Introduction

[KiloMike]

Greetings, All!

I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Kevin and I am almost 40 years old, and brand new to fishing.

I have a son, who turns 13 this month, who got interested in fishing because he has a friend who does some fishing. I thought it sounded like a good father-son thing to do. So we are both learning.

We have had a couple of outings to Williamsport Lakes, but not much success. Don't know if they're not biting, or if we just don't know what we're doing. Reading some of the updates here, sounds like the latter!

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and let you know a liitle of my story so that when I start asking dumb questions, you aren't too hard on me! :)

Thanks in advance!

Kevin

[Farley]

Welcome, you can learn a lot on this site.

[jad2t]

Williamsport has been great lately with a number of techniques. Since you're a beginner I'd recommend the simple technique of fishing a weightless Senko. Purple with blue flake is a great color. Research "wacky rigged senko" on Google and you'll find plenty of articles and rigging instructions. Just cast and let it slowly sink. Give it a few twitches and watch for you line to takeoff to one direction or look for a quick "pop" in the slack line which would indicate the bass sucking the worm in. Set the hook and hold on because there are some really big bass in those lakes.

[Reel Tune]

Welcome to Fishing TN, Kevin.

It's great to hear that your son is interested in the outdoors. I couldn't imagine just learning to fish right now. With all the different lures and techniques I would definitely be overwhelmed. Fortunately you are here with us and hundreds or maybe thousands of years of experience is right at your fingertips. Most people are willing to help as long as you're willing to do a little research and are respectful which I have no doubt you are. There are so many fishing options here in Middle Tennessee from large reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and wet legging in creeks.

[tcintn]

Kevin,

This is an awesome site to learn some great techniques about fishing. One lives near by in Columbia,Alphahawk. This young man can teach all of us.

Send me a PM and I will meet you some week-end and give you a starter kit of Trout Magnets and items you would need to go with them.
I live in Franklin.
Ed

[ttitan27]

Welcome. Read and learn and don't be afraid to ask questions. Lots of knowledgeable people here.

[KiloMike]

I couldn't imagine just learning to fish right now. With all the different lures and techniques I would definitely be overwhelmed.

You're not kidding! I'm a bit of a nerd (I'm a computer programmer, what can I say?) so I research everything. If you read 8 articles about, say, how to catch bass in summer, you get at least 9-10 different opinions! I'm reading articles and watching videos and trying to make sense of it all!

[KiloMike]

Jimmy, I have read a lot about the Senko, both wacky and Texas rigged, think I will pick some up this week. What type/size hook do you recommend? My son and I both have spinning combos with 12# mono we picked up at Wal-Mart.

[SAMBOLIE]

Jimmy, I have read a lot about the Senko, both wacky and Texas rigged, think I will pick some up this week. What type/size hook do you recommend? My son and I both have spinning combos with 12# mono we picked up at Wal-Mart.


Welcome to the forum.

Throw those spinning combos in the trash. What you need is a bait cast reel spooled with 80 lb braid and at least a 7 ft rod.
:)

Seriously, IMO when bank fishing it is hard to do better than a medium size spinning outfit with 6 to 8 lb test line. Small crank baits, sliders, crappie grubs (paddle tail) and curly tails on 1/16th to 1/8th jig heads. Light tackle is even more fun and probably more productive.

There are better ways to use testosterone than casting big rigs.

[jad2t]

Jimmy, I have read a lot about the Senko, both wacky and Texas rigged, think I will pick some up this week. What type/size hook do you recommend? My son and I both have spinning combos with 12# mono we picked up at Wal-Mart.

Gamakatsu makes a great wacky rig hook with a weed guard. 2/0 will be just fine.

[XxthejuicexX]

Welcome to the forum.

Throw those spinning combos in the trash. What you need is a bait cast reel spooled with 80 lb braid and at least a 7 ft rod.
:)

Seriously, IMO when bank fishing it is hard to do better than a medium size spinning outfit with 6 to 8 lb test line. Small crank baits, sliders, crappie grubs (paddle tail) and curly tails on 1/16th to 1/8th jig heads. Light tackle is even more fun and probably more productive.

There are better ways to use testosterone than casting big rigs.


Hmmm, it's 65lb and 7'6". Sambolie is correct, medium size spinning outfit is a great all around rod and reel set up and Despite what Sambolie may think I do own spinning outfits, I don't like to fish with much smaller that 10lb for bass though. :rolleyes:

[SAMBOLIE]

Hmmm, it's 65lb and 7'6". Sambolie is correct, medium size spinning outfit is a great all around rod and reel set up and Despite what Sambolie may think I do own spinning outfits, I don't like to fish with much smaller that 10lb for bass though. :rolleyes:

Yeah that light line breaks easier on snags. I doubt you would think those little bass you catch can't be boated with less than 10 lb. :):)

[XxthejuicexX]

It was a stretch this spring fishing 6 but I will tell you I have new faith In lighter line. I caught some nice hybrids on it. It's like anything with the right set up and drag settings you could land about anything. Sambolie I do routinely catch monsters like this. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/18/vazuje8y.jpg


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[XxthejuicexX]

Oh yeah, successful thread high jacking! Durka durka Muhammad jihad!


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[agelesssone]

Juice, that bass would be a personal best for SAMBOLIE. I'm sure he's drooling over it right now. (Oh wait. He drools all the time . Never mind).

[Travis C.]

Welcome KiloMike.

You can read fishing tips every where these days. Since your just starting, I would begin slow. It can get overwhelming quick.

What species are you wanting to catch or just catch any?

For anything that bites it is very tough to beat live bait (worms or minnows) on a hook + split shot + bobber (float). Also, you can have about equal results on Trout Magnets by Leland Lures sold at Academy Sports and K-Mart's.

For Bass since they were brought up, I would start with something that all you have to do is cast then retrieve. A simple crankbait like a (Rapala Shad Rap #5 in black/silver) or a 3" white grub worm on a weedless jig hook 1/8oz weighted head. Cast either out and just crank it back in. Fish the soft plastic worm around timber and grass, fish the crank bait around open water and rocks.

Just remember in this game you can skin a cat 100 different ways...all may be right and not necessarily wrong.

Good luck and tightlines!

[Alphahawk]

Welcome to the forum.



Regards

[creekcrappie]

Welcome KiloMike. I fish for bass and crappie from the bank most the time. For bass, I usually try to find places that have not been fished over a million times, even if that means walking in the woods a bit. I would focus on deeper spots for bass right now. I would use texas rigged plastic worms with 3/8 oz. or bigger bullet weights, and maybe a carolina rigged soft plastic of some sort. If the fall I would try to imitate baitfish. I like to use Zoom Super Flukes with 3/0 or 4/0 EWG (Extra Wide Gap) hooks. In the spring for bass I like texas rigging a Zoom lizard or brush hog. I use a spinning rod most the time from the bank, so your combo should be perfect.

For crappie I almost always use Crappie magnets, but I sometimes use trout magnets. I fish for these mainly in the spring.

I usually fish percy priest, so if you need any bank fishing spots there, just ask.

[TroutFiend]

Welcome to the forum, lots of great info on this site. You will see many different techniques scouring the internet that will work. I would think in this day and time starting from scratch is a little easier with the net and YouTube. What you will be going through at first is one of the best parts of fishing, "figuring out what works in the reservoir you fish". One tip of advice I wish I would have taken years ago is, keep a log book on what fish were caught on, where you were, time, weather conditions, etc. I have 3 years logged now and it really helps when you need to figure out a pattern.

[XxthejuicexX]

What style of hook do you fish with jimmy when throwing a wacky rigged senko? I like the technique but am not up to speed on fishing it.


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[jad2t]

If you're looking for advice, the most important bit of information I can give you is don't listen to anything SAMBOLIE tells you. He doesn't even fish, he just likes to hang out and give us a hard time.

And NEVER EVER EVER go fishing anywhere he is. He brings some sort of jinx with him that can spread over an entire body of water and turn all the fish off. I think it's some sort of voodoo.

[jad2t]

What style of hook do you fish with jimmy when throwing a wacky rigged senko? I like the technique but am not up to speed on fishing it.


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http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=744279&categoryId=0&parentCategoryId=0&subCategoryId=0&indexId=0&itemGUID=5c727231dc487d5775fa411700f9db30&destination=/checkout/basket.jsp

My bad I said Gamakatsu but I meant Mustad. I like these a lot. 3/0 size works just fine.

[blink]

What style of hook do you fish with jimmy when throwing a wacky rigged senko? I like the technique but am not up to speed on fishing it.


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I know i am not Jimmy, but I fish a wacky rigged stickbait a lot. I use drop shot style hooks for this.

I also use an o-ring tool which saves lots of baits and gives better hookups.
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/O-Wacky_Tool/descpage-OWACKYTOOL.html

As for the baits themselves, i have never bought a pack of Senkos in my life. i have caught hundreds of fish on other brands. My current favorite is the Big Bite Trick Stick. You can get a 25 pack for $6 from TW.

[SAMBOLIE]

If you're looking for advice, the most important bit of information I can give you is don't listen to anything SAMBOLIE tells you. He doesn't even fish, he just likes to hang out and give us a hard time.

And NEVER EVER EVER go fishing anywhere he is. He brings some sort of jinx with him that can spread over an entire body of water and turn all the fish off. I think it's some sort of voodoo.

I spend my time CATCHING. Jimmy just fishes.
Truth is I have caught more fish in the dew on the lawn than Jimmy could dream of catching.:)