randdmart

I picked this up, we'll see how it works.

Which setup should I use? Slip bobber 2 - 1/4 ounce Split shots Regular (un-snelled) Hook or Slip bobber Snelled Hook 1/2 Ounce Bell Sinker Thanks, Rich

What's a good toss it and 'forget it' setup for panfish or trout, I'm going to work my way up to bass especially considering I have never caught a fish before

So, is the Carolina Rig for bait fishing, i.e. casting out and leaving it in the water? If not what works well for doing that?

I looked at the Carolina Rig, seems pretty simple sounds like I need bullet weights and regular, not snelled, hooks but my questions are: Will a snap swivel work? Can a slip bobber be used or is this a bottom rig? Will this setup work for panfish, trout and bass or just bass? Thanks, Rich

If I'm understanding this correctly I would put my bell sinker on first, than my snap swivel and attach a leader via a loop to the other end of the snap swivel and the snelled hook to the other end of the leader, is that right? As I mentioned above worms are a little hard for me due to my low vision, do you have any other bait suggestions? Also, would investing in a second rod/reel exclusively for bait fishing just be easier than retying everything when I want to switch back and forth from bait to lure fishing, in your opinion?

Hello, I have a few questions, so I think I finally figured out my equipment, but now I’m having trouble bait fishing. I went fishing with my uncle who is a fly fisherman and he showed me a very simple bottom fishing rig which is as follows: 1/4 oz. bell sinker on the bottom of the line #6 snelled hook above the sinker I was able to put that rig together in like 5 minutes, no problem. My dilemmas are as follows: I really enjoy lure fishing, but I shore fish and at this point I want to catch something, anything! I have a bunch of different types of lures, crankbait, spinners, and spoons and I have a snap swivel on the end of my main line for that and it works great! I made a few of the rigs mentioned above with a loop at the top to attach to the snap swivel but I’m not sure where to put the rocket bobber? Do I put it above the swivel with a bobber stop or do I just invest another $60 on a second spinning rod/reel combo and use that for bait fishing? Then there is the great bait debate. I have Power Bait but talking to a lot of different people they say that’s only good for trout. I have other people whom casually fish that swear by salmon eggs (a.k.a. fireballs,) I tried putting a worm on the #6 hook but with my low vision it was almost impossible. I have also seen catfish bait and one person even mentioned liver! So, now I'm a little overwhelmed. As always, any advice or thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, Rich

Here is the pre-made split shot leader I made and mentioned in my last post

After several hours of practice and frustration with lots of light and magnification I could not get the uni knot. I can tie the clinch knot with the cinch knot tying tool and even that can get frustrating at times. For loop knots I use a double over hand, which I know is not a good knot but I use it for my split shot rig leader that I made. I have a snap swivel on my main line and if I want to switch to bait fishing from lure fishing I just hook my split shot rig leader to the swivel and I’m ready to go.

So, the guy I mentioned from Bass Pro Shop that’s been helping me out at the store took me and my wife and son out on his boat early this morning and we did something called trolling, he was dumbfounded that we didn’t catch a single fish, he said he normally catches at least a few Anyway, he re-spooled my line last night at the store and straightened it using the boat. I told him about this specific concern and he said I shouldn’t need to re-spool more than once a season and to just take it to him and he’ll take care of it. He said right now work on getting comfortable with my equipment, relax and have fun

Wow, you’re not being punk’d I’m legally blind and tying knots with thin monofilament line is, unfortunately, proving to be impossible.

Can you send me a picture so I can make sure I do it correctly? Also, does it matter where on the spool the line is when you begin reeling the line on the spool? (Right, left middle?)

I tried to re-spool my own reel but can’t tie an Arbor knot my hand/eye coordination just isn’t there ?

How can this be fixed?

Here is a picture of the spool/reel