Fishing Forum

As we all know each of us is at our own level of fishing expertise depending on our experience and learning abilities etc. Also, younger members of the fishing world at times check in at BFT looking for adice from some of us older er, uh, more experienced fish chasers. I'm sure sharing a successful fishing technique with them might be helpful for them and perhaps the rest of us.

We don't have to give up the "No tell Um" favorite fishing hole, but maybe a technique for a specific species of fish that our technique works great on. So here goes. I'll start off with one to get things started.

Largemouth Bass technique;

Sometimes fishing gets pretty hightec with gadgets, widgets, and lures that soon overpower the fun and simple things of fishing. Sometimes the simplist and most natural methods are just plain fun on occasion, and might bring back memories of boyhood days gone by when we weren't so sophisticated and loaded with a little extra cash so we had to so with what we had. Having said all that, this is my successful bass catching technique. Take a big fat juicy nightcrawler that is plenty lively, you know the kind, the one that wraps around your finger and run a number eight bait hook right through the breeding ring (that's the toughest part to hold the crawler on). DO NOT put any weight or sinkers on your line as the nightcrawler will have to be both bait and weight and will give a natural slow tantilizing sinking motion through the water colunm. Cast your live squirming crawler out at the edge of some brush or trees in a lake and leave your reel bail open to give line to the fish when it takes. It drives largemouth bass wild seeing that sinking crawler slowwwwly sinking and squirming towards bottom. DON'T wait to FEEL the bite, instead WATCH where your line enters the water for the line to tighten up all of a sudden indicating the bass or another fish has taken the bait. Now self-discipline has to take over. After the fish grabs the bait slowly count to five and then haul back on your rod to set the hook. Don't wait any longer or the fish may have the worm half digested which could be lethal if you don't intend to keep the fish. This technique works well anytime of day but is particularly deadly the last half hour before dark when largemouth bass move into the shallows and brush right before dark to knock off prey.
Ok who's up next! I dare ya to spill a secret.

DeeCee []
[signature]

I guess I will throw one out. I use this on the South Fork of the Snake and a few other areas for trout.

I choose a size 12-16 dry fly, usually white with a touch of red (fresh Water Shrimp) and tie this on my spinning rod with about 10lb test. A small leech pattern will work also. I then put around 2 split shot above the fly about 2-4 feet. The number and size of split shot depend on the current. The idea is to cast up stream at about a 45 degree angle. Wait for it to hit bottom and then slowly raise the tip of the rod as the fly comes buy to keep the slack out of the line. As it goes buy slowly lower the rod tip. You want the sinkers to just barely touch the bottom. The trick to this is being able to tell the difference between a bounce and a strike and having the right amount of weight so you get a bounce and not a snag. It takes practice, but using this method I can usually catch fish when others are catching nothing.
[signature]

I use alot of diffrent lures for certain species of fish but if i am ever going to a place that i have never fished i always make sure i have a can of worms. I have caught about every species you can think of on a worm, i have even caught ocean fish with them I got back from fishing crappie in texas one time, rolled into galviston were my father lives and there was a huge red fish with his tail sticking out of the water i had nothing other than some 10 lb test and a worm i threw it out there and landed a 18 lb red my dad couldnt believe it.
[signature]

I'll talk about one that is my old standby on pretty much any river. I will usually use a black wooly bugger, size 4-6. Then I'll drop 18"-24" of 5x or 6x with a size 18-20 Hares Ear. This set up has never failed me. You can strip it, swing it, and dead drift it. It has helped me when the fishing for trout is a little bit slow. You can pretty much always catch whitefish on the hares ear. Then if there is a nice trout in the whole, it will usually take the big streamer. I have even cast this set up into a big hatch and pulled out some nice fish on the Hares ear. Overall this is one of my favorite setups to use for fly fishing. If I have never fished a river before, this is what I will always start with. I'll keep the rest of my secrets to myself for the time being. Good topic
[signature]

If smallmouth fishing is slow I like to rig a drop shot with a 4 inch plastic lizard. Color has to be watermelon seed with red specks. If this doesn't work you might as well go home.
[signature]

As you may know, my son and I are kinda new to fishing in Idaho, but we have been busy trying to make up for lost time.
Last year we discovered the smallmouth behind the American Falls Dam. After some trial and error we found a purple helgie to be truly deadly! We use a 1/8 oz jig head and fish around the rocks. You will lose a lot of jigs but that is the price you must pay.
Hope this helps someone. This forum has been an incredible resource for us as we learn about this great state and the many fishy waters it contains.
[signature]

Alright! That technique sounds like a good one. Several years ago my father and myself drove up the South Fork of the Snake River with the intent to fish right up against the Palasaides dam for some night fishing. We got there just a little late for where we wanted to be. Maybe caught one fish all night until day break. However, we watched for hours while three fly fisherman cast a white shrimp fly pattern into the river and caught trout after trout all night long. They must have caught 30 trout (browns and cutthroats) with most averaging about three pounds and a few four and five pounders. All were wild trout (the cutts may have been fingerling planters but the browns were wild). The shrimp pattern will always stick in my head. That was the nicest catch of trout for size that I have ever seen.

DeeCee [cool]
[signature]

Hard to beat the good ol' nightcrawler for a natural bait. Power bait can beat it but worms still rank near the top for natural baits. During August a live hopper can be dynamite on a stream.

DeeCee []
[signature]

Alright flyfishingfool! Good one as a dropper rig that can be a real killer for trout and whitefish, maybe bluegill too on the hares ear. We are all better educated fishermen now. Thanks. [cool]

DeeCee
[signature]

An interesting technique also. Thanks.

DeeCee []
[signature]

People are good to share some ideas in this fine State of Idaho with its world famous fishing. Thanks for sharing one of your techniques with the rest of us. []

DeeCee
[signature]

Okay I have another technique that works for me that I'll share to keep this thread going.

If I had one lure, and only one lure that I could choose to fish with for a wide range of fish, it would be the tube jig sweetened with a pinch of worm. When I float fish I like to occasionally troll by using a jig with worm. I cast the jig out and slowly kick my legs with fins to barely move the jig along through the water. If you want it to ride just above the lake bottom you kick your legs even slower. You know you are there when you occasionally bump the jig on bottom. This technique worked great at catching deeper and bigger yellow perch off bottom at Weston Reservoir in the summer. Worked great too for largemouth bass and bluegill and one crappie at Twin Lakes during the fall right along weed beds just off shore.
I have caught largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, perch and trout using this method. Kick your legs a little faster if you want the jig to ride higher up in the water column.

Ok who is next with one of your good techniques we might leran from?

DeeCee []
[signature]