A. I catch a lot of fish.

B. However, relative to most of you, I don't think I know much about fishing. I'm a two-trick fisher, which isn't much better than a one-trick pony.

C. However Part II, I have witnessed three things that inform my limited understanding of fishing:

1. I used to fish a quarry pond with water so clear it looked like to came out of the tap. So, you could see the fish and they could see you. There were schools of bass that wouldn't take a lure and wouldn't even take bait unless you it was a worm writhing on a hook with no sinker. Then, they inhaled it.

2. I used to fish Lake Pepin for white bass. I used four-pound test and Aberdeen hooks and caught them three at a time, which was legal. Other boats would see me juggling rods and come closer and closer and couldn't catch fish. Even though Pepin is green as split pea soup in August and white bass are berserk, competitive feeders, their thicker lines produced far fewer fish.

3. I was fishing a clear, farm pond in southern Ohio and I saw a bass dart out from under a bank, inhale my lure, and exhale my lure and I felt nothing in the rod and line. I suspect that that wasn't an anomaly, that that happens quite often so we should do everything within our power to feel them and keep that lure/bait in their mouths a little longer.

Conclusion: So, I fish six-pound test mono so it's less likely to be seen. I'd fish four-pound test, but four-pound corkscrews when stretched again and again. Six-pound is significantly sturdier. I've caught 40-inch class pike on it and it's just fine afterwards. I also fish with a lot of bait, just as TGO does, with as light a sinker as possible and as small a hook as possible. The water is clear up north and whereas fish can hit with abandon, it's their nature to be wary.

Anticlimax: That's all I know. Not much, but, to return to Point A, it catches fish.

Most importantly, you enjoy fishing and are successful (I've seen your photos with nice catches). Keep honing your skills along with the rest of us.

Thanks for that info Molly. I will put it to good use.

I have been fishing all my life but was taught by my mother who was a self taught fisherman so I only know what she knew... How to catch and clean panfish.

So I would say that I love fishing but I am close to clueless on how to catch fish. Now I am trying to learn more so I can pass on some fishing skills to my boys.

quote luft: "Thanks for that info Molly. I will put it to good use.

I have been fishing all my life but was taught by my mother who was a self taught fisherman so I only know what she knew... How to catch and clean pan fish.

So I would say that I love fishing but I am close to clueless on how to catch fish. Now I am trying to learn more so I can pass on some fishing skills to my boys. "

I love panfish and miss them. The next home I'll buy will have a pond and I'll fish that pond for bluegills, ending my life as I began it.

quote msray53: "Most importantly, you enjoy fishing and are successful (I've seen your photos with nice catches). Keep honing your skills along with the rest of us."

Yeah, I catch fish, but only have two tricks. I'm planning to add some more this summer.

2 tricks? Maybe, but a lifetime of experience! That counts a lot!!

What ive learned is that I really love to fish.

quote bassnut: "2 tricks? Maybe, but a lifetime of experience! That counts a lot!!"

Having that come from you counts a lot to me.

Well Molly I think you have learned a lot! The lake you described with clear water and ultra spooky fish...we can all learn a lot from conditions like that. I have found that even in water not so clear, and fish not so spooky, the biggest fish in the system will behave like those fish in ultra clear water. They are much more cautious, more aware of dangers etc. You nailed it exactly with your comment about the worm. I have mentioned it before, those big cautious fish will always take a whole worm, on light line with no weight. They just suck it in. The no weight part is important. The only issue is getting the worm past all the smaller fish, but if you do, hang on!

Moonman.

quote Moonman: "Well Molly I think you have learned a lot! The lake you described with clear water and ultra spooky fish...we can all learn a lot from conditions like that. I have found that even in water not so clear, and fish not so spooky, the biggest fish in the system will behave like those fish in ultra clear water. They are much more cautious, more aware of dangers etc. You nailed it exactly with your comment about the worm. I have mentioned it before, those big cautious fish will always take a whole worm, on light line with no weight. They just suck it in. The no weight part is important. The only issue is getting the worm past all the smaller fish, but if you do, hang on!


Moonman."

I think you're right about bigger fish being ultra-cautious. A friend of mine scuba-dove at lakes in Wisconsin and he saw huge bass, but those huge bass were rarely caught. They survived because they were wary. However, in the lakes I fish, which are pretty infertile, there aren't a lot of fish and nearly no small fish (They're eaten.), so getting a weightless full crawler past them wouldn't be the problem. Casting it would be the problem. Maybe using a slip bobber is the answer. It would work like fly line, giving me the weight to cast the worm. I'm gonna try it! Of course, it'll take a gentle cast as it wouldn't take much to have the worm tear off the hook.

Having fished with a few Gunflint guides, in recent years, I have learned more than in a lifetime. Probably, I should have been more observant, but am closer to the end of my BWCA fishing days, than the beginning. It impressed me how small the hooks they use. I didn't ask, but suspect that it aids in getting fish to swallow the bait. They have a special technique of baiting hook. Fishing in June is mainly trolling for walleye and vertical jigging for Lake Trout. Setting the hook hard is stressed. Electronic devices are used for maximum success. Fishing the downwind shorelines produces the best results. Do not spend too much time fishing an area that is not productive, even though it might have been in the past. The fish move around according to the conditions. Bobber fishing can also be successful. A clear moonlit night is a good time to try your luck. At times the middle of the day can be as good as evening fishing for walleye. Allow the slow biting wally's to take the bait. Set the hook immediately when jigging for Lake Trout. I could go on and on, but don't want to bore anyone. There are a few secrets that I will not divulge.

I think a lot could be learned fishing with a guide for Bass on one of those ultra clear California reservoirs. Most new angling tactics and tackle (for any species) seem to evolve from the Bass fishing circuits or great lakes trolling.

Bruleman, Arlo: YUP!!! Learn from the people who are on soft water every day. Trends also...I follow Tommy Biffle and KVD for bassin' stuff, the Cabela's tour for walleye trends. And I follow, and listen to missmolly, QueticoMike, Basspro69, and walleye_hunter, Moonman. These people are ON THE WATER!!!!!

quote bassnut: "Bruleman, Arlo: YUP!!! Learn from the people who are on soft water every day. Trends also...I follow Tommy Biffle and KVD for bassin' stuff, the Cabela's tour for walleye trends. And I follow, and listen to missmolly, QueticoMike, Basspro69, and walleye_hunter, Moonman. These people are ON THE WATER!!!!!"

Don't listen to me! Everything I know could fit into a thimble.

There is one thing I forgot, but have shared it in other threads. Four a.m. is the magic hour. It's hard to leave a dry, warm sleeping bag, don wet, cold clothes, and stiffly sit in a canoe, but it's often the best fishing of the day.

Noise Noise Noise, If you want to catch really big fish then you need to be quiet, there are a few exceptions like fishing on lakes where the fish see hardly any lures, or fishing very deep or in current. But for most conditions your noise level will determine if you have a shot at a trophy.

quote Basspro69: "Noise Noise Noise, If you want to catch really big fish then you need to be quiet, there are a few exceptions like fishing on lakes where the fish see hardly any lures, or fishing very deep or in current. But for most conditions your noise level will determine if you have a shot at a trophy."

Luckily, we all have stealthy canoes. You're right about being sneaky. When I was a kid fishing farm ponds, I moved like a Navy Seal.

quote missmolly: "

quote Basspro69: "Noise Noise Noise, If you want to catch really big fish then you need to be quiet, there are a few exceptions like fishing on lakes where the fish see hardly any lures, or fishing very deep or in current. But for most conditions your noise level will determine if you have a shot at a trophy."

Luckily, we all have stealthy canoes. You're right about being sneaky. When I was a kid fishing farm ponds, I moved like a Navy Seal."

I always remember an episode of Bill Dance that I saw a long time ago. He was fishing farm ponds and always approached the fishing spot on shore in a straight line. When he moved to the next spot he walked straight back 20-30 feet then moved down shore. Reasoning behind this was walking parallel to the shoreline would send out vibrations/noise and potentially spook fish. Straight line would just be the last few feet up to the spot you wanted to fish. Never forgot it and have seen it proven out quite a few times.

A guide was super helpful to me the first couple trips I went to Basswood. I got a lot of basic techniques and used the time to quiz him about everything I could think of. Really nice guy, still in the area, and I ran into him the last time I went up. Didn't seem to remember me of course (it was 15 years), but I made sure to tell him what a difference he made in my success up there and how much I appreciated it.

quote bfurlow: "

quote missmolly: "

quote Basspro69: "Noise Noise Noise, If you want to catch really big fish then you need to be quiet, there are a few exceptions like fishing on lakes where the fish see hardly any lures, or fishing very deep or in current. But for most conditions your noise level will determine if you have a shot at a trophy."

Luckily, we all have stealthy canoes. You're right about being sneaky. When I was a kid fishing farm ponds, I moved like a Navy Seal."

I always remember an episode of Bill Dance that I saw a long time ago. He was fishing farm ponds and always approached the fishing spot on shore in a straight line. When he moved to the next spot he walked straight back 20-30 feet then moved down shore. Reasoning behind this was walking parallel to the shoreline would send out vibrations/noise and potentially spook fish. Straight line would just be the last few feet up to the spot you wanted to fish. Never forgot it and have seen it proven out quite a few times."

One of my all time favorite fish to catch was a farm pond bass. All evening, I saw her rising between two overhanging bushes. I'd cast int the bush on the right and then the bush on the left. Finally, I walked wide around the pond, got down on my belly, stuck my rod tip into the slip, opened the bail, and BANG! I didn't see the hit, but I sure heard and felt it.

Three or four years ago in Canada, I pulled a couple bass out of an ambush point at a stream's mouth. I figured there were more in there, so I paddled through the reeds, let the current catch me, and stuck my rod tip as far forward as possible, dangling a leech. I caught five in a row that way, all from an area no bigger than the top of my desk.

Stealth is also important with lure presentation. Casting a lure and causing a huge splash is sometimes the ticket and other times it requires a very light entry. Learning to stop a bait by palming the bail or thumbing the spool is important on calm days.

A crawler or a leech on a small hook with a split shot has been preached to me so many times I should probably heed that advice. I think it may take patience, which at times has been in short supply. I love throwing a crank out and following breaklines in the BW. I do pretty good up there. My lake in Illinois is super clear. I'm going to slow down and use this simple system. I fish out of my canoe, and it rocks.

quote Basspro69: "Noise Noise Noise, If you want to catch really big fish then you need to be quiet, there are a few exceptions like fishing on lakes where the fish see hardly any lures, or fishing very deep or in current. But for most conditions your noise level will determine if you have a shot at a trophy."

I have to agree. The biggest and best fish I have caught have all been when I am alone early in the morning just drifting along the shore line casting light jigs and trying to get minimal splash. Plus it is the most memorable and serene time of day.

quote Thump: "Stealth is also important with lure presentation. Casting a lure and causing a huge splash is sometimes the ticket and other times it requires a very light entry. Learning to stop a bait by palming the bail or thumbing the spool is important on calm days."

One of the reasons I like to fly fish is that a 1/100 of an ounce fly lands in the water, it attracts fish. Even a small traditional lure lands with some sort of splash. A few times in my fly fishing life (45 years) a fish has actually jumped out of the water to get a fly BEFORE it landed. It is the difference between rolling a beach ball at a cat or rolling a ping-pong ball at one.

Having said that, my baitcaster has a Zara Spook or Sammy tied on from the time I get to Quetico until the time I leave!

I think you prove that passion and persistence can trump knowledge. When it comes to catching a lot of fish, don't dwell on why, for as they say, never sniff a gift fish!

quote 2old4U: "I think you prove that passion and persistence can trump knowledge. When it comes to catching a lot of fish, don't dwell on why, for as they say, never sniff a gift fish!"

;-)