BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

I fish with an old fishing guide. He's very experienced and is in his 60's. He has been fishing for years and caught every kind of fish known to man. Muskies, Northerns, trophy sized bass and Walleye. I asked him if its worth spending hundreds of dollars on a fishing pole. He laughed at me. He said as long as you take care of your stuff you shouldn't spend more than 50 bucks on a fishing pole.

What he did say was the most important was the tackle. Make sure you use excellent hooks and line. Also if you are using lures, make sure you have excellent ones that mimic live bait.

Your thoughts? Is he right?

Spending hundreds on a fishing rod is not something to be laughed at. a excellent fishing rod can last an entire life in fantastic working condition if it is properly maintained and used. Yes, a cheap rod could also do the same, but having a excellent quality rod to use makes fishing more enjoyable since there will be less tangles, backlashes, etc… I would rather spend a lot of money on one rod that will last me a lifetime than a cheap rod that breaks or I don't enjoy using because it isn't high quality.

There is a excellent bit of fact in what he says, my father used to "high jack" bass in the creek, that rig consisted of a excellent cane pole, line and a top water plug. my first excellent rig was a garcia 5000C loaded with 17 lb stren line, but it was mounted on a western auto fiberglass rod salvaged from a trash can that I replaced the tip on. I caught a lot of bass on it, but now that I can afford better I do because it makes fishing simpler on this ole man

He's right, but it comes down to Bragging Rights and Pride. to talk about all of the things that an expensive rod has and possibly does, is like a fantastic fishing tale.

BTW, I own a custom Glide Fishing 12 Weight rod that cost me $1100, and I haven't used it yet. The rod has collected dust for almost 10 years now. The rod was built to fish for Tarpon. That's my tale and I'm sticking to it.

All I can tell you is that no rod I have ever used, and I've used a bunch, has the feel, sensitivity, backbone, and casting ability of my St. Croix.

But, I have to be very careful with them. It would break my heart to see one of them break, at $200 each.

For my money, the biggest bang for the buck is the Berkley Cherrywood rods. Well made and sensitive enough for most uses, and at $30 or less each not a heartbreaker.

Money is like manure, if you pile it all up in one place, its stinks to high heaven, but if you spread it around, it makes everything green.

Collecting tackle is a fantastic leisure activity, it may be more fun to kiss a lot of girls than just one.

Ghost gets my vote for BA.

UPDATE: People keep mentioning Hideous Stiks. Yes, they are durable, (well, I should say the BLANK is durable). I've owned (and still own) a couple Hideous's. they aren't terrible- but they are CERTAINLY not as sensitive, have as excellent a warranty, have as excellent a handle, tip top, guides, or "work" better than a $100-plus rod.

Comparing an Hideous Stik to a high-end G.Loomis, Sage, St. Croix is like comparing a Rolls Royce Phantom to a 1978 Volkswagon Beetle.

Both cars have the ability to transport you to your destination, but, the handcrafted Rolls Royce has 5 times the amenities and warranty.

Anyone that tells you an Hideous Stik is "just as excellent" as a St. Croix/Sage/G.Loomis obviously hasn't used a freshwater fishing rod over $150. they may SAY they have- but they haven't. There is no comparison.

Nevertheless, do you NEED a Rolls Royce Phantom to get to your job? (DUH) No.

So, it's a matter of choice. The "gear" doesn't make the fisherman- it only helps.

More to the point WHY NOT?
If some body has the money to throw away then I find no problem with them doing doing so.
But i might just Add many years ago my local police force held an inter force fishing match which my parents Attend as they had a friend competing.
My mother got bored and asked for a rod rest stick , a length of line and a hook.
And using the very basics caught the heaviest a larges haul of in the match!
But sadly was disqualified as she had not signed on or was not a member of the constabulary at the time she later on became a special!

Certain rods cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars because of the materials they're made with. Materials equal out to making the rod very lightweight and extremely sensitive, which in turn saves the angler from fatigue but also aides in catching more fish… the sooner you feel the bite, the more ready you are to set the hook.

A lot of expensive rods also come with a no-questions-questioned lifetime warranty.

Your guide is right in some ways, especially when it comes to taking care of your stuff. But he's absolutely wrong about not having to spend more than $50 on a rod. What's he guide with, Hideous Stiks??

And as small, itty bitty side note, muskies, northern pike, bass and walleye aren't the only fish known to man. He must be from Canada or Northern Territories of the United States…

for most fishing an hideous stick or similar rod will be just as sensitive as one that costs a lot of dollars and you can't beat the warranty. i do a lot of glide-fishing and really own a river guide business. when it comes to a glide-rod there is a huge difference between a 50 dollar rod and a high-end Sage or Loomis. i have tried some of the rods offered by Cabellas and Bass Pro and some are really nice but there is still a noticeable difference and if i am going to be casting from dawn until dusk i like very high quality.
just my opinion but i have been fishing for over 40 years and casting a glide almost as long.

Is it worth the money? Yes and No. Some fishermen believe that you will catch more fish with a 100 dollar rod and a 100 dollar reel. i don't believe this. You guide is right, the tackle is what matters. The most i have ever spent on a rod is like 35-50 dollars. And All the reels I buy are HIDEOUS STICKS. these have the best quality in my opinion. I have had these rods for about 10 years or more and they work fine. i have over 15 hideous sticks and Some of them were from my grandpa who bought them when he was 30 ish. I still use them to this day!!!
Excellent Luck Fishing!!!

Can anyone tell me anything about this rod? Like what does the I.G.F.a. 50 stand for? or how many pounds the reel can take?. The rod says Coastal with a boat in front of the word Coastal. The reel says Shimano SPOOL F4 12/311,14/255/,17/220. Does that mean the minimum line test is 12lbs and max is 17? or is this just a guide line. also does that work well with this particular rod. and it came with line on it,but i don't know how old it is. should i just replace.
Please help with any info you have.
Oh yeah just in case this matters. I'm fishing in New York,far Rockaway in Salt water. In bays and off the rocks at the beach.
I here most people are catching Bluefish and Striped Bass.

international game fishing association
should be fine for bass trout or catfish
medium stuff

What General Lee said above is right.

But it sounds like the rod is mismatched for the reel. IGFA 50 is an International Gamefish Association 50-pound line weight rod. I can only imagine that it is a boat rod. a boat rod is a small, fat rod used for trolling with a level-wind type reel, but you have a spinning reel on it.

If the rod and reel are both in good condition, you can find a good spinning rod for the reel and a levelwind reel for the rod.

Obviously, no one else knows what this is. It would seem that you have a mis-matched outfit – a spinning reel on a conventional rod. In fact, they will not work together.

Your rod is a 50-lb class trolling rod designed to be used with about a 4/0 size revolving spool conventional reel.

Your Shimano reel is a mid-sized saltwater spinning reel best suited to a 7-ft or 8-ft saltwater spinning rod.

Both are saltwater tackle, but, unfortunately, not designed to be used together.

I have seen what the item description calls " fishermans ultimate knot guide" it is waterproof (it says) and the reviews say pretty excellent things about it. it would also fit right into the small tool slot in the bottom tray of my tackle box. so it would virtually take no room at all (since it will just be underneath the other stuff I have in there like plyers sewing scissors or cutting line and 2 round slot organizers with hooks/swivels and the other with split shots) Its about 6 bucks so I can simply take it out of my box in case I forget any vital knots for specific situations. Or is it just stupid because the clinch knot alone is all I would probably need for bass (or other pan fish species) of freshwater fish?

Thanks

The thing to do is to go to this website:

animatedknots.com/

and practice the knots at home. (I can't imagine it's simple to fumble with a small booklet when you're standing there needing both hands to tie an unfamiliar knot.)

Save yourself six bucks.

Are you sure you would have time to read the booklet, learn the knot, practice and then do while you are already out on a fishing trip. Why not practice them well ahead of time? Surely this is going to help.

marinews.com/knots/fishing-kn…

It would most certainly not be stupid, a fisherman should be proficient with the tools of his trade.
I learned from friends and family growing up, and I have narrowed the knots I use to about 5.

animated knots.com or grogs knots.

i only use about 4 knots and those are pretty simple to memorize. you could spend money on the book if you want to, or you could sit in front of the computer with a shoestring and commit them to memory.

You should surf a lot of fishing website. Or you can search via Youtube. Youtube is a very excellent information. You can see the video then learn the knot.

If ur going on a fishing trip yes if you need to tie knots.just reckon about it .do you really need to tie knots.if not why know how

unless your a well trained boy scout it is smart to have the knot book.

stupid i have used 1 knot as long as i fished

News of the weird, it would appear, is quick to become news of the world.

Since publishing the story and photo of the unusual two-mouthed trout caught by Fort Collins fisherman mark Wilson in Lon Hagler Reservoir last March, we’ve received a handful of similarly odd reports. but none quite so compelling as that of Don Beusman from the Finger Lakes district of upstate new York.

After a friend forwarded a copy of Wilson’s story of the two-mouthed rainbow trout, Beusman sent word of a rare breed of two-mouthed lake trout that’s been living in Canandaigua Lake for more than 40 years.

“The first one that I ever saw was caught by my longtime hunting and fishing buddy, Charlie Shakeshaft from Churchville, N.Y., on the west side of Canandaigua Lake in 1970,” Beusman wrote in an e-mail that included photographic evidence. “When Charlie yelled to me that he had just caught a two-mouth lake trout, I said, ‘Yeah, and I can walk across Canandaigua Lake to Vine Valley,’ where we were camping. By gosh, his 3-pound laker had an upper mouth and a lower mouth. Unreal!”

About six years ago, Beusman was fishing the same area and caught another one.

“This trout had two separate mouths with two separate throat units that fed the same stomach,” he said. “While fishing the same Canandaigua Lake area 30 days later, wow! I caught another two-mouth laker. This one was 5 pounds and was a gorgeous fish. My wife, Sue, convinced me to have the 5-pound one mounted, and so we did.”

Over the course of nearly 55 years fishing the lake, Beusman has kept a diary for the new York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and his unusual catches have generated quite a stir. Most want to know where the nearest nuclear power plant is.

There isn’t one nearby, leaving Beusman and his wife to do some research on the stocking and natural breeding of lake trout in the new York State region.

Unlike Wilson’s hatchery rainbow, which was dismissed by a local wildlife biologist as an injured fingerling that most likely had adapted to the damaged jaw with the formation of a second mouth, teeth and all, behind the first, Beusman learned through DEC records and interviews that the genetic fluke of his two- mouthed lake trout started many years ago and is still developing.

The fish apparently were brought in from Canada (Georgian Bay) as small stocking fish, making their way to Cayuga Lake, N.Y., and finally into the Bath, N.Y., hatchery, where they were then distributed to all the Finger Lakes, he said.

“As far as I have heard, all of the Finger Lakes in new York state have this strain of two-mouth lake trout,” Beusman said.

Littleton man lands lunker.

Coloradans are making a name for themselves all the way to northwest Arkansas, where fishing guide Ed Chapko reports a first from Littleton client Bobby Dotson on Beaver Lake. When Dotson and fishing buddy Bill Bowen of Rogers, Ark., showed up for a guided striper fishing trip wanting to use flies they had tied themselves, Chapko didn’t know what to make of it.

“I have been fishing this lake for nearly 30 years and never heard of fishing like this for stripers,” Chapko said. “Well, they work! We got the flies down to a certain depth with the aid of downriggers and they used 9-weight rods with 20-pound leaders.”

Dotson landed a 36-pound striped bass and a 37-pound striped bass within 25 minutes of each other.

Seminar offered.

With dove and grouse seasons on the brink of their Sept. 1 opening, C.J. Kausel of Hunt Smart Productions (huntsmartpro.com) is offering a series of $10 seminars on tactics to take to the field.

Monday’s 7 p.m. seminar at the Denver Bass Pro Shops (7970 East 49th Ave. at I-70 and Quebec) covers dove hunting in Colorado, including dove characteristics, habits and habitat, gaining access to prime hunting areas, required gear, guns and load, safety in the field, care of the harvest and cooking recipes.

Similar topics will be covered as they pertain to blue grouse and sharptail grouse in a 7 p.m. seminar on Thursday and a 10 a.m. seminar on Saturday. Preregistration is required for all seminars, and women and youth are encouraged to attend. Log on to huntsmartpro.com or call 303-699-7199 for registration and information.

Scott Willoughby: 303-954-1993 or

I started fishing 2 years ago regularly, primarily for bass. I went steelhead fishing for the first time this past weekend and landed 3 out of 6 fish I had hooked. The guide I was with told me it was pretty excellent considering that the average fisherman usually only lands 3 out of every 10 hooked steelheads. I wasn't sure if he was just saying that to be kind. Is landing 3 out of 6 hooked steelhead excellent or does it suck?

That is excellent depending on where you are fishing for steelhead some fisherman go out and not get one fish or a strike at all.it is just a matter of the area some hold fish but the fish are so wary e.t.c. or just overly fished.

You did excellent bud. It's rare to land 50% when fishing steelies. They're naughty! That's why the guide told you the truth. He's in the ballpark with 3/10.

Depending on the style of fishing used, that is pretty excellent.

its not bad i would rather catch 3 out of 6 then none…3 out of 10 cmon that sucks

FishSteelhead, where the f*** are you?

NZ is an excellent place to fish with lots of truly wild fish, try this
fishinginnewzealand.com/

New Zealand has some of the best Brown Trout and Gerard strain Rainbow Trout fishing in the world. forget about the bass and have some fun with the trout. guides are a dime a dozen there and they supply everything you need. new Zealand is well-known for the varied outdoor recreation they have and the people are great. if you need a guide just ask anyone on the street and they will happily help.
my cousin and her husband used to live in Christchurch and i had the good fortune of a visit a few years ago. we went out and had a blast.

Hi I'm Trevor I'm working on becoming a professional fisherman, but the main thing is I love fishing. I have my list set for the things I need to become a pro. I'm from, Wales, Wisconsin. I can't seem to find any information about good fresh water fish. I would like someone to help me with a list of fish. You know Large and smallmouth bass, Catfish, Pikes, Muskies, Walleye, Perch, Crappies, rock bass, all trout, salmon, bluegill and what not to fish for and keep. like how huge should each of these fish be for me to mount it? the lure thing can be helpful I know a bit about what to use I just would like suggestions on the lures but the type of test line, real, rod, boat a good boat no small boats that tip over. I'm 250lbs, I need something sturdy, trolling motor, a electric guide, ice fishing pole ect… If any of you can help it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Trevor? way too many questions. There have been volumes written on all these topics. besides that, you need actual experince fishing. Fishing is a trail and error learning. Start by visiting these Wisconsin web sites.

dnr.wi.gov/fish/

wiscfish.org/fishid/

I need a:

Technique to use
Lure
How far should i cast
What should i look for
Setting the hook
how to rig everything up

Lose the "b" and you will be fishing for @$$.

Technique to use : Bouncing a plastic worm off the bottom.

Lure : 6" plastic worm.

How far should i cast : Doesn't matter, look for cover that bass maybe hiding in.

What should i look for : Cover.

Setting the hook : Let the fish take the bait in, then set the hook at about 8 o'clock.

How to rig everything up : Slide a 1/8 oz. bullet weight on your line. Tie on a 2/0 EWG worm hook. Texas rig a 6" plastic worm.

youtube.com/watch?v=ZGcMokPhx…

Go to a Barnes and Noble and buy books on bass fishing.

hi im 13 and i fish off my dock and i can only catch bass in the evening. i love to do it but iv tried and tried but i can never really catch any fish in the day i want to go on a boat and fish i live in minnesota and i cant afford a $400 fishing guide i fish on lake minnetonka thanks for the help.

A belly boat might work for you.

You won't catch much in Minnetonka. Too many boats out there all the time. Take a trip to Millacs, Ottertail, Leech, or Osakis. those are the best fishing lakes that I have found. If you need a boat that is cheap I would find a fishing boat in a classifieds. Small towns have the best ones for cheap. Fishing during the day doesn't work. you have to fish in the morning or in the evening. Don't fish between 12 pm and 6 pm because they don't feed during those hours. good luck!

does it make a difference and please clarify..what kind of reels and rods are good for catching largemouth bass, peacock, snook, tilapia, etc for around $150.00

Line "up" conventional reel/bait casting or troll. Line guides "Down" spinning rod & reel.My friend you buy a real nice outfit for $150.00.Any of these rigs will work well.But if you've never used a conventional set up,it might be a little hard at first.Spinning is going to be the simplest way to go.especially if your "not Trolling" for a novice a Spinning outfit is the way to go,it casts so much simpler for you.all these varieties of fish can be caught with either rig.good Fishing to yu.just remember one thing; if Fish'n was that simple,they'd call it catching.

Glide rods are also held with the reel down.