Story of my bad fishing luck

[mike64]

My bad fishing luck is almost legendary. But hope springs eternal-- going fishing up north this weekend with a buddy who's a veteran fisherman, so keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get better and my luck will change.

It started when I was around 11. Even though my dad used to go fishing with his dad all the time, he apparantly grew out of it, because he never went fishing as an adult. So I didn't get to try until I went to a summer day camp. They passed out ancient beat-up fishing rods to us kids one fine summer day, showed us how to cast and we were pretty much on our own. I walked down a steep bank to the river we were fishing, and gave a good strong cast. The reel broke off and went flying into the muck and reeds by the bank. So i took my shoes and socks off and waded in to get the reel. But now my feet were wet and muddy, so I carried my shoes, socks, and broken rod & reel and walked up the bank barefoot. Only problem was, the bank was covered with thistle plants, so I went "ow ow ow owowowoowowOWOW!!" all the way up. But I was not giving up so easy! I got another rod & reel, put my shoes back on and went back down. This time I unfortunately chose a spot beneath a tree to cast out, and caught myself a nice big branch over my head. I had to yank until the line broke off from the hook. I silently vowed I would never fish again.

That lasted until I was 16. My friend's dad wanted to break in his new car, so he took us on a trip up north for a couple days. He wanted to take us fishing, but we didn't have any equipment, so he took us to one of those U-fish trout ponds. This is one of those deals where everybody's guaranteed to walk away with trout. So I thought, I can do this! My friend and his dad caught a few right away, but not a nibble on my hook. In a tiny little pond TEEMING with hungry trout. It stated to get embarrasing after awhile. Finally the guy running the place came out to see what was taking so long. He asked if I wanted any help, so I rolled my eyes and gave him the rod. Of course he quickly caught me a few. The barbequed trout was tasty, but not as tasty as if I had caught it.

So I started fishing again a couple summers ago, especially last year after I bought my first boat. I have two young sons, and I want them to remember fishing trips we took. I've had a little more luck-- couple bass, a few bluegill here and there. Nothing to write home about. Mostly I feed worms to the fish. Now, I realize that there's a difference between bad luck and bad fishing skills. I believe I suffer from both. Will improving my skills improve my luck? We'll see. I'm not giving up!!

 

[Bart Sr.]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

May the most you expect be the least you receive.

 

[spktho]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Go a few times with someone who knows fishing and catches fish and learn everything they do. Including rod/reel combos, line, leaders, sinkers, swivels, hooks, lures, crank baits, live baits........and where to find fish.

 

[Mike250]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Have you heard of beer? Makes fishing much more enjoyable.

 

[mike64]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Have you heard of beer? Makes fishing much more enjoyable.

Why do you think I haven't given up yet?

 

[evinrude lover]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Why do you think I haven't given up yet?

I have a buddy like that he comes down to fish with his son we catch nothing. We drop him off at the boat launch and me and his son go out and catch.we call him from the spot were catching send him pictures of the fish were catching. he wants to come back out we pick him up and we catch nothing. his new name is bad luck bill! his son came up with the name...

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

The next time you come to Florida pm me..........our latest trip put about 75 fish on deck..all but 7 were released to fight again. Here are some pics of our latest trip with my wife and buddy. Guaranteed..you won't get skunked!!



http://s314.photobucket.com/albums/ll422/triumphrick/Barb Dave Rick 5 - 7/

 

[mike64]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

The next time you come to Florida pm me..........our latest trip put about 75 fish on deck..all but 7 were released to fight again. Here are some pics of our latest trip with my wife and buddy. Guaranteed..you won't get skunked!!

Thanks for the invite! I might take you up on it someday-- my sister & bil live about 4-5 hours away from you, on the other side. I might just end up jinxing you guys though, like evinrude_lover's buddy

 

[david_r]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

well its like i tell my kids: its called "fishing" if you always caught something it would be called "catching" ............. im not trying to be a smart*** but its true

if you ever come towards oklahoma i can take you to catch some fish!!!

i fish creeks, ponds, lakes, rivers, and watersheds..................i wish i lived closer to the ocean so i could go there too

do you have a fishfinder?....what kind of water do you fish??.....lake,creek,pond,river,ect

look for structure sticking out of the water or just under it if you dont have a fish finder, also look for baitfish..............if you do have one look for structure on the bottom, humps, holes, and the edges of channels.......

sometimes i have great luck and sometimes i dont catch squat.

we have had so much rain this year , and cold fronts, the fishing has suffered greatly................the last nice bass i caught was back in march see here

6lbs 4oz


now striper and sandbass have just now started to run.......3-5lb sand bass and 3-12lb striper are showing up in the creeks finally......but if you know striper fishing those are nothing to write home about

crappie has been slow this year also...........even though the water temp is 64f

good luck!!!!!

triumphrick looks like yall had a great time..........im jealous .....i want to fish the ocean too

 

[mike64]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Thanks for the tips David! Nice looking bass. And Triumphrick, forgot to say, nice haul in those pics! I mostly fish around the many inland lakes around here for bass, walleye, perch, panfish, typical small lake warm water fish. I don't have a fishfinder. I do look for stuff like logs or weeds underwater, dropoffs, places fish are supposed to like.

I need to learn better lure and baiting techniques. I heard the Texas rig is good for catching bass so I tried that out, but no luck. I've never caught jack with artificial baits. Best luck I've had is with a treble hook spinner. The September before last I went fishing on my birthday-- used that spinner lure, put a worm on it just to stack the deck, and got a good sized bass on my first cast! I thought yeah, little bit of birthday luck...gonna be a good day fishing! Then the reel seized up and I was done for the day
It was a really cheap rod & reel combo, I got an upgrade after that. Last summer I caught a small bass with that same spinner, and a few panfish with worms & bobbers.

I really just posted this because I thought some of you might get some amusement out of my fishing misadventures, but I appreciate the advice and offers to take me fishing...thanks guys!

 

[BIGcarpy50]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

I know what you mean....but if you fish lakes and ponds its tricky to find the fish sometimes..weather conditions and so forth...ask around local shops and bait stores and you will be catching fish in no time...i did that and found a small walk down lake where i caught the biggest bass in my life..

 

[mike64]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

My wife just called me at work-- she said she bought me a fish finder at a garage sale for $10-- it retailed for $250 apparently.

No idea yet what kind it is or what condition it may be in-- it needs a new battery before we even know if it works. But what a great wife, huh?

...ask around local shops and bait stores and you will be catching fish in no time...i did that and found a small walk down lake where i caught the biggest bass in my life..

Thanks for the tip big carpy!

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Fishing.... I used to fish alot, off of West Palm Beach, FL. Moved to The west coast of Florida and all my fishing skills needed to change. I burned thousands of gallons of gas and caught 15 lbs of fish.

Then I took up Scuba - Now I get these all the time! Note the nice hole. Thats from my spear. I even get to choose how big a fish I want! Now thats FISHING!

 

[mike64]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

...Then I took up Scuba - Now I get these all the time! Note the nice hole. Thats from my spear. I even get to choose how big a fish I want! Now thats FISHING!

That's CHEATING!

Just kidding. All's fair in war and fishing, right?

Always wanted to try scuba, I used to snorkel a lot, and salt water snorkeling is great. Another reason I envy you Floridians. What kind of fish is that?

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Nice hogfish flr, but ya gotta learn to hit them in the head. It makes them want to poop a bubble..That spear tip takes a bit of meat out of the body...

Plus, if you hit a shark there, he's gonna get really mad..and then...

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Mike, if it were easy...........anybody could do it.

just kidding. I was fortunate that my grandpa and my mom took the time to teach me and my brothers to fish. We learned to fish by the phases of the moon, how much rain, clear vs murky water, and of course structures.

Patience and practice.

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Mike, if it were easy...........anybody could do it.

just kidding. I was fortunate that my grandpa and my mom took the time to teach me and my brothers to fish. We learned to fish by the phases of the moon, how much rain, clear vs murky water, and of course structures.
Patience and practice.

This is key...tides, water clarity, advancing fronts, all of that makes a big difference. Even out here in the Gulf...

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

If you are looking for a great place to catch fish here in Michigan take a trip up to Fletcher's pond. It's a little west of Alpena and it provides 9,000 acres of excellent fishing for Bluegill, Sunfish, Bass, Pike and plenty of other species.

You won't need to hunt for the right spot as the lake is teeming with fish. We headed out from Jack's landing on the north side and marked fish instantly, shut down the big motor and started catching fish. Worm on a hook will catch you a Bluegill lightning fast, last summer I didn't get my line down for the first 30 minutes because every time I hooked a worm for my then 2-year-old son he would get another Bluegill on that I would need to admire with him and release, then hook a new worm for him.

He sure loved the action and I will be taking him and his little brother back there every chance we get. Another awesome feature is the fact that the reservoir(dammed up for hydro power in the 1930s) is also home to the largest ospry breeding ground in the midwest. There are large towers that have been built to provide good nesting and you can observe the huge sea birds stalking fish on the south end of the pond.

Thanks for sharing your fishing adventures and good luck this year

 

[David Greer]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

There is a reason why it's called "fishing" and not "catching fish."

 

[mike64]

Re: Story of my bad fishing luck

Thanks Huron Angler! I'll definitely keep Fletcher's Pond in mind. Took a look on Google Maps-- that is the biggest pond I've ever seen!

That Osprey breeding ground really makes me want to go. I like taking wildlife pics, so if I go I'm definitely bringing the camera. Here's an osprey pic I got in Florida (with my cheap telephoto lens because I was afraid to travel with the expensive one):

(his fishing luck was as bad as mine that time)