Father that is new to fishing cant catch fish...

[beav]

I never went fishing as kid and have no experience but I have started taking my four year old son out this year to all the lakes in the omaha area. For his setup i put a worm on a line with a bobber and he will catch several 4-6" bluegill everytime we go out and he seems to have a lot of fun, otherwise I would have gave up by now. Except for when I use a bobber and worm and catch a little blue gill I have yet to catch anything EVER and I have tried, I have gotten enough hours in this summer that I am convinced I am not on the right track or doing something wrong.

I want to catch a LMB or at least something more exciting. I have fished standing bear, zorinsky, and walnut creek several times, usually in the evening till it gets dark. And its from the shore of course. I have a basic spinning reel with 10lb line. I tried using some sented worms with no luck. With advice from other forums I tried 3-5" yamamoto senko worms on a 1/0 offset hook rigged weightless and wacky style, no weights or bobbers just a swivel. I am probably reeling them in all wrong though because I cant see what they are doing or really judge the depth or anything. Any other lures seem overwhelming and I wouldnt know where to start.

Can anybody steer me in the right direction on how to catch fish in these waters? I understand there is no guranteed setup but I am hoping somebody can recommend something that will at least catch something. I looked at the beginner instructions on here and have some spinners and curly tails like in the picture but it is not clear on how to rig them up or how to fish with them. I really want to catch something, tell me what to do and where and when to do it and I will!

[MA Machine]

I think I would probably start using spinners. They are sort of a catch all for active fish. I like the blue fox Vibrax in-line spinners. They cast nice and spin good. Plastic worms are a great bait but they are not a real fun way to learn how to locate fish. Also try a twin bladed "safety pin" spinner. Cabela's has them in the store for 1.25 or so and you might as well get a buzz bait while your at it. The buzz baits are the same as the safety pin spinner just a different propeller blade. They cast great and are really a work horse for active bass. You can cover a lot more ground with a spinner and may have more luck. I hope you can start catching some fish to keep you interested. You just need to get a lure that will give you some confidence then you will really get into it!

[OldBaldGuy]

beav, I'm going to assume from your post that you live in the Omaha area. If so, jot this down on your calendar:

Aug. 26 – Halleck Park Lake in Papillion – free family fishing night, 6-8 p.m. Rods, bait, tackle available for use. Those 16 years and older must have current Nebraska fishing permit. (from NGPC news release)

I plan to be out there that evening as a volunteer, and although I'm no expert bass fisherman, I'd be happy to go through your tackle box with you and help you figure out how to rig your spinners, etc. You should be able to catch some nice bass this fall on either the in-line spinners MA Machine recommended or the Mr. Twister-style spinners Harold illustrated in his beginner article.

[vrentropy]

Beav;

I would agree with all that was stated above.

All I got to add is that me and my kids (12, 7, and 5) have all done REALLY well on the flourescent green meps spinners this year. Usually size 1 and 2, but some on the 0. I am not sure why, but they have really produced some good hits for us.

Have fun!!

[fearnofish]

If your going for bass try the yumdingers. Hook em up so they are weedless. With these worms I like to let them sink for a good 10 seconds, and dont just real them in like you would a normal plastic worm. Let her sink and give the rod a twitch and slowly reel it in, do that over and over again and you will catch a bass. Another thing I like for bass are the spinners like mentioned above, just be careful your not throwing to big of spinner . Also try different colors , I like to say if the water is murkey try dark colored lures if its clear use bright colored stuff. Good luck man.

[GenericAngler]

Originally Posted by beav

I want to catch a LMB or at least something more exciting. I have fished standing bear, zorinsky, and walnut creek several times,

I have learned the hard way that some of our "smaller waters" tend to corral the fishies a bit better for the beginners. I can catch LMB all day long from Louisville, Two Rivers or the local city pond -- but then quickly can get humbled @ Walnut Creek.

I know the big ones are in Zorinsky & Walnut Creek....and finding and chasing them is what proves to be "sporting" and "rewarding" for the more advanced anglers around here.....but to get started and provide the up most enjoyment for your kids and confidence building for yourself, the best advice I can give is to fish the smaller waters. Kudos to the game and parks folks for making that possible.

[beav]

Went to Prarie View tonight and finally caught some bass! Right off the bat my son caugt a little 6" LMB with a worm while fishing for bluegill so I figured that was a good sign. Then we moved around a lot more(brought a lot less gear to keep things more portable) and I caught this guy pictured below. Probably just a little over 12" as he was a hair longer then my tackle box, I have no idea on weight as I dont have a scale yet. I am happy, he was a lot more fun to reel in and it feels good to have something bigger than a little bluegill fighting on the other end. I tried some spinners but did not have any luck, I caught this one on a 4" black/purple senko rigged wacky style. Prettys sure I had a few more bites that felt decent but didnt hook anything else. Thanks for all the advice so far, if anybody has any other tips keep em coming!

[Mako]

Just needed an approval. I've approved it.

[fearnofish]

When you hold bass, hold them by the lower lip. When you hold their body like that it takes off a lot of the protective slime on the fish.

[beav]

Originally Posted by fearnofish

When you hold bass, hold them by the lower lip. When you hold their body like that it takes off a lot of the protective slime on the fish.

Will do!

[OldBaldGuy]

Keep after 'em, beav. "Luck" in fishing tends to flow toward the guy who has his hook in the water most often.

[Catfishsteve]

way to go! Keep at it!

[fish4bass]

Another lure that is really easy to use is a mimic minnow. You can get them at either cabela's, walmart, or almost any place that has tackle. These baits are very easy as you just real them in after casting. You can get a big variety of fish on them as well. I've caught anything from bluegill, catfish, white bass, northern pike, to big largemouth.

[Chad]

Good catch, beav!!!

[drcarplove]

good idea that mimic minnow, also u can just cast and retrieve a prerigged worm, use a swivel. A prerigged worm is usually kind of bent, has it's own leader and two small hooks milded in

luck in all endeavours

frank

[Knightmare]

The mimic minnow is a great lure to try. I have very good success during the summer evenings using different soft bodied swim and jerk baits. Use a little experimenting with reel speed and rod angle to make the swim bait rise and fall through the water. Bass are finicky and tend to spit lures out immediately, sometimes you barely even feel the hit. So you need to learn to set that hook quick. From the looks of your picture, you're on to something. Congrats. Keep on fishing and having fun with it!

[Noble]

I have always had good luck with 1 inch small twister tails, white in color, with 16 oz jig heads. You can catch bass to bluegills on this, very easy to use!

[Bbowsh54]

Originally Posted by beav

Went to Prarie View tonight and finally caught some bass!
I tried some spinners but did not have any luck, I caught this one on a 4" black/purple senko rigged wacky style.

Awesome job! I had a heck of time figuring out how to fish the Senko worm before I ever got it to work. I would recommend going to YouTube and typing in "How to fish using a Senko" and watch some videos. I picked up a few of their techniques, and they have worked for me!

Always remember, it isn't an exact science... Once you learn the general technique, you'll find a way to fish it that is comfortable, suits you, and works as well!

Whoever suggested a Mister Twister above has a good point as well! You can always catch a variety of fish on jigs and twirl tails...

Good luck sir!!