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Teach the dumb fisherman (me) how to fish

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Some people think that just because a person was born and raised in Alaska, that person doesn’t know how to function is the “real world”. Basically what I’m saying is some people think I don’t know how to cross the street, order food, use the drink machine, Ect., Ect, Ect. All because I live in Alaska. I can function just as well as any other person in a city. I have one weakness, and that is my lack of knowledge in fishing for bass, sunfish, crappie, walleye, catfish, Ect., Ect. Only YOU can fix that weakness. If you know ANYTHING about fishing for any species (except for trout) that I might find in AZ and Oregon, please tell me. I am going to be using fly tackle only for crappie and bass.

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If you can catch grayling and trout, then you have all the ability necessary to catch the other fish in your list. I am NOT one of those that think trout are harder to catch than sunfish or bass. Small fish of any species are easier to catch, and many people mistake the little sunfish as representatives of the species.

Big fish of any species, on the other hand, are always warier and harder to fool into taking artificial presentations.

 

The only tips I offer are:

1) Go bigger. Tiny flies used for pressured trout will catch you a LOT of tiny sunfish. Bluegill, even large ones, have tiny mouths. Big Bluegill do like larger offerings, though. We're not talking 4" streamers ... but instead of size 16 and smaller flies, go with size 6 and 8 hooks and the additional materials you can tie on those. For bass, 4" streamers are a good size. Largemouth Bass didn't get that name as a joke. (like calling a tall guy "Shorty") Big flies get bigger hits ... usually.

 

2) More importantly, slow down. While there are time of the year that bass and sunfish are actively chasing anything that gets close ... for most of the year, they're "creepers" and ambush predators. They see something "interesting", and they slowly work their way closer. When they're close enough, they jump and inhale. You can get the same type of sips trout do, but usually you get a short burst of speed and a violent take. BUT ... you have to give them time to approach. Working a fly too quickly through the strike zone is the main reason I see for people that don't catch as many fish as they can. SLOW DOWN.

 

3) Most sunfish species are schooling fish. You get fun, violent strikes because they are trying to get to your fly before others do. If you're catching a ton of small sunfish ... move a little out of that area. The larger fish will hang outside the main school of smaller fish.

 

Good luck.

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1) Go bigger. Tiny flies used for pressured trout will catch you a LOT of tiny sunfish. Bluegill, even large ones, have tiny mouths. Big Bluegill do like larger offerings, though. We're not talking 4" streamers ... but instead of size 16 and smaller flies, go with size 6 and 8 hooks and the additional materials you can tie on those.

 

 

As a bonus, it's much easier to take a size 6 or 8 hook out of a bluegills mouth than it is a size 16.

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What Mike said. I would add this advice. Your comment, "Only YOU can fix this weakness." really stood out to me. First, it's more up to you than anyone else. And you're doing fine. Second, I wouldn't call it a weakness. You are obviously passionate about fishing and want to learn everything you can about it. You have a valuable resource in this forum and that's a group of old geezers that want to teach you and love to blab on about the sport. If there is a weakness at all, and it is common among you youngsters, you just need to be more patient. According to Joe Gill, If you slow down and take your time, you'll have a more harmonious outcome. Keep asking questions and stick with it and you'll get there.

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Any Idea about spinning tackle for bass?

All of my spinning and baitcaster reels are spooled with braid "super" line. Mostly, I use the 20 lb. test line. With a diameter equivalent to a 6 or 8 lb. mono ... you can put a lot of line on the reel. If you DO hook something big, it can take line without the worry of running out.

It is also VERY castable. You'll get more distance with this line than you will with any mono or floro line. That's a big plus for bank fishing. 20 lb. test braid will allow you to pull a lure out of snags, too ... usually. I've straightened many a hook and retrieved lures that would've been lost on any other line.

 

My favorite lures with spinning gear: Given a choice of only one lure to use for the rest of my life, I'd be torn between these two.

1) The 5 inch original floating Rapala. Gold or silver with black back. Top water commotion with dives down to a foot or so, it covers all the "parameters" for injured baitfish. I used to fish this, exclusively, in North Carolina tidal creeks (fresh or brackish water). Nothing else produced like it.

2) An unweighted soft plastic "stick bait". Bass Pro Shop has their own, called the "Sticko". I prefer the "Mr. Twister Keeper hook" to rig them as straight as possible. It's a light wire hook with a pin, and it allows the thick Sticko to turn out of the way of the hook, rather than to ball up and make hook setting harder. I suppose any light wire worm hook will do. I do NOT like "wacky worm" rigging. Gets hung up too easily in thick weeds. Texas rigged, weedless style with no weight, will give it a level, natural fall that wiggles like a leaf on the wind. Deadly everywhere I've fished it.

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I seldom use spinning gear any more but when I do my favorite lures are Kastmaster in silver/blue and Mepps spinners. Size depends on what I am after (trout, LMB, SMB, crappie). I don't fish saltwater.

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All of my spinning and baitcaster reels are spooled with braid "super" line. Mostly, I use the 20 lb. test line. With a diameter equivalent to a 6 or 8 lb. mono ... you can put a lot of line on the reel. If you DO hook something big, it can take line without the worry of running out.

It is also VERY castable. You'll get more distance with this line than you will with any mono or floro line. That's a big plus for bank fishing. 20 lb. test braid will allow you to pull a lure out of snags, too ... usually. I've straightened many a hook and retrieved lures that would've been lost on any other line

 

 

Don't mean to take this off of the question asked:: As I mentioned, I seldom use spinning gear, couldn't tell you the last time I had a bait caster in my hands hence my question;; I had been told some time ago that the super braid wears into the bail guide requiring repairs. In your experience is that something you've seen or experienced?

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Nope. I've heard that rumor, too. I've had nothing but braid on my reels for ... two decades? I think? I can't remember when I actually started using it.

So far, I've never had a single rod guide or reel fail due to the line cutting in. I've got a couple of rods that are a few decades old, too, and they aren't any worse for wear, either.

 

Love my braided lines. I'll never go back to mono.

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I use braid on all my spinning gear 15 or 20lb for several fishing, carts better very very few tangles that are the lines fault, I use power pro I have used other brands and they fall way way short.

 

For bass I usually use spinner baits, z man chatter baits, floating shallow diving crankbaits, if there's any chance for a topwater bite I use jitter bugs, the biggest non jointed non rattling ones in perch colors.

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