Help fishing from shore

Took the kids out yesterday fishing with worm, bobber and small sinker.
We only got 2 small bites and 0 fish caught. What do people generally
use when fishing from the shore. We are fishing in a burb of Chicago.
We could see doem fishing jumping in the middle of the lake but cannot
cast that far.

For kids, you want to fish for bluegill / sunfish instead of bass. And
you want to find a spot near the lake shore where you can actually
"see" the bluegills before fishing them. This is especially true in
spring when they are close to the shore. This pretty much filter out a
lot of unproductive areas. Moreover, sight-fishing is more interesting
to kids and adults.

Jay Chan

Did you notice that those jumping fish were sticking thier tongues out at
you?

Warren
;-)

"Sportinus" wrote in message
ups.com...
Took the kids out yesterday fishing with worm, bobber and small sinker.
We only got 2 small bites and 0 fish caught. What do people generally
use when fishing from the shore. We are fishing in a burb of Chicago.
We could see doem fishing jumping in the middle of the lake but cannot
cast that far.

Help fishing from shore

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Wed, Mar 30, 2005, 8:46am (CST-2)
From: (Sportinus)
Took the kids out yesterday fishing with worm, bobber and small sinker.
We only got 2 small bites and 0 fish caught. What do people generally
use when fishing from the shore. We are fishing in a burb of Chicago. We
could see doem fishing jumping in the middle of the lake but cannot cast
that far.
======
Footnote: Be sure and have the kids wear a life jacket if you are
fishing a shore line with steep banks...and always on the piers! In fact
it's not a bad idea to wear them anytime the kids are near the water,
and the excitement of hooking a fish might make them less cautious!

JK

Help fishing from shore

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Wed, Mar 30, 2005, 8:46am (CST-2)
From: (Sportinus)
Took the kids out yesterday fishing with worm, bobber and small sinker.
We only got 2 small bites and 0 fish caught. What do people generally
use when fishing from the shore. We are fishing in a burb of Chicago. We
could see doem fishing jumping in the middle of the lake but cannot cast
that far.
========
Fishing from shore can be tricky, especially if you can't try a lot of
locations. When I first started taking the kids fishing from the bank, I
liked to ue a "stick" bobber, that way I could tell the depth of the
water. Then I would set their lines up so the bait was just a few inches
off the bottom. Small bluegill hooks are a must, and using just a piece
of a worm is more effective most times. If you can find a tree, or brush
pile that is under the water near the bank, that area will usually
produce pan fish...you might have to put up with "snags", but that is
part of teaching kids to fish. Mostly it is trial and error in finding a
good pan fish site from the bank...just try different depths, and move
often if you havn't gotten a bite in a few minutes. If you can find a
pier, that may be the best bet. Plenty of pan fish hang around the
plings, and under the pier in the shade. Fishing straight down with no
bobber is usually the best method for pier fishing...slowly letting the
bait fall to the bottom, then raising it up a few inches at a time.
Without the bobber, the kids get the thrill of feeling the fish
bite...good fun!

Good luck!

JK

The advice already posted is right on. I'd only add one thing, and that is
to "quantify" the hooks. When fishing with the little guys/gals..... I
always used #10 long-shank hooks. The gold ones seems to bring even a few
more hits. I hooked my wife up with a #10 gold hook; her girlfriend was
using #6 or #8...She out-caught her friend five to one!

The earlier advice about a "small piece of a worm" is the secret,
accompanied by the small, easier to remove, long-shank hooks will produce
panfish all day long, if panfish are there. A handful of broken corn flakes
( might be illegal in some areas ) thrown onto the water may bring some
panfish in to be caught. RG

--
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners
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