A fit young man and his pretty girlfriend were fishing a little inlet on Chautauqua Lake. My wife and I caught a bucketful of perch quickly, but noticed they’d only landed one or two. How was that possible? Simply cast a piece of worm out and wait for a hit, generally less than 30 seconds.
I am a little reticent about giving advice to other fishermen. Few receive corrections of any type, fishing or otherwise, no matter how well meant, with good humor. Giving advice is often interpreted as a sign of your showing off or “superiority” on any matter and taken in that light is resented.
Especially if their girls are present. I wandered nonchalantly over to check out their equipment. The man reeled in and I gasped! Their saltwater spinning rods were set up with 20-pound test monofilament with a one-ounce sinker fastened to a snap swivel of tarpon strength.
Above the industrial strength swivel was a very large 2/0 single hook even the largest perch would be challenged to fit into his mouth. Above the hook was, of all things, a yellow and red stick bobber. It was impossible for even 10 bobbers that size to have held that gigantic sinker up! A tentative offer to help them was rejected by the bristling boyfriend.
A shame really; they could have had a successful outing by simply changing their sinker and hook size. It’s important to match your equipment to your quarry. A light action rod or UL is best for panfish and trout.
Match it with the correct line and hook size and you’re in business. This combination allows anglers to cast lightweight bait or lures long distances. When choosing your fishing rod, one primarily intended for trout, perch, blue gills, or crappies, examine the weight range printed on the base of the rod just in front of the handle.
My favorite UL is 1/32 ounce to 3/16ths in weight intended for a 2-to-4-pound test line and seven feet in length. I would recommend a rod a minimum of 5.5 feet long on a stream.
A five-foot rod is too short to cast any distance. I took a five-foot UL trout fishing once and hated it. When using lighter equipment it’s important for fishermen to remember that their light rod’s lack the necessary backbone or stiffness to set a larger sized hook.
With using my UL and 4-pound test I prefer No. 10 sized hooks for two reasons. One, they’re more difficult for the trout to see and thinner, sharper hooks penetrate, hook better, than larger ones.
A little trick I’ve learned using larger bait, say a nightcrawler or hefty minnow, is not going to a bigger hook, instead use two or three small ones spaced an inch or so apart. Walleyes require a softer rod as they’re so adept at tearing loose during a battle. A softer tip keeps a gentle, but firm pressure on the fish at all times.
Again, 6-to-7 foot rods are very popular for “eyes.” Hook sizes for walleyes run smaller, 2’s, 4’s and 6’s being very popular, again because they require less pressure to set. Steer away from the thicker hooks, choosing the sharpest, thinner ones.
Bass, pike, and muskies have hard, toothy mouths and require a much stiffer rod to drive that hook home! A 1/4 to 5/8ths lure weight range is as light as I would go for bass and pike, increasing rod stiffness to 1-to-2-ounces for muskies. They don’t hit often, it’s a shame to miss one. There is no harm in going much heavier, matching your rod to the weight lures you’re fishing with.
Larger muskie plugs are commonly 2-to-3 ounces or more. A wise fisherman evaluates the species and size of fish they are pursuing and matches the rod, line strength and hook size to match them. But heavy cover and other conditions must also be considered.
Fishing for giant brown trout after a heavy rain has dirtied the water allows the angler the luxury of using a heavier line, rod and hook greatly increasing the odds of landing a giant. On the other hand, when the water’s low and clear, the fish heavily pressured, it’s critical to use the lightest, fluorocarbon line possible with tiny hooks simultaneously keeping yourself out of sight. Fishing for smallmouth bass in the river, a medium spinning rod with 4-6 pound test and smaller lures are perfect for wise old smallmouths.
In a lake with thick weeds, lily pads and powerful largemouth bass a prudent angler will have a heavy casting rod, casting reel, 17-pound test monofilament or braided line testing even higher. Experience soon teaches you in most cases it’s wise to use as light equipment as you reasonably can and still land the majority of your strikes. I’ve lost some very large fish on the Kinzua messing with my UL instead of using the heavier spinning equipment in the canoe.
So, fishermen, give yourself the best chance for success by thinking carefully about the type and size of fish you are pursuing and using light equipment for smaller fish, medium equipment for bass and walleyes and heavy equipment for thicker cover, larger, heavier lures and bigger fish. Oh, if someone is catching fish and you’re not, be humble, ask for guidance! I certainly do. People don’t seem to mind “giving” advice.
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