28 replies to this topic

[Try-hard Fisherman]

Hello everyone, ive been fishing for about a year or so but I almost catch 0 fish every time I go fishing.    I really need some good advice or reasons why i never catch fish.  I fish at bayfront and fifty point conservation but i have never caught anything there. iI mainly target bass and if any of you have ever caught lots of fish in that area, please tell me what you use because I really love fishing but i wish some fish would come out of all of my effort.  So if you guys have any advice please post it here, thanks.

 

-Try-Hard Fisherman

[Alfiegee]

Hey Try Hard. I am in Hamilton too. Bayfront gets a lot of pressure so luck has a lot to do with any success. But if you keep moving and change tactics that helps.
Go to Bills and get live bait, minnows or worms and you should get some results, even if it is cats. Nothing wrong with a nice channel cat.
Bass and Pike are finicky (lol) there but are about.
Tons of carp.

Alfie.

[Kit]

Its all about confidence in what your using. There's been numerous times ive been out getting skunked. That's why its called fishing not catching. 

 

Also to add. Areas where you see lots of people all the time the fish tend to catch on and not hang around so much. 

[hamiltonangler94]

Bayfront definently gets a lot of pressure, so many lures don't produce well. But I find a weedless jig with a crayfish as a trailer in natural colours for bass work well there. Natural and dark coloured twister tails and worms work there as well. The key thing to do is to cover water

[hammercarp]

Just a reminder bass season is not open yet so you might want to try carp. Here are some good spots to try for them. At this time of year , the Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Lasalle Park, Valley Inn and the Dejardin Canal are good. 

[Try-hard Fisherman]

Ok, thanks guys, I'm really hoping to do good this year with a few good fish.  Anyway, thanks for your advice and support, I might try for some trout next week, so wish me luck!

 

-Try-Hard Fisherman

[Shepp]

Try-hard, although not in your area, and not familiar with the bodies of water you fish, I do have a suggestion. Seek out some locals and buddy with them and your luck will improve. Everyone has their little tricks and knowledge that has been accumulated over the course of time, either through word of mouth, or experience. I sometimes have friends,(good fisherman), who will come to fish my front yard,(river), and fare quite poorly at the start of it all. By finding a balance between what I'm doing and what they bring to the table, their success rate improves dramatically. None of us know everything and at the end of the day, even the best fisherman have off days. Makin' new fishin' buddies has its benefits as well. Hope this helps, and good luck. Cheers.

[Alfiegee]

Just a reminder bass season is not open yet so you might want to try carp. Here are some good spots to try for them. At this time of year , the Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Lasalle Park, Valley Inn and the Dejardin Canal are good.

Hey Hammer, good to see you around.
Have you been to Valley Inn this year? Was there last week for Lake O Pike opener. The whole west shore has been clear cut, only fish to be found were some smsll Bullheads. Supposedly the RBG is restoring turtle nesting areas ( not that I have ever had problems hooking turtles in the area.) It looks more like a road to me, didnt know turtles drove.
Normally in years past I would have got a few Pike, some Channels and maybe a Drum or Bowfin.
The RBG used to send guys in there every year with chainsaws to cut branches and throw them on the footpath. Now there are no trespassing signs due to the con/destruction. Guess I trespassed to get to the water, but I was legal standing in the bay in my waders.
RBG really seems to have something against fishermen.
They dont mind the fish as evidenced by the fish lift at Cootes. They just dont want us fishing.
Oops sorry, that turned into a rant. Well deserved rant tho.

Alfie.

[hammercarp]

The RBG are not angler friendly that is for sure. It is good to see you are still here. 

[usernamehere]

Are you using live worms as bait? if not, use them. If you already are, and still can't catch anything, then good luck.

[Rainbow]

Keep trying. Take a look at what other people are doing. Try different things and see what works. You'll eventually figure it out.

[DILLIGAF?!]

Try hard- try sight fishing for fish. casting blindly with the wrong set-up can sometimes minimize your catch rate. Polarized sunglasses is key. Try casting live bait close to you. enough that you can see it. - worms would be a good start. Sometimes fish are leary of a worm hanging midwater (what's that about?) It takes time before fish takes notice or smells your bait so a common mistake is hauling in your bait even before the fish can pick up the scent. a mistake that happens when you're casting far. because you can't see if there are follows or observers(fish). If you can see your bait, look 3 ft around if there are fish eyeing it. This is mostly done by pike particularly as they love stalking food. Bass can do it too. The only fish I see that hit it instantly are bluegills, pumpkinseeds & catfish. I mean these fish don't give a darn what's gonna happen next. Good luck.

[creek chub in your pocket]

some good tips in here already, but the most versatile lure of them all is the jig.

 

dont underestimate how good it is...grab a few different sizes and colors and models if you wish...get a variety of tails, twister tails work well (yellow, white, chartreuse) are my favorites personally...

 

work the jig, you can bounce on the bottom, drag along the bottom, skim along the top of the water or run the jig a couple feet from the bottom popping it along...

 

with each technique you master with the jig there are different fish than can be caught with each method...ive gotten pike, bass, carp, sheephead, perch, whitefish, white bass, walleye, and all pan fish with the all mighty jig.

 

time, practice and patience just keep at it, good luck

[PUMP KNOWS]

I also would recommend worms and sight fishing.

[NoClue22]

I went to bayfront/pier 4 a few times and got skunked every time. honestly if you have the chance just drive up to the grand. There's so many little rivers and creeks i'm discovering that run off of it. First year fishing so I'm trying everywhere.

[troutddicted]

Try-Harder Fisherman, we all started like you, its a learning process and don't give up.  Soon enough you'll be catching 'em regularly - its a steep learning curve.  Take the advice given here.  Tight lines

[manasmdesign]

Use live worms and be patient. Cast it out, Set the line and sit back and enjoy the moment.

 

Even if you don't catch anything it's okay, if you go in with the mentality of I need to catch a fish you will be anxious the whole time.

[moonriver]

I found a fantastic stream and decided to stop and fish. I observed the lay out first as some else said in one of the posts. Well let me tell you how excited I am now. I guess they are brook  trout and big some were darting around but one was just lazing around in front of me. I was even more excited as I dangled a juicy worm in front of him. Nothing he just swam around it. I tried some of that trout paste still nothing. Tried a jig. It was early so they should have been hungry. I am going back later but as least there are fish,

[moonriver]

Hooray! First fish this year. I thought it was a Trout but look's like a Bass.

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[hamiltonangler94]

^^ that it is a smallmouth bass, congrats on ur first fish this year. Just a reminder that bass is closed till late june, except for a few districts in the far north