EGbassing

Which part of the gills do you go through? I went through the very top (above all the gills) yesterday, but I'm not sure if that was right. It didn't seem to be bleeding or anything...

Yeah. I'd never tried the gill method, and the way it was hooked, it just looked like it would pop out so easily so I didn't try it right away. Probably will next time.

Agreed. If the hook had been in it's stomach where I knew I couldn't get it out, I probably would have just kept it.

Well, the hook definitely would have kept him from eating, and I doubt it would've fallen out on it's own. If it were deep enough that I couldn't get it out, I would most likely just take it home for dinner.

Congrats! That's a really nice fish.

Yeah, I'm looking into some hook cutters. I thought about just cutting the line, but I decided to just get it out. Not because I'm too cheap to replace a $0.50 hook, but because I estimated about a 95% chance that it wouldn't survive if I left it in...

Really? I would say it's more like 53.474, but I could be wrong...

I would try the same cooked chicken that you would eat for dinner. It should work, but if it doesn't, you could try some other kind. And how deep is the pond? You generally want the bait to be in the middle of the water column, so if it's 6 feet deep where you're fishing, I would try around 3 - 4 feet of line. And this is the type of bobber I use 90% of the time: https://www.amazon.com/Thill-FishN-Foam-Cigar-Floats/dp/B003OAOB7Q/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1527204637&sr=8-7&keywords=bobber

I'd definitely try chicken if I were you. An ideal rig would be a weighted bobber, a circle hook tied on with a palomar or clinch knot, and a piece of chicken on the circle hook. Trust me, the circle hooks are perfect for you, you don't have to set the hook, just keep the line tight and they'll hook themselves. They also very rarely swallow circle hooks due to the design of them.

I gut hooked one today and finally gave up on getting it out through the mouth. First try with the gill method and it popped out. Make sure you're going through the right part of the gills or it can damage them though.

I would second senkos as long as they're wacky rigged with a circle hook. They're perfect for a beginner that way. No need to set the hook, and they're rarely gut hooked. Just keep the line tight and they'll hook themselves.

I'll see if I can help. When I first started bass fishing, I would go months without catching any. Since then, I've started finesse fishing more, slowing down, etc. and I can catch around 1 per week. I would definitely try the ned rig if I were you, (get the real thing, it's much better than a senko and jig head or something) it's really easy to fish, and works when nothing else will. However, if you want to just sit still without retrieving a lure the whole time, I would use some kind of bait. Live bait, lunch meat, nightcrawlers, anything like that. Also, if you see someone fishing there you should ask them if they've caught any, what lures work, etc. Hope that helps. Edit: Here's the link to the ned rigs: https://www.amazon.com/Ned-Rig-Kit-Finesse-Shroomz/dp/B01AYMNIT8 You can get them from pretty much any tackle shop, or online.

Well, I gut hooked a little one for the first time today on a weightless trick worm. Once I got it to the bank I realized that it was pretty deep. I got out my pliers and started pushing on the hook. That thing would not come out. I did that for a while pushing as hard as I could, but nope. (strange because the hook was barbless...) I finally decided to try going through the gills as a last resort and it finally popped out. I would say it was out of the water for about 1 - 1.5 minutes, but around half way through, I dunked it under the water for a few seconds. I dropped him back in right away and he just sat under the surface barely moving for about 10 seconds, then slowly swam away. I didn't see any blood, but what would you say his chances of survival are? I still feel pretty bad about it. ?

Thanks. I've heard that they go deep to get away from the sun. Is that true?

I'm fishing a (3 - 4 acre) pond now that's about 2 - 3 feet deep on one half of it, and 6 - 7 feet deep on the other side. (I measured it from my kayak) During mid-day in mid-summer, which side would be better to fish? The shallow side has more shoreline cover, but it's pretty murky water so I can't see what the cover on the bottom is like, although I'm pretty sure it's mostly mud and leaves. Thanks in advance.

Strange, that's exactly what I heard too...

Spinnerbaits, in my opinion, deep hook them very rarely, and usually aren't hard to get out if they do. I set the hook hard about .5 - 1 seconds after I feel the tick when fishing a plastic worm. Also, if you can afford braid, definitely buy it. It's more expensive than mono, but has twice the sensitivity and you don't have to worry about breaking off. Good luck!

Well, I went out today with my kayak and it was just so difficult... It's a sit in kayak, so it's hard to move much in it, and casting definitely isn't easy. I loved the feeling of actually being out on the water instead of standing on the shore though.

Thanks. I'll be trying it out for the first time tomorrow. By the way, that's a nice pike in the picture.

Ever had any issues with it while fighting/landing bass?

I don't think so, but I'm not 100% sure...

Senkos...

I've been trying to fish out of the paddle kayak I have recently, but it's really difficult because I have to try to put my fishing rod somewhere while I'm paddling, and then put the paddle somewhere while I'm fishing. Are there any oar/rod holders I could add to it, or should I just get a nice fishing kayak?

Why am I here? I live in Alabama.

Thanks Sam. That's really helpful. I went out last night with a fly rod, and a baitcaster. Nothing on the baitcaster/buzzbait, but I managed to get a couple bluegill on the fly rod.