The gentlemen and his girlfriend were fishing a little inlet on Chautauqua Lake filled with hungry perch. My wife and I caught a bucketful quickly, but noticed they had only landed one or two fish. This seemed impossible — simply cast a piece of worm out and wait for a hit, generally less than 30 seconds.
I am a little reticent about giving advice to other fishermen. Few receive correction of any type, fishing or otherwise, no matter how well-intended, with gratefulness. Giving advice is often interpreted as a sign of you showing off, and it is therefore resented.
Glancing at Jane, who shrugged back at me, I took a deep breath and wandered nonchalantly over to check out what they were doing. The man reeled in and I gasped.
Their heavy spinning rods were set up with 20-pound test line, a little excessive for sunfish. On the very end of their lines were 1-ounce sinkers; a snap swivel of tarpon strength fastened the sinker to the line. Above the industrial-strength swivel was a very large single hook even the largest perch would be challenged to fit into its mouth. Above the hook was a yellow and red stick bobber. It would have been impossible for even 10 bobbers that size to have possibly held that gigantic sinker up.
A tentative offer to help them was rejected by the bristling boyfriend. A shame, really; they could have had a great day by simply changing their sinkers and hooks.
It’s important to match your equipment to your quarry. A balanced light action rod and reel filled with the correct line and hook size will work for fish up to 20 inches or even larger. Small fish have small mouths; the hook must be small enough to swallow when it’s covered with your bait.
Fast-action, thin-tipped rods allow one to cast lightweight bait or lures long distances. If you’re looking for a fishing rod primarily for trout, perch, bluegills or crappies, choose a weight range (printed on the base of the rod) of approximately one-sixteenth or one-eighth of an ounce to three-sixteenths or one-quarter of an ounce.
I would recommend a rod at least 5 1/2 feet long, but no longer than 7 feet. A 5-foot rod is too short to cast any distance and harder to complete a drift with. I took a 5-footer fishing once on a trout stream and hated it. The longer the rod, the harder it is to steer through brush. Six-foot rods are a great compromise.
Larger fish can be landed on light line. However, you will lose some fish in areas of cover — logs, weeds, snags or limbs. The single most important thing for a fisherman to remember when using a light rod is that they lack the backbone to set a larger hook. With my 6-foot ultralight and 4-pound test, I use No. 10 hooks because they are harder for the trout to see, thinner, sharper, penetrate easier than larger hooks and sink in with less pressure.
A little secret when using larger bait is not going to a bigger hook; instead, use two or three small ones spaced an inch or so apart.
Walleyes require a softer rod as they can easily tear lose during a battle. The tip must give easily, keeping a gentle but firm pressure on the fish at all times. Again, 6- to 7-foot rods are very popular for ’eyes. Hook sizes run smaller — 2s, 4s and 6s are very popular, again because they dig in better and take less pressure to set. Steer away from the thicker hooks, choosing the sharpest, thinner ones.
Bass, pike and muskies have harder mouths and require a much stiffer rod to drive that hook home. A quarter ounce to five-eighths ounce lure weight range is as light as I would go for bass and pike, while 1 1/2 ounces is the lightest I would consider casting for muskies. There is no harm in going much heavier, depending, of course, on the weight lures you are fishing with. Larger muskie plugs go 2, 3 or even 4 ounces.
Fishermen need to consider not only the type and size of fish they are pursuing and match their rods, line strength and hook size to them, they also must examine and analyze all the other conditions and influences acting upon the fish.
Fishing for trout after a heavy rain allows the angler to use a heavier line, rod and hook since the water is dirty and he is after larger, heavy fish. On the other hand, if the water is low and clear, the fish having been heavily pressured, he will need light, clear line, the smallest hooks and keep himself out of sight as much as possible.
If fishing for river bass, a medium spinning rod, 8-pound test and smaller lures are perfect for wise, old smallmouths. In a lake with thick weeds, lily pads and big largemouth bass, a prudent angler will have a heavy casting rod, casting reel, 17-pound test monofilament or a super braid testing even higher.
Experience will soon teach you that in most cases you will be wise to use as light equipment as you reasonably can and still expect to catch the majority of your strikes. I have lost some really large fish by going too light instead of being adequately prepared. You really need to seriously think about what you are doing.
So, fishermen, give yourself the best chance for success by thinking carefully about the type and size of fish you are pursuing and using small, light equipment for smaller fish; medium equipment for bass and walleyes; and heavy equipment for thicker cover, larger, heavier lures and bigger fish.
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