Felixone

Calling all SC anglers... Where is your top producing public fishing spot in SC? I have been getting skunked way more than I care to lately, and I was curious where everyone else in this state goes to fish.

I was that guy once. It was my first time out. I went with two other guys. We were working our way down the bank fishing the lily pads. They were ahead of me, and had just finished fishing a section when I snagged a really nice sized bass from almost exactly where their kayaks had just passed over. Unfortunately I must have burned through my luck with that one fish as I didn't catch anything else all day.

So I am curious about something. I don't have one yet, but I always see people in videos and on tv using baitcaster reels. The thing I don't understand is why do most people I see using them do the whole hand switch thing (cast and retrieve with the same hand). I want a baitcaster so I have been looking at them online, and most of the ones I have seen offer either left or right hand retrieve. If that is the case why wouldn't you just buy the correct reel for the hand you want to retrieve with. Is there some benefit I don't see to switching hands? Inquiring minds want to know! So if anyone out there that does the whole switcheroo with their baitcaster can provide some insight I would greatly appreciate it.

I suppose Amazon has spoiled me with this, but I love a wishlist. For me it makes it easy to let my family know what I want when they are gift shopping, and ensures I get what I want or need. This becomes especially convenient when talking tackle. It is much easier to share my wishlist with my wife than tell her I want a specific bait in a specific color or weight. This doesn't even touch on the convenience of being able to spend a couple days researching and putting together a purchase. Just recently I was looking to make a tackle purchase. I built my cart on TW, only to get called away. By the time I got back the cart was gone. I was frustrated enough that I actually purchased those items from another vendor. If I can't get a wish list then at least allow the cart to last longer than it currently does (say 1 day). I understand that this is an additional load on their infrastructure, but I have to wonder how many other sales they have lost out on.

So RW are you saying that you match the braid size to the equivalent mono size for rods or are you saying screw it and ignore everything but the reel? My thought is you match line weight between rod and reel. So if you reel supports say 8-12 lb mono you would go up to a 30 lb braid? Also, I am curious about the pairing you provided. I have recently purchased 3 spools of Spiderwire Braid, two 30 lb and one 20 lb. I just checked and according to the label the 30 lb braid is equivalent to 8 lb test mono. I question this because I think you are closer to the mark than the manufacturer. I base this on the fact that when spooling the new line I wasn't able to get all of it on due to having too much mono as the backer. Before I put line on the reel I did a couple things. First I looked up what the retrieve rate for the reel was. Since I was putting on braid that stated it was the same diameter as 8 lb mono I used that key for how much line the reel could hold. I subtracted the amount of braid that was on the spool from the max capacity of the reel for 8 lb test mono. I then used the remainder to determine how many times I needed to turn the crank before I spliced in the braid. Even though I did this I still had quite a bit of braid left on the spool when I was done. The only assumption I could make from this is either the manufacturer was off about how much each turn of the crank retrieves or the braid wasn't the same thickness as the 8 lb mono as the packaging stated. Next time I might measure the retrieve rather than go by what the manufacturer states to see if that works. Now, I did hear you comment about not making it too complicated, and I agree that this might seem like I am over thinking things. It is just that this kind of stuff is interesting to me, and you have to do something to occupy those times when you can't get your line wet (I am on a forced two week break from fishing courtesy of my job). I also wouldn't mind not wasting that last little bit of braid as it is rather pricey. I think I paid $13 for the spool of 110-120 yards. I didn't measure but I would say that I have at least 20-30 yards left over. That works out to $2-3 wasted. I should also point out though that you are right. I might have wasted $2-3 but it hasn't affected my casting or ability to catch fish (as limited as that is). I also plan to buy larger spools in the spring when I intend to replace the line on all my reels so I can go full braid, or even just a layer or two of mono as a backer. The only reason I didn't do that this time was that I needed line quickly and didn't want to wait for shipping. Unfortunately, most of the places near me don't care spools of braid larger than about 150 yards and my current reels use more than that. Lastly, speaking of leftover fishing line. Does anyone have a clever use for it when there isn't enough to fill another reel? Anyway, thanks for the response.

So I have a question about using different types of line with different rods and reels. Specifically what I am asking is how do you match line to a rod/reel when you are using braid. I have always thought that when a weight range/capacity is listed it is talking about mono unless otherwise stated. Assuming this is correct, and I am using braided line would I match the weight range or the line diameter. For instance if my rod has a range of say 7-14 lb line (arbitrary and made up) and I was going to load up braid would I match the weight range or would I convert the line diameter of braid to mono first? Would this differ for a reel that doesn't provide line capacity in diameter was well was weight? I have been converting line diameter but wanted to validate that what I was doing is correct. Thanks!

Wow sounds like a great weekend. I have a birthday weekend coming up. I hope to be able to head to what I hear is a great smallmouth river up in NC. If we make it there that will be 3 days of fishing a river I can walk to from my front door. If not then I plan to fish locally. Crossing my fingers I can make it out more than once here locally. I am trying to sell my family on it as letting me fish all weekend would be the perfect 40th birthday present I could get.

Ok, I can share a story of a recent personal best (of sorts). I have only been FW fishing regularly for just under 2 months now. I used to fish SW frequently with my family as a young child, and other than a couple unsuccessful trips out to try FW in my early teens it was not something I hadn't really done. After a recent vacation to the beach that included lots of SW fishing in the canals behind the house we rented I remembered how much I used to love fishing. Upon my return I hooked up with an old friend that I knew was really into FW fishing and asked for some tips. He arranged for me to borrow one of his fishing buddies kayaks and we hit a local lake. I caught my first bass as an adult (see my profile pic), and the addiction set in. I immediately started looking for kayaks, and with one exception I have been on the water every weekend trying my best, but not doing so great. I went back to that same lake several times, but after that first trip the best I did was one small bass and one small bluegill. The other trips to that lake... almost nothing. During this time I also started trying to fish a local pond, that is just up the street from my house. This pond is part of a chain. Two small ponds, and a small lake connected by creeks with a couple dams thrown in there. The pond had lots of bait fish, water birds, turtles. It seems like it would be a great bass pond. Initially I attempted to fish from the bank while I searched for a kayak. I never even got a bite. After I bought my kayak I continued to go, but still nothing. Not even a nibble, at least that I could detect. I was starting to get frustrated with fishing. Up to this point I had only caught 3 bass, all from that first lake. Even that lake I struggled with (average 5-6 hours on the water with essentially nothing to show for it). All of this changed last week. You see Being new I didn't really think any of the baits I received would do me much good with the current fishing conditions, but I love buying lures so it was a lot of fun. Buried in the bottom of the box was a sample pack of these funky little worms. The color was pumpkin with black and green flake. Now based on what I had been taught these worms seemed too light colored for the waters I had been fishing. At least that is what I thought. Still, I kept thinking about them, wondering how I could use them. Finally I decided I should try them on a drop shot rig once I found the water they would work in. I realized last week that I was going to have to take a couple weeks off from any extended fishing trips so I vowed to get out as much as I could. So one day I head over to the local pond at lunch to get in 30-40 minutes of fishing. Now I knew that given the limited time I wasn't likely to catch anything, but I really just wanted to play with some of the different baits I had collected. Again, I started with what I had been shown (Senko style baits). After that I tried a few new ones for a couple casts each (yes I know not a really good try, but I was more curious about technique than anything else). Still nothing. Even though I wasn't really trying very hard I was starting to get frustrated and was about to head home. As I was packing stuff up I saw those worms again. I decided that even though I thought the color was wrong I could spend a couple more minutes seeing how a drop shot rig worked. I rigged it up, and prepared for my first cast. I cast my line out, and let it settle for a couple seconds. Once I was sure it was on the bottom, I gave it a bit of shake and BAM fish on! I quickly reeled it in to see that sure enough there were bass in that pond. It was a little 10-12" bass, but it was enough. I tried again for a while, and actually took too long for lunch, but I just had to try to catch another one. No luck. I just assumed that it was as I thought and the colors were wrong for the water. It must have been a reaction strike from me essentially dropping the worm on the fish's head. Anyway after confirming for myself that there are bass in the pond, I headed back out that following weekend for what will be my last real trip for a couple weeks with high hopes. These hopes were dashed when I got there. For reasons unknown to me at the time the water level was extremely low. I later learned beavers had put up a dam on the creek and almost no water was getting through. I thought for sure that given how little water was in the pond that the temperature would be too high and the fish just wouldn't be biting. Almost all of the grassy/weedy areas around the edge were now bone dry and some areas I couldn't get the kayak through without bottoming out. I thought for sure the day would be a bust, and I was getting depressed. To add to my frustration there were already 4 people on the pond fishing (one in a another kayak, and 3 in a small boat). I could already smell the skunk. I started out with a top water popper, and a jerk bait. A friend recently told me that he had killed it on that pond using a similar jerk bait so I wanted to try my hand. After wandering around trying to find a place that was "deep" enough to try the jerk bait without getting tangled in the heavily matted grass that apparently covers most of the bottom I settled in roughly the center of the pond. I figured it was the deepest area (only around 4-5' deep). I was definitely getting skunked and I knew it now. After about 2 hours I still hadn't caught anything and was about to leave. As I was putting stuff up, again I saw those worms. I quickly tied up the drop shot rig and threw it out. First cast, another bass. Again, it was a tiny little thing about the same size as last time. However, now I knew it was more than just random luck that I caught that first one, or so I thought. I spent another couple hours paddling around trying to repeat my luck with no success. I was on the last little leg of my trip around the pond when I got tangled in some trees. This was it, I was done. After about 5 minutes I managed to get my line free. I was frustrated and angry, but decided that I rather than storm off the pond I would give it a few more casts. You know the whole falling off the horse thing. Well after just 2-3 casts I nailed another one. This one had to have been the smallest I have seen to date. Still, this now tied my personal best of two fish in one trip, except this time it was two bass. Of course, now it was a challenge could I pull off a third one. I decided to stick where I was and kept casting towards the bank under a small outcrop of trees that provided some decent shade both for the fish, and for me. It was less than 15 minutes later I pulled out my third bass of the trip. This one was a fighter. It ran, it jumped, and it was a blast. Finally after getting it into the kayak I could see that it was a bit bigger than the other. This one was closer to 14". A real fun fish to catch. So there it is, two personal bests (of a sort) in one day. Not only did I not get skunked I beat my record catch for fish in one day and all of them were bass. To add to the confidence boost I had done it my way. I used a rig that I learned about on my own, using a bait that although I didn't directly purchase it I did pick it myself that day. This may prove to be the most valuable lesson for me. I need to trust my instincts a bit better, and be more willing to try new things. Sticking to a bait just because I was told it would catch fish where I am at even when the bite just isn't there isn't the best way to catch fish. If it isn't working, try something else is my new motto. I realize that catching 3 small bass in about 4 hours is probably nothing to many of the experienced anglers on this site, but it was a huge first for me. I proved to myself that it wasn't that I got lucky, I learned that I can catch fish, and I don't always need someone to tell me what to use or how to use it. Of course I am not saying that I don't want advice, or won't ask for it again. I just realized that I need to learn to fish for myself. I have to find what works for me, and what I can catch fish on. I also realize that just because this worked one day it doesn't mean it will work on all future trips, but it did give me the confidence I needed and helped me grow a bit. I apologize for writing a book, but I just had to share my story. If you made it this far thanks for reading. Good luck, and may the bite be with you.

Thanks for the tip on Navionics. It doesn't look like it covers some of the lakes and ponds I fish, but it covers the big ones around me. This is huge for me as I have been a bit intimidated to go on "big" lakes as I really had no idea where to fish. For example, one of the maps I looked at showed basic things like depth which pointed out ledges, humps, etc. It also had markers for submerged timber, some down trees, etc. This gives me some great options of where to fish. Now I can't wait to hit these lakes up and see what I can catch.

This isn't specifically an iPhone App, and isn't my original idea either. I have been using Google Earth to look at lakes and ponds that I fish. There is a feature that allows you to review historical images of an area. Using this I was able to search backwards in time to find a point where the water in the lake/pond was lower than average. Doing this allowed me to see some of the structure that is revealed by the lower water line. For instance using this trick I was able to discover a shallow ledge/point that sticks about 200' out into the lake that I am going to try fishing next time I hit that lake. I was also able to discover a couple decent sized humps in another lake. Obviously you mileage may vary, but this is what I have done to get a feel for what might be under the water where I fish. It isn't great but since these lakes don't have maps available it is the next best thing to a fish finder.