OT: MGoAnglers

Submitted by Winchester Wolverine on

It's gonna be a long summer, and for some of us, there's no better way to pass the time 'til football consumes our weekends than with a pole in the water. 

So, a few questions for those of you with that same itch to catch the monster fish:

What brand of gear do you like best? Does it matter?

What's your favorite location, method, and spieces to catch?

Any "the one that got away" stories you'd like to share? Maybe tell us how you reeled in that big 18 pound bass from your local lake.

Personally, I like anything Abu Garcia. For me, at least, my gear has lasted years. I'm an open-face spinning reel kinda guy (Can't seem to master that baitcaster the way I want) and I love bass fishing. Cats are always a go-to as well, especially at night. 

I still don't have that "signature catch" that I can REALLY brag about, but I did catch a 24 inch Pike in a lake not known for Pike at all. 

I can't wait to teach my kids how to fish, even if they end up like I was when I was little; hating every minute of it. As I got older though, I started to really appreciate the calm, peaceful feeling of being near water. The excitement of reeling in a big boy is also hard to match (besides, maybe, a Michigan touchdown of course).

mgokev

April 23rd, 2017 at 2:19 PM ^

Not an angler by any stretch of the imagination and have no clue what you are even talking about...but I was able to go on a charter off the coast of Florida once and managed to reel in a pretty hefty marlin with the help of others. Seemed like we were fighting it for hours. And it took, like, 3 hours to get far enough from the coast. Long, exhausting, day that at least made some memories. 

I know nothing about fishing but it was fun that one time. 

uofmdds96

April 23rd, 2017 at 7:41 PM ^

Fishing was not amazing. 2 days offshore on the "Dee Cee". Wouldn't recommend them. One half day back water for sea trout. Wanted tarpon, but they were not biting. I haved fished off Tampa, Miami, and Los Suenos, Costa Rica. Two days in Tampa offered wreck fishing where we caught grouper, snapper, mango, amber jack, etc. Two days in Miami was snapper, cuda, bonita and struck out on mahi. Costa Rica was the best! 3 days, 4 guys and we caught 56 sailfish, 3 marlin, 2 mahi. This trip amber jack and yellow tail snapper and small black fin tuna.

Next trip I think will be to Panama. I have a boat on Lake Erie and walleye and perch fish all of the time.

LSAClassOf2000

April 23rd, 2017 at 2:23 PM ^

I tend to fish on a purely opportunistic basis. That being said, one of the advanatages of working for a company with a lot of facilities along or near Lake Erie is walleye fishing - I've only been out once this year yet, not on my own boat and not with my own equipment, but  between all of us, we managed to get most of a cooler full of decent-sized walleye. 

Lou MacAdoo

April 23rd, 2017 at 2:32 PM ^

Love fishing, but with two little kids and other hobbies the only time I get to go anymore is when we go up north to the cabin. I fish for pike and bass on our lake and trout or whatever I can catch on the Au Sable River. I've caught some nice fish, but the one that will always stand out was the 42" 20lbs Northern Pike. Caught it trolling on my six foot St. Croix, with a big red and white red eye. Took me 15 minutes to get it in and net it on my own. It was quite the adrenaline rush. I let him go and have been looking for him ever since. Anyone with pike fishing tips? 40 acre lake that gets 40 foot deep. Fed by two streams coming from the swamps.

lbpeley

April 23rd, 2017 at 6:03 PM ^

the time of year to be fishing pike by those streams. The females will be near those. Perch looking yo zuri suspenders if you like crankbaits. Live shiners under bobbers always work as well. Daredevils, Dr Spoon and William Wablers if you prefer spoons. This time of year the bigger lures aren't always better.Of course, every lake has its own "thing".
42 is a real nice northern. Nice job.

Lou MacAdoo

April 23rd, 2017 at 10:20 PM ^

Thanks for the tips. I caught the 42 about ten years ago and have been searching for her and her hubby ever since. I've had a lot of luck with perch x raps, so I'll have to try a yozuri. A hockey buddy recommended the perch lures and they've worked great. It seems like anytime we fish with live bait we end up catching big bass, which I'm not going to complain about. Hoping to get back up there in May

wigeon

April 23rd, 2017 at 2:38 PM ^

I primarily fly fish steelhead, but enjoy walleye fishing, Saginaw Bay and Burt Lake are my go-to's. Trout fishing with dries rates up there. Used to troll Lk Michigan a lot, burned out on that.

And I LOVE fishing snook in FL with light spinning tackle.

a different Jason

April 23rd, 2017 at 2:43 PM ^

I mostly icefish but I also summer fish. I went yesterday after walleyes. Caught a lot of fish but nothing worth keeping.

I use all kinds of tackle. I prefer St Croix rods for open water and Thorne Bros rods for icefishing. Gamakatsu hooks, Fiskas jigs, Pline fluorocarbon, Trilene XL mono, Power Pro braid, I fish for most anything.

mexwolv

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:02 PM ^

I live close to ocean on the Gulf of Mexico, we are lucky to have great fresh water and salt water fishing literally a few minutes driving from our house.  For large mouse bass & snook, I prefer Abu García bait cast rods and reels, for salt water lakes and rivers Penn, spinng reels for fishing at the beach. We have trout, red drum, jacks, to name a few species.  Shimano & Penn for deep sea fishing.  The area is well known for tarpon and lately they've been landing quite a few large black marlin.

I've been trying to get my kids more involved but not very successful at it, specially my older son.  The young one (he is 8) is learning to throw his bait cast net, and getting better at it.

Glad to talk about fishing anytime, it is something I am really passionate about.

MichiganMAN47

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:07 PM ^

Fishing is my favorite hobby. Saltwater, Freshwater, Fly Fishing, doesn't matter much to me. If there's water somewhere i immediately wonder what kind of fish are there and whether I have a lure to catch it. I'm strictly artificials where possible.

Freshwater: I've caught some hefty bass, pike, salmon, steelhead, brown trout, cats, but I'm still missing muskies and walleye... these are on my to do list.

As far as tackle goes, the brand is less important than the characteristics of the gear. I like shimano, pflueger, and abu garcia though. Long rod equals longer casts and less accuracy. In general I like a 7 foot medium action rod with a fast retrieve-ratio spinning reel. Put 10-20 pound braided line on there and you will allow you to catch nearly anything under the sun.

CarrIsMyHomeboy

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:12 PM ^

I grew up in the poor man's Venice of Michigan (Algonac) casting off the shore for perch and blue gill, trolling for salmon and muskie, sometimes pulling in a pike by mistake. But the local and personal favorite was always Walleye. Drifting down the river, chugging with a primitive set-up.

MgoHillbilly

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:14 PM ^

Coastal inshore fishing when I charter, sometimes deep sea. Pier fishing is my preference on Gulf trips usually. I love Shimano. I have a few stradic reels, one on a terramar and the other on a St. Croix tidemaster which I love. Sabiki for the kids is fun for them and gets me the bait for king mackerel and cobia fishing (I prefer cobia).

Caught a striped marlin fishing off costa Rica once which is my biggest catch. Also caught a massive bull red Coastal fishing in Venice, Louisiana.

5th Van Tyne

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:14 PM ^

Blessed to have fly fished the Madison River in Southwest Montana for the past decade or so every summer. Nothing beats the mix of scenery and fishing!  I like to use a Sage XP rod and whatever flies are hatching at the time. Worst thing that ever happened to me was a barbed hook to the palm, had to hike 3 hours to the nearest fly shop to get that poor sucker removed.

5th Van Tyne

April 23rd, 2017 at 10:26 PM ^

If you're not one for commercial fly fishing, you might not like West Yellowstone.  The entire town is a giant overpriced tourist trap. The fishing is great in the area, but I'd reccomend finding someplace a little more remote (cabins half an hour from West Yellowstone that are both larger and cheaper than anything you find in West Y.)

5th Van Tyne

April 25th, 2017 at 1:36 PM ^

I've fished at Three Dollar Bridge dozens of times, my only problem with it is that it can get a little crowded during the summer months and it's tough to find a good spot.  One of my personal favorite things to do is park a car at Reynold's Pass (the best fishing spot on the river IMO) and then walk from there downstream all the way to Three Dollar Bridge (where you should park another car).  It's about a 4 mile hike, but you get access to spots on the river where you're the only person around for a mile.

If you're just as much into scenery as you are into fishing though, I'd reccomend making the trip up to Glacier. You might not catch a fish all day, but you'll never leave that place disappointed.

BIGWEENIE

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:21 PM ^

Walleye has been great on Erie. Jumbo Perch on Lake Mich is rocking and the Salmon, Coho and Browns started doing very well this week. Limits in Grand Haven. I like about any fishing but trolling for salmon lets you enjoy some drinks, fish and be out on the great lakes. So fun. Gear well Big Weenie Brand, wife owns the company so thats my answer.

ColeIsCorky

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:30 PM ^

Just because I like you guys, my trout/pond secret is something called the "trout magnet." It will literally catch anything and if the conditions are right and water isn't moving fast then you will catch all day long and outfish practically everyone. Colors matter.

I use reds and whites in fairly clear water for trout fishing. Use a 4lb flourocarbon leader with an ultralight rod and use a bobber to adjust depth and have fun! Slow reel while jerking back and forth a little with many breaks. Trout kill for those things. Look like little tailed grubs on a small jig head.

ken725

April 23rd, 2017 at 8:12 PM ^

Trout Magnet really works. I went fishing once with some friends we weren't catching much. One friend goes back to the car and pulls out this little plastic box that he bought at walmart. It was Trout Magnet. He started to pick off trout at a constant pace. We all borrowed some grubs and jigs and all started to do pretty well.

We all stopped at Walmart afterwards to pick up some Trout Magnet.

Ronswanson13

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:30 PM ^

I don't get out as much as I'd like to anymore, but I definitely enjoy fishing.

I'm a pretty aggressive angler, so as a result I'm all about bass. I've never gotten into walleye fishing because it generally seems to involving jigging/bottom bouncing or trolling. I prefer fishing near structure and having to cast frequently to particular targets. With that being said, I have had fun in the past catching cats and carp stillfishing. But still, being aggressive is what I enjoy most. Seeing a precise area, putting the lure right in that spot gently, and quickly getting a strike: such a rush of adrenaline when you get a hit like that.

As a result, I tend to fish shallow, weedy areas or around wood or docks. I now pretty much exclusively target largemouth, but due to the types of water I'm fishing you tend to hook a lot of pike as well; along with the occasional dogfish and even walleye.

I use baitcasters: My main 3 reels are a Shimano, a Flueger, and a Johnny Morris Signature Ssries. All of them are older now, but still get the job done. I have them on Bass Pro Shops Extreme rods.

As far as lures: I'll pretty much always have two setups guarenteed: the first being a spinnerbait and the second being a Texas rigged soft plastic. For spinnerbaits I prefer a 3/8 oz in white and/or chartreuse. Terminator T-1's run smooth, but I'll also use a cheaper brand like Booyah as well. For the Texas rig, I use as light a weight that I can get away with depending on the depth and casting distance. As far as the soft plastic it's usually either a ribbon tail worm or a creature bait as my go to with some shade of red or purple being the starter. I've also caught fish on cranks, buzzbaits, topwaters, etc... But the versatility of the spinnerbait and lack of fear of a pike snapping my line have always made it my #1.

JTrain

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:54 PM ^

I prefer smallmouth fishing. As far as lures...lol...it just depends. But, not many lures out that that will outfish a Tube. Biggest I've caught so far is a little over 7#. Pull some slabs out of the bay/Lake Huron.

xtramelanin

April 23rd, 2017 at 4:11 PM ^

swimming in what i thought were my normal swim waters out front of my office.  she came out of nowhere and drilled me in the forearm.  i was ticked, to say the least.  and yes, she did draw blood. 

ColeIsCorky

April 23rd, 2017 at 3:56 PM ^

Another thing I've picked up on the last year or two is swimbait fishing. Expensive fishing to say the least, especially if you're using handmade baits made by 3:16 Lure Co., Deps, Hinkle, Burrito Baits, etc., but it is fun if you have the patience. Targeting big largemouth and striper.

xtramelanin

April 23rd, 2017 at 4:22 PM ^

we fly fish and all my kids enjoy it.  the oldest tie decent flies.  all starts with you taking them on shorter trips when they are young, wrapped around fun, weather decent to good, where you are certain or nearly so to catch fish.  do that a few times and you will 'set the hook' with your kids and get to go fishing whenever you want.  its so much a part of our house that i'll take the boys on the way home from saturday football games - wading in streams with their football pants still on during those sunny, warm sept/oct saturdays.  

IIRC, winchester, you live in brown water country, (indiana?) so my guess is you are a bass fisherman?  buy some cheap fly fishing stuff and go stalk some bass.   very fun to catch bass on the top of the water using 'poppers', flies that float and you retrieve in short, sharp hand tugs and thus 'pop' the water drawing strikes from below.

i hope one of the mgolurkers i know weighs in on this thread.  he is an extremely dedicated and knowledgeable fly fisherman and his input would be excellent.

i won't brag about fish i've caught, but i will say i'm taking a couple of my kids to visit my long-time friends in alaska this summer.   we'll be fly fishing, setting shrimp pots, hunting, hiking, etc.   daddy-daughter(s) trip this year.   the sons will have to bide their time. 

Winchester Wolverine

April 23rd, 2017 at 4:42 PM ^

You are mostly correct, Xtra, although I live in Ohio right on the border of Indiana. So I fish both states (which, really, there isn't a difference).

I do fish for bass mostly, with bright colored lures/swimbait for the dark/brown water. Seems to work well for me. On the windy, overcast days I'll try my hand at walleye but usually without much luck. Any tips there would be awesome.

As for fly fishing, I've never done it but always wanted to try. I'm apprehensive to try, buy all the gear, etc. because I've never done it and I'm afraid I'll suck. But I just need to man up and do it because I think I'd enjoy it. You make it sound like a blast, Xtra!

xtramelanin

April 23rd, 2017 at 5:11 PM ^

about fishing you will pick it up in a nano-second.  i would tell you to find a decent you-tube video showing you how to roll cast.  it is also easy and you will be able to cover about 80% of the water you would ever need to fish - don't need to learn the 'river runs through it' cast.  also, you can fish at night using some types of flies and it can be a gas.  big, top water floppy stuff, can cause some big fish to come up and nail it in the dark.  you hear a big splash/whoosh and it's time to hang on. 

borrow somebody else's gear.  or if you buy, get cheap stuff to start.  

plan on a trip to northern michigan and i can teach you what you need to know for the basics in an easy couple of hours.   you can borrow my gear when you show up.  and i'll ask the afore-mentioned mgolurker help out as he is a storehouse of knowledge about such things and a fly fishing maniac.    

a different Jason

April 23rd, 2017 at 8:42 PM ^

Walleye: slip bobbers with a 1/4oz jig and a leech about 8" off bottom can be super effective. Pulling spinners/snells/walleye rigs/crawler harnesses is possibly the most common method in use. Their use seems very simple but there are subtle nuances that can make huge differences. Speed, color, size/shape of blades or bait are all variables that can have an impact. Plus leader length, hooks, choice of line, bottom bouncer, Lindy rig, 3 way rig. Time of year and seasonal forage can affect your choices too. That said, I use lime and chartreuse #3 Indiana with chartreuse beads and #4 hammered silver with red beads about 90% of the time. I don't fish Erie, they use a lot of funky colors there.

a different Jason

April 24th, 2017 at 9:18 AM ^

I typed 1/4oz jig but I meant 1/8oz. Saturday I put a 1/4oz on and it sunk my bobber. I was just complaining about how much paint was in the eye that i had to dig out and then it sunk my bobber. We got a good laugh out of it. If you are casting jigs try B Fish N tackle products. They have some very effective styles. But regular old Mr Twisters still catch fish.

jmdblue

April 24th, 2017 at 9:43 AM ^

Time spent on the stream and around campfires with my kids are the most precious there are.  Heading to Yellowstone with them this summer and can hardly wait. We fish the Fox/Driggs/2Heart every year and it's always about perfect.

As for your advice on bass fishing in Indiana... don't forget bluegill fishing with black foam spiders during the spawn.... goodness what fun!!

ken725

April 24th, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^

Everything you said is true and wish my dad took me fishing when I was a kid. I picked up fishing at a later age of 18 when I went on a fishing trip chartered by some of his business partners.

The first time I had a bonito on the line and it was peeling drag, I was hooked. It's been a little over 10 years since that first fishing trip, but my dad I still love fishing together and make a point to plan a trip every year. I picked up fly fishing about 4-5 years ago and recently my dad has tried to do some Tenkara.

Getting into fly tying is dangerous. It is one of those things that you can get lost in. I kind of went down this path a bit tying all these elaborate artistic flies. I sold all of my unnecessary materials and now back to tying simple fast flies that catch fish. There is nothing quite like seeing a trout come up and bite a fly that you tied yourself. Of course the first time I saw a rising fish, I got so excited that my hookset was too early.

Fly fishing/fishing Alaska sounds amazing. There are so many places in th US that I want to go to fish and Alaska is near the top of my list.