Trying To Learn How To Fish

[Jabber Jaw]

The plastic worms are probably over their heads and you probably need to distract them from their use at their age. The trout stamp is only needed in areas where there are trout, the exception is the trout parks where you buy a daily tag.

I suspect that given their ages someplace like Lilley's or Roaring river might be a big help in converting them away from "Big Boy's" lure to something more manageable. there's nothing like seeing someone else catching fish to convert youngsters to what ever is working.

From what I have read about putting the plastic worms on the hook, I think you are right! I also don't know what all his Dad taught him or what lures he had him use when they would go fishing. Most of what they told me when they would come home was in angler jargon and unfortunately I didn't ask more questions.

It's good to know more about the trout stamp, thank you for the explanation. I really don't want to mess any of this up. All of you guys have been so helpful and kind! I really appreciate everything all of you are doing to help me!

[Jabber Jaw]

Hey JJ, here's a little info on how to set up a Texas-rigged plastic worm, which is by far the most common way to hook it. Wayne is right, though, it does take a little practice to learn to use this bait, and you'd probably be better off starting off using some of the lures I will show you below. Keep in mind that a couple of these are strictly bass lures, although a few of them will catch trout, too. Oh, and the colors of the worms...a lot of times it doesn't really matter, especially during the summer when fish are more active...we'll talk about that later.

It's tough to see in the picture, but there is what's called a slip-sinker on the line above the hook.

Texas rigging steps

1 – Place hook in worm: I like to position the hook in a little bit deeper than the length of the neck of the hook. Usually on a 2/0 VMC, that depth is about 1/8-inch deep before I turn it out through the bottom of the plastic.

2 – Thread the hook through the worm: Carefully slide the length of the hook through the hole you have created in the plastic until it looks like the second picture. The eye of the hook can be inside the plastic a little or it can be out. This variation can be determined by your preference or that of the fish.

3 – Insert hook into plastic again: Leave the point buried in the plastic for a pure Texas rig or pop it out for a “Texposed” set up. If there’s a bend in the worm, that’s ok, it may provide added triggering action.

4 – “Texpose” the hook: When fishing sparse cover, Texpose the hook by pushing the point all the way through the plastic. Then pierce the point into the underlying plastic to prevent vegetation from accumulating on the lure. Just remember, if the hook point is not out of the plastic, you will have to set the hook harder to penetrate both the plastic and the mouth of the fish.

5 – Add a weight: Attaching a bullet sinker of varying size at the front of your offering will help you deliver your snag-proof, fish-catching composition to any depth and at any rate of fall.

There's endless amounts of this kind of info on the internet, can't remember where I just found this.

Here are some lures that would be easy for you and your kids to start with...you just cast them out and reel them back in...

Rooster Tail (Bass and Trout)

Maribou Jig (Bass and Trout)

Floating Rapala Minnow (Bass and Trout)

Spinnerbait (Bass only)

The Texas-rigged plastic worm above is also a bass lure. These are just a few of the thousands of lures you can use, but they are pretty standard starting lures and a lot of guys keep using them year after year.

It would help to know what kind of reels and tackle you have.

This is a spinning reel:

This is a spincast reel:

This is a baitcasting reel:

Also, if you have a camera, you could take a few pictures of what's in the tackle boxes, and that would be helpful, too. It sounds like you won't have to spend any money...If we just knew what you had, we could tell you what would be the easiest to use and how to use it. Sounds like you have quite a bit of tackle to choose from.

I printed out your reply and took it to the basement where I have all of the fishing gear stored and looked through the totes, comparing the pictures with what we have and we have all of the lures and reels you posted, several of each. There is a lot of gear.

I want to start practicing doing the Texas-rigged plastic worm set up (is that worded correctly?), but first I need a little clarification. I am not sure what this is "Usually on a 2/0 VMC"; is it the hook size and type? And is the slip sinker the one with the groove cut in it? I found a pair of needle nosed pliers in the tackle box; is that what you use to tighten down the sinker onto the line? It looks like there is a lot of different sizes, so what size/weight would you suggest as the best to start with and how tight does it need to be? Should it have a lot of resistance when I pull on the sinker or should it not move at all? The sinker wasn't easy to see, so I need to know about how far from the hook and lure to place the sinker, or is it touching the hook and lure?

My sister and her husband are coming in from Goodman, Kansas for Thanksgiving and are staying with me for a few days. I told my brother in law what I was doing and he offered to help me go through all of the fishing tackle and separate the gear by what it is used for while they are here. He thinks I am a little nuts, but he is going to help me anyway. I was kind of in a fog when I packed everything up and the way I packed it up probably wasn't the most logical way it could have been done. I don't mean it's all just mixed together and thrown in totes, all the like items are packed in containers and the containers are packed in totes, but it isn't separated by what type of fishing it is used for and it probably was before I packed it. Oh well, live and learn. On the bright side, after we go through everything I will be better able to tell you what gear I do have and speed the process up a bit.

[Jabber Jaw]

I printed out your reply and took it to the basement where I have all of the fishing gear stored and looked through the totes, comparing the pictures with what we have and we have all of the lures and reels you posted, several of each. There is a lot of gear.

I want to start practicing doing the Texas-rigged plastic worm set up (is that worded correctly?), but first I need a little clarification. I am not sure what this is "Usually on a 2/0 VMC"; is it the hook size and type? And is the slip sinker the one with the groove cut in it? I found a pair of needle nosed pliers in the tackle box; is that what you use to tighten down the sinker onto the line? It looks like there is a lot of different sizes, so what size/weight would you suggest as the best to start with and how tight does it need to be? Should it have a lot of resistance when I pull on the sinker or should it not move at all? The sinker wasn't easy to see, so I need to know about how far from the hook and lure to place the sinker, or is it touching the hook and lure?

My sister and her husband are coming in from Goodman, Kansas for Thanksgiving and are staying with me for a few days. I told my brother in law what I was doing and he offered to help me go through all of the fishing tackle and separate the gear by what it is used for while they are here. He thinks I am a little nuts, but he is going to help me anyway. I was kind of in a fog when I packed everything up and the way I packed it up probably wasn't the most logical way it could have been done. I don't mean it's all just mixed together and thrown in totes, all the like items are packed in containers and the containers are packed in totes, but it isn't separated by what type of fishing it is used for and it probably was before I packed it. Oh well, live and learn. On the bright side, after we go through everything I will be better able to tell you what gear I do have and speed the process up a bit.

Should have been Goodland, Kansas, duh! What can I say, I have fancy fingers this morning!

[eric1978]

I want to start practicing doing the Texas-rigged plastic worm set up (is that worded correctly?), but first I need a little clarification. I am not sure what this is "Usually on a 2/0 VMC"; is it the hook size and type? And is the slip sinker the one with the groove cut in it? I found a pair of needle nosed pliers in the tackle box; is that what you use to tighten down the sinker onto the line? It looks like there is a lot of different sizes, so what size/weight would you suggest as the best to start with and how tight does it need to be? Should it have a lot of resistance when I pull on the sinker or should it not move at all? The sinker wasn't easy to see, so I need to know about how far from the hook and lure to place the sinker, or is it touching the hook and lure?

Those weights that have a groove in them are actually called "split-shots." While you can use them for a Texas-rigged worm, it is more common to use a "bullet" weight, which looks like...well, a bullet, with a small hole through the middle. I'm sure you have some.

These are bullet weights:

These are split-shot weights:

You put the bullet weight on the line with the pointed end facing the tip of the rod, and the hollowed-out larger end resting on top of the rigged worm. This type of weight works to get the worm to the bottom as a split-shot does, but allows the worm to move around more freely, thus giving the lure a more natural appearance.

2/0 is a hook size, and will work fine with a 6-8 inch worm. You could also use a 3/0 for that size bait. VMC is a brand of hook, and a fine brand at that...Gamakatsu and Owner hooks are also very good brands. The most important consideration when picking a hook for a Texas-rig, aside from the size, is that it is an off-set shank.

This is an off-set shanked hook:

This is a straight-shanked hook:

The difference of course is at the eye of the hook there is a bend, where the top of the worm is hooked. This allows the worm to be rigged perfectly straight on the hook. You don't want the worm to be twisted or bent at all on the hook, or you will have problems with line twisting, which will cause tangles on your reel.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I wouldn't put to much into the worm fishing at this point, fishing it successfully is much more involved than it looks. To catch fish on a worm you need to know when and how to set the hook, and I think that is too complicated for an 8 year old. Lures known as plugs, the ones made of plastic and adorned with treble hooks, on the other hand generally do the hooking for you. Lures with spinners, shiny concave pieces of metal that turn on a wire shaft, also tend to do the hooking for you.

[eric1978]

Wayne is right, and I would also suggest trying plugs and spinners at first instead of the plastic worms, but I figured I'd explain it since you asked. You really will need someone to show you how to use a Texas-rigged worm, because as Wayne pointed out, you have to be able to know the difference, by feel, between the worm hitting stuff on the bottom and when a fish picks it up and carries it away in its mouth. If a fish eats a T-rigged worm, and you just start reeling it in, the hook won't penetrate through the worm and into a fish's tough mouth...you have to know when to give a sharp yank on the rod, which is called "setting the hook." If you don't set the hook when using a plastic worm, you won't land many fish. There is an art to it that you can really only master with lots of experience.

Plastic worms are a very effective lure, especially in the summer, and especially on lakes and ponds, although they can be used year-round on all types of water. But there are far easier lures to play with for beginners and ones that are really more effective for stream fishing and fishing in colder months.

This is another way to rig a plastic worm, called a "wacky rig." It's a much easier way to rig a worm and can be just as effective, and setting the hook is not as critical, but you will wind up snagging it more often since the point of the hook is exposed. The biggest advantage of a Texas-rigged worm is that it is relatively "weedless," since the point of the hook is buried in the plastic. The type of worm you see in the picture is more commonly used for wacky rigging. The worm pictured is often refered to as a Senko, which is the name of a bait made by a particular company, although many other companies make similar baits (It's kinda like "Band-Aid," it may be a different brand, but you always call it a Band-Aid)...just for future reference. This type of worm slowly sinks without any weight added.

[Jabber Jaw]

I wouldn't put to much into the worm fishing at this point, fishing it successfully is much more involved than it looks. To catch fish on a worm you need to know when and how to set the hook, and I think that is too complicated for an 8 year old. Lures known as plugs, the ones made of plastic and adorned with treble hooks, on the other hand generally do the hooking for you. Lures with spinners, shiny concave pieces of metal that turn on a wire shaft, also tend to do the hooking for you.

I may never be able to use plastic worms to fish with, but I would still like to see if I can learn how to rig it (right word?). I like to challenge myself and take on things that push me past what I thought I would be able to do. If any of you want to teach me something, I really want to try to learn it. I also want to make sure that I can give Max what he needs to be successful, whether it is fishing or anything else. If that means moving him past wanting to fish with plastic worms and onto other lures for now, that is what I intend to do. Believe me, I trust everyone else's judgement on this forum much more than my own where fishing is concerned and I intend to follow your suggestions. You guys are the experts and I am the one who came to you and asked for your help. But on the other hand, if I can actually learn how to rig and use the plastic worms myself, I would like to be able to teach Max how to do this myself (but only in a few years and only when he is old enough to use them). I may fail, but I want to at least try.

I am also working really hard to get past my fear of Max using anything with a treble hook. I worked in the ER at a hospital when we were still in Texas, I don't know how it happened, but one time a man came in with two of the three hooks stuck in his ear. One hook was stuck in the outer ear and one was stuck at the opening of the ear canal. His fishing buddy caught him. He was definitely the biggest catch of the day for that guy! I tell myself that getting hooks stuck in body parts happen all the time, but most aren't as serious as this and don't require surgery to remove them.

Jabber Jaw

[Jabber Jaw]

I wouldn't put to much into the worm fishing at this point, fishing it successfully is much more involved than it looks. To catch fish on a worm you need to know when and how to set the hook, and I think that is too complicated for an 8 year old. Lures known as plugs, the ones made of plastic and adorned with treble hooks, on the other hand generally do the hooking for you. Lures with spinners, shiny concave pieces of metal that turn on a wire shaft, also tend to do the hooking for you.

I want learn as much as I can from everyone, even if I won't be using it for a while. I have been printing out all the advice and instructions I am getting and putting all of it in a folder so I have it when I need it. I realize that everything about fishing is a lot more difficult than what I already knew how to do and Max was right when he said perch jerking was baby fishing. I have a lot to learn before I can even catch up to what Max knows. I figure Sam and I are at about the same level, except I don't play with the worms.

Jabber Jaw

[eric1978]

I think we'd be able to help you a lot more if you told us where you planned on fishing and what kind of fish you'd like to catch. There are just so many variables that it's hard to give any specific instructions without knowing some basic info about what you intend to do. Lakes, ponds, rivers? Which ones? Bass, trout, bluegill, catfish, crappie? Do you plan on walking the banks, wading a stream, fishing from a boat or canoe? Are you going to try fishing this fall and winter or are you going to wait until spring?

[fireman]

JJ,

Hello, I will try to make this as short as possible. I lost my father when i was approx. 16 y/o. he took us to learn trout fishing every chance he got. with that being said i love it. I currently have my daughters and wife fishing this year with their own waders and poles and baits. we fish montauk state park mostly. we haven't been to a real stream or should i say a lake like taneycomo togther yet. i have myself. i would offer this to you. take these folks advise. it is some i have learned alot from as well over the years.

ok now for my 2 cents. may 1 2010 at montauk state park is what they call kids fishing day. the park stocks trout throughout the day for kids under 16 ONLY. now u will see adults casting for the real small ones but the kids must take the pole and atempt to reel it in fish or no fish. my daughters started out this way and have expanded to other parts of the stream. no need for waders either on this day. its bank fishing. the stream is roped off for kids to walk up to it. my offer to you is this. My family and neighbors and friends will be there. i have reserved 2 hotel room for aprl 30 and may 1st. room is 2 dbl beds full bath and tv. this place a restuarant as well. one of my rooms are spoken for but i think the other i can let you have and pay me when you arrive approx $75 to $100 i would have to check my reciept. we camp and i reserve these for the friends that are to lazy to make reservations themselves. lol so let me know if this will work for you or if you are not interested. i will hold this for you til thanksgiving. i would love to help u and the boys out. my wife would love to have a novice with her lol. we live in the st charles mo area. my daughters ages are 13 and 10. the other kids are boys and girls ages from 3 to 14. about 4 other kids minimum. depends on weather.

i also am trying to get into bass fishing. i just purchased a boat this yr and have a good neighbor teaching me this new adventure. dont ever give up. if you ever want help ask this board is amazing. bass fishing is just as fun as trout just depends on weather, time and patients on what kind of fish i fish for at the time. as im sure others have said i will too, i will drive from the st louis area to help u and the boys in trout fishing if you can let me know when u would like to meet if this is something u are interested in.

thanks and God Bless Mothers,

Fireman-Brian