Learning to fish!

Hi! I’m a NEWBIE to this forum. Here’s my question – How can a woman who LOVES to fish, LEARN to fish? I’m HAPPILY married with 2 teenage sons, and NONE of the guys in my house like to fish. So I’m stuck at home watching Al, Jim, and the other guys on the InFisherman videos that I recently checked out from the local library. Interesting stuff, but I WISH I could get out on the water. I realize that if I were a GUY, I could go fishing with the guys… but I’m not, so I’m looking for someone who is willing to take a “big kid” fishing.
I’ve fished near Canada for walleyes (trolling with lindy rigs and jigging), fished for panfish from my kayak, but that’s about it. I want more experience fishing Pool 4. Anybody interested?

Hey, another girl to join us
I’ll go fishing with you anytime you want. Don’t know much about pool 4 thou, but if you ever want to come out this way too, just let me know, don’t have a boat, but there is some shore fishing around.

Hey Muskygirl! Nice fish! Thanks for the welcome! Where’s Ferryville?

Out here along HWY 35 by pool 9 – just north of Prairie du Chien

First of all, welcome to the site. You’re going to learn a lot about fishing and meet some great people during your time here.

I suspect that you will not have any trouble finding one of your fellow IDA members who would be willing to spend the afternoon on Pool 4 with you. Many of us fish the area very very regularly and are happy to share the boat with a new friend. I suggest that you drop a line here in advance of the day(s) that you want to fish, and I strongly suspect that someone would be willing to pick you up at one of the launches in Red Wing or at Everts Resort and help you put a couple of fish in the boat. Heck, bring your hubbie along, and maybe we can turn him to the darkside!

In all seriousness, just ask, and someone will lend a hand.

Later in the summer, plan to attend the IDA get-to-gether which is held out of Everts resort. It’s a fantastic way to put faces with screen-names and enjoy some good fishing, good food, and great times.

Once again, welcome aboard!

Thanks! I am HOPING I’ll be able to get some time on the water. I just came back from shore fishing and that produced my usual results… ZIPPO. I’ve take the advice from some of the guys who fish Pool 4 and have tried to catch fish from shore, but no luck so far. I have managed to lose at least 15 jigs though and I’m getting better at recovering snags, so all is not lost.
Hubby would love to go along too, if the weather is nice and the fish are biting. Whereas, I will stay out all day in all kinds of weather. So, just think of us as a “role-reversal” of the typical male/female fishing relationship. Except my husband is VERY supportive of me going out fishing and is O.K. with the money I spend on fishing stuff!
Seriously, he would also like to learn how to navigate Pool 4… but his time is limited. He’s a busy guy. But I have the luxury of arranging my schedule around fishing! (It’s a tough life, but SOMEBODY has got to live it…) I just need to figure out HOW to live it!

Welcome to the IDA site!

You have come to the right place to learn P4 and other locations. Brooktrout gave you some very good advice. I would like to add that the Mississippi River Forum is a great place to learn how, when and where the fish are biting. It won’t replace being on the water…but it’s a great start.

As my freind Bill would say…ask as many questions as you like. Fishing, education and a little humor is what it’s all about!

Again Welcome FisherMissis!

Maybe where you are fishing from is better at diffrent times of the year. I haven’t fished by Red Wing yet. I’ve got a place by Pepin, just out of town. The fishing can be good there quite a bit of the year, especially when the waters high. There is a lot of rock there, but I can usally get away without losing too many jigs when I have the right equipment with me. I like to use a 6 or 6 1/2 foot lite action rod with a light action reel when I jig from the piers or shore. I can feel my way around the rocks better with this set up. I’ll normally use a 1/16th ounce jig and tube or some type of add on. When the weather changes abruptly, I’ve had good luck downsizing to a 1/32 oz. for a little bit. Don’t be afraid to try right from shore around piers as this can sometimes be the best spot. Walk down the shore of the river and you might find some good spots. Watch for telltale signs like seagulls, or fish movement. Last September my wife and I walked down behind our place, and right from shore caught a ton of bass (largemouth & smallmouth ). They were chassing shad all over the shoreline. I see a lot of people fishing from shore by Lake City. That might be worth checking out. Good luck. I know there are places on hwy. 61 where people park and go down to the river and fish. Another thing to try when the fish aren’t hitting on jigs or live bait, try some spoons like daredevils or my favorite, little cleos, blue and silver or green and silver. I’ve found early in the year there can be some good sized northern pike around, which seems to put the other fish into hiding. Hope this will give you some ideas.
Cooker

Hey Fishermiss Welcome!
I was hoping you would find this site. I couldn’t tell you on the other site to go here, wouldn’t have been kosher. But you found it anyway. IDA has the best Mississippi info bar none and pool 4 folks abound on this site. I am DD on this site but mm on the other.

The fastest way to get to know pool 4 would be to hire a guide or watch the trip swap forum and hook-up with somebody looking for a boat partner. Good luck and welcome again!

dd

Good morning Fishermissus,
If you watch the posts it is quite common for people to post “Pool 4 open seat on “date”” that would be the easiest way to get out on Pool 4. There are alot of Red Wing people on this board so I think you should have some offers shortly. Last of all, Welcome to the site. I think you will benefit from this site immensely, I know I have.

Welcome to the site FisherMissis !

Welcome aboard. If you are going to be doing some shore fishing getting a good map of the area might be a good start. From there you can find where the landings, creeks and all kinds of roads come in contact with the river. You would be surpised but alot of these easy access areas have been found in the past by other fisherman and you will see where they have been fishing. This is a good way to find new areas and see some neat spots.

Most of my shore fishing was done with bottom rigs. Either jig and bait or just a plain hook and slip sinker. When you et more familiar with areas you might want to venture into casting lures from shore but if you dont know the area this might get expensive. Keeping it simple will really help keep costs down at first.
One last tip. For your best chance at just catching a fish on the river you just cant beat using night crawlers. I dont know of a fish in the river that wont eat a night crawler. Second would be some fatheads or crappie minnows. Single hooking a intire crawler on a jig or plan hook can really produce somedays and the walleyes like this presentation. If you try this and end up with tail bitters then try half a crawler or pinch the crawler in half, take the tail section an stick the hook threw the middle of it so you have botrh the head and tail section on the hook. This makes it look like you have three tails of crawler coming off your hook. This puts them fish lips alot closer to the piont when they come to bite.

Good luck fishing.

WOW! I am sure GLAD I stumbled upon this site! I actually found it while doing a search for Pool 4 fishing tips (or something like that.) So, DD, are you the stay-at-home dad on the other forum?

Thanks SO MUCH for your welcomes and replies. I can’t tell you how many days I am walking at Bay Point Park and see guys launching their boats ALONE and I was trying to figure out a way to get myself invited, without giving the wrong impression. So, this forum will hopefully work out well for that. My initial concern was how to deal with the “when nature calls” issues of spending a WHOLE day on a boat together. But I think I’ve got that part figured out now. So, that’s the LEAST of my concerns.

So, let me just say… other guys who have fished with me found me very willing to learn and easy to share a boat with. PLEASE don’t be shy about taking along a female angler. As I have posted in another forum, I can bake some TASTY goodies, and am happy to provide them for anyone willing to take me fishing.

Hubby is a teacher, so will soon have more time available to join me, if there is anyone else available during weekdays in the summer. I’m nearing the end of my stay-at-home-mom career, and trying to figure out what path to take next. I’ve decided that I just might spend all of my time fishing!

I just bought a Pool 4 map yesterday, so I’ll plan on studying that and taking the suggestions posted here. Looking forward to new AWESOME fishing friendships.

Welcome FisherMissis ,

I’ve just got a couple tips on fishing the river from shore from someone who has done their fair share of it …..

– Spring time/high water periods are always the best time to catch fish from shore.

– Besides the obvious worm on the bottom approach, jigs/plastics or texas rigged tubes have always worked well for me. Double bladed spinnerbaits are also a good bet. I usually stay away from using cranks as they snag too easily and it gets expensive to lose a bunch of them. –

– If you are getting a lot of snags, you need to lighten up your weight. I rarely fish a jig larger than 1/8th oz when casting from shore. If there’s no wind, you can often go to 1/16 without a problem.

– Keep in mind that the actively feeding fish are going to be close to shore. I always found it funny that most shore fisherman try to cast as far out from shore as possible, and most boat fisherman are trying to cast as tight into shore as possible . If you actively fish a strech of water (a strech of riprap for example) you should move slowly uptream, making SHORT cast, UPSTREAM, and almost parrallel to the shore. Let the current bring the bait back to you.

Keep these things in mind next time out, and hopefully it will help

FisherMisses, yes welcome. You neglected to mention what species you are seeking. You have to be target specfic to be successful. In doing so, that will determine what kind of equipment, where, when to go and what to use. Suggesting that you want to catch anything is just too vague. You wouldn’t hunt elephants with a BB gun and you certainly wouldn’t shoot sparrows with an elephant gun. The preparation is just as important as the actual hunt. Also, do you enjoy eating what you catch. I have my preferences, so that inturn dictates what I fish for. Again, welcome to the site. Please share whatever experiences you might have so the rest of us can lean.

Hi, I LOVE walleyes, so I’d like to fish for those; however, there are times when I’d be just as happy catching bass, crappies, or bluegills. All of my fishing (until recently) has been for walleyes, bass, and bluegills on lakes, not rivers. I never knew there was any fish worth eating in the Mississippi or that were SAFE to eat. Go figure! So… river fishing is NEW to me. I’m just trying to figure out fishing the current, etc. and presentation on the river. The stuff I’ve been reading on these forums has been very helpful, but I realize that I can read ALL kinds of stuff then get out to the water, suddenly developing amnesia! It just gets all too confusing! (Especially about plastics and lures) I’d be better with a bobber, worm and a cold beer. (but that seems too boring) Plus it’s NO fun fishing alone all the time.

When the weather warms up a bit, I’ll be able to get out in the backwaters in my kayak. I’m looking into getting some kind of depth finder for my kayak so that should help. Finding the fish is HALF the battle, huh? Then it’s live bait or plastics, what weight jig, what color, what type… Argh!!?!?! I’m used to fishing whatever the guy who is driving the boat is doing (and making sure that I don’t out-fish him, so I get invited back)

Go with the jigs. It just dont get any simplier. You can buy some jigs in assortment pack that have different colors and sizes. Bottom fish them, jig them over the side of the boat or stick a bobber above them. Its just to simple and a good place to start. You can also bait the jigs with just baout anything. Crawlers, minnows, plastics, corn, maggots. There is just not much you cant put on a jig. Not much that wont bite one either.

Thought those paddles on the kayak was a depth finder.

Welcome to the Site.
If you are looking for people to fish with there is an FLW walleye tournament out of Bay City coming up here in a couple weeks and it is very possible that there will be people looking to have another person to fish with them even for a little while. Keep an eye on the trip swap forum maybe put a post out there about days and times you would be available. Heck if my sister wasn’t getting married the day of the tourney…I would be down there prefishing and probably be looking for people to fish with.

My friend Jay is fishing the tourney and is planning on fishing almost every day next week….I will let him know…he goes by Stickboy here on IDA, I have known him and his wife for years…..great guy.

You won’t be sorry you found this site…I have learned a ton about river fishing in the last couple years since I started visiting this site on a regular basis.

Welcome!!!!
John

Hey THANKS! I’ll check it out. If anyone is looking for boat company, please feel free to pm me. (of course, you’ll have to go through an intense screening process by the Hubby and submit to a criminal background check.)

Welcome to IDA FisherMissis!!!

Well that rules Stickboy out.
Just kiddin Stick.

You boys are just too funny!

So, what I need to know is… who are the trustworthy BOY SCOUT types with whom I will feel SAFE while spending a day in a boat together?!

Ooh, I forgot to put my next to my previous posting. Darn internet… ya can’t tell if someone is laughing or screaming without the emoticon.

I can’t speak for everyone since I haven’t met everyone but all the guys I have met from the site are class acts.

Oh yeah and as for Stick…he’s harmless…he has to be or his wife would kill him.
JB

Harmless but would’nt pass the backround check . I would be out today but the boats in the shop again . I will be out the rest of the week. Not sure yet if I’ll have room or not. Besides you may want to go with some one that will actually catch some fish.

See, that’s why I don’t want to own another thing with a MOTOR! They break down. Neither me, nor my hubby knows a thing about machinery. That’s why the hubby and me are going to demo a new Hobie Outback fishing kayak this weekend… then I’ll be OUT FISHING ON THE WATER, so LOOK OUT all you guys in your fancy fishing boats!

Actually, I’ll probably just be out on the water getting used to my new kayak. I’ve still only caught one smallie while kayaking the Miss. backwaters and that was almost by accident! But that’s when I thought that the river only contained catfish and slimey river monsters. I’m looking forward to spending more time getting to know the river this year. Unfortunately, I’ll be gone for a month (leaving 5/25) so will miss out on some of the good fishing, right?

(Have I told you guys the story of when a fish actually JUMPED into my kayak last year?!) Seriously!

But I’m impatiently waiting to be able to fish the river and really CATCH a fish so I can change my avatar to one of me holding my catch.

Welcome FisherMissis,
My bride of two weeks now loves to fish too. Maybe you could join us next time we go out. I have to tell ya though, if you are looking for an expert to guide you around pool 4 we would not be first choice.
We catch some fish but most of all we have a good time.

Congratulations on your marriage! Hey, thanks for the offer. Fun and fishing are what I’m looking for. Please pm me when you’re planning on going out on the river. I’d love to join you!

How in the world can you fish out of a Kayak. One hook set and i would be spinning that thing over and over. I guess it could be done but uffda vertinsnikle. Anyways,,,if ya ever get around the LaCrosse area i would be glad to take you fishing.

Hey, I only say that I FISH from a kayak… never actually CAUGHT anything tho! (Well, that’s not true. I’ve caught sunfish and rock bass.) My kayak is a stable, sit-in type so it’s much less tippy than a canoe. (There’s a story about why I have a kayak rather than a canoe… Hubby and I were using a canoe and I was in the back. Hubby gets ready to launch us out from shore, but as he is shoving us off, he wobbles around to sit down and DUMPS the canoe. He got his feet wet. I was dumped into 4 feet of water in mid-May. I bought individual kayaks the next week!! )
OK so back to my point…
I have yet to experience a strong hook set… so, I guess I don’t know what will happen if I’m catching pigs. (but I’d sure love to find out!!! )

Hubby and I frequently camp at Perrot State Park… I’ll let you know the next time we’ll be in your area! Thanks!