Any fishermen/women on RZ?

[dabvu2498]

Yesterday's weather really got me excited about fishing season.

Just wondering if any other RZers were into fishing. If so, perhaps we could collaborate a bit on improving our success so we don't have to tell so many lies.

So... where do you fish? What do you fish for? Any special tips? Equipment advice?

This is the place for general fishing discussion.

As for me, I have a farm pond that I fish quite a bit. There are a few decent sized (10"-14") bass that are in there and always an ample supply of bluegill and crappie. I also have access to a pay lake down the road a bit that stocks monster catfish, although I've never brought one in.

Acton Lake (at Hueston Woods) is also not far for me, but is better if fished from a boat (which I do not have). There are some nice bass there. Ditto Rocky Fork Lake.

Also, some buddies and I try to make one trip a year (didn't make it last year) somewhere to get away and try to catch some monsters, either to Watts Bar, Cumberland or Jones Bluff in Alabama.

Anyway, just wondered if there were any anglers out there interested in sharing some lies.

[rdiersin]

I'm a fisherman. I had mainly, before leaving South Bend, IN, been fly fishing for steelhead and smallies on the St. Joe river and its tributaries. As a kid in Cincinnati, my dad and I would fish out on White Oak creek with ultralites and catch smallies, some largemouths, and various sunfish. Also, we would fish on the Ohio at Meldahl Dam, which was fun because you would get runs of white bass and really would never know what might be at the end of the line. We would also go to various farm ponds, which would get some bigger largemouths.

Now, I guess I will try the Susquehana and Schuylkill for smallmouth bass and some various trout streams in SE PA. I need to get out soon.

[Red Leader]

I go on a fishing trip every year to my in-laws cottage in Canada. Their cottage is about an hour and a half east of Toronto near a town called Peterborough. Their cottage sits on the Trent River. After several years of getting shut out, I caught some nice sized bass, walleye, and pike two years ago. Last year, I didn't catch much at all, but had several good hits, just couldn't land them. My father in law tells me there are still some huge muskie in there, but I haven't seen anyone catch any. I'll be going back this year the week after the 4th of July. My wife is an expert fisherman(woman). She's been fishing since she could stand. She ALWAYS pulls in the biggest fish. Honestly, she's very, very good. That's who is teaching me. I love fishing and love learning different techniques, etc. I bought her a new Daiwa baitcaster reel and rod for Christmas this past year. She loved it. Looking forward to seeing her use it this year.

[redsmetz]

Just out of curiosity, with all the questions being posed for lady RZ'ers, is there a move on to figure out who might make a good possible mate?

[TeamCasey]

Fisherwoman here, although I don't get out as much as I did in New York. The concept of a pay lake is foreign to me.

I prefer small lakes and farm ponds.

I'd like to go deep sea fishing sometime before I kick the bucket.

[Red Leader]

I have been deep sea fishing numerous times. I love it.

I've caught shark, marlin, and sailfish. Awesome time. It is extremely physically draining. It took me 2 1/2 hours to pull in the shark I caught. I was 17 years old, in the best shape of my life and my body was so stiff the next day I could barely walk. Total adrenaline rush when you get them close to the boat and realize how big the animal is, though. I highly recommend it for anyone.

[rdiersin]

Originally Posted by dabvu2498

There are a few decent sized (10"-14") bass that are in there and always an ample supply of bluegill and crappie.

Have you tried fishing them with a fly rod? Before we were married, I would visit my wife on weekends and her apartment had ponds around it, which you could fish. I brought down my 5 weight fly rod, and put little dry flies out there for the bluegill and that was a blast. A great way to introduce yourself to the fly rod. I have only been at it for a little while myself, but it is fun.

[Puffy]

The girl who I am currently "seeing" - in other words, getting no where fast with - is from a big commercial fisherman family and they want to take me spanish fishing, whatever the heck that is.

Since I want to be more than "seeing" this girl there is a good chance I will be doing a bunch of fishing this summer. It also helps to live on the Gulf of Mexico!

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by rdiersin

Have you tried fishing them with a fly rod? Before we were married, I would visit my wife on weekends and her apartment had ponds around it, which you could fish. I brought down my 5 weight fly rod, and put little dry flies out there for the bluegill and that was a blast. A great way to introduce yourself to the fly rod. I have only been at it for a little while myself, but it is fun.

I have never fly fished anything. Would love to try. How much would a decent "starter" fly fishing set up cost me?

Anyone from around here tried to get any of the trout out of Voice of America Park? That might be my goal for the summer.

[Puffy]

Originally Posted by Red Leader

I have been deep sea fishing numerous times. I love it.

I've caught shark, marlin, and sailfish. Awesome time. It is extremely physically draining. It took me 2 1/2 hours to pull in the shark I caught. I was 17 years old, in the best shape of my life and my body was so stiff the next day I could barely walk. Total adrenaline rush when you get them close to the boat and realize how big the animal is, though. I highly recommend it for anyone.

Red Leader pick up lines:

(1) I don't know if you know this, but my dad is a doctor.
(2) Did you know that when I was 17 I was in the best shape of my life and caught a huge shark after fighting with him for two hours. I have him stuffed. Wanna go back to my place and see him?

[rdiersin]

Originally Posted by dabvu2498

I have never fly fished anything. Would love to try.

Anyone from around here tried to get any of the trout out of Voice of America Park? That might be my goal for the summer.

Its not as hard as it seems, is all that I can really say. Its an addiction though.

As far as the trout in VOA park, I would guess that you should not wait until summer. Unless it is spring fed, the water temp will get too warm for trout by sometime in June. I've never fished it, though. If you are interested in trout also look for below the dam at Brookville Lake. The tailwaters get stocked every year. Just try not and keep the browns, as they are stocked by Trout Unlimited without help from the Indiana DNR. The rainbows are stocked by the DNR and are pretty much a put and take fishery, so keep them if you want, but the browns can sustain a higher water temp and TU is trying to work on this to see if it is a better option, that might have possibilities for a "wild", if you can call it that, population.

As far as setup goes, it varies. Probably from 50 bucks to who knows what. It really depends on what you want to do with it. You can probably get a cheap Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops kit for bluegill and bass for 50 bucks or so. A great way to learn about it is going to a fly fishing meeting. That's kind of how I got started. I think Buckeye Fly Fishers is supposed to be a good group and they have meetings in Cincinnati. I think fly fishing seems daunting at times, because some of the equipment is so much money, but for a starter kit for bluegill and bass, you don't need the top of the line stuff. As I said I am fairly new, and when I got into it I was going to steelhead and needed sturdier stuff. My setup was Redington combo for 150-200, but that's with a lifetime gaurantee. That's one nice thing about fly rods is that some come with a lifetime gauratee, so even if you run over it with you car, you still might get a new rod. Haven't had to use it yet though. I'm in no way an equipment expert FYI.

[Red Leader]

Originally Posted by Puffy

The girl who I am currently "seeing" - in other words, getting no where fast with - is from a big commercial fisherman family and they want to take me spanish fishing, whatever the heck that is.

Since I want to be more than "seeing" this girl there is a good chance I will be doing a bunch of fishing this summer. It also helps to live on the Gulf of Mexico!

If she's taking you spanish fishing, you'd better bring the spanish fly!

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by rdiersin

As far as the trout in VOA park, I would guess that you should not wait until summer. Unless it is spring fed, the water temp will get too warm for trout by sometime in June. I've never fished it, though.

I'm not sure what the water source would be for that particular lake, but I'm fairly sure it's not a spring.

What would you think would be peak time to get trout in this part of the country?

PS: I know virtually nothing about trout fishing, so any tips would be appreciated.

[WebScorpion]

Originally Posted by Red Leader

If she's taking you spanish fishing, you'd better bring the spanish fly!

Spanish fishing is probably where a bunch of Spanish brothers take their sister's current boyfriend out and use him for bait to catch a 'big one'. Be careful!

[rdiersin]

Originally Posted by dabvu2498

I'm not sure what the water source would be for that particular lake, but I'm fairly sure it's not a spring.

What would you think would be peak time to get trout in this part of the country?

PS: I know virtually nothing about trout fishing, so any tips would be appreciated.

See my edit of my previous post. I would guess now to early June. In Michigan, and I think here in PA, people tend to fish until then or maybe July, and then turn their attention to bass or summer steelhead, and then in the fall go back to trout. Rainbow trout, IIRC, like water temps in the 50's, maybe lower 60's. As the water warms up beyond that, the oxygen levels lower and they become sluggish, and if the water temps get into the 70s, they could become more hazardous. Brown trout can survive slightly higher water temps, even into the lower 70's.