Poll: Different kinds of fishing

[Pete Collin]

Hello All,

Fishermen tend to be pretty specific about what species they chase and what style they use to pursue them.  When I was a kid, my Uncle Claude gave me a book by Joseph D. Bates, Jr. called"Fishing".  it was encyclopedic, covering spin, baitcasting, flyfishing, trolling, even saltwater fishing.  The tackle and tactics in the book seem quaint now, because the technology has grown so much since its publication.  But it impressed on me at the very beginning that fishing is a huge world that would take lifetimes to explore.

Once on this board we had a thread that discussed how many species we have caught.  What if we talk about all the different styles we have done before?

To start, I have done the worms-and-bobbers thing.  Somewhere in junior high I vowed to be an artificial lures purist.  Through high school i thought the whole largemouth bassin' approach used by Roland Martin and Jimmy Houston was da bomb - chucking and cranking diving plugs, hitting the lily pads, bushes and weeds with rubber worms and jig-n-pig.  When i moved back to maine, it was all about hitting tiny brooks to go after brook trout that seldom broke 8 inches.  About then is when i got serous about fly fishing, and started to tie flies.

In the fly fishng world, I have gotten them on dries (my favorite), and nymphs, swinging wets.  Sight fishing feeding carp and smallmouth in the shallows is a challenge. I have built and fished bamboo rods.  Tried the whole spey casting thing, had some success, but found them impractical.  I have used frayed rope to catch gar on a fly rod, and used spawn sacks on a noodle rod to get salmon and steelhead.  Every spring and fall I used to be a steeklhead gypsy, driving along the coasts looking for spawning fish.   When the stream trout fishing in western NY started to crap out, I took to trolling the finger lakes.  I began with seth green rigs, and eventually got leadcore, downriggers and a dipsy.  And that led to vertically jigging lakers and other fish, which is where my fancy seems to currently reside.  I haven't done a huge amount of ice fishing, but I hve drilled holes and pulled fish from them.

What havent I done? I  have never bowfished, or successfully used a float reel.  Except for a few stripers, mackerel, and flounder, there is the whole range of saltwater experience that would be great to do.  Have caught plenty of perch, but never targetted them seriously the way New Yorkers do.  Always wanted to get walleye in Lake Erie.

How about the rest of you?  How many different styles of fishing have you done, or want to try?

[H20chrome]

 take a trip to lake erie and drift around in 50 foot and jig for sheephead, just for the sport of it. They get HUGE and average 7-8 pounds, and are always eager to bite, see no fishing pressure, arent line shy although that makes for a fun challenge and They fight twice as hard as any walleye and really thwack your jig. Plus you usually end up with a few keeper walleyes to bring home for dinner. best part is you have zero competition or other boats doing that. Did i mention how many sheephead are out there?

 

 

 

Edited August 21, 2018 by H20chrome

[justtracytrolling]

Topwater at night over boiling alewives for walleye, bass, and tigers is the most enjoyable fishing I do now, but the cape cod canal on a fishing bike jigging and topwater for stripers was the one of the best experiences but the driving got old. The Boundary Waters of Minnesota was awesome in a canoe as well.

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[whaler1]

White Marlin casting live bait on spinning tackle.


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[wishinfishin]

Im probably in line with what you outlined Pete, actually spot on. Things have a way of cycling back around as to which type and when depending on the season.

Some are for the new challenge and learning new skills , and some are to bring you back to a different time in your life with family and friends ,or when the only money problem you had was lunch money in school.

I enjoy it all ,but mostly when my two boys are with me.

A few years ago I was a lurker on this site trying to figure out how to troll on lake O, so one day I signed up and introduced myself , and one of the first guys that responded welcoming me aboard was "whaler 1" , Bill may not remember but on one of my first trips out on the lake trolling with my boys he texted me to see how I was making out, and here I am 500 plus posts later and catching fish , and adding to my addiction.

[Pete Collin]

11 hours ago, justtracytrolling said:

Topwater at night over boiling alewives for walleye, bass, and tigers is the most enjoyable fishing I do now, but the cape cod canal on a fishing bike jigging and topwater for stripers was the one of the best experiences but the driving got old. The Boundary Waters of Minnesota was awesome in a canoe as well.

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My brother used to live 10 minutes from the Cape Cod canal!  I had plans to eventually visit him with  bicycle and gear but he and his family moved to Florida!

[justtracytrolling]

If I had a couple guys who wanted to do the canal I'd go again! I have a whole fleet of fishing bikes rigged up hanging in my garage. Gotta have a women's bike so it's easier to get on wearing waders.

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[Pete Collin]

57 minutes ago, justtracytrolling said:

If I had a couple guys who wanted to do the canal I'd go again! I have a whole fleet of fishing bikes rigged up hanging in my garage. Gotta have a women's bike so it's easier to get on wearing waders.

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What months do you go?

[justtracytrolling]

Full or new moons in June or end of may

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[FishingFool34]

One thing I have always wanted to try is day-time swordfishing. There are alot of other salt-water fish I would love to catch (Blue/Yellow fin tuna, Tarpon, Wahoo, Marlin). For freshwater species there is Sturgeon and I have yet to break the 35lb mark on salmon which is something I would really like to do!
 

Edited August 22, 2018 by FishingFool34

[Pete Collin]

Just thought of another kind of fishing I never did, successfully.  Dip netting smelt.  Bucket list item that involves an actual bucket!

[jimmac]

At 62 years young been fishing since a toddler, most of my years as a flyfishing addict for trout and steelhead and anything I could get on a fly. Over the past 5 years or so I've purchased two boats and spend my time fishing Erie and occasionally Ontario and some smaller lakes trolling for walleye, trout and salmon. But I'd once like to hook up with a large tarpon on a fly ....and would also like to fish the flats in Belize. Someday.

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[ifishy]

One of my favorites was always summer time wading wet in power plant outflows fishing jigs and live bait on light tackel my pb small mouth came that way one year a school of gar pike came in that will make you flinch reeling one of those in while standing waste deep in shorts. Lots of suprise fish that way. Always wanted to go sight fishing cobia in the chesseapeak one year found a way to catch dogfish by dangling a live bluegill half in the water amazing surface strikes would also like to try rooster fish and halibut

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[Outfront]

All fishing is great for each unique reason. I grew up in the midwest trotlineing catfish and bow fishing for carp and gar. Took trips to northern Minnesota for eyes and lived in the south for years catching largemouth. I will say I am having a blast catching trophy walleye, smallmouth and salmon in upstate ny.

I think the most important thing is trying new things and enjoying the outdoors

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[Outfront]

spoonbill snagging in the ozarks is an amazing experience

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