I've been fishing the madison river for years.  I have had fantastic success catching 20-30 fish a day and up to 22", however i catch nothing out of the deepest pools.  My friend and i think it is because we can't run our lures deep enough, how do we run our lure deeper.  Also, any tips for helping set a hook in a big fish, we have lost a lot of big fish because our hook always comes out.  Oh, remember it's a mountain river and the water is running pretty quickly.
206590
When i fished the gallatin river in mt., I used 3/8 spinner with about 4 or 5 weights on it.With the current and the weight, the lure went in the deeper pools. To catch the bigger fish pull up and back. With the 3/8 hook/spinner it will set better when given a good tug. Good Luck!
149817
First, you are going to need to take off your old line if you haven't done that yet. Just pull the line through the holes, and you will be at your reel. Unwind all of that. Have scissors handy. you might need to cut it a few times if it is really tangled. Throw out old line. Then, get you new line ready. Leave it on the spool it came with for the moment. Than on your reel there should be two holes. Thread about 3 inches through the two holes. wrap the 3 inches around reel. Then, take the new spool and just start wrapping it around the reel. Make sure it is nice and tight. Cut the line when you feel you have enough line on the reel. Unreel enough line to go through the hole on the rod and extra for your hook. Then, on the end of the line,  Tie a swivel. (it's this little connector thing that allows you to change you hooks without having to tie them to you line everytime you want to change hooks.) Than pick you hooks, spinners, bait or whatever your fancy, put it on the swivel, and go fishing. Hope that helps! And mad Kudo's to you for going fishing. I taught my best girlfriend how to last year and we have a blast. Sometimes we just go out there to relax, and hang out without the guys! o, ya and one more tip, if you are going trout fishing try a spinner. My hubby to be laughs everytime i go pick out lures or bait because i get the ones that have a color on them. However, i am the one who catches all the fish, and i don't get the colored ones b/c they are "pretty", i get the ones that i think will appeal to the fish. you know to "catch" their eye. :) have fun!
352523
Ya that line should be good if u r fishing for bigger carp you may want to try using stronger line. But the line wont spook them off unless maybe you are surface fishing otherwise carp use their sense of smell to find food so you should be ok.
126962
I prefer FLW other than bass masters. FLW is a better chance for an everyday fisherman to have fun and be able to fish against some of the best. As far as bass masters being better fisherman, the best fisherman fish both.I think what did it for me was when bass dropped Ranger Boats and went with Triton. Also starting out with FLW you fish tournaments against other pros or amateurs . Bass you join a club , real crappy way to do it. That is a long story on how that works , more complicated.
323964
you distance them for the area and the current. i would use and egg sinker as it will be heavier and will have less drag on the current. i would do egg on top about two feet and then the bobber and then about a foot or two and then the hook so your bait will float in the current. i would also use a leader depending on where you are. and get some good knots that you can tie. for the egg sinker its simple run a loop of line through the eye and then pull it around the weight to secure it a little it will make a small cinch knot that can be taken out at anytime. the others you may want to get a book or look online for fishing knots
117132
You want to exchange fish stories?You want to hear about the giant crappies that i caught?I have pictures of only their lips tho because i left them in water on a stringer to go make a drink.But they were HUGE.LOL . What is your biggest catch?
277668
About three years ago when these things were the "hot new item any fisherman needed in his tackle box" I went out and bought a couple of my favorite colors.  I tried them out and caught fish.  It wasn't like they hit the water and all of a sudden fish from the whole lake were fighting for it, but I caught fish nonetheless.\n\nI'm the type of person that if something works, I'm going to use it.  I'm also the type of person that when the fish are biting, and biting good, I'll throw a couple different things at them just to see if they're picky about what they're hitting.  Almost every time I've caught fish on a Yamamoto Senko, (except when they're hitting Yamamotos in tournaments and I don't want to take the chance of wasting casts,) I've thrown a ZOOM trickworm in right behind it and had bites.  I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's not worth your money, because you're fishing in Pennsylvania, and I'm in NC.  However, down here, I haven't noticed a difference significant enough to warrant spending the extra money.\n\nI like to have as many options available to me when I'm on the water though so I will admit that I do have about 10 different senkos in my bags.  They aren't used too often anymore, but they're still in there.
38875
Bass will be coming up to the shallows looking for spawning areas and food, try a plastic worm with a small weight in and around the lilly pads (texas rig style)hook point in the worm to prevent hooking the pads. Try green spinner baits around the timber letting it sink close to bottom. Most people reel crankbaits so fast only the most active fish will bite, slow down :D
466521
I fish up in Northwestern Ontario, Canada.  It's wilderness type country.  I fish in the spring, because while it's often cool- NO!darned cold, I avoid all the bugs.  The fishing is usually GREAT.  Northern pike, walleyes, perch, trout, and muskies.  You can usually catch enough that IF you kept all you catch, the weight would sink the boat.  We camp.  But, there are lodges.  You see eagles, beavers, bears, and moose.  You'll often see the "Northern Lights"  You'll hear loons, which to me IS, the sound of the North.  If you are seeking a wilderness fishing trip, you won't beat Canada, unless you go to Alaska.  I'd be happy to provide specific info, if you wish.
267050
Let me give you some sound advice.  If you live near a jetties, try there.  Anyway I fished from land in Jacksonville for many years and caught red fish, trout and flounder mostly.  The type of fish varies with the area.  Maybe a bridge in an inter coastal waterway or a back bay.  As far as a pier goes, I never cared much for that. There is a lot of good fishing from the bank or even wade fishing.  Again I would target the big 3 as I like to refer to them(reds, trout and flounder).  If you get a cast net you can save a bundle on bait.  I prefer mud minnows, finger mullet and live shrimp. Maybe I didn't exactly answer your question but I guess I'm trying to steer you away from waisting your time on a pier.  It all depends on how serious of a fisherman you want to become!
603675
If you have an illuminated bobber, this works wonders for attracting fish.\n\nAnother idea is a stink bait.  This will also attract fish.\n\nUse a bell on your pole, or take a regular bobber and attach it to the line under the fishing rod.  Make sure you twist the hook.  It will drag the line tight, and when a fish strikes it, the bobber will bounce off the rod, making a "crack" sound.  Since the hook is twisted to the side, you can reel in without difficulty.
141151
The bigger bass are not likely to hit a surface lure. They didn't get big by chasing smaller fish around the pond burning their calories. Try something slow and deep. Plastic worms are the choice I would make. Fish them deep, on the bottom of the deepest water you can reach. Fish early and late as their eyes are light-sensitive. And most importantly, stay with it. Be patient. When you're after BIG fish, you don't catch one every five casts.
657073
Try using a minnow or even what they call Chubbs..Which is another type of minnow but you can catch them in the stream!!!Good Luck!!!
641912
If you can get a boat out from Brora,Golspie or Helmsdale area you can get some cracking sport.I fished that area last year and we filled 10 boxes with cod and ling between 7 rods and I think only 1 trace got lost and that was due to fisherman error.\nThe boat we used was called Bonny Lass and the skipper was called Tom Macrae (sorry dont have his number but I am sure its in the phone book)
675753
To get into the big $$ tourneys, you have to pay big $$.  Try going to the FLW website.  They have the tour schedule on that site.  Also try the B.A.S.S. website, they have listings as well.  It's like the girl above me said, you really have to research it yourself.  There are so incredibly many different tourney out there, you just have to find some that you can afford, and can get to.  The tournament trail is an expensive one, so unless your rich, or are very resourceful, you really have to work your way up from the bottom.  The bottom being a start at a local fishing club.  Fish those tourneys untill you can put together a good resume of your winnings.  Then try to get some smaller sponsers.  Just remember that you have to help them out, like they help you.  After you are ready, you can move up on the tourneyment scale.  I don't know of any pros who made it to the top the easy way.  They all had to put their time in, and work up the "boarding" ladder.  Try this link, for more thourough info on tourney fishing.  Tight lines, and maybe I'll see you at the top.
565657
The best bait of all time would have to be the soft plastic worm.  The YUM dinger is my favorite.  They come in 3,4,5,6,7, inch models as well as a split tail model in 9 inch.  They have a recessed hook slot for hiding the hook point, to allow for more and better hook sets.  Rig the dinger wieghtless, and Texas style, to allow for a proper lure presentation fall rate.  This worm is my "goto" bait, and can account for 75% of the bass I have caught.  I have caught large and smallmouth bass using this worm.  I prefer the 4 inch YUM dinger, in the watermelon seed color with gold flake.  Cast the worm using the flipping or pitching technique, and be ready for a strike on the initial fall.  Here's a tip, after you cast, or flip/pitch the worm to your desired location, DO NOT reel in any slack, simply lift the tip of your rod to make the line tighter.  This way, you will feel 95% of the hits.  Although, I have had a few occasions where I did not feel a strike, and the line either just felt tight (like it was snagged), or the line moves off to one side or another.  So keep an eye on the line where it enters the water.  If you don't get a hit on the initial fall, let it sink to the bottom, and then give the worm 2-3 small tugs, as to bring the worm a foot or so off the bottom.  Keep in mind, that bass will take the bait as it is falling, so keep your line taut.  If the YUM dinger doesn't work, try the YUM hawgtail.  I fish it the same way as the dinger, and have found that if one doesn't work, the other usually does. YUM products are infussed with Live Prey Technology (LPT) and keep the scent after days and days of casting the lure. But it shouldn't come to that. They are well made products, and are also priced competitively.  The second best bass lure would have to be the spinnerbait.  Don't buy the tandem blade models either, they don't work as well.  Buy the smaller single colorado blade models to catch more bass.  It is a statistical fact!!  The best colors seem to be black, and black/charteuese.  Trailer hooks are also an unneccesary expense.  If the bass are short striking the spinnerbait, slow down!  Spinnerbaits seem to work best when they are bumped against structure, such as the pier in your question.  Since spinnerbaits are mostly snaggless, you should be ok to do so.  Every good fisherman has to loose lures now and again.  If you have any other questions, feel free to email me. I put up the links to help you out some.  The first 2 links will take you to sites that have a plethera of tips for bass, lures, and all aspects of bass fishing.  The 3rd site is a place where you can order YUM products online if you would like.  The last link goes to another YUM site, that gives alittle more info on the YUM dinger as well as other YUM products.  I cannot access it, but if you move back 1 step from the page in the 4th link, you can access a movie on how to fish the dinger.  I hope this helped, have fun and tight lines.
489266
I hunt three different counties in north ark. , baxter, randolph, and craighead. Not married, no family, so I have alot of hunting time. I assure you the rut is not over. I saw a nice 8+ pt. chasing a doe Saturday, and a 5 or 6 pt. chasing Sunday. Just a little FYI, I have about 10 or so guys that hunt up here in different areas, we were all in agreeance that the rut came in just a little later than normal. Obviously the earliest does may be done but theres always the late ones that are just coming into estrus now, so it should continue for a while. With the massive acorn crop this year the best setup would be around good white oak trees, outside of thickets; where trails converge, or natural funnels. That being said we had two bucks killed on food plots last week mid morning, so if the bucks are running you never really know where they'll be. I'd do a little scouting and try to find where the deer are feeding during the day or traveling to and fro. If your looking for that Big Boy that hides out, dive off into the thickest stuff you can shoot in around where deer are traveling or hanging out. Best of luck to ya!