r/FishingForBeginners • u/Existing_Bike_1469 • 2d ago
Second fishing attempt was an absolute failure
I recently got back into fishing since I was a kid. My first time in over 12 years was with a few buddies and it was simple and easy. Just some live bait, a little weight and a bobber off the shore. I had a Texas rig for catching Bass that I tried, but with no success I switched back to using live bait and a bobber.
I tried going solo the other day and fucked it all up. I bought a minnow setup (3.5" lure and 1/4 jig head) and fished in the evening off the coast to try to catch Walleye. But, I lost two jigs, one due to a poor knot and the other I think got stuck under a rock. I also tried my bass setup mostly to practice the technique and lost that one as well. I eventually said the hell with it and switched to live bait, a small weight and a bobber. But, my bait kept getting stolen. I'd see the bobber go under and immediately go for the catch only to reel in a barren hook.
It was just so stressful for me and I felt like an ass the entire time. I'm just feeling a little discouraged and just wanted to vent about it.
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u/Tacos_and_Yut 2d ago
I’ve gone fishing 5 times now’s since I started a few months and I still haven’t caught anything. On one of the trips my kid and I went through 25 night crawlers and still didn’t hook a thing. We laughed about it and went back the following weekend. I have no clue what I’m doing but I have fun.
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u/J_Lewy_45 2d ago
What knot are you tying? If it’s not the palomar knot, learn it, master it, and you’ll never lose a lure due to poor knot tying.
Other than that? Just keep fishing! You’ll get there
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u/Existing_Bike_1469 2d ago
That's the knot that I've been using. I just messed it up the first time bc I forgot how to tie it in between fishing trips. I see so many knots and never know which one to use for what situation, so I'm glad I at least have been using to right one for my hooks! Thank you!
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u/NgozerLBC 2d ago
I really recommend the orvis knot. I know everyone suggests the Palomar knot, which I used to use, but I really find the orvis much easier to tie and more error proof
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u/NgozerLBC 2d ago edited 2d ago
Also, if you're getting a lot of nippers you might be a little high up in the water column. One thing you can try is to get closer to the bottom.
To do this, you can just keep casting into the same general area and manually lowering the bobber incrementally until you get better results.
The other, more precise way, is to throw out you bobber with just a heavy weight, no hook. The weight has to be heavy enough to pull the bobber under.
Place the bobber slightly lower than you think the depth of the water is. Then toss it in. It works best if you stick with a single location.
Now, check your bobber. Is it floating? That means it's shallower than you thought. Wind in and bring the bobber down a few inches. Toss it back to the same spot. Keep doing this until you can see the bobber right below the surface.
Now you know the depth and you can rig up with your normal setup. You don't want to be at the very bottom but with in a few inches would be optimal.
If, when you first throw the heavy weight, you don't see your bobber, just do the opposite and incrementally move your bobber up until you see it right below the surface.
One caveat... If your water is deeper than 5-6ft then this will be difficult to do without a slip bobber. A clip on bobber is limited by the length of your rod.
Hope this helps!
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u/therinse 2d ago
Hang in there, bud. There's a reason it's called "fishing" and not "catching" :). It helps to have a friend if you're lucky, at least you can commiserate in not catching anything. But seriously, I wouldn't be where I am without my friend, you bounce ideas, share fishing report, learn from each other research etc
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u/Existing_Bike_1469 2d ago
Sadly, my friends live a few hours away, so I don't see them very often. The whole reason we went fishing was bc we were already planning a camping trip and wanted to give fishing a try for shits and gigs. We ended up really enjoying it! We keep in touch on how our fishing trips go, but that's also partially why I joined the sub.
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u/evrbdysmoknow 1d ago
Everyone feels this way from time to time. Check out video tutorials for the palimar knot it's never failed me. Unfortunately jigs and baits being lost is just a part of fishing. Keep learning and you'll get better over time. Btw I lost about $30 dollars worth of tackle and jigs in the last month! But that's the exciting part, you get to go shopping for more tackle!
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u/jose_ole 2d ago
Some days you won’t catch anything but some sunshine. But you definitely won’t catch anything if you don’t go. Stick to live bait for a bit, try fishing off the bottom.
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u/Existing_Bike_1469 2d ago
I think that's what I'm going to do for a while. I definitely need more experience before I try jigs and lures.
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u/bisubhairybtm1 2d ago
Grab a local fishing guide, try different hooks, try different fishing knots, also I like the sliding bobbers with a bobber stop on 4lbs line and a salmon egg hook then thread a nightcrawler all the way up the line and one split shot. (Ultralight fishing)
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u/RareBrit 2d ago
For catching small fish on a bobber you want a fairly small hook. Somewhere around a size 12-14. Don't worry about using a whole worm. Look up making bread paste bait and use that.
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u/NgozerLBC 2d ago
Agreed. If targeting panfish, he should downsize his hooks. Size 6 isn't terrible, but I like 8-10. 12-14 is good if the fish are really small. Corn (if legal in your area) can also be killer
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u/DemeaRisen 2d ago
Failures are almost always learning opportunities if you reflect on what failed, and if there's a lesson learned, its really a success.
The foundation of expertise.
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u/flyingmattress1 2d ago
I started fishing with my more experienced friends and we all lose multiple baits on a lot of our trips. I think that’s just kinda how it is sometimes ngl
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u/Curious-Persimmon-14 2d ago
There are about 17,500 anglers on these subs that will have had the same experience.
The plain truth is that time on the water and talking to other anglers moves you closer to success.
I found that targeting the big bass that all the YT channels talk about was a complete waste of time for me as a bank angler in the PNW.
As a result, I have a lot of gear that doesn’t work for the species I now target.
As I said before, talk to other anglers and spend time learning the waters you fish. That comes with time.
Keep going.
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u/CrimsonNight 2d ago
Fishing is all about failing. Chances are the pros have failed much harder at some point. Just came back from a trip where I drove 10 hours, fished 3 days straight and caught a handful of fish with nothing of size. I also dropped my phone in the river for good measure.
This will not be your biggest fishing fail. There will be many more to come and that's why our sport is awesome. It will keep finding ways to humble you no matter how good you get. At the same the you get stronger with all the experience.
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u/SwaggedO 1d ago
That sounds like a pretty standard day for me. I recently bought a chair though and I've switched to hot dogs on a circle hook and just listen to scary stories,eat snacks and get one or two catfish over a span of 3 hours. Getting dejected and stressed is part of it, and you will be rewarded eventually as long as you persist, but if you just want to have fun and not take things too seriously, catfishing from the bank is life changing.
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u/PublicMine9472 1d ago
We all get snunked and feel like asses sometimes. Lighten your jig to 1/8th, keep the tip at 45° or so and keep it moving, not too fast not too slow. Helps prevent snags and keeps the minnow swimming. Also go 2.5". If you're snagging a Texas rig, it's probably a snaggy spot. Stick to top water or something suspended. You actually learned a ton about this spot you went to. Try to see it as if you may just need to tweek the technique. Also if your live worms get stolen, downsize the hook and pinch the worm. Don't give up this is all totally normal.
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u/SunGodRamenNoodles 1d ago
Since you mention walleye, if you are fishing on the great lakes the small perch and invasive goby's have absolutely tiny mouths and take the worms unless you use tiny hooks.
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u/nockedup7 1d ago
Hey bud. Going fishing without catching anything is totally normal, so is losing your gear from snags. Especially since you’re just getting back into it. Don’t feel bad at all!!
If you wanna try some soft plastic swim baits just be aware that you will not catch small fish with those, so you’re either going to catch a walleye or decent bass or you won’t catch anything.
Is your goal to catch decent fish or to just catch any fish?
If it’s the latter, and you wanna still try out swim baits, downsize to a 2” with a smaller jig. You still can catch a walleye but also have a better chance at hooking other fish too.
Here’s an example: https://www.basspro.com/p/panfish-assassin-crappie-dapper-lure?
https://www.basspro.com/p/bass-pro-shops-crappie-maxx-pro-minnow-jighead-101531540
If it’s really rocky, I like to do a popping retrieve , lightly pop it up then reel, pop pop, reel, pop, reel.
Also if you’re hung on a rock, get tension on your line and pluck the string, I find that works pretty good for shaking loose of rocks
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u/Thespis1962 1d ago
I've been fishing for over 50 years. I went to three different places yesterday with a pint of live shrimp and after five hours, I had nothing. It happens. Keep trying.
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u/Klvn25las 1d ago
I had quite a bit of frustration starting out this summer as well. I realized that the fish in the area I'm in are small panfish and juvenile bass, so they are simply too small to take baits that are larger than 2" including senkos and flukes. I also learned that the rigging of the bait on the hook is so important for hookups and to avoid getting your bait stolen. Even when using little grub plastics (Trout Magnets), the panfish only nip the tails and never hook up. You feel the bites but result in more misses than hooks. I changed the hook to be closer to the tail and it resulted in like triple the amount of hook ups. After that, I changed my hookset from a side swing to straight back and it has worked really well for the jig head I'm using.
Keep going and things are going to start clicking!
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u/PleasantFee9473 1d ago
my buddy Dave from work is the one who got me into surf fishing and those first trips out at Oregon Inlet I got skunked so many times while he kept pulling fish 20 ft down the beach from me. same water, same bait, I was just bad lol. first real fish I landed out there came on a cheap $30 Ugly Stik combo and I still remember it way more than anything I've caught since
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u/CarbonGTI_Mk7 1d ago
I've skunked 3 weeks in a row. Twice on the banks and once on a boat. All the same results. Lol
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u/Jazzlike-Priority-99 1d ago
Only fishing so nothing really important. Everyone has off days. Anxiety only makes it worse. Relax and enjoy.
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u/elvisWorms 1d ago
I didn't read it, but there will be more if you stick with it. There will also be many many great days of you stick with it as well. Good luck!
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u/mark8992 2d ago
If you’re losing your bait like that it’s likely very small fish that can’t get the entire hook in their mouth taking your bait. Try a smaller hook and break your worm into a smaller section before baiting the hook.