Gone Fishin Blog

dlathan answers:

You could try fishing the swimbaits like Huddlestons and Rago trout baits .If thats not your cup of tea I’d reccomend trying baits like Senkos w/out weight ,Texas rigged plastic worms ,or dropshotted 4” worms like roboworms ,in colors like Aarons magic and Mararita mutilator 3.theres alot of people fishing the jig and pig.check out assault jigs they make some good colors for cali .grape/brown works well for me.sometimes if you have a boat you can try using spoons for deep bass,good electronics will help you find the deeper water schools.

dlathan answers:

Yes weedless silver spoons with pork rind strips and weedless frogs or weedless deer hair poppers with fly rod, or heavy jigs with frog pork rind. I have caught bass in 12 inch deep water in 30 degree weather, fish eat year round.

dlathan answers:

All I can tell you is tough it out with the soft plastics. Texas rigs and drop shot rigs…

EDIT:
Don’t pay any attention to fisherman andee… He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Like I said above, stick with plastics and fish them slow. Best lures in your area of California are soft plastics. Fish 4 to 7 inch worms on the drop shot rigs and fish 7 to 10 inch worms on the texas rigs. What lake are you fishing exactly?

dlathan answers:

The main tip is fish s-l-o-w, very slow at times. My favorite bait to throw in cool water are jigs. Preferrably 3/4 ounce or 1/2 ounce with a nice big trailer and rattle. A lot of people will say you want to size down your baits, which is true in some cases but not for baits like jigs. Bass are very slow moving in the Winter and if they go for a bait they want it to be well worth it. They won’t tend to chase down baits like they do other times of the year which is why a slow retrieve is a pretty vital. They’ll also generally be holding fairly deep as you mentioned so you of course want to give whatever you are using time to fall down to that deeper water. So again, a jig is my go to bait in the winter.

Second. If you haven’t tried any rattle traps I’d strongly suggest it. I’ve pulled out more fish on these in cool water than I have on the jigs, they just don’t tend to be as big. You can cover a lot of water with these and fish the however you want, they’re very versatile. I like letting them sink until they hit bottom then use a stop and go retrieve with a twitch or 2 in between. They have loads of different colors and sizes so buy a few and experiement. Remember, GENERALLY in stained water a darker color will do best and in clear water a lighter/natural color will do best. But for some reason in Winter I’ve pulled a lot more fish out on a crawfish color in any water clarity. That would be my 2nd choice.

Lastly, if neither of those were producing I would bust out my bigger plastic worms. 10 inch and even 12 inch Texas rigged worms have done nicely for me in the past. I tend to stick with the Culprit brand worms and occsionally Berkley Powerbait worms. As I said I like Texas Rigging best but a lot of people will Carolina Rig and Drop Shot like you said. Im not sure of the brand but there’s some pretty neat hooks that come with rattle on them that I like to use this time of year. When you’re fishing in water as cold as you are you need all of the “extra” stuff you can get imo like extra noise, flashy/flakey materials, and scents.

It’s strange you didn’t get any fish in the boat with that broad of a selection. I’d suggest switching up colors, sizes, retrieves, etc next time you’re out. The smallest change can make the biggest difference. Just experiement, you’ll find something that they’re wanting to take.

dlathan answers:

Go deep, and slow it down. Bass will be in energy conservation mode.

dlathan answers:

Like Dan B, I use the Palomar knot but at times will go with the Clinch… Here’s a’ link that’s bout’ the best site (my opinion) for one not only learnin’ ta’ tie fishin’ knots but, other types as well… Tight lines;)… <

Palomar:

http://animatedknots.com/palomar/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Clinch (Improved):

http://animatedknots.com/improvedclinch/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Note: Link also provides information as ta' what particular fishin' knot is best used for…

dlathan answers:

Fishing knots? Here you go -

http://www.animatedknots.com/indexfishing.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

dlathan answers:

Take a fishing rod with a fish on a hook at the end. If you have it fall off, you can then show how to properly tie knots.

dlathan answers:

The best thing is to use the bobbers that clip on your line. No knots required. As you get more experience you can go to a slip cork which is a little more complicated but still easy to use. For knot tying go to this website. The best on the net.
Http://animatedknots.com/improvedclinch/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

dlathan answers:

Uni knot is one of the fishing knots for braided line.
More knots and how to video of it here.
Http://braidedline.net/fishing-knots-for-braided-line/

dlathan answers:

First off, you said that you’re using spider wire as the main line and 24-36″ of leader. Where’s the top shot? The top shot is 12-18 feet of monofilament equal to or slightly heavier than your main line. This is then connected to your leader using a knot of your choice to connect both lines without using a swivel.
The problem may be that your spider wire is too slippery from the teflon coating and it’s just sliding off the plastic pin. The top shot which is mono will create more drag and keep it from slipping off the pin. If you prefer not to use a top shot) then you can resort to using rubber bands. Find the depth you want the cork to be. Remove the pin and where you marked your depth, take a rubber band and wrap the line and the rubber band around the pin until the rubber band is tight. Take your main line and wrap the pin a few times across the length of it and re-insert it into the cork making sure the rubber band is snug against the cork itself. Take another rubber band and wrap the pin at the bottom and make sure it’s snug against the cork. This will create the friction needed to stop the cork from falling off. It’s a lot of work but it works.
Another thing you asked was for an easier way to get the cork to cast because it’s awkward to cast such a long leader. Well there has to be a compromise because you can’t get the cake and eat it too ( making it pop and getting a better cast.) But you can get a taste of that cake and the easiest way is to use Spro swivels. These swivels are very small but super strong so it’s harder to detect in the water by fish and cut offs are less by attacking fish wanting a swivel dinner. For example, I am using a 3 foot leader. I will mark my line at 5 feet to allow for knots and screw ups ( It happens.) I cut the line and then tie on a Spro swivel. I re-attach the line I cut to the swivel and then add a small bead ( many prefer red or orange, I use clear, green, brown and blue for all my dirty work. I try to match the water color.) I insert the line through the pin ( if it’s hollow) and then mark my leader half way. Cut the line again, add a bead first (clear only) then tie on the swivel. Tie on the rest of the line, but there’s a trick, use a jig head with a 1/0 hook as your hook. This will be your weight and hook at the same time. Hook a live shrimp through the head just behind the horn missing the brain and you’re good to go. Here’s what happens, when you go to make the cast, you cut in half the length of the leader as the cork drops to the bottom, easier casting. As the bait hits the water, the line is pulled from the weight of the jig head until it hits the top bead which in turn gives you a full 3 foot leader under the cork. Slowly reel the line in until the cork hits the bottom bead and give it a pop. This raises the bait and allows it to drop again when you give slack line. It’s a great fishing technique but again, takes some time to make.
I could tell ya about the tooth pick deal also but it’s best to leave that up to your imagination.~good luck catchin’.

dlathan answers:

If you are going to fish for sharks, best time to do it will be at around the hours of 8pm to 10am. They usually feed when the sun sets till the sun rises.

You are going to have to make some sort of bait/chum first.

Get a couple of cans of corn
get some cow liver
get some ground beef
get some squid
put about a 2 cups of cooking oil in the mix
some butcher shops throw some meat and you can pick it up for free
so whatever is being discarded, should get and utilize, mix it all up really well

make about a bucket size mixture

blend it really well

throw 1 bucket every hour in the area you are fishing off of. It will attract sharks. Sometimes it is a waiting game. 3 buckets are usually enough to attract plenty

now you can freeze the mixture like in ice form and also use a part of the mixture in room temperature form

Cast your hook and bait.

For the hook use strips of squid or pieces of bluefish or other small/medium sized fish etc.

Http://www.tx-sharkfishing.com/shark-fishing/shark-bait/

As for equipment such as rods/reels
http://www.tx-sharkfishing.com/shark-fishing/shark-fishing-tackle/

dlathan answers:

A senator on a 12′ ugly stick…
Just what size senator would be recommended?? A 6/0 with 50# dacron or a 9/0 with 80??
You DO realize these reels are trolling reels and definitely not designed for casting. Even the small 1/0 models?

Okay, you CAN get by with a 12′ ugly stick. As good as or possibly better than most surf fishing offerings at your local walmart. But there are a boatload of better rods out there. Much more money, too. You have to decide what your budget can stand.
For a reel to stand up to the salt and sand of surf fishing for longer than just through the summer, you are going to have to look for just a bit more quality than what walmart has. L personally like a penn squidder conventional reel for casting distance. Yes, it will beat the hell out of a spinning reel for distance and accuracy.
For a spinning reel, which l also do use, l like the older bulletproof blue painted penn spinning reels with a mitchell 302 or 306 being next choice. You can still find any of these workhorses at flea markets and on ebay. And at better prices than new crappy stuff.
20lb mono on the squidder and 15 mono on a spinning reel.
Weights in the 1 1/2 to 3 ounce range, assorted sizes of hooks from size 6 to 4/0. Baitholder style hooks will work for the majority of your inshore fish with an octopus style hook having a slight edge on the larger sizes.
L’m trying to keep this as simple yet informative as possible. L don’t want to confuse you with more esoteric issues.
The lures and baits used will depend on which part of the country you are located and which fish and bait species are available locally. Your best bet for that info will be at a local tackle or bait shop.

Basic knowledge. Hmmm…
Surf and inshore species are structure oriented. Kelp beds, rock piles, reefs, bridges… Even an empty stretch of beach will have it’s own types of structure. Clam beds, there is usually a trench near where the waves are breaking. Fish use these as places to lie in wait for crabs and baitfish confused in the current. Look for tidal rips. That is the spot where everything is washing back to sea. The lunch counter. Pier pilings are top fish attractors. If you have a pier available with broken pilings near it from a former pier, you have found a potential honey hole. Lots of snags there but lots of quality fish.

As you continue fishing, you will realize you have many more questions than you thought. It’s not all cut and dried. Information regarding your location and species you decide to chase will be of utmost importance in answering questions for you.

L normally don’t charge but since your wording suggests a willingness to pay, that’ll be $113.00. L’m not cheap.
Keep your baits natural and your lures either reaction type lures like a surface splasher type or ones to copy forage species like a soft plastic grub/jig combo

dlathan answers:

Penn makes some good rods and reels. Look at there web site for more info. However, I do know that the baja special is supposed to be a good reel, and ugly sticks are great rods. When you go to the website, look under conventional reels for the most popular saltwater reels. Also, you should go to the sport fishing operation or a local bait shop that sales rods and reels for more advise on what types of rods and reels you should get.

Hope this helps!!

dlathan answers:

Most of your fishing will be bait fishing for drum and bluefish. I would get a good heaver and a spinning reel. Mu suggestion is a ocean master 12′ 6-12oz spinning surf rod and a daiwa emcast pro 6000 spooled with 65lb power pro. Baits will be cut bunker, mullet fillets and whole finger mullets. Here is a good rig,

http://stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=549255

here are some forums that you can ask for information

http://www.fishmilitia.com/forums/

http://stripersonline.com/surftalk/forumdisplay.php?f=181

http://www.pierandsurf.com/fishing-forum/forumdisplay.php?f=7

dlathan answers:

A microspin combo in the salt! You talk about a fight! I bought one of those a few months ago and fished the hell out of it! Caught around 75 or so fish. Bluegills, sunfish, catfish, bass, etc. But I broke the rod on accident picking it up mid-way through the rod. Snapped in half. I loved that combo but now I just gave the reel to my dad and trashed the rod.

dlathan answers:

You can get a nice daiwa saltwater spinner and a g loomis rod and you’d be more then ready to go fish saltwater. You can get nice saltwater rods pretty cheap on craigslist

dlathan answers:

Quantum is the way to in your case. If fishing salt water I would put on 25-50 lb test.

dlathan answers:

Get a new rod and reel, get a saltwater rod and baitcasting reel, make sure you clean every thing good after saltwater fishing because the salt water will cause everyting to rust on the rod and real, good luck fishing !

dlathan answers:

The one that catches a fish every time you use it.PENN!!