Fishing Forum

Well I am a novice fisher here in the northern virginia area. I went to the local walmart because the local fishing and bait store closed down a month ago. I have few questions. I bought a fishing bait starter kit and it came with some weights and hooks. However it came with a few items that i am unsure about what the exact purpose is. I am pretty sure the blue plastic stick is used to descale the fish with the spikey end. However i am still unclear. And the green rope with the loop and spear type thing just beats me .

Also anyone from the NOVA area have any tips on catching some good eatable fish, the only thing i have caught to date are some small 4 inch fishes that are useless and i was forced to throw them back into the lake. This was at lake Accotnik.

Thanks!
NOVA_Fishing
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you wernt kidding when you said you were a novice.what you have is a stringer to put the fish on..a scaller and a hook remover..good luck
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Those little fish you threw back make good live bait.
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Hey NOVA Fisher,
Welcome to the site!
There are a lot of very helpful fellows (and gals) on this site so as a novice you have come to the right place.

The "green rope with the loop and spear type thing" is a stringer. You slide the point end through the mouth and out the gill of the fish and then through the ring on the end and you can then poke the point end into the sand or between the rocks or whatever to secure it and allow the fish to remain in the water so they do not dry out, heat up and become worthless.

As far as using the small fish for live bait it is not allowed in Washington state so I do not know much about it, but I am sure if you would do a search on the site here you could find out about how to rig the little guys for your situation.

The other plastic thing is for getting the scales off fish (never done that myself) and the other end is a hook remover. If the hook is deep inside you put the line in the slot and run the tool down the throat of the fish and when you make contact you can push the hook out. I would highly recommend you get a pair of forceps and hang them from a lanyard around your neck for quick and easy hook removal.

Good luck to you and do not get discouraged, there are some who had their dad thrust a pole in their hands when they started walking, but for the most part we were all novice at one time!
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[quote lskiles]Good luck to you and do not get discouraged, there are some who had their dad thrust a pole in their hands when they started walking, but for the most part we were all novice at one time![/quote]


LOL, you said "thrust a pole"
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The "stringer" you can push the medal part up through the gills but your fish will die sooner. If you are catching larger fish push the medal part up through their lower lip if they have a strong jaw like Bass or catfish. The fish will stay alive on the stringer longer and you can even release those fish and they will live. but if you put the stringer through their GILLS they will eventually die even if you release them.
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Nova Fisher,Where are you in Va. I`m in Woodbridge.We could get together and fish?
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NOVA , if ya wanna catch some decent fish head out towards the Mountains like Front Royal "Passage Creek , Happy Creek , Hawksbill ,Shenandoah" But if ya wanna catch BIG Trout head further west to the Elk River where you can catch Critters like this ....
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When I was young & in my prime young age ( Kid ) I used that green rope for the fish I caught. You push the spear thru the lower lip, a very thin skin area.Then make a loop and hang it from the belt or stick it in the ground! I never used it through the Gills because we knew it would kill them. I even had the old chain stringer! You use the clip thru the same area of the mouth. The old type fish scaler, I hated to use! The hook remover never had one, always used needle nose pliers or forceps.
Dennis
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