New to fishing please help

[Joker407]

Recently just started fishing and would like to learn how to fish properly with the right baits and using the right rigs and stuff if anyone has any good advice or tips that I should know it would be greatly appreciated

[SoFlaBassAddict]

http://www.bassresource.com/fish/bass_fishing_articles.html

[NateFollmer]

Wow, that question would take hours... even days to answer fully... I have an idea! Read through the 'Fishing Articles' link, start at 'For Beginning Angler', then move to 'Bass Lure Techniques' and then just read everything else

In all seriousness, you could answer that question a million different ways. Read through some articles, then ask questions about what you read.

Edit: YOU BEAT ME TO IT! ha

[roadwarrior]

Start by reading all the articles and links in "Fishing Articles"

and "Tacklebox" at the top of the page.

Good luck and WELCOME ABOARD!

p.s. These threads will help, too:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1180501296

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1182371999

[brushhoggin]

ask francho about his secret bait  ;D

[Joker407]

Alright thanks for the help I live in Florida and I don't know how to tell what's fishable and I was just trying to see what people fish with and stuff. and what's not but imma look at those articles

[badcrawdad]

As already said READ, READ, and READ some more. There is an endless supply of info on here. I know this site has made me a much better fisherman. I used to be quite happy fishin all day and getting 3-4 bass around 2lbs each, but after spending many hours reading info on here my #'s have exploded and quality of fish is also much better. Read up and follow Roadwarriors tips and you'll be hammering them in no time.

[Grey Wolf]

Read , read , and read some more , write down your questions and someone here will answer them for you .

You could also join a fishing club and learn  the how's and when's.

[Vinny Chase]

When i first started out bass fishing i learned to use t-rigged soft plastics, you should do the same....then add different techniques from there. If you try and learn everything about fishing you are just going to get overwhelmed and give up...take it one step at a time

[bassmedic46]

Read everything you can on this site, Its very informative and has helped me tremendously.

[Hellbenderman]

Besides all the reading, which is a must, we can get you started if you can tell us a little about where you are and where you are going to fish. Do you have a boat or will you atart by shore fishing? Do you have a "home"lake you will fish most of the time? Can you tell us a little about the lake. Is it weedy, clear, murky, rocky, standing timber? Give us a little more info and we can get you started in a jiffy. What the h*** is a jiffy anyway?

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Alright thanks for the help I live in Florida and I don't know how to tell what's fishable and I was just trying to see what people fish with and stuff. and what's not but imma look at those articles

What part of Florida?  Theres a few regular posters here that are from all over Florida. I'm sure one of the local guys can help you out.

[Red]

Like they said, read the articles.  I was like you a few years ago.  I found this site and I visit it everyday.  I read something new everyday, and I learn something new everyday.  I try to read an article relating to the season it is now and the type of fishing I am doing.  There is an endless amount of info here, you could never learn it all!!!

[Joker407]

I live in east Orlando about half hour from cape canaveral yea this website has so much good information on it I started reading and can't stop haha

[Joker407]

I have a pond behind my house and the water is murky and there are weeds along the shore I think it's hydrillo or something like that there's no structure or anything really and  it sucks using a lure cause when you reel it in it gets caught on the hydrillo

[bassmanET]

Its been said "READ! READ! & READ!"

But, there is also TV shows to!

Go to Myoutdoortv.com & watch all the bass fishin shows you like. My favorite is Bill Dance  ;D!

[aaarneson]

Joining a local bass club would be a great way to meet some people that are usually more than willing to take you out and teach you some things.  Also, if you can afford it, you can setup a guide trip on one of the local lakes....they are really helpful at times.

[NateFollmer]

+2 on the Texas Rigging post.

Learn to T-rig a soft plastic and fish it a few different ways (slow, fast, bounce it off the bottom, etc) and you'll be able to catch fish most of the time! Start there and work you way into different techniques (jigs, cranks, spinnerbaits, etc).

[new2BC4bass]

I thought every lake in Florida was good fishing!     A small pond, maybe, maybe not.  I hate reeling in weeds on every cast.   >  For your pond, try fishing a 10 inch weightless worm, hooked weedless.  If there are any spots with open water above the weed bed, try running a spinnerbait fast enough to keep it above the weeds.

I have never used a frog, but want to try one this year.  The small lake I fish has become full of pads and weeds along much of the shoreline.  I think any kind of plastic that can be hooked weedless would be a good place to start (on the pond).  A tube, creature bait, etc.

When I visit Florida, I spend a lot of time throwing a 10" worm hooked weedless into the pads, along cattail edges, etc.  Catches fish and doesn't catch too many weeds.   ;D

[Joker407]

Yea the ponds we normally fish around here are like retention ponds I would love to see what it's like fishing clear water with different structures and cover and what not but I have no idea where those are haha

today when I was fishing my reel kept getting knots in it what causes this?

Also what time of day do you guys prefer to fish?

[Joker407]

Where do I find a fishing club?

[aaarneson]

Where do I find a fishing club?

A lot of them have websites...so you can do a search on the internet for your area?  What city in FL do you live?

Also you can contact TBF or B.A.S.S. and see if there is a local federation club near you.

[Skinnyh2ofishin]

In reply mainly to what's fishable and what to use...

As an Orlando area, and Florida in general, fisherman I can tell you, IT'S ALL FISHABLE!  When I was younger I had friends that would swear I'd fish in a puddle in the road if it stayed there long enough. 

Being it's FL, you practically can't escape hydrilla or the many other forms of aquatic vegetation we have (and you don't want to either!).  Weedless is your best friend if you're just learning new areas and trying to fish as thoroughly as possible.  There's already been tons of advice on t-rigs and weedless plastics and reading the articles here so I won't go on much more.  Just don't forget about C-rigs if you're shorebound.  You may lose a few rigs and spend lots of time pulling mats of weeds back on every cast, but you can learn so much more about the water you're fishing that way.  You'd be surprised how deep some of the drainage canals and ponds can be and the weedlines that exist just out of reach of most light weedless rigs.  A C-rig will get way out there and you can learn where those weeds end in different areas of the lakes you're fishing. 

As for time to fish, early and late first and then any time you can get out.  Just get out there and start learning the water you're fishing.

Good luck.

[Hellbenderman]

Hey Jeff, not sure I understand your request to send a message to you...at your AOL account or on bass resource? So, I will do both? Unfortunately, fishing for bass has become equipment selective. Your equipment, 6'6" MH and a Pflegure President is fine for fishing the thick weeds and grass using a tactic called "punching". You will need a heavy weight, 1/2 -1 1/2 ounce, and some kind of craw bug or creature bait, and  3/0 or 4/0 EWG hook, Texas rigged weedless. I use a 4.5 inch Yum Craw Papi, but there are many other baits that will fill the bill. You need to "pin" the weight close to the hook so it doesn't flop around and get tangled in weeds. You can do this with a toothpick by pushing it into the weight hole and bind the line, or you can buy these little rubber things that will do the same thing. You want to drop your rig pretty much vertically down into and through the grass to the bottom, and jig vertically in the same spot. You may only move the rig a foot or so toward you before you need to lift it up and drop it somewhere else. What you don't want to do is try to work or swim the rig "through" the grass. Drop it down, make a couple jigs up and down, let it rest, jig again, no fish, move on. You can make a couple drops per minute drops a minute. Your rig is good for doing this kind of heavy jigging. You can also try something like a Strike King Rage Tail Frog and buzz it on top of the weeds. Be warned, strikes will be sudden and scary...hahahaha. Something like a senko may be too light to use on your set up, but maybe not. Try a heavy six inch senko, weightless and Texas rigged, and see if you can't get a decent cast out of it. You may want to drop back to say 20lb line. Are you using braid or mono? I'm gonna suggest mono until you get the hang of some of this. The choice is working stuff on top of the weeds or punching through the weeds to fish that are holding down in the muck. That said, by this time of the year, many, but not all bass, have pulled back from shore and gone to deeper water where the temp and oxygen levels are more comfortable, so shore punching may have limited success. Try and fish the mats closest to deeper water. If the weeds go out from shore, say 30 feet, try and cast your senko out beyond the edge of the weeds, let it sink, and work it back to you slowly. You should be able to pull it up the face of the weeds and onto the mat, again, work it ever so slowly across the mat. As far as feeling the strike. Sometimes it is massive, dragging a frog over a grass mat will evoke a massive response! Sometimes the hit is almost imperceptible. A bass doesn't mostly actually "bite" the bait, but rather flexes its gills and literally sucks the bait into its mouth. You need to really watch your line. A lot of the time when fishing a senko, your line is slack, so you need to watch it. If you see it jump a little or move a few inches, or moves off steadily, set the hook. If you do feel the strike, it is likely to feel like a little peck or tick...set the hook. Again, many times the hit will occur as the lure falls through the water on the initial cast, so be prepared as soon as the lure hits the water. These are tried and true techniques used by everyone on this board, so be confident you are not wasting your time. If there are fish there, eventually you will put it together. Confidence counts. Don't get discouraged. The dead heat of August is tough all over. While reading everything you can lay your hands on is important, you need to get out there and use a few basic techniques and catch a couple fish. Once that happens your confidence will rise and off you go. I would read about the life cycle of the bass, and just as important, the life cycle of the forage it eats. Where the food goes, so goes the bass. One more thing, I have always found it more important to know "where" the fish are rather than "what" I am using to go after them. There are many lures that will catch bass once you find them.

[evrgladesbasser]

I have a pond behind my house and the water is murky and there are weeds along the shore I think it's hydrillo or something like that there's no structure or anything really and it sucks using a lure cause when you reel it in it gets caught on the hydrillo

Murky water + weeds= Weightless Senko rigged weedless.

Cast along the edge of the weeds and let it sink. Then slowly twitch it back. That's all you need to know, for now...