broncoboxer

Thanks, hydrillagorilla2. Yeah, I know the old saying well: "There are no stupid questions, just stupid people who ask questions." So call me stupid--how long do you guys wait before changing lures if you're not getting bites?

I'm a newbie without a boat and I don't think I'll be buying one, either. Truth is, I'm blind in one eye and I think I'd wreck the trailer while pulling the darn thing behind my little 4 cylinder S-10. Now a canoe intrigues me. How has that been for you, Shrike?

Well, I just got back from my first fishing trip! Drove out to Raven Rock State Park in Lillington, NC. The wife and I hiked about 3/4 a mile down "Fish Trap" trail. At the end of the trail we were able to hop down onto some long, flat rocks along the Cape Fear River. I felt a jolt of excitement when I first stepped down on those rocks and looked out at the river. And you know what? It didn't matter that the water was only 1 to 2 feet deep and that I didn't catch a thing. I had a blast! My wife did manage to catch a small bass or trout or something. And she caught it on that Heddon Tiny Torpedo. Thanks, GAMEOVER. I had fun casting my lures, watching them move for the first time. In total, I cast the following lures: 1. The Heddon Tiny Torpedo. Like I said, my wife actually reeled one in with this. While I fished it, I had at least one fish strike at it--I just couldn't set the hook. 2. A Jitterbug. Loved the action on this lure. Something snapped at this lure 2-3 times. 3. A Rapala Ultra Lite Original Floating Minnow. Like the Jitterbug, I marveled at the action on this thing. Didn't get any bites, but I think that was because there just wasn't many fish out there. 4. A Storm WildEye Live Crappie (swimbait). Man did this thing look real. I only cast it a couple times as it ran a bit deeper than the other lures. The treble hook was dragging the bottom and I worried I might lose it. All in all, I had a good time. I wouldn't choose that fishing spot again since we had no bank to walk, just a few flat rocks to stand or sit on. Couldn't reach the deeper water where we occasionally saw a fish jump. There's another spot in the park, a little farther down the river where the fishing might be better. Next time I'll check it out.

Hey, RW. Thanks to you I went out and bought some Fat Ikas and 5" Senkos. Can't wait to try them out. Oh, and GAMEOVER. I had to pick me up a Tiny Torpedo too.

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone. I think Vincedia is right, this site has just about everything a fisherman could ask for. Compared to other fishing message boards, this one is a riot of activity. Plus, the articles. Good lord, I've already copied and pasted 116 pages of them into a Word document--from this site alone! This site truly contains a wealth of knowledge and some of the most eloquent message board anglers on the planet. I'll definitely be sticking around.

Hey there everyone, I'm 31 and I've suddenly caught the fishing bug. And I don't know why. As a child my father took me fishing a few times, but I don't remember enjoying it. Part of the reason, I'm sure, is because my dad was a mean SOB. Couldn't ask him anything. Best bet was to shut up and hold on to the fishing pole. So anyway, I never liked it as a kid. So why am I now dreaming of fishing lures, tackle boxes, swivel snaps and canoes? I don't get it, but for the last couple weeks I've spent most of my freetime browsing on-line fishing sites, reading fishing books ("Fishing for Dummies" and another newbie book, I think it's called "The Everything Fishing Book" or something like that) and purchasing tackle. Why? I hated fishing, but I do remember walking through the fishing tackle section in a department store when I was a kid and marveling at the myriad types of fishing equipment. I remember being entranced with the plastic worms, multicolored lures, jigs, etc. But I had no idea how to use them. My father had never used artificial bait. Maybe I've suddenly rediscovered that fascination. I don't know. All I do know is that I'll be going fishing some time in the near future. And this time, I think I'll enjoy it.