[py0413]

I know this isn't some outdoor sports discussion board; however, I am planning to go fishing while crabbing from a pier this summer. Never really done fishing in my life, but it has always been fun watching people catching all kind of fish, big or small while I go crabbing.

There must be some experts here on our board and I wonder if I can get a little advise on what fishing gear I should be buying as a beginner. In my area (South Vancouver Island/Greater Vancouver Area, BC Canada), I don't even know what fish beginners go after, but I expect something quite small or at least I hope they are.

Any inputs are highly appreciated and thanks for reading guys. Time to take my pill and sleep for the night.

cheers,

[sjk9671]

O God, once you get started it's so hard to stop.

I have spent way too much money and time fishing lol.

[rdub315]

if i were you, i would drop in to any small local bait and/or tackle shops and start asking questions. the equipment you need will be dictated by what you're going after. unless someone from your area chimes in here, it will be difficult for someone to offer any helpful suggestions.

[donovan]

I grew up on the water, I would find out what they are using for bait out there prior to rolling out....

Crabs like chicken btw.. lol.

[ouchie]

Love fishing... Back in PI, when we were kids, we would always go fishing... Here in the US, we would go fishing too...

[asdflkijd]

crabbing....

[Nate4641]

Rod and reel, good line, weights, hooks, worms and patience.

[UncleWede]

Used this a few weeks ago:

[UncleWede]

Caught this:

[UncleWede]

White Sea Bass, weighed:

[RandomHero]

Crabbing is pretty simple. It's one of those things you can do with little kids.

All you need are the cheap little wire/string crab nets. I usually just tie a piece of dead shrimp in the middle and check it every so often. There are also the larger box traps, but those aren't as fun. You usually just fill up the bait box inside and check it every few hours.

EDIT- If you're talking about fishing, it really depends what you want to fish for. Don't worry about going and buying a big huge surf rod. You can catch a 30 pound fish with a regular sized rod no problem.

Again, it all depends what you're trying to catch and where you're fishing.

[bumere90]

kudos for those who fish
I have no patience and I hate to see myself standing and waiting lol

[Comet]

Originally Posted by bumere90

kudos for those who fish
I have no patience and I hate to see myself standing and waiting lol

Trolling fishing might be more your thing.
I'm the same. I love fishing, but I can't just stand around and do nothing.

whenever I go sailing, I put up two to 4 lines with lures (usually for tuna as that is what is mostly available in Cyprus), and catching something becomes more of icing on the cake. The fun of sailing and fishing combined together

[py0413]

Wow, great to see that many of us here are actually interested in sports-fishing. I am going to visit a local bait/tackle shop tomorrow afternoon and pick up some gears ready for the weekend. The weather seems to be quite promising over the next 4-5 days.

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by bumere90

kudos for those who fish
I have no patience and I hate to see myself standing and waiting lol

^ cosigned.
IMO the best part of fishing is the beer

[RandomHero]

Can't say I've caught anything monsterous, but I've always enjoyed being on the water. Fishing is theraputic to me. Half the enjoyment for me is the "sitting around." I'm usually someone that's going a mile a minute so fishing is one of the few things that you can't rush.

A few pics. Again, nothing crazy or exciting. Many of you have caught much larger fish. These are mostly family trips down to the Texas coast.

Last year with my parents and sister. We also caught 4-5 Black tipped sharks, but decided against keeping them:



Similar trip several years ago


My buddy pulled out this catfish from Austin Town Lake last weekend. It's one of the bigger fish I've ever seen from that lake.


One of my favorite fishing pictures of my buddy who was an Offensive Tackle for Texas state. It makes me laugh every time I see it:

[PINeely]

I fish all the time. Mississippi is great for it especially if you know the little holes where the big bass and 4-foot catfish hang out. There are also some 150+ pound alligator gar in the rivers if you want a trophy that will put up a fight.

To those without patience, pfft, you don't have to catch anything. I go fishing just to get drunk sometimes.

[UncleWede]

^ SOME times????????????

[PINeely]

Well there's drinking while fishing, and then there's fishing while drinking.

[ToothDoc]

I like catching fish. Not fishing. As a result, I typically do ocean bottom fishing. So snapper and grouper in the south and cod and haddock in the north. Haven't done halibut yet. I also have done salmon which is trolling and sailfish and mahi mahi (once again, trolling) but trolling is fishing and you get some and you don't. The salmon in Lake Michigan is pretty consistent and usually get a dozen up to 30.

Now, just re-read the OP. Fishing off the pier is another game. Fish in pier areas are smarter and wiser and harder to catch. They didn't grow up by the pier by getting caught. So, you need to find out what kind of fish live there. Fish like mangrove and yellowtail snappers by the piers are conditioned and you need to throw a bunch of bait (chum) and one of those pieces can be hooked up. As they have a feeding frenzy, you might get lucky. Fishing by the pier isn't usually all that rewarding IMO. Fishing pressures have taught the bigger ones to be picky so you end up getting a lot of small juvenile fish.

[py0413]

Originally Posted by ToothDoc

I like catching fish. Not fishing. As a result, I typically do ocean bottom fishing. So snapper and grouper in the south and cod and haddock in the north. Haven't done halibut yet. I also have done salmon which is trolling and sailfish and mahi mahi (once again, trolling) but trolling is fishing and you get some and you don't. The salmon in Lake Michigan is pretty consistent and usually get a dozen up to 30.

Now, just re-read the OP. Fishing off the pier is another game. Fish in pier areas are smarter and wiser and harder to catch. They didn't grow up by the pier by getting caught. So, you need to find out what kind of fish live there. Fish like mangrove and yellowtail snappers by the piers are conditioned and you need to throw a bunch of bait (chum) and one of those pieces can be hooked up. As they have a feeding frenzy, you might get lucky. Fishing by the pier isn't usually all that rewarding IMO. Fishing pressures have taught the bigger ones to be picky so you end up getting a lot of small juvenile fish.

Very good points you have there. It must be true that fish live around piers survive for reasons. I haven't personally seen anyone caught large size fish at the pier where I intend to go trying. Some fisherman I spoke to the other day told me that it has becoming more and more challenging to catch anything because the numbers of people fishing in that area has seen increase over the last decade. That place will be where I want to get a start, even without catching anything, I can pick up some experience. Next thing, there are lots of lakes and rivers near where I live and freshwater fishing will definitely be something I want to try as well.

[DrewG13]

Originally Posted by py0413

I know this isn't some outdoor sports discussion board; however, I am planning to go fishing while crabbing from a pier this summer. Never really done fishing in my life, but it has always been fun watching people catching all kind of fish, big or small while I go crabbing.

There must be some experts here on our board and I wonder if I can get a little advise on what fishing gear I should be buying as a beginner. In my area (South Vancouver Island/Greater Vancouver Area, BC Canada), I don't even know what fish beginners go after, but I expect something quite small or at least I hope they are.

Any inputs are highly appreciated and thanks for reading guys. Time to take my pill and sleep for the night.

cheers,

I used to go fishing a lot but hardly go anymore due to family and kids. Basically different spots and fish will require different equipment/bait etc. I would suggest you visit the spot where you'll be going beforehand and just observe the people who are catching fish. See what type of tackle and bait they are using. Pay attention to how they have their rigs setup. Like are they using sliding sinkers, or drop shot rigs, hi-lo rigs etc. See what type of fish are being caught at the spot you are going and see what type of bait is used to target them. Preparation is everything in fishing. There is a common saying that 90% or the fish are caught by 10% or the fishermen. Good luck. Post up if you have specific questions but your best bet is to talk to someone local who fishes the spots you are interested in.