Since I am a woman I thought I should probably let you all know that when it comes to fishing...I DO know what I'm talking about.
I first learned to fresh-water fish at about the same time that I learned to walk, as I grew up with a well-known trout stream running through my backyard. My dad taught me and my four brothers how to fish. I have also been baiting my own hooks since about the age of five or six since my dad made it very clear from the beginning that if we didn't bait our own hooks, we didn't get to fish. Of course from my infancy to age five he bent that rule, but after that I was on my own. Now, at an age over 50, I consider myself very knowledgeable about fish and fishing both freshwater and saltwater.
Even through my teenage years I fished. As I also like to hike and camp, I taught myself how to catch the elusive native brook trout that inhabit the small springs and streams in the mountains. I learned that to catch these fish you must use their natural food as bait, so first I would round up crickets and small grasshoppers. Then I would crawl to edge of the stream on my belly (native trout spook easily - they can feel your footsteps vibrations and will scatter if you try to approach the stream walking), then I would carefully lower my bait into the water. Since these native trout rarely got any bigger than 7 to 8 inches I would catch several before putting them in a pan and frying up my breakfast. Mmmmm, nothing better than fresh native trout for breakfast when you're toughing it up in the mountains :)
My brothers and I also spent many days and weekends fishing the lakes of North America. We battled monster Pike, Pickeral, and Muskellunge as well as the smaller game-fish like Large-mouth and Small-mouth Bass, Perch, Catfish, and Carp. I learned that you need to fish for each and every game fish in a different way, with different tackle, and different bait if you want to be successful. Yes you can catch many different fish using just one type of tackle but if you really want to catch more of a specific type of fish you need to be more specific with your tackle, bait, and presentation.
I moved to Florida many years later and for a time lived in a house on a Gulf-access canal. The neighbors told me right off the bat that they never saw anybody catch anything in there. Not knowing anyone who knew how to saltwater fish, I took it upon myself to teach myself how to saltwater fish. I lay on the dock and watched...I saw many fish. I saw how the little Pinfish scattered and hid when bigger fish came into the canal. I watched them jump out of the water (it looked like the water was boiling) when they were cornered. I saw how the Sheepshead would constantly pick at the mollusks attached to the dock. I watched the Snook lay under the dock during the day and become voracious predators come dusk and dawn. I watched and learned. I also bought several salt-water fishing magazines and read every article I could find on what kind of fish were in this body of water, what they ate, and how to catch them.
I went out and bought bigger tackle and started fishing off the dock hoping that the little knowledge that I had gained would be enough to catch a saltwater fish...and to my, and my neighbors surprise I immediately began hauling in every kind of salt-water fish imaginable. I couldn't believe the fight that the Crevalle Jacks gave me! These fish are not good eating but they are one the strongest, most aggressive fish that I have ever tried to reel in. The first one I caught on a shrimp but soon found out that they actually preferred the Pinfish as bait. This is when I first started free-lining Pinfish and Shrimp, just because I had a hunch that it would work better than a sinker and or a bobber.
The month of October was one of the best months for catching Redfish (Red Drum) off the dock. During this month I was pulling in 35 to 48 lb. fish over and over again. I always released them but had to spend about 20 minutes reviving them before I let them go as my line was only 18 lb test and I really had to play them to get them to the dock.
We got a boat and soon I was taking what little knowledge I had out into the flats and up to 50 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico. I read everything I could get my hands on about how to catch Grouper and other reef-inhabitants and again went out and bought bigger tackle. My Grouper rod is a heavy duty Penn rod and Penn bait-caster. I lined it with 50 lb. test and an 80 lb. leader. You do need to use a drop or slide sinker when fishing the reefs for grouper so you can get your bait down there fast enough that the smaller surface-dwelling fish don't eat your bait before it reaches the bottom. When grouper fishing you MUST set the hook as soon as you feel them bite! Then you must immediately haul them up out of the water because if you don't they WILL take your bait, hook, and line down in their den and you WON'T be able to pull them out.
While bottom fishing the reefs, I always have at least one other rod ready for surface fishing - usually my Fish-Bonz rod lined with 18 lb. test and a steel leader. Reefs are good places to catch Mackeral, Kingfish, Snapper, and of course Sharks. There is never any lack of action at a good reef.
A friend of mine and her husband came to visit me down in Florida. He happened to be a Pro-Bass fisherman from North Carolina but he had very little experience in saltwater fishing. I tried to give him some pointers on how to catch some of the saltwater denizens. I explained to him that the tackle and techniques were very different and that just because he was a Pro-Bass fisherman didn't mean he would do well fishing in saltwater. He shrugged it off and made it a contest...well I've never met a man I couldn't out-fish (except for maybe one of my brothers) so I took his challenge, since he was being stubborn and wouldn't listen to me. When the day was done, he admitted defeat and let me tell him how he should be fishing this type of body of water. They came to visit several times since and he's now a much better salt-water fisherman.
I moved up north to New England a few years back. I had only ever fished the Atlantic a handful of times but I used my experience from fishing the Gulf to land me several Striped Bass, Halibut, Sharks, and Pollock.
I am now back where it all started with the trout stream running through the backyard. I felt that it was time that I shared some of my fishing knowledge with other people. I hope that this patience-building pastime gives you just as much enjoyment as it does me, my children, and all of my family. Lets take care of our streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans so that the new generations can enjoy them the way we have.
Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story. Good luck and happy fishing - JD
I first learned to fresh-water fish at about the same time that I learned to walk, as I grew up with a well-known trout stream running through my backyard. My dad taught me and my four brothers how to fish. I have also been baiting my own hooks since about the age of five or six since my dad made it very clear from the beginning that if we didn't bait our own hooks, we didn't get to fish. Of course from my infancy to age five he bent that rule, but after that I was on my own. Now, at an age over 50, I consider myself very knowledgeable about fish and fishing both freshwater and saltwater.
Even through my teenage years I fished. As I also like to hike and camp, I taught myself how to catch the elusive native brook trout that inhabit the small springs and streams in the mountains. I learned that to catch these fish you must use their natural food as bait, so first I would round up crickets and small grasshoppers. Then I would crawl to edge of the stream on my belly (native trout spook easily - they can feel your footsteps vibrations and will scatter if you try to approach the stream walking), then I would carefully lower my bait into the water. Since these native trout rarely got any bigger than 7 to 8 inches I would catch several before putting them in a pan and frying up my breakfast. Mmmmm, nothing better than fresh native trout for breakfast when you're toughing it up in the mountains :)
My brothers and I also spent many days and weekends fishing the lakes of North America. We battled monster Pike, Pickeral, and Muskellunge as well as the smaller game-fish like Large-mouth and Small-mouth Bass, Perch, Catfish, and Carp. I learned that you need to fish for each and every game fish in a different way, with different tackle, and different bait if you want to be successful. Yes you can catch many different fish using just one type of tackle but if you really want to catch more of a specific type of fish you need to be more specific with your tackle, bait, and presentation.
I moved to Florida many years later and for a time lived in a house on a Gulf-access canal. The neighbors told me right off the bat that they never saw anybody catch anything in there. Not knowing anyone who knew how to saltwater fish, I took it upon myself to teach myself how to saltwater fish. I lay on the dock and watched...I saw many fish. I saw how the little Pinfish scattered and hid when bigger fish came into the canal. I watched them jump out of the water (it looked like the water was boiling) when they were cornered. I saw how the Sheepshead would constantly pick at the mollusks attached to the dock. I watched the Snook lay under the dock during the day and become voracious predators come dusk and dawn. I watched and learned. I also bought several salt-water fishing magazines and read every article I could find on what kind of fish were in this body of water, what they ate, and how to catch them.
I went out and bought bigger tackle and started fishing off the dock hoping that the little knowledge that I had gained would be enough to catch a saltwater fish...and to my, and my neighbors surprise I immediately began hauling in every kind of salt-water fish imaginable. I couldn't believe the fight that the Crevalle Jacks gave me! These fish are not good eating but they are one the strongest, most aggressive fish that I have ever tried to reel in. The first one I caught on a shrimp but soon found out that they actually preferred the Pinfish as bait. This is when I first started free-lining Pinfish and Shrimp, just because I had a hunch that it would work better than a sinker and or a bobber.
The month of October was one of the best months for catching Redfish (Red Drum) off the dock. During this month I was pulling in 35 to 48 lb. fish over and over again. I always released them but had to spend about 20 minutes reviving them before I let them go as my line was only 18 lb test and I really had to play them to get them to the dock.
We got a boat and soon I was taking what little knowledge I had out into the flats and up to 50 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico. I read everything I could get my hands on about how to catch Grouper and other reef-inhabitants and again went out and bought bigger tackle. My Grouper rod is a heavy duty Penn rod and Penn bait-caster. I lined it with 50 lb. test and an 80 lb. leader. You do need to use a drop or slide sinker when fishing the reefs for grouper so you can get your bait down there fast enough that the smaller surface-dwelling fish don't eat your bait before it reaches the bottom. When grouper fishing you MUST set the hook as soon as you feel them bite! Then you must immediately haul them up out of the water because if you don't they WILL take your bait, hook, and line down in their den and you WON'T be able to pull them out.
While bottom fishing the reefs, I always have at least one other rod ready for surface fishing - usually my Fish-Bonz rod lined with 18 lb. test and a steel leader. Reefs are good places to catch Mackeral, Kingfish, Snapper, and of course Sharks. There is never any lack of action at a good reef.
A friend of mine and her husband came to visit me down in Florida. He happened to be a Pro-Bass fisherman from North Carolina but he had very little experience in saltwater fishing. I tried to give him some pointers on how to catch some of the saltwater denizens. I explained to him that the tackle and techniques were very different and that just because he was a Pro-Bass fisherman didn't mean he would do well fishing in saltwater. He shrugged it off and made it a contest...well I've never met a man I couldn't out-fish (except for maybe one of my brothers) so I took his challenge, since he was being stubborn and wouldn't listen to me. When the day was done, he admitted defeat and let me tell him how he should be fishing this type of body of water. They came to visit several times since and he's now a much better salt-water fisherman.
I moved up north to New England a few years back. I had only ever fished the Atlantic a handful of times but I used my experience from fishing the Gulf to land me several Striped Bass, Halibut, Sharks, and Pollock.
I am now back where it all started with the trout stream running through the backyard. I felt that it was time that I shared some of my fishing knowledge with other people. I hope that this patience-building pastime gives you just as much enjoyment as it does me, my children, and all of my family. Lets take care of our streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans so that the new generations can enjoy them the way we have.
Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story. Good luck and happy fishing - JD
