Never fished growing up. Went out last week and did decent. Caught my first walleye! Now Im hooked (pun intended) and want to go every chance I get. Went out this morning for an hour before church with no luck in a new spot. There is a river close by that I can fish from the bank and a couple lakes that I can go to but I dont have a boat or anything.
You guys got any tips for a guy thats just getting into the sport? I'll take any advice I can get!
Find a mentor - I think it’s a little easier to be successful hunting than fishing - if you’re green to both. Deer don’t have to be hungry for me to poke a hole in them. The entire game is finding where they are, undetected, and get close enough for a shot. Fishing is doing that exact same thing, when you usually can’t see them, and then you have to convince them to eat.
Either find someone in your tribe who fishes a lot, and offer to pay for gas ice help maintain boat or truck, whatever it takes to fish with them. Hopefully it’s someone you like, and that likes you, because you’ll be buggin em with all kinds of questions.
Next option, and most people will groan about it, is to hire a guide and explain that you’re more interested in learning to find and catch than you are in catching a bunch on that specific trip. I’ve done this going after new species or in new areas. Guides are usually pretty receptive. The money is well spent - if you compare the money and time and frustration you’ll spend trying to figure things out alone.
I was addicted to water before I could walk. Every chance we could I was in the boat with my dad. He hammered me on how to load the boat on trailer, cleaning it, maintaining it, towing a trailer, backing a trailer, how to run the boat and drive. He showed me how to cast and what knots to tie. He was a real jerk about it too. When you’re young that sucks, getting talked to that way. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to respect it, and am eternally grateful.
When I go on a boat with my friends who weren’t raised fishing, or around boats, I am so appreciative of those lessons. I also spent literally half my childhood chasing bass in ponds lakes and rivers in south Louisiana. I would leave at sunup and come back at dark every day in the summer. Without the lessons from dad, and the time spent on my own, I couldn’t imagine having to learn from scratch on my own now.
Some people may tell you to just get out there - that it’s about having fun. Lemme tell you, nothing sucks worse than repeatedly getting skunked fishing. Especially if you’re trying to introduce kids as well. The right gear(hint-it’s not that expensive), the right spots, and the right time of day/year are all very important.
Maybe start with telling us the types of locations you have available to fish, and what species are there - this is pretty easy info to find on internet. Then we can go from there!
