With seasons ending, who all is switching over to fishing?
What's your method of fishing and what types of bodies of water do you fish?
I recently decided to take it up. I'll be starting small; panfish (bluegills, crappies, perch, sunfish) and small mouth bass.
We have several rivers, lakes, ponds, small creeks that are fishable where I live, so plenty of places. Plenty of bank fishing and bought a fishing kayak to take out.
Definitely a lot to learn (season, water clarity, body of water, water temp., lure types, etc.)
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Hoping to get my daughter out and try for some big creek (it'd be called a river most places) walleyes.
Typically I get right into pan fish but this year there's alot of life getting in the way.
I've been in the fishing mode for about a month now, mainly because my four year old asks me to take him nearly every day after I get home from work. We fish a 97 acre reservoir that I bought in to with a share from the local fish and game club and target largemouth bass, crappie, and shell crackers. I fished as a kid in farm ponds but access being what it is and life, I didn't fish for probably close to 12 or 13 years. I just got back in to heavy this year. For crappie I use what looks like a spinner bait with a small minnow on it. For bass, I've used about all of it but have only been successful with Texas rigged beaver baits. For shell crackers it's been red worms or wax worms with a bobber on a 13' cane pole.
I take the kids out so most of what I do isn't fishing, just piddling and un tangling lines, etc. My four year old has been hot on them, he caught 20 crappie himself about 3 weeks ago, and we've had several trips where he has caught 16 to 20 shell crackers himself. My daughter has been trying the bass and caught a couple and my youngest has been very successful in catching me a number of times lol. I have a lot to learn as far as bass fishing goes but I've got panfish dialed in. (It's 98% of the fishing we done while I was growing up)
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I belong to a group of guys, all turkey hunters. About 15-20 of us, that converge on a small lake in Arkansas about this time each year. We are from all over. Minnesota to Mexico, Wyoming to Florida. All of us met while turkey hunting in different places. We have developed a friendship that began in the woods and has developed far beyond. The type of guys who would drop whatever they are doing to come help you. This has been going on for close to 20 years now. And as we age we have lost a few and added some too. We will give the bass and bream hell for three days. and, God willing, we'll do it again next year.
I will be fly fishing for trout in rivers, creeks and stillwater. In August will switch over to steelhead on a skated fly
I try to fish for everything from freshwater kayak river fishing for smallmouth to river fishing for snakeheads, catfish, rockfish and perch. I'll go offshore a day or two as well.
I go some, not a real passion for me. I like crappie fishing but took my grandson bass fishing yesterday.
It's getting pretty hot now so mostly my fishing will be early morning trips. Even those will probably end by July
I mostly fish the waters surrounding Cape Cod. I usually go for Tautog starting in May. Went out with a couple of guys from my fishing club, some small Striped Bass and a nice batch of Tautog.
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I am rarely out of fishing mode. Fishing is right there with turkey hunting. I focus on Saugeye/sauger/walleye in rivers and some lakes. There's really only one month I don't fish and that's January. If I was told give up turkey hunting or fishing, you can't do both, I would give up turkey hunting. Fishing is open year round and I spend hundreds of hours fishing.
I do enjoy ultralight fishing. Mostly target bluegill and longear. All catch and release. It's just something to do while I wait for turkey season to come back in.
It'll be snapper fishing until a Boundary Waters trip and then early Teal will be first hunt due to no gator tags.
May try a Fall turkey hunt if we're successful with Antelope tags in Wyoming.
I moslty do shore fishing for walleye. Doing so I catch a fair share of rockbass, perch, etc.
My fishing is limited to a 2.5 acre pond we own and some river kayak fishing for green sunfish and smallmouth bass. Bowfishing is my other main hobby. Sadly our turkey season conflicts with the best bowfishing of the year so I miss out on a bunch of good shooting due to turkey hunting, but there's nothing better to sacrifice bowfishing for (as far as hobbies go). My 3 sons love to bowfish. Lots more action than rod and reel fishing.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250530/2160c60dbdbeaed972aa20f8fe33d288.jpg)
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I no fishy no mo BUT, growing up on the New River it was all we thought about as kids during the summer. Kept a trot line in all summer long and spent MANY nights pole fishing from the banks or days floating with spinning rods. Those were the days, well, until the NPS showed up to teach all us dumb hillbillies the "new" ways. Haven't been since. But I sure have the memories.
I fish in a bass club on my home lake as well as some fruit jam Thursday night derby's. We crappie fish in April and May when they're on fire. I am going to my buddies camp in Canada next week to fly fish for small mouth and pike. That buddy and I fly fish for musky in the spring and fall as well as a December trip to Louisiana to fly fish for bull redfish
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Raystown lake in PA chasing striper now that turkey is over
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Y'all can have it. I lost that interest years ago. My two boys will take their kayaks and hit it hard. I will work on house projects and save up my good graces for hunting.
Up until I discovered spring gobbler hunting back in the 70's, I was a pretty dedicated fisherman...both cold and warm-water species...in the springtime. Gobbler-chasing blew that right out of the water. Fall was dedicated to big game hunting, as well as bird hunting to a degree.
Unfortunately, our big game hunting opportunities have been reduced to almost zero due to everything being allotted by drawings...and with astronomical odds of drawing a permit. Nowadays, if we want to participate in "consumptive" outdoor pursuits...outside of the spring gobbler season...it is "go fish" or "go home".
Hence, I have once again reverted to "go fish" in the off-season. It ain't replacing spring gobbler season...but at least it is a distraction until the next spring comes around! :D ;D
Quote from: Happy on June 01, 2025, 06:42:54 AMY'all can have it. I lost that interest years ago. My two boys will take their kayaks and hit it hard. I will work on house projects and save up my good graces for hunting.
I gotta admit that in the last two years I haven't fished much, but this year I'm having the hitch...The rod is close to the door and I hope I can take her out very soon ;D But I also enjoy a lot working on different projects during summer, and when fall comes it's all in on hunting! A good day or an evening DOING something you've had in mind for a long time is very satisfying. As much if not more than fishing and hunting...
Mannnnnn... I got a lot of hobbies! And I'll never golf. That takes up way too much time. :funnyturkey:
I used to fish a lot. Now I'll be slowly getting back into it.
Fresh water, large/small mouth
On the fly, trout, salmon and steelhead.
Saltwater.. (North Atlantic) all the inshore species.
I lost my nerve off shore with one bad experience. Vertigo screwed me up pretty good. I used to love getting after then tunas. Not any more.
Im shooting archery in the summer months. Then the gun season... ski season.. TURKEY SEASON! :blob10:
I guess I'm an avid outdoorsman :toothy12:
It's all connected!
Quote from: TrackeySauresRex on June 04, 2025, 09:56:13 PMMannnnnn... I got a lot of hobbies! And I'll never golf. That takes up way too much time. :funnyturkey:
I used to fish a lot. Now I'll be slowly getting back into it.
Fresh water, large/small mouth
On the fly, trout, salmon and steelhead.
Saltwater.. (North Atlantic) all the inshore species.
I lost my nerve off shore with one bad experience. Vertigo screwed me up pretty good. I used to love getting after then tunas. Not any more.
Im shooting archery in the summer months. Then the gun season... ski season.. TURKEY SEASON! :blob10:
I guess I'm an avid outdoorsman :toothy12:
It's all connected!
Yea, golf went out the window for me when my son came along 2.5 years ago. Use to go a ton. Wouldn't know where my clubs where if they weren't sitting in the garage in plain sight by my workout space.
Archery was another big one for me that's gone away a lot. I think I shot my bow early last year to make sure it was sighted then didn't touch it until I shot one arrow in the fall that took down a two-ish year old 6 point (first Public land deer, first buck ever and first archery take ever)
Now I've gotten the itch to start fishing for the first time in my life. Mainly to bridge the gap some between spring turkey and fall archery and get outside when the weather is good enough.
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