georgeyew

I have caught several carps on circle hooks, so they do work. Carps have relatively small mouths, most people use size 2 or 3 hooks for them. They will hit top water bait, but not normally moving ones since they are not aggressive fish. I think small floating lures like fly lures work the best. And they are bottom feeders. Make sure your bait is laying on the bottom of the water.

I swapped out the treble hooks with circle hooks on my top water lures. I know there is at least one manufacturer that is selling hard lures with standard hooks.

I don't want to stir up a debate, but just wanted to share my experience. I started fishing 2 summers ago using a spinning reel/rod that a friend gave to me. I was doing fine with it, and I was determined to keep it simple and not use a baitcaster. Fast forward to last fall...after reading the forum and all the gear that the people were using, I started getting the impression that in order to fish well, moving up to the baitcaster must be necessary since "everyone else" is using them (and this is after I've caught a 6lb bass and 17lb carp on my spinning rod). So I caved and bought a baitcaster. I was frustrated for a few outing trying to learn the cast, but eventually I got it down. It is fun to use the new baitcaster and I like the sleek look of it. But to me, there is nothing that I can do on a baitcaster that I couldn't with my spinning rod. Now that I have a baitcaster, I don't think that I will stop using it. But I do kinda wish that I would have kept it simple like I intended in the beginning.

I agree with the rubber nets. I started off using a nylon one when I was carp fishing (those things are slimy). And it was very easy to hook the net and get grass/crap caught up in it. I was fortunate to have a handle that was removable. So I replaced the netting material with rubber and yes it is heavier, but it is so much more user friendly. If you spend a little more money on a quality rubber net, you will most likely be good for a long time.

I think that the Powell Diesel Glass rod will fit your needs. It is $70 and is super light (3 oz). Go check it out on tackle warehouse.

Stick with what you have and go fishing as much as possible. You are able to catch almost any fish out there with what you currently have. I caught the fish in my avatar with a $20 Rhino spinning rod and reel.

That's great congrats. This time of year even a small one can boost your confidence.

I am also looking at an inflatable pontoon. I have a kayak, but it is a hassle to transport it with my car. An inflatable that fits in the trunk would be ideal. The most important thing that I am looking for is a durable bladder so that I don't have to worry about sinking into the water

Isn't there something about "playing" the fish too long and causing too much lactic acid to build up and killing the fish?

It could have been a returned item. I hope not though.

Awesome fish. Where were you fishing in Ashburn?

Thanks to everyone for their advice and encouragement. I went out this morning in the cold and just stuck to the basics of using a senko worm and spinnerbait but came up empty. However, I realized that even with the disappointment of not catching anything, I still had fun out there. The anticipation of a large fish on every cast is a drug of its own. I'll keep chugging away and be patient.

Thanks for the insight. Now there is the variable of different color of bait for different water clarity. But I think I have the basics on that: clear water = light color bait, muddy water = dark color bait....is that right?

Thanks. I have been fishing the senko. Sometimes if I go too long without a catch, I'm tempted to try something new. And that's when I start reading/researching and the cycle begins again.... I will try to stick with the senko and be more patient with it.

I just started fishing this year and I think that it is safe to say that I am pretty much hooked. But I am overwhelmed with all the information out there on the subject. I have read every article and watched every video on the site and my brain is about to explode. With all there is to learn about different types of lures, color, water clarity, depth, rods, reels, temperature, season, and on and on, it feels like an endless up hill battle. I wish that I could just find one style of fishing that works for me in all seasons and just stick with it. Dang it, I just want to catch fish! I truly have an admiration for those experienced anglers that had the patience to learn everything through time and experimenting. I have the benefit of reading and learning from everyone's experience, and I can't even keep up. I hope that one day all of this info will come together and fit like puzzle pieces. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

At most I bring 2 with me. One baitcaster and one spinning. Sometimes I am tempted to just leave the baitcaster and use only the spinning. But I guess I am not as hard core as the rest of you yet. Just trying to keep it simple for now.

It's funny to read about Save Phace masks on here. We use them for playing paintball.

Wow, that looked painful. I wonder if they survived.

I've heard that Superlube with PTFE works well on reel bearings. I have not tried it on my reels yet. But I will once I break the reels down over the winter. I use Superlube on my paintball gear and the durability is fantastic.

I know that this might be a stupid question, but how can the cranking motion be so different between a spinning reel and a baitcasting reel that you suddently forget how to crank with your left when switching to a baitcaster?

I was using a 4'8 Daiwa UL rod and 4 lb line this morning to catch some bluegills. And unexpectedly 2 catfish snagged the hook and ran off. The first one was about 9 lbs and the second one about 6 lbs. It took a while to bring them in. I was so afraid of snapping the line, so I had the drag really loose. The fish almost ran out my line several times. It's a lot of fun, but I don't like the constant fear of knowing that the line may snap....it's too much pressure for me.

You can't count that as a catch!!! You didn't get it in the boat

I use 3/0 circle hooks 90% of the time and I have never hooked one in the eye. On some smaller bass, the hook has come close to the eye socket, but they were all hooked around the corner of the mouth.

I stopped using barbed hooks after my first fish that I gutted. I even switched over to barbless circle hooks for most of my fishing. Haven't killed a fish since.

WOW!!