is a very rewarding experience, you should be honored that he trusted/respected you enough to help.   The reward and satisfaction that will come your way when he is capable to fish on his own will far outweigh the cost of a senko or two.

I taught myself. I disliked getting skunked so I did research on how to catch fish.