Funny "newbie" fishing mistakes

[FivePoundBluegill]

Well what are some of the silly things you did when you were first leaning how to fish? Also if you have seen someone else doing something silly where they obviously did not know what they were doing post it here!

Ok the best one I have seen was when I saw a guy fishing with a spinnerbait. This guy was not casting the spinnerbait out and reeling it in though. Instead he tossed out his spinnerbait and let it sit there. He also had a huge bobber about the size of an apple tied on his line about two feet above the spinner....I found this funny.

[Bassboy15]

The classic spinning rod upside down

[iamjoe2]

when i was young i used to reel in everything real fast, and all id fish were plastic worms, so  theyd allways be swimming across the surface

i always wondered why i caught so few fish :-?

[KYntucky Warmouth]

This is not funny but last year during my lunch break at work I was reading the local paper and read about a major mistake. A guy was apparently bluegill fishing at the marina of the lake near my college, hooked a musky, and had it bite his finger almost completely off when he tried to lip it. Luckily, I believe, it was reattached.

[kms399]

this actually happened when I worked at gander mountain. a guy comes in madder than hell because we gave him garbage line. he says it gets all twisted up and he cant cast for any distance. we asked him how he was doing it and after about 5 minutes we had him bring his reel in and show up how he was casting. what he did I will remember forever, he would get the lure swinging back and forth and once he got up some speed he would crank the handle backwards to let out the line. it was so hard not to start laughing. I showed him how the bail works and all he could say was ooohhh.

[Ellesar]

Well what are some of the silly things you did when you were first leaning how to fish? Also if you have seen someone else doing something silly where they obviously did not know what they were doing post it here!

Ok the best one I have seen was when I saw a guy fishing with a spinnerbait. This guy was not casting the spinnerbait out and reeling it in though. Instead he tossed out his spinnerbait and let it sit there. He also had a huge bobber about the size of an apple tied on his line about two feet above the spinner....I found this funny.

I caught my son doing something similar when he first started fishing. His first fishing method was using bobbers and crickets. So when he decided to start using artifical baits to try and catch bass he would put a rapala minnow under the bobber and throw it out and let it sit there.

[Masshole Mike]

what he did I will remember forever, he would get the lure swinging back and forth and once he got up some speed he would crank the handle backwards to let out the line. it was so hard not to start laughing. I showed him how the bail works and all he could say was ooohhh.

:-? wow... haha!

[roadwarrior]

Surprisingly, my favorite I see quite often:

Spinning reel upright on a baitcasting rod, reeled backwards!

"Man, these things are hard to use!"

8-)

[.dsaavedra.]

this happens quite often at the local park.

people will either turn their spinning reels upside down or their spincasters underneath their rod!

i've actually seen them do this: if their fishing a spinning rod with the reel underneath (correct) and they look over at someone fishing with a spincast or baitcaster ontop of the rod (also correct) the person with the spinning reel will turn their rod so its on top and start fishing like the ppl with the casting reels! its funny. i saw one guy look over at me when i was fishing my baitcasters and i watched him flip his spinning reel over.

its also hilarious to see some people trying to cast. they will swing their rod back so far the tip almost touches the ground, and then swing it forward with so much force but either release the line too early and it goes straight up or too late and it smacks the water right in front of them.

at my local park, its always fun even if the fish aren't biting because i can watch how silly people are! ;D

[fishfordollars]

The first bass I ever caught was in a stock tank many years ago. When I finally got him in(About 1 1/2lbs.) I had backed away from the water at least 20-25ft. Think I was doing more walking than cranking

[no.4shot]

A guy at work asked me to look at a reel for him because he said he had no drap.  When I told him that the line has to go around the bail the look on his face looked like I told him that he needs to shower on a more regular basis.

Since then he has become quite good.  So when ever he gets to bragging or being cocky I bring up his reel and that usually sets him back into place.

[David P]

Spinnning reels on baitcasting rods, baitcasters on spinning rods.

And of course, as other people have said, the rod upside down.

[bb champ]

my 87 yr old grandad would hook a bass and take off walking the other way instead of reeling... and drag the poor fish up on the bank. easier to lip that way.

[Still a Bigbuckifan]

when i started fishing i fished every thing on wire leader. still cought fish though.

[grimlin]

Surprisingly, my favorite I see quite often:

Spinning reel upright on a baitcasting rod, reeled backwards!

"Man, these things are hard to use!"

8-)

Rods upright and reeling in backwards are probably the ones i see every single time i go fishing.

Went out yesterday....and just about every single person out there was doing this to either a spinning reel or a spin casting reel.I ended up asking if it was hard to reel that way...the dude goes "Fishing requires a lot of skills,because my wrists and arms are killing me!"

He asked me how i was casting and reeling so smoothly.I ended up telling him the "secret" of how to do it the correct way...Least he called it a "secret".  :-?

It took me a lot of will power not to laugh.....Because i remember we all gotta start and learn somehow.

[darcy tucker]

Still fishing for catfish with a blue plastic worm.  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

You guys need to go to more CAST events......Spinnerbait on a bobber.

my 87 yr old grandad would hook a bass and take off walking the other way instead of reeling... and drag the poor fish up on the bank. easier to lip that way.

Very common on the sloped beaches here in Narragansett bay, back in my grandpa's days.  Lead filled wooden dowel homemade plugs on used clothes lines.  Turn your back to the surf with the rope over shoulder and walk towards the parking lot,lol.

[J_Zink]

I watched a couple older gals trying to haul in what turned out to be a 20-25lb grass carp.  They were well equipped for the fight, rod and reel wise.  She had one of those Wally World heavy Catfish/light SW spinning rods, more than capable of handling the fish.

The funny part was when her fishing partner decides to wade into the lake and help land the fish carrying what looked to be a trout sized landing net.  I suppose the head would've fit into the net nicely, what she was going to do with the rest of the fish is questionable.  

After her netting partner fell down a few times in the water the gal finally wound up walking backward and dragging the beast onto the bank.

[Crank Addict]

I took my fiance out to try and get her 'hooked'.  We were in a small (maybe 14') aluminum boat with her sister and brother in-law.  Three of us were standing and facing the same direction.  She is in the middle and she goes to make one of those 'reach back as far as you can casts', as decribed above, and manages to hook one of her brother in-laws rods sitting behind up and actually lift it up and over all three of us, depositing into the lake directly in front of us.  Just yesterday she asked him if he wanted to speak at our wedding, which he really didn't want any part of so, he threatened to tell that story and was off the hook.  Of course we never let her live it down but, to her credit she has stuck with it and does pretty well now.

[Joe Boss]

I made a newbie fishing mistake the first time I cast an ultra-light split-shot rig into the wind  

[crappiekid24]

When I first started out with baitcasters I was casting and doing pretty well. I moved to a new spot and went to cast without realizing my surroundings and put my x rap in the bush behind me and went to cast. Nastiest backlash I ever had.

[little_stephen]

my worst mistake, not watching what i was doing because a CUTE girl was walking down the pier, i whiped back the rod, snapped forward intending to impress her with a really long cast, and heard a nasty metal chunking sound...... my rod came forward just fine, but my favorite spinner bait went sailing off into the sunset... taunting me with a nice little polp as it hit the water, i just pretened i was letting the lure sink until she walked off..... iu blushed, i never blush....

most common one i see at my local lake..... weekend warriors who dont have a clue what theyre doing open up a new rod & reel set from walmart, cast a bobber and crawler into the lillypads and then curse up a storm when they cant get it unstuck....  then the one I always here them say is, "this line is junk, what a rip off, it can't even pull my hook outta those lilly pads...... what a rip off..."

I just smile and nod....

(I ussually end up in a pair of jean and boots a week later collecting free bobbers, hooks, wire leaders, you name it from my favorite highpressure shore side pad bed...... Its a gold mine!)                                  to my credit tho, I often times donate that gear to kids who have subpar equipment, or whos dads wont even help them hook their bait so they sit there and cry and frown.

[SimonSays]

What I find really funny is when people buy those huge thick white poles from walmart about 8ft long or so and as thick as a D sized battery they toss out a bobber with a worm and catch bluegill on em.

[Big Tom]

What I find really funny is when people buy those huge thick white poles from walmart about 8ft long or so and as thick as a D sized battery they toss out a bobber with a worm and catch bluegill on em.

I at this exact scenario at least once, every time I am on the water.

[SnowBass23]

I have two different ideas of newbie mistakes. The first are those innocent ones, like the guy that balls a plastic worm up beneath a bobber because he just doesn't know better. I will gladly casually mention how I rig these up and offer a few pointers. If it is someone that doesn't have experience and is trying to learn then I am always willing to help.

At the other end are those 'newbie' mistakes by people who excel at every other sport and assume fishing is the same.  These are the guys that use the rod upside down or get upset because a piece of junk rod keeps breaking line wrapped around lillies.  Some people just don't want any help, and if something doesn't work as they expect it then it is somebody else's fault.  Those people I just sit back and let them do their own thing.  After all, we all need something to laugh about later.  ;D

I have no tolerance for rude people. A little courtesy goes a long way and makes life better for us all.