Hey gang, Going fishing much?

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
Oh wait, does anyone else use those mesh cages that fold flat and is for holding your fish? You anchor it to something with string and then when you get a keeper you put it in there and the opening is one way so the fish can't get back out but it is in the stream or lake so it stays alive to the very end (IE the end of the fillet knife LOL)?

i tie the bottom of one of those up so the fish dont get out..learned the hard way..lol

similar to this one

wire+basket.jpg
 

Derek

Banned
Some call it a Stringer, I call it a gill line…um-hmmm.

Here’s one version.
Do I really need one? I'm trying to stick tot he very basics, Heck the fishing license going to be $28 dollars, The life vest/fishing vest is going to be around $190 and the waiters are going to be around $80. And a 13.99 dollar fish felaiy knife.



By the the life vest/fishing vest I'm looking at inflates as it goes Horizontal.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
I know what Keltin is talking about, holds em by the gills one after the other.

Ever been in a convenience store and seen them hanging some product on one of those plastic strips so one hangs under the other? Same concept here.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Do I really need one? I'm trying to stick tot he very basics, Heck the fishing license going to be $28 dollars, The life vest/fishing vest is going to be around $190 and the waiters are going to be around $80. And a 13.99 dollar fish felaiy knife.



By the the life vest/fishing vest I'm looking at inflates as it goes Horizontal.


Nope. Just depends on where you want to store your catch. Got a bucket, cooler, or live well? That’s fine. But you'll have to change the water every hour to keep them from dieing.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
i tie the bottom of one of those up so the fish dont get out..learned the hard way..lol

similar to this one

wire+basket.jpg


Yup, that's the thing. Only ours has no opening on the bottom. And when you put a fish in it you have to push it thru the opening to get em in, and then it automatically closes behind them.

The only other things I can think of that I have is a nice wide brim hat (kinda like Indiana Jones had) and a minnow bucket but I don't think you will need one of those.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I know what Keltin is talking about, holds em by the gills one after the other.

Ever been in a convenience store and seen them hanging some product on one of those plastic strips so one hangs under the other? Same concept here.

Yep! Needle and loop catch the first one, and the rest stack up. Not pretty, but let's be real.....we're gonna gut 'em and eat 'em.
 

Derek

Banned
Nope. Just depends on where you want to store your catch. Got a bucket, cooler, or live well? That’s fine. But you'll have to change the water every hour to keep them from dieing.
Well, I'm not going to fish for 20 fish and so on.

I'm thinking if I'm lucky at all I would try to catch about 1-3 fish, Then go right home.


So maybe a bucket on the back of my bicycle.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Well, I'm not going to fish for 20 fish and so on.

I'm thinking if I'm lucky at all I would try to catch about 1-3 fish, Then go right home.


So maybe a bucket on the back of my bicycle.

Went on an SR once. We thought the same. Hit a Bream bed that was biting hard. Caught 8 and thought that was plenty.

After cleaning, we ate them all in one sitting (Bream are smallish).

For one meal, and only an hour or so out, use the bucket. It’s fine. But don’t let them die in that bucket. It will ruin the taste.
 

Derek

Banned
Went on an SR once. We thought the same. Hit a Bream bed that was biting hard. Caught 8 and thought that was plenty.

After cleaning, we ate them all in one sitting (Bream are smallish).

For one meal, and only an hour or so out, use the bucket. It’s fine. But don’t let them die in that bucket. It will ruin the taste.
I never knew that.


Thanks for the tip.
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
I know what Keltin is talking about, holds em by the gills one after the other.

Ever been in a convenience store and seen them hanging some product on one of those plastic strips so one hangs under the other? Same concept here.
\

if your starting at Derek, go to your local Pawn Shop.. i have bought lots of good fishing supplies in michigan there. the dollar tree also has some

cheap fish scaler at dollar tree/meijer/walmart
scaler.gif


this is an antique fish stringer but you can get the cheap rope stringers for cheap..
fish-stringer-1.jpg
 

Derek

Banned
Thank you Jeff, I am just starting out, So the pawn shops and yard sales will be fine.

By the I like that black scaler.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Hey BAM that's the same one my dad had! LOL! ( the string)

I have never used a scaler... dad taught me with the fillet knife, takes a little practice but works good!
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Fish talk. I love fish talk and I missed this last night because I was gone. This summer I hope to have some good walleye stories from northern Wisconsin.

Here's a prehistoric one you don't eat so luckily you don't have to scale it as the scales are the size of silver dollars.

Me in a forty minute fight

Tarpon05.jpg



Tarpon03.jpg



with a Tarpon (SilverKing) that went about 125 pounds.

Tarpon01.jpg
 

Lefty

Yank
I am going to buy my fresh water paper this week, its still unusually cold so I wont get fishing until May. I am really looking forward to July when Striped bass season starts. I am half a mile from the river and I have a great sopt from shore to fish. I have caught some close to 30 pounds.
 

Ronjohn

New member
Not fishing yet, but the boat is in the process of getting cleaned up in the garage and the batteries are on the charger. Won't be long now... provided I can find a free weekend to take it out. Unless I get "sick" and have to miss a day of work.....

:whistle:

:fishing:
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
Damn, I missed all the fun last night like Buz. Had tons to do and then fell asleep in my chair, only to be sent to bed at 1 a.m. by DW.

I read the entire thread and it looks like Derek wants to go fishing. The only question is, who sold a poor man a fly rod when he should have been sold a spinning rod? Sure you can use a fly rod from the bank of a river or the shore of a lake, but that's provided there's nothing to get in the way of your casting stroke. Fly rods are intended primarily for stream and river fishing, which in Michigan means cold trout streams, especially in the area that Derek lives. To properly enjoy stream and river fishing requires a pair of hip boots or chest waders, depending on the depth of the water you will be wading. A decent pair of waders from Cabelas can be bought on sale for $100, which Derek does not have right now. You can "wet wade," the streams and rivers, but 56 degree water will chase you to the shore before you know it, and extended periods of exposure to those low temps can also lead to hypothermia. Not a good plan. Even some of the Michigan lakes have very cold water in the summer because of their location, and shoreline wading is usually done in some sort of boot. If a spinning rod had been chosen, you could access most of the same water, but without the limitations encountered using a fly rod. Hook & bobber with live bait or spinners or rubber worms will get the job done at minimal cost, because spin fishing is the most popular form of fishing, and the market is flooded with terminal tackle for spinning rods at dirt cheap prices. Hell, I've even seen people tie a fly behind a bobber with a spin rod, and catch a pail full of bluegills for supper (my twin brother did that after watching me catch more gills with a fly than he was with a spinner). The spinning rod is very versatile, and I believe I own no less than 10 of them in my arsenal, plus about 8 baitcasters and 11 fly rods. I also build fly rods and spinning rods as a hobby, and have 4 or 5 blanks waiting to be built when I get some free time.

Fly Tying: Wow, this is something I know lots about. I have been tying fresh-water flies for 10 years (and teaching tying for the past 5 years), and I must have about $2,000 worth of tying materials and equipment in my basement. I can't say exactly how much, because I never stop buying stuff that "I need" to have in my stock, and I really don't want to know. It's a hobby, and I enjoy it and I can afford to do it, so it's worth it to me. There is a myth that says you save money by tying your own flies...I will put that to bed right now by saying "BULLSHIT!" Just go into a fly shop and ask the owner to sell you EVERYTHING you will need to tie a dozen size 12 elk hair caddis flies that will catch many species of fish in Michigan because there many species of them there. The list will include the vise ($40 for a cheap one), thread ($2), bobbin ($8), hackle pliers ($3), scissors ($12), head cement ($6), dry hackle ($8), patch of bleached elk hair ($8), underbody material ($2), and the never-going-down-in-price package of 25 Mustad Dry Fly hooks in size 12 ($8). You are over $100 when you add in the tax, and you still don't know what the hell you're doing, so you'll have to take a class ($25-45) so you can learn to tie this one fly. Or, you can go online and buy a dozen of these flies for about $10. No, you don't save anything by tying your own, but you have the personal satisfaction of knowing that you caught a fish on a fly that you personally tied. Whoopie! Just buy the damn things and be done with it, unless you are looking for a hobby and have some disposable income to throw at it.

Now, for those who don't know Michigan fishing regulations, the most premium public access rivers that hold trophy trout are also heavily regulated.This includes many areas that are dessignated "flies only," "no barb on the hook" and "catch & release only." The spin gear is not welcomed, and will get you a hefty fine as well as loss of gear. This is why fly fishing is so popular in Michigan. But, while it is popular, it is also the smallest market in all of fishing, which means that everything costs more because the demand is very low compared to spin fishing.

I'm going to get off this soap box cuz I have to go to work. Suffice to say that if you can exchange that fly combo for a medium weight 6' spin combo, you'll be able to catch all teh same fishies for a lot less money, and have more versatility for your hard earned money. Here are a couple spin rods I built for my grandkids. The cork & reel seats were done on my wood lathe.

Patric-Madeline-rods.jpg


Here's a 7-piece fly rod before coating the thread wraps, and after coating.

Rod6-01.jpg


Rod6-03.jpg


Fly fishing can be fun, but it will cost you a lot more to do it than spin fishing. Your choice....
 

Derek

Banned
Damn, I missed all the fun last night like Buz. Had tons to do and then fell asleep in my chair, only to be sent to bed at 1 a.m. by DW.

I read the entire thread and it looks like Derek wants to go fishing. The only question is, who sold a poor man a fly rod when he should have been sold a spinning rod? Sure you can use a fly rod from the bank of a river or the shore of a lake, but that's provided there's nothing to get in the way of your casting stroke. Fly rods are intended primarily for stream and river fishing, which in Michigan means cold trout streams, especially in the area that Derek lives. To properly enjoy stream and river fishing requires a pair of hip boots or chest waders, depending on the depth of the water you will be wading. A decent pair of waders from Cabelas can be bought on sale for $100, which Derek does not have right now. You can "wet wade," the streams and rivers, but 56 degree water will chase you to the shore before you know it, and extended periods of exposure to those low temps can also lead to hypothermia. Not a good plan. Even some of the Michigan lakes have very cold water in the summer because of their location, and shoreline wading is usually done in some sort of boot. If a spinning rod had been chosen, you could access most of the same water, but without the limitations encountered using a fly rod. Hook & bobber with live bait or spinners or rubber worms will get the job done at minimal cost, because spin fishing is the most popular form of fishing, and the market is flooded with terminal tackle for spinning rods at dirt cheap prices. Hell, I've even seen people tie a fly behind a bobber with a spin rod, and catch a pail full of bluegills for supper (my twin brother did that after watching me catch more gills with a fly than he was with a spinner). The spinning rod is very versatile, and I believe I own no less than 10 of them in my arsenal, plus about 8 baitcasters and 11 fly rods. I also build fly rods and spinning rods as a hobby, and have 4 or 5 blanks waiting to be built when I get some free time.

Fly Tying: Wow, this is something I know lots about. I have been tying fresh-water flies for 10 years (and teaching tying for the past 5 years), and I must have about $2,000 worth of tying materials and equipment in my basement. I can't say exactly how much, because I never stop buying stuff that "I need" to have in my stock, and I really don't want to know. It's a hobby, and I enjoy it and I can afford to do it, so it's worth it to me. There is a myth that says you save money by tying your own flies...I will put that to bed right now by saying "BULLSHIT!" Just go into a fly shop and ask the owner to sell you EVERYTHING you will need to tie a dozen size 12 elk hair caddis flies that will catch many species of fish in Michigan because there many species of them there. The list will include the vise ($40 for a cheap one), thread ($2), bobbin ($8), hackle pliers ($3), scissors ($12), head cement ($6), dry hackle ($8), patch of bleached elk hair ($8), underbody material ($2), and the never-going-down-in-price package of 25 Mustad Dry Fly hooks in size 12 ($8). You are over $100 when you add in the tax, and you still don't know what the hell you're doing, so you'll have to take a class ($25-45) so you can learn to tie this one fly. Or, you can go online and buy a dozen of these flies for about $10. No, you don't save anything by tying your own, but you have the personal satisfaction of knowing that you caught a fish on a fly that you personally tied. Whoopie! Just buy the damn things and be done with it, unless you are looking for a hobby and have some disposable income to throw at it.

Now, for those who don't know Michigan fishing regulations, the most premium public access rivers that hold trophy trout are also heavily regulated.This includes many areas that are dessignated "flies only," "no barb on the hook" and "catch & release only." The spin gear is not welcomed, and will get you a hefty fine as well as loss of gear. This is why fly fishing is so popular in Michigan. But, while it is popular, it is also the smallest market in all of fishing, which means that everything costs more because the demand is very low compared to spin fishing.

I'm going to get off this soap box cuz I have to go to work. Suffice to say that if you can exchange that fly combo for a medium weight 6' spin combo, you'll be able to catch all teh same fishies for a lot less money, and have more versatility for your hard earned money. Here are a couple spin rods I built for my grandkids. The cork & reel seats were done on my wood lathe.

Patric-Madeline-rods.jpg


Here's a 7-piece fly rod before coating the thread wraps, and after coating.

Rod6-01.jpg


Rod6-03.jpg


Fly fishing can be fun, but it will cost you a lot more to do it than spin fishing. Your choice....
The gentleman at Traverse city Bay & Tackle, I asked for the fly fishing rod my self since I'm going to only be doing streams and or rivers,


Is fly tying something about wrapping feathers, and other fine materal around the end of a hook? And to make it look like a fly or what ever you need too? Also the thing you said about the typing is agreed, My brother says he can't afford to buy all the material; to tie his flies so he has his roommate to give me a few and only pays for the material his room mate used.




So should I only buy 1 fly of each kind when I can? and what do you think about buying some of the stuff at yard sales?
 

Lefty

Yank
The gentleman at Traverse city Bay & Tackle, I asked for the fly fishing rod my self since I'm going to only be doing streams and or rivers,


Is fly tying something about wrapping feathers, and other fine materal around the end of a hook? And to make it look like a fly or what ever you need too? Also the thing you said about the typing is agreed, My brother says he can't afford to buy all the material; to tie his flies so he has his roommate to give me a few and only pays for the material his room mate used.


So should I only buy 1 fly of each kind when I can? and what do you think about buying some of the stuff at yard sales?

The flies you need will be depending on what the current hatch is at the local spot you are fishing. What that means is you need to call a local flyshop and ask what is hatching so you can match the fly with whatever insect is currently active. It is a tough sports with lots to learn about insects. Check out begginer site for flyfishing like this one. http://www.hooked-on-flies.com/

This site describe "matching the hatch" http://www.ehow.com/how_2037942_match-hatch-fly-fishing.html
 

Derek

Banned
The flies you need will be depending on what the current hatch is at the local spot you are fishing. What that means is you need to call a local flyshop and ask what is hatching so you can match the fly with whatever insect is currently active. It is a tough sports with lots to learn about insects. Check out begginer site for flyfishing like this one. http://www.hooked-on-flies.com/

This site describe "matching the hatch" http://www.ehow.com/how_2037942_match-hatch-fly-fishing.html
Thank you Joe, I'm going to take a look at both websites after lunch.

If I have very very stupid questions even if they may seem REALLY stupid to you guys? can I pick your brain? or anyone else who wants to chime in?


The reason I picked fly fishing is the safety, I don't have to worry to much about drowing since the water probably will not be over 3-4 feet deep and I will have a life vest/trendy vest on.
 

Lefty

Yank
Thank you Joe, I'm going to take a look at both websites after lunch.

If I have very very stupid questions even if they may seem REALLY stupid to you guys? can I pick your brain? or anyone else who wants to chime in?


The reason I picked fly fishing is the safety, I don't have to worry to much about drowing since the water probably will not be over 3-4 feet deep and I will have a life vest/trendy vest on.
I have no problems with answering your questions. Post away. BTW you can drown in a couple of inches of water.
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
The site Lefty suggested is a good starting point for every new fly fisher. You will get a lot of good information there that would take too long to describe on NCT.

It's not as simple as buying one of each fly, because there are literally thousands of patterns, and myriad variations of each pattern. Here is a box of flies I tied for a gift exchange. These flies work very well on the Au Sable river system in Grayling Michigan, and will work in your area as well.

AuSableCollection-1.jpg


These are only 5 patterns out of the dozens of patterns that I tie just for fishing this unique river system. To buy these flies at a fly shop would cost around $50-$60 (without the box), and four of those patterns only work during certain times of the year when certain insects hatch.

Here is a box of flies (all hand tied) that would cost about $300 at a fly shop (if they were all available). They represent various insects at one point in their life cycle when they are available to the fish, and only during this cycle.

P1010454.jpg


It took me years to get proficient at tying certain patterns to accurately imitate each particular insect, and these flies must also tied in multiple sizes because the fish can discriminate when it comes to the size of teh actual hatch that is occurring that you are trying to imitate. Yeah, there's a lot to learn about fly fishing and fly tying, and entomology is just one phase of it. There is also the art of being able to look at a moving river, and being able to determine the most likely place a fish would be hiding. That's called "reading water," and it also takes much time to learn and even longer to master. I will walk up to a stream and spend up to 10 minutes just studying the features of teh water, shoreline and current transitions before ever setting a foot in the water.

Once in the water you need to be able to accurately cast the fly so that it lands on teh water in a natural fashion so you don't frighten the fish. Once spooked, you might as well move on to the next spot and try again. While fly casting is not difficult, it does take some practice to become proficient in overhand casting, sidearm casting and roll casting. These techniques do not come overnight, so you must practice each of them because you will encounter situations on Michigan rivers that require proficiency of each of them if you expect to catch fish.

You also must learn about your fly line, knots, leader and tippet, because you will be dealing with these non-stop while on stream. Changing flies and knowing which knots are best for various presentations is very important. the end of the fly line (tippet) is a self-sacrificing length of monofilament or flourocarbon line that goes between the leader and teh fly. You must know the knots to tie a fresh tippet to the leader (perfection loop, double surgeons knot or a blood knot) when teh tippet becomes too short to be useful. Then there are several knots for tying the fly to the tippet, based on the action you want/need to get from the fly.

You can avoid all of this and just go out there and froth the water, but it will be dificult to catch fish on a regular basis until you learn some of the basics. In short, it will take many, many hours of your time to become good at using the fly rod as a fish catching tool. Don't plan on a fish dinner until you have teh fish in your creel.

I'm not trying to discourage you from pursing fly fishing, but i want you to understand that it is a technical sport that requires work, time and money to get good at it. I fear that if you dont have both the time and money, that you will get frustrated and pitch the whole outfit. I see it happen frequently.
 
Last edited:

Lefty

Yank
Amen JoeV. It does take a while and is very expensive to start out flyfishing, and takes a while to get good.
 

Lefty

Yank
Even now that I am good at flyfishing I still prefer to get out in my yak with an open face reel setup and fish fresh water for crappie and white perch. Great tasting fish. I even go for largemouth bass and smallies. It is so relaxing putting around being one with nature.
 

Derek

Banned
The site Lefty suggested is a good starting point for every new fly fisher. You will get a lot of good information there that would take too long to describe on NCT.

It's not as simple as buying one of each fly, because there are literally thousands of patterns, and myriad variations of each pattern. Here is a box of flies I tied for a gift exchange. These flies work very well on the Au Sable river system in Grayling Michigan, and will work in your area as well.

AuSableCollection-1.jpg


These are only 5 patterns out of the dozens of patterns that I tie just for fishing this unique river system. To buy these flies at a fly shop would cost around $50-$60 (without the box), and four of those patterns only work during certain times of the year when certain insects hatch.

Here is a box of flies (all hand tied) that would cost about $300 at a fly shop (if they were all available). They represent various insects at one point in their life cycle when they are available to the fish, and only during this cycle.

P1010454.jpg


It took me years to get proficient at tying certain patterns to accurately imitate each particular insect, and these flies must also tied in multiple sizes because the fish can discriminate when it comes to the size of teh actual hatch that is occurring that you are trying to imitate. Yeah, there's a lot to learn about fly fishing and fly tying, and entomology is just one phase of it. There is also the art of being able to look at a moving river, and being able to determine the most likely place a fish would be hiding. That's called "reading water," and it also takes much time to learn and even longer to master. I will walk up to a stream and spend up to 10 minutes just studying the features of teh water, shoreline and current transitions before ever setting a foot in the water.

Once in the water you need to be able to accurately cast the fly so that it lands on teh water in a natural fashion so you don't frighten the fish. Once spooked, you might as well move on to the next spot and try again. While fly casting is not difficult, it does take some practice to become proficient in overhand casting, sidearm casting and roll casting. These techniques do not come overnight, so you must practice each of them because you will encounter situations on Michigan rivers that require proficiency of each of them if you expect to catch fish.

You also must learn about your fly line, knots, leader and tippet, because you will be dealing with these non-stop while on stream. Changing flies and knowing which knots are best for various presentations is very important. the end of the fly line (tippet) is a self-sacrificing length of monofilament or flourocarbon line that goes between the leader and teh fly. You must know the knots to tie a fresh tippet to the leader (perfection loop, double surgeons knot or a blood knot) when teh tippet becomes too short to be useful. Then there are several knots for tying the fly to the tippet, based on the action you want/need to get from the fly.

You can avoid all of this and just go out there and froth the water, but it will be dificult to catch fish on a regular basis until you learn some of the basics. In short, it will take many, many hours of your time to become good at using the fly rod as a fish catching tool. Don't plan on a fish dinner until you have teh fish in your creel.

I'm not trying to discourage you from pursing fly fishing, but i want you to understand that it is a technical sport that requires work, time and money to get good at it. I fear that if you dont have both the time and money, that you will get frustrated and pitch the whole outfit. I see it happen frequently.
Thank you Joe, Hey Can I do this while waiting on my fishing License? Practice my casting with a bit of line in my apartment? So I will get a head start when summer really arrives?

Even now that I am good at flyfishing I still prefer to get out in my yak with an open face reel setup and fish fresh water for crappie and white perch. Great tasting fish. I even go for largemouth bass and smallies. It is so relaxing putting around being one with nature.

Amen JoeV. It does take a while and is very expensive to start out flyfishing, and takes a while to get good.
Joe seems to his stuff for sure. And thanks guys.
 
Top