Skunked again...

[TPD211]

OK, So there I was..... went fishing this Fri & Sat. Took the boat out from the dock (freshwater) about 100 yards where there is a popular spot. There is a depression in the lake the fish gather at.<br />I got crickets from the local bait shop after asking what they are biting on. I have never used crickets before.<br /><br />I fished for a while, 3 poles in the water, top, bottom middle....no bites.<br /><br />Ok, I switched to red worms, fish like those right?<br /><br />A while longer I fished..... No bites.<br /><br />Oh, fish were jumping around the boat....They must have been laughing at me. <br /><br />Packed up, went home....<br /><br />Sat. morning.....I'm gonna catch a fish I say to the amused wife.<br /><br />Same spot.....Fish Finder is active....this must be the major highway they use.<br /><br />Worms, crickets, jigs, Nada, zip, nothing.<br /><br />Dock the boat at local park. Walk to Ace Hardware, 1 block from park dock. Get me some minnows. I eat a rice crispy treat walking back to the boat. Dang, those things are good.<br /><br />I go to a few spots....minnows......Not a bite.<br /><br />Heck with it, I dock the boat.<br /><br />Later that day, I go out again, this time at sunset. Feeding time, right?<br /><br />Same spot, fish finder is active. The fish are breaking the surface, silver looking things, blue gill I guess, or specks. Could they be the elusive bass?<br /><br />I put 3 poles in the water. Minnows......<br /><br />In 2 hours I get 2 good nibbles but no commitment to the bite.<br /><br />Close but no cigar..... <br /><br />Ok, so what's hitting this time of year in Central Florida?<br /><br />Fishing reports say bluegill n bass. The specks hve gone to deep water, all 14 feet of it in the local lakes. Bass are supposed to be taking top water plugs and whatever else they hit on.<br /><br />I'm typing this from my patrol car, got called in to cover for the Lt., he had to take off, family emergency.<br /><br />I was going to fish today....oh well.<br /><br />Worms are in the fridge. Crickets are on the porch in thier cage. Wet paper towel and a piece of potatoe for them. Minnows are in the minnow holder in the water on the boat at the lake, probably dead due to the heat.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Skunked again...

Try a beetle spin for the bass and use wax worms on a tiny hook for the bluegills. Not sure if they sell waxworms down there.

 

[TwoWatt]

Re: Skunked again...

I don't have much to add but just wanted to say "Great story"<br />I've had similar luck this year so far, have caught lots of crappie but they've all been small.<br /><br />

I'm typing this from my patrol car

 

[crab bait]

Re: Skunked again...

spray some mace in the water or sumthin'.!!<br /><br />here's the deal.. IMHO..<br /><br />1} if'n it's a blue sky day,, stay home.. <br /><br />2) never trust a fish finder.. an only for depth.. an never trust a fish finder for depth..<br /><br />3) geeze,, try another spot ( remember #2 )<br /><br />4) wash your hand before baiting hook with ivory soap.. <br /><br />5) investagate 'DERWOOD' here on site for the proper 'bad luck spell breaker '..<br /><br />6) go to church..<br /><br />good luck..

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Skunked again...

My "no fail" bluegill catching formula... <br /><br /> soft bread wadded into a little ball... hook it on a small hook and hang on.. Bobber and tiny split shot, or just a hook only, yer choice.. If the fish aren't active, make em' active.. use smaller bits of bread for chum to get em' going.. <br /><br />If that don't work, see Crabby's #5 solution to seek out DERWOOD'S 'bad luck spell breaker '!...

 

[mike1234tampa]

Re: Skunked again...

Tavares, Fl that just past Apoka, could be wrong, went in the bay today, tons of baitfish, gave them little basta#ds 2 lbs of squid and 5 dozen shrimp, got a few small whiteing, mostly pinfish and grunts, but what I noticed when putting the boat in the water in that the bay is as warm as bathwater, summer time blues, good fish now in cooler deep water. Not sure in freshwater though. <br /><br />The heat is on in Florida

 

[bartborchardt]

Re: Skunked again...

Trigger,<br /><br /> You should have taken the money you spent on the reel and bought "The Green Book". Everyone is telling you what to use but not where to find them. Trust me, if you had read the book you would have no doubts if it was the highway or not. I only use my depthfinder to find out what the bottom contour is, not if there is fish on it. I will give you an example of a fishing situation I had recently on Wheeler Lake in Alabama. <br /> I got up early and went trolling to find out what structure would produce. I came across what appeared to be a straight looking bank. I was trolling I noticed that there was a 17' breakline. I was staying on the breakline when all of a sudden this breakline led me farther away from the bank. About 75 yards away from the bank. The breakline had been running about 35 yards from the breakline. What I found was an underwater bar or point as some people call them. I noticed that at the end of the bar there was a smaller breakline about 25' before it finally dropped off into 34' in the channel. According to "The Green Book", Buck states that the school of fish will hit the 25' breakline at one spot (contact point) when traveling(highway) from the deep to the shallows. I had already determined that this was the spot because I had already trolled the rest of the bar and found that this spot was the longest, sharpest, deepest, break to the deepest water in that area. <br /> I knew then that the fish would hit the structure at the 25' breakline. They could then move up to the 17' breakline or they could move along the deeper breakline looking for another visual sign before moving up to the 17' breakline. I didn't know at this point and didn't care because I had found my contact point and I knew that fish spend 90 to 95 percent of their life in deep water. Okay, now that the work was done (which only took a matter of minutes to determine this) it was time for some fun. I went back to my Aunt's boat dock and got my 5 year son and headed for town to buy minnows. After getting back, we went swimming for a while and he finally decided that he would go fishing with me. At around 2pm and about 90 degrees, we arrived at the underwater bar. I dropped a buoy where I wanted to position my boat. We started fishing and it is something that I will never forget. We literaly caught one fish after another. As my son states that I only caught 1 and he caught 19. I didn't have time to fish because he was pulling them in one right after another. My son got bored of catching fish and proceeded to hand me the minnows instead of reeling in fish. We caught 2 bluegill, 1 largemouth, and the rest were white bass. We actually left the fish because my son was bored and I was about to die of heat.<br /> I will never forget that day for as long as I live. Trust me when I say get "The Green Book". You won't be disapointed.

 

[oddjob]

Re: Skunked again...

My experience in fresh water is this. That big hole may have some catfish hangin around the bottom but little else. Do/try what everyone here said. <br /><br />Dont bother with live (shinners) bait until you find some fish. Fish near shore especially around structure. <br /><br />Crickets, do great for me with just a cane pole set up. The store bought are wimpy and they die and fall apart. What REALLY works is live grasshoppers. I used to gather them when I mowed my grass. They can hold their breath forever and the pan fish go nuts over them. Fish under overhanging trees at the waters edge. Put a small hook through the back of the hopper and free line it or put a small bobber about 1-2'. Try it where ever you see fish. <br /><br />Dont give up, look at it this way...your finding out what doesnt work right now and eventually you will find what does..

 

[Bigfun]

Re: Skunked again...

3 skunks in a row, either there is no fish or you are doing something wrong.<br /><br />What equipment are you using? Reel type, line, hook size/type, weight, bobber...<br /><br />You need to be a fish hunter first, then a fish catcher. <br /><br />Don't anchor till you find fish. <br /><br />Try drifting, while keeping your bait deep and shallow.<br /><br />Fish where the fish are under shade.<br /><br />Use equipment that allows you to cast far enough away from the boat, in order to target the spooked fish.(don't spook em)<br /><br />Fish with a good fisherman, and or always watch/study/interagate other fishermen.<br /><br />Have the mentality that you know there is always some fish somewhere that you will catch, if you find them and/or give them what they want. <br /><br />I whould follow Oddjobs advise, using whatever live bait you can get.

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: Skunked again...

man that's tuff, but if its not got much depth, you might do better between dusk and dawn - mostly darkness...? minnows are nice, but you might stick with worms that are ez to keep for awhile, during day or night fishing. <br /><br />during daytime, i'd look for shady spots- trees, bridges, docks. during daytime, maybe try tossing a float & sinker rig a good dist away from your boat. during night, maybe a cane pole with bb sinker only, using like a flyrod around docks & trees.<br /><br />just some extra things to consider...

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Skunked again...

You need to find someone that knows the waters around there that dosnt have a boat or wants to go fishing to make friends with. There is nothing better than going with someone that knows how to fish to learn to fish.<br /><br />Join a Bass club, you do not have to fish tournaments, there is allways someone that needs a fishing partner.. Way back I larnrd more about Bass Fishing in one year in a Bass Club, than I would have in a lifetime trying to figure it out by myself.<br /><br />You need a fishing buddy.