FS Digest

Ive been fishing for years 15+, but always in the sea/oceans, so its always been a vacation thing as I don't live near the ocean, and the mediterranean is empty, despite living a 5 minute walk from a big mountain lake. This lake is artificial, with a canyon leading into it, it is then surrounded by mountains, with a huge lack of accessible shore line. At most points in the middle of the lake it drops to 30 - 50 metres deep (100-160+ feet). I am 20 so have no money, car with a tow bar, or any way of using a boat. In the lake we have a big variety of fish, mainly though we have pike, trout, perch, zander, tench, rudd, a small population of black bass & carp, and more small fish. However this lake is know for its humongous pike and lake trout of well over 1 meter long (3-5+ feet).

This year I decided to get back into fishing, bought all the gear i could, soft plastics, bass jigs with bullet sinkers, crank baits, spinners, berkley powerbaits of different kinds, worms, maggots, you name it, and since the government allowed us back on the water, I've spent at least 100+ hours fishing on the lake, at a minimum.

Well now we come to the part that makes me want to stop fishing. Ive tried every single place that is accessible by land, and in those 100s of hours, I have caught a grand total of 0 fish, not a single fish, I can't even get a stupid ass bait fish, nothing at all, not a single bite on anything, 0, 0 ,0 ,0 ,0 ,0. Im at the end of my tether, ive spent so much on different lures, different lines, different rod setups, different presentations, different spots, different times of day, everything Ive spent hours learning on the internet. Ive tried casting into tricky areas like under trees, and in submerged logs, under pontoons. I don't know what I am doing wrong and it makes me so mad I just want to snap my rods in half and never fish again.


If anybody can give me some advice, and some hope, id appreciate it, I love fishing, and its my favourite sport, but I cant keep going on like this, as its really getting me depressed, and this pandemic isn't helping, Ive tried to cover everything to avoid the obvious questions like what time of day do you go etc, as ive literally tried everything i can think of, every hour of the clock. One last good detail is Ive tried all the parts of the shore but im not too sure which i should be aiming for, some are crazy shallow for a long way out, some are instantly deep, and some are just standard "pond/lake" looking depth.

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by willwills90

FS Digest

Take a moment and breathe. I know it is frustrating but it is hard to think straight when you're wound up.

I'd try to make some friends that know the lake. Do you ever see other people fishing that are having success? Often I've found that people are happy to help. One of my best days of fishing this year was because I asked an elderly couple for advice fishing on the dock. Be nice and don't bump them off their spot, they likely want to see you succeed too.

Go back to basics if you need - just a bobber with a worm on a hook might at least break the empty streak. Probably won't be a monster but just getting over that 0 will help. Also try any of your favorite or go-to methods. Don't overthink it.

If there are any marinas or bait shops nearby, they might have some tips (and they want you to catch things so you'll come back and buy more.)

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by cobaltmagnet

FS Digest

Thanks for the words of wisdom and ideas! you give me hope!

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by willwills90

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

A spot on the bank where the water isn't too shallow, just as the sun's coming up but hasn't hit the water yet, toss out a worm under a bobber. That's about as basic as it gets, but it still works. Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone - this has been a horrible year for fishing in general and catching in particular. My friend, I'm 72 years old, I've been successfully fishing for most of my life, and I have not caught a single fish this year. Sometimes you can't even go to the store and buy one. Be patient, the fish will come. Enjoy that big mountain lake - sounds like a beautiful place.

NoCal Steve Loc: Dunnigan, CA

Will... is the water super clear in that lake? If so you will need to be stealthy on the bank. My Dad taught me how to use big rocks, vegetation, fallen trees to hide when fishef for trout in mountain streams. And that was great advice about hanging out and talking to other anglers. In truth, most anglers are happy to talk about their favorite subject. Also I was wondering about the temp of the water. Do people swim in it during the Summer? Or is it a little to cold for most people?

DonaldRotter80 Loc: St, Cloud, Minnesota

willwills90. I agree that you should try the live bait route to gain confidence and also to catch bait for the big fellows. For giant pike and lake trout you should try some live bait or meat strips. I have only fished lake trout a few times. After being unsuccessful I followed what I had read beforehand. The big ones want MEAT. After trolling and casting for a few hours with no results, I used a one ounce jig and a strip of sucker meat (cut in a triangle with the narrow end at the hook) and cast out, let the jig hit bottom and reeled fast. Jigging was not the answer. A steady, fast retrieve accounted for ALL the strikes. We were in a boat and fishing 40 to 65 feet of water. The fish would have no problem with the fast retrieve.

As this was in the summer, the fish were down deeper. The locals said that in the spring the trout come close to shore and in shallower water. The pike are prone to do the same. Both will eat parts of bait fish. Perch are excellent baits for pike. Lake trout eat what they have available, even small trout. Again, if you have suckers there and can catch them on the worms, you can use them live or dead for both or as I did, strips of sucker meat.

A second trip to 50 miles from the Arctic Circle revealed the best bait for big lake trout was a whitefish. The man running the camp watched us fish from shore during the night, (this was in July and the sun never set). He gave us some prepared whitefish, gutted and filled with weights and hooks and leader and sewed shut. These whitefish were big, 3 + pounds! We were fishing from the shore of a fast flowing cold river. It was difficult to cast a large whitefish out very far but the trout attacked them. We were losing parts of the whitefish as we fished but the trout did not care, they were hitting any piece of meat left on the hook!

You could try to find a map of the area lake and check for the underwater bars, points, drop
offs, etc. Some local bait shop should be able to give you some help as to where to fish on that large body of water. Another way for fishing lake trout is to just throw a bait fish, dead or alive, out and let it lay on the bottom, no bobber. Many who fish in northern Minnesota or Canada fish this way. Many hook a small bell on the rod and loosen the drag, put the rod in a holder and wait.

If you do not already know, check on the legality in your area for fishing with live bait and which species you can use. Perch were my favorite for pike, under a bobber. Now we are restricted from fishing with game fish in Minnesota so that ended that. Some states in the US allow sunfish to be used and they are also good for bass and pike. Here in Minnesota we can only use rough fish and many of those have size restrictions. One trip in Manitoba we fished with frogs for trout and then switched to shrimp (raw and with the skin and tail on) as the on site bait shop suggested and that was the key to multiple hookups. Again, the bigger fish eat other fish. The locals should be able to steer you in the right direction and as I suggested, a good contour map of the area can do wonders.

One last thing. I know you are short on money. There is a fish finder that is not too expensive that you can cast out with your rod and reel and see what is in the water below and what depth the fish are using or cruising. You will not necessarily know what kind of fish they are but can vary your tactics until you catch something. This would also target baitfish and eventually the big ones will show up to feed on them. Good Luck! Don.

MuskyHunter Loc: Torrington, CT

Are you from the UK? The list of species (zander, tench, etc) seems to indicate that. If you want to try an artificial I would try a hot'n tot (the rattling variety). The noise will call fish from a long ways out. They are fairly light baits, probably more suited to a spinning rod. The hot'n tot will catch pike, trout, bass and most predators.

Monday Loc: Olympia WA

Instead of fishing a large lake which can be intimidating to anyone until you learn the hot spots, check out the feeder streams that run into the lake. These creeks have fish and they are much easier and more vulnerable to catch. Guaranteed!

almoy

If you ever visit Honolulu, give me a call and I'll take you out for some jack crevalle catching. Guaranteed you will catch something, even if it's a lizard fish! Haha.

I usually share my catches with 3 neighbors who have big families. They love their fish but can't afford to buy.

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

And those eat real well too. Used to catch em and eat em in the Red Sea.

almoy

Spirit of 27,
Red Sea, as in Israel and Egypt? Never heard of anyone fishing in that body of water. How did you catch them?Any other interesting stories to share with the gang?

I enjoy smaller jacks(3/4 lb. to 1 lb. size) outside crispy fried in olive oil and 3/4 cooked when taken off the stove. When you're ready to chow, it's fully done, moist and delicately flaky.

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

Yep that Red Sea - as in Moses and Pharaoh's army. Where I was at, Ethiopia at the time, Eritrea now days, US Govt had a bunch of sailors and soldiers over there, providing communications between the Indian Ocean and the ships in the Med and the Persian Gulf. Sure we were. Army ran a rest center at Massawaw on the coast and the fishing was pretty good. I was there four years and two of my kids were born there. Interesting times. Yes, lots of stories, some of which I've told on here, some (most) that I probably still can't - I can neither confirm nor deny.

ripogenu Loc: norfolk, MA

don't need to 27, only someone in the military would understand. Can't tell an australian aborigine what a peach tastes like now, can we.

jarijenkins

When I was living down in Fla (just North of Jupiter) on the Intercoastal waterway, we used to catch jacks and cuss them 'cause we were told they weren't edible. I remember throwing them back after finally landing them. We also threw back gaftopsail catfish...live and learn..also found out that stingray wings are tasty...threw them back, also.

OK John Loc: Oklahoma City,OK

Would a float tube be practical?