fishing tips

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diymirage

HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
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hey guys, as summer warms up i see some fishing in my future
i cant remember the last time i had a fishing license but i bought one over the weekend and i intend to take the boy out on the boat a bit for some bonding and fishing

most of the fishing ive done over the last decade has been bluegill and bass in my back pond and im guessing this will be completely different


so, i need some advice

the lake is lake macatawa
from what i understand it is chuck full of walleye, bass, catfish and sheephead
im thinking the walleye would be the ones i would want to go for

to the east of the narrows (the lake looks a little bit like a dumbbell) the water doesnt get past 20 feet deep, and to the west there are a few holes as deep as 36 feet

the boat is a 19 foot bayliner capri cuddy (so with a closed bow)
not ideal for fishing and it has zero set up for it, no rod holders, no downriggers (no big deal since i wouldnt know how to use em anyway) and a stern drive, so no trolling motor

im sure i would have the ability to troll with the sterndrive by idling it, but i doubt i could do it quietly


the equipment

most of the rods are about the cheapest rods you can find with zebco baitcasters and 10 lbs line (most of these were bought to allow the kids to fish in the pond, so price and knotting were more important then quality)

i have one other rod i have had for ages and had spooled with braided line, no idea what test

i have a hand full of crank baits but not sure how to best use them, and i got some generic flashy spinner baits
none of which i have used much


i also got a can of night crawlers and that is my go to bait, but they can be gone quickly

SO

what advice can you guys give me?




(and to give you an idea how long it has been, here are a few of my lures...the hooks are completely rusted off)

20220711_120524.jpg
 
im thinking the walleye would be the ones i would want to go for

Walleye are great eating. First and foremost, license and a fishing guide so you know what is in season, size limits and total limit for the day.

i have one other rod i have had for ages and had spooled with braided line, no idea what test

Any old rods that you haven't used, I would go through the reel and make sure they are clean and lubed with 'new' line on all of them.

i have a hand full of crank baits but not sure how to best use them, and i got some generic flashy spinner baits, none of which i have used much

Check out YouTube for how to videos. I like spinner baits they can be a lot of fun. If you want walleye I would look at walleye specific baits.


Enjoy!!
 
Walleye are great eating. First and foremost, license and a fishing guide so you know what is in season, size limits and total limit for the day.



Any old rods that you haven't used, I would go through the reel and make sure they are clean and lubed with 'new' line on all of them.



Check out YouTube for how to videos. I like spinner baits they can be a lot of fun. If you want walleye I would look at walleye specific baits.


Enjoy!!


good point in the guide, ill look into that

i packed up 4 rods for later this evening, 2 which get used all the time (and may be too light) and 2 that i hadnt used in for ever, one of which is the one with the braided line on it

i went ahead and threw a few casts with them in my pond, just to look for obvious issues and i found none

i actually got that orange lure cleaned up and put some new hooks on it, one of my bass struck on it as i was checking the gear, that was pretty cool




ive been watching some youtube videos, but there is so much info out there, it is hard to narrow it down
 
My buddy fishes Erie and that area quite successfully, suggests nightcrawler harness. 10 lbs test.
 
Check out YouTube for how to videos. I like spinner baits they can be a lot of fun.


you mean one of these?
found it on the bottom of an old tackle box

upload_2022-7-12_12-23-0.jpeg




i tried it out in the back pond, and the bass seem to like it, but the cat doesnt mind it either



upload_2022-7-12_12-25-39.jpeg



i did take the boat out last nite, and didnt catch anything
well, i guess thats not completely true

after the girls got done with piano, me and the boy went and picked them up
we tried to go out to the beach (on the big lake) but halfway through the channel the waves were 4-5 foot high and they came over the bow of the boat and drenched me, so we turned around

back at the boat launch i let the kids swim and play, and i did some more fishing...and caught a pumpkin seed


all and all it was still fun though, but i do need to work on my gear a little

My buddy fishes Erie and that area quite successfully, suggests nightcrawler harness. 10 lbs test.

i got a few of those ordered up
did he happen to tell you if he drops them and lets them be, or does he troll with them?
 
Lake Maca-Toilet sees a lot of traffic, so I’m guessing early morning would be your best bet there. I’ve never fished there but have used that passage to get to Lake Michigan in the past.
 
There are so many tips and opinions on fishing that it’s tough to know where to start. But the big thing is to determine what kind of fish you want to catch. Most of the species you listed all have a different way of fishing for them with different baits. You can get lucky and catch a catfish on a spoon or crank bait but it’s not likely to happen a lot. Also figure out the water temperature and what depths the fish are spending most of their time. As the other person said, the hotter it gets the deeper the fish go. Once you figure out what to fish for and where the only thing left is the lure and bait selection. Asking for tips on that is like asking someone on this forum what their favorite pick up line is. One guy will have great success with one lure and his buddy won’t have any. Have fun and YouTube is a fantastic resource for fishing.
 
Looks like a lot of docks on that lake. I think I'd try slow trolling along them early AM and dusk, with plastic worm, setup weedless (almost) on a bent Carlisle. Give it a little time to sink.
upload_2022-7-13_7-36-48.png


upload_2022-7-13_7-41-8.png


upload_2022-7-13_7-41-56.png



upload_2022-7-13_7-43-17.png
 
thanks guys

i know this is a tall order to figure out, but im just looking for a starting point
i think i will be mostly going for walleye

the water temps are are 75 degrees and ive seen quite a few fish hang around 6 ft, as well as some right on the bottom
 
Troll the edge of drop offs (SLOW) in the evening, maybe spinner bait tipped with night crawler.
 
Went out for a little while today and caught exactly one perch...but it was a keeper

20220716_154610.jpg
 
Man, Yer quite the Joker! Down here, we just cast net those!

its been a while, but if i remember correctly, cast nest are only allowed on the great lakes around here, and i was about 4 miles shy of lake Michigan

(and of course i know it wasnt a keeper, but it still counts)



funny you should mention that

i intended to go fishing with my boy, and then take the girls out boating later
i had bought a few crawler harnesses but forgot them in the garage

i figured my oldest girl would want to fish, and she is a simple hook and bobber girl, so i had tossed on rod in there that i know she likes, and a box of trout worms

time got away from me, and i ended up just taking the girls out
they did some swimming and i cought that little fellow on the rod i had brought for my girl
 
its been a while, but if i remember correctly, cast nest are only allowed on the great lakes around here, and i was about 4 miles shy of lake Michigan

(and of course i know it wasnt a keeper, but it still counts)




funny you should mention that

i intended to go fishing with my boy, and then take the girls out boating later
i had bought a few crawler harnesses but forgot them in the garage

i figured my oldest girl would want to fish, and she is a simple hook and bobber girl, so i had tossed on rod in there that i know she likes, and a box of trout worms

time got away from me, and i ended up just taking the girls out
they did some swimming and i cought that little fellow on the rod i had brought for my girl
I was kidding with Ya, we use bait nets for greenbacks and chubs to get Snook and Redfish ( hey, what happened to Fabo Redfish?) I've been in some fresh water where we cast-netted some perch. The ones here aren't that sought after... edible though. Great job spending Quality time with the Family on the Father's Water, Communion with Nature is a Form of Communing with Him.
 
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My sister lives in Tennessee and came out to Idaho for a visit a few years ago.
Her boyfriend who she said is an avid fisherman came with her . We took him into the mountains trout fishing in the Salmon River and he insisted on using worms with a bobber and lead weight . Needless to say he lost his rigging every cast ( upside down spinning reel) .... he was furious and cursed the entire time ... lol

A year later they went out to Minnesota to visit my brother.
Shawn said he was fishing with a big DareDevil suspended under a bobber !
And of course his spinning reel was upside down and he reeled it backwards ...lol
Didnt catch many fish there either !
 
My sister lives in Tennessee and came out to Idaho for a visit a few years ago.
Her boyfriend who she said is an avid fisherman came with her . We took him into the mountains trout fishing in the Salmon River and he insisted on using worms with a bobber and lead weight . Needless to say he lost his rigging every cast ( upside down spinning reel) .... he was furious and cursed the entire time ... lol

A year later they went out to Minnesota to visit my brother.
Shawn said he was fishing with a big DareDevil suspended under a bobber !
And of course his spinning reel was upside down and he reeled it backwards ...lol
Didnt catch many fish there either !
We used to Drag race on the Gandy Bridge. If the Bridge was hot, we'd hit Tyson Rd. There were a Bunch of Dead ships there in the Flats. Sometimes in the day, we'd go fishing there...You should have seen me chasing a school Of Mullet, casting away, and running after em!
 
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