New to fishing, so many questions.

[Oregonloved]

So I picked up my fishing license last year and only got out a few times. This year I'm not messing around, I've already been out 4 times this year and am getting the itch to go more and more.

I know this is a learning sport and I don't expect to be amazing at it in the middle of winter as a novice.

So, a little bit about me, I'm 34, Oregonian born and raised. I just started shooting and hunting about 4 years ago and fishing has always seemed interesting to me as well but never had the opportunity. I had a pole gifted to me (Daiwa Shock 3500 6'6" medium Daiwa). I picked up some tackle but I was a bit overwhelmed with everything.

I have some bobbers and baithooks, powerbait. 4lb leader line, weights and a Topfort 20pc spinning lures set. I also had some jigjeads? (Sideways hook with round pink head and eyes that soft plastics slide on) but I lost those, more on that later. I need some direction for my next purchases, that wall of colors and beads and cranks and jigs and spoons is a bit daunting. I would like to mainly fish for anything that can be eaten. Panfish sound amazing, but just looking to learn more to catch some.

A few newbie questions.

How do I stop snagging? Ive heard fish like structure, so I aim for structure and Blamo! Snagged. Any suggestions?

So I don't know what lbs my mainline is but it's mono and really stretchy, if I were to guess at least 20lbs. Do I need to, or should I add more of my 4lb leader to it with an uni knot and it's okay to reel that knot up right?

I'm in Salem and have mostly been fishing St Louis ponds and walling pond. I'd prefer to only fish from places that have clean water so the fish can be eaten. If anyone wants to show me the ropes and fish together, let me know.

Sorry for rambling on and thank you for all the information I've already gotten from here.

 

[Grant22]

So I picked up my fishing license last year and only got out a few times. This year I'm not messing around, I've already been out 4 times this year and am getting the itch to go more and more.

I know this is a learning sport and I don't expect to be amazing at it in the middle of winter as a novice.

So, a little bit about me, I'm 34, Oregonian born and raised. I just started shooting and hunting about 4 years ago and fishing has always seemed interesting to me as well but never had the opportunity. I had a pole gifted to me (Daiwa Shock 3500 6'6" medium Daiwa). I picked up some tackle but I was a bit overwhelmed with everything.

I have some bobbers and baithooks, powerbait. 4lb leader line, weights and a Topfort 20pc spinning lures set. I also had some jigjeads? (Sideways hook with round pink head and eyes that soft plastics slide on) but I lost those, more on that later. I need some direction for my next purchases, that wall of colors and beads and cranks and jigs and spoons is a bit daunting. I would like to mainly fish for anything that can be eaten. Panfish sound amazing, but just looking to learn more to catch some.

A few newbie questions.

How do I stop snagging? Ive heard fish like structure, so I aim for structure and Blamo! Snagged. Any suggestions?

So I don't know what lbs my mainline is but it's mono and really stretchy, if I were to guess at least 20lbs. Do I need to, or should I add more of my 4lb leader to it with an uni knot and it's okay to reel that knot up right?

I'm in Salem and have mostly been fishing St Louis ponds and walling pond. I'd prefer to only fish from places that have clean water so the fish can be eaten. If anyone wants to show me the ropes and fish together, let me know.

Sorry for rambling on and thank you for all the information I've already gotten from here.

Well welcome aboard the addiction, from what your saying your off to a great start. I would honestly recommend going into fisherman’s marine in Tigard and telling them your predicament. A couple pieces of advice I would have it is to change out your mainline to 8lb p-line. Also I would recommend getting some 6lb p-line fluorocarbon leader and a trout magnet kit. Other than that, the folks at fisherman’s marine will take care of you with everything you need for the type of fish you want to catch. Also have you ever tried Walter Wirth lake? That’s also a good spot just by the Salem airport. I wouldn’t worry about the cleanliness of the water with stocked trout because most of them are only in there for a little bit before they get caught out. If you were looking to keep warm water fish that’s were I would be more worried about clean water. Tight lines man, good luck

 

[Grant22]

So I picked up my fishing license last year and only got out a few times. This year I'm not messing around, I've already been out 4 times this year and am getting the itch to go more and more.

I know this is a learning sport and I don't expect to be amazing at it in the middle of winter as a novice.

So, a little bit about me, I'm 34, Oregonian born and raised. I just started shooting and hunting about 4 years ago and fishing has always seemed interesting to me as well but never had the opportunity. I had a pole gifted to me (Daiwa Shock 3500 6'6" medium Daiwa). I picked up some tackle but I was a bit overwhelmed with everything.

I have some bobbers and baithooks, powerbait. 4lb leader line, weights and a Topfort 20pc spinning lures set. I also had some jigjeads? (Sideways hook with round pink head and eyes that soft plastics slide on) but I lost those, more on that later. I need some direction for my next purchases, that wall of colors and beads and cranks and jigs and spoons is a bit daunting. I would like to mainly fish for anything that can be eaten. Panfish sound amazing, but just looking to learn more to catch some.

A few newbie questions.

How do I stop snagging? Ive heard fish like structure, so I aim for structure and Blamo! Snagged. Any suggestions?

So I don't know what lbs my mainline is but it's mono and really stretchy, if I were to guess at least 20lbs. Do I need to, or should I add more of my 4lb leader to it with an uni knot and it's okay to reel that knot up right?

I'm in Salem and have mostly been fishing St Louis ponds and walling pond. I'd prefer to only fish from places that have clean water so the fish can be eaten. If anyone wants to show me the ropes and fish together, let me know.

Sorry for rambling on and thank you for all the information I've already gotten from here.

Also go on YouTube and search addicted fishing, they have a lot of good tutorials on all kinds of fishing. As far as snagging your lures goes, that’s never going to get much better that main thing is to fish just outside the structure rather than in it and keep moving baits off the bottom and you will snag less.

 

[Oregonloved]

Thank you for the advice, I love cascade gateway (walter worth) but lately it's been a camping site for homeless and is very shady and not the under a tree kind. I've been needing to head to tigard to check out archers afield so I'll add fisherman's marine to that trip. I love chatting up knowledge people who really enjoy what they do. There's this guy at my local Ace Hardware who has never led me astray and has saved me hours.

I'm sure I'll have more questions and I'll keep you updated on my progress

 

[Grant22]

Thank you for the advice, I love cascade gateway (walter worth) but lately it's been a camping site for homeless and is very shady and not the under a tree kind. I've been needing to head to tigard to check out archers afield so I'll add fisherman's marine to that trip. I love chatting up knowledge people who really enjoy what they do. There's this guy at my local Ace Hardware who has never led me astray and has saved me hours.

I'm sure I'll have more questions and I'll keep you updated on my progress

Oh really, that’s too bad I used to go there a lot. Archers afield is a really cool place too.

 

[Oregonloved]

Oh really, that’s too bad I used to go there a lot. Archers afield is a really cool place too.

Me too, it's really close to me and I disc golf, so I was there at least once a week.

 

[Dean]

Thank you for the advice, I love cascade gateway (walter worth) but lately it's been a camping site for homeless and is very shady and not the under a tree kind. I've been needing to head to tigard to check out archers afield so I'll add fisherman's marine to that trip. I love chatting up knowledge people who really enjoy what they do. There's this guy at my local Ace Hardware who has never led me astray and has saved me hours.

I'm sure I'll have more questions and I'll keep you updated on my progress

Yeah - my fishing buddy lives in Eugene and I'm in Portland, so we were going to check out Walter Worth. But I read reviews beforehand and decided not to based on exactly what you are describing. People said sketchy stuff happens in the parking lot and it's supposedly just not a good scene. Bummer.

Side note: 35 year old fellow Oregonian here with almost same trajectory (started last year, getting far more serious / addicted this year). Hoping to get some winter steelhead. ODFW has some videos on YouTube that are very helpful and IIRC they have some info on rivers near you where you should be able to try for steelhead. Also as mentioned, Addicted Fishing and other YT channels are insanely useful free resources. NW Fishing Secrets is another good one.

 

[Senkosam]

Oregonloved, how did you do since your last post? I can offer a great deal of advice but only if open to suggestions that may help you catch more fish.

 

[DonF]

I think, well, know, a lot of people buy fishing gear thinking it has some magic power that is going to make them successful right away. You know what, you don't need all that much to catch fish. A decent rod and reed, decent line maybe a couple bobber's, hooks and a can of worms. That will get you going. Something I discovered about bobbers while stationed in Germany. Fishing a small stream, that fed the rod and gun club lake, I was fishing in, I found I kept getting snagged on bottom. Finally frustration drove me to using a boober with just enough line under it to allow the bait to float down stream without touching bottom. Result was amazing as all of a sudden I was catching fish rather than snagging bottom! make sure you get a few bobber's! As for bait, there's a bunch of different kinds of bait you can use but one seems to out fish most others for panfish and hatchery trout, worms! Nothing fancy there just put a worm on the hook under a bobber and start catching fish! When just getting going follow the rule of kiss, keep it simple stupid! You have a 20 pc spinning lure set and some jigs and not a clue what they are good for. I think many start out the same way, no idea what they really need so get a bunch of stuff and work your way through it! I suspect you will overall find that frustrating. As you learn though, you will probably read more about fishing and in doing that you will come up on ideas you'll want to try, try them, just don't overload yourself with equipment that simply doesn't work for you very well.

 

[Davpot]

Oregonloved:
Your Bio sounds familiar! I would suggest joining a club near you. Time and education will solve your challenges. Don’t get overwhelmed and Enjoy your Unique and Special time on the water. And Good Luck!
Davpot