Beginner Fisher, not having much luck

[Knuguy]

I've never trolled with anything as small as a big o, have you trolled with any other small lures?

Maybe not quite as short as Big O's, but I've used small Rapalas and some deeper divers such as Hot 'n Tot.

 

[rich_ace_G]

Do not limit yourself to Wilcox lake. And don't frown upon small fish. Catching fish means your doing something right somehow. Wilcox has it's own fishing pressure. Being in a canoe increases your chance of catching fish. I am a shore angler and somehow have success fishing around Markham / Richmond Hill area. Do I get skunked? More than you can imagine. But the love of fishing doesn't deter me from going back and I've been rewarded for my persistence. I only target Bass, Trout & Pike. If you're around Markham / Richmond Hill. Just letting you know this is Carp Heaven. Is there bass, trout and Pike? there is but the odds of catching one is against you if you limit yourself to Wilcox lake. Bass and pike will go for spinners, spoons, live minnows, jigs & nightcrawlers, plugs, flies and what have you. You already caught some bass. I'm sure there's more in there. Good luck and tight lines.

 

[fisher12]

As suggested, a simple setup with worms is the way to go, after some practice with that, I would say try some soft plastics if you want to catch some bass. Soft plastics are what I usually fish; to date the closest thing to a hard lure that I've caught a fish on is a marabou jig but I do plan to start fishing spinners,spoons etc. more. As for soft plastics, 4 inch stick worms are a good way to start and so are grubs fished on a jighead.

 

[rich_ace_G]

Always give the " scene of the crime" some rest. If you visit it everyday, don't expect to catch fish every time. That's what you call fishing pressure. Try new areas. Move around and try different techniques. At any given time, bass will hit anything that resembles food and they don't limit themselves to just worms.

 

[alwayscatching]

lots of great advice here for a lake like wilcox, look for weeds, stay relatively close to shore, and throw your bobber in where you see an opening in some lilies.

I would stick to worms and live bait, they're easy to rig and will catch fish when artificials just won't.

as fishingnoob pointed out, spinnerbaits/inline spinners are the easiest artificials to use, but seems like you just want to catch some fish, and in that case I still recommend worms.

Edit: Might help us to know what kind of setup you're using (sorry fishingnoob, beat you to it)
for example, what size hooks, line? etc, i(f you are tying your hook straight to 20lb braid I can imagine why you're not getting many bites)

That's what I missed on trying to get across with my point of keeping it simple and just catching fish. You worded it for me. Ps using a braid straight to hook isn't all that bad BUT using a tied mono can work well onto a braid. I typically use a straight tied connection around 6 feet of mono so using a swivel wont work for me because it would not work with my guides on the rod.

 

[iJay]

The best thing I have ever read prior to any kind of fishing.

Be mindful of what you are touching and DO NOT use any kinds of soap prior to an outting. I have found MUCH more success in not handling soap or food prior to an outting. Eat with a knife and fork, DONT wash your hands.

Worms, artifical baits, hooks and lines all pick up scents from your hands. It sounds gross to not wash your hands, jus try it. Worst case I use the river or lake water to rinse my hands where ever we are at the time.

Lake fishing, I have found ALOT more sucess not using a float/bobber. While using plastic lures I SLOWLY retrive the bait, keeping the action of the bait at the for front. When using a new bait/lure I will always drop it out a few feet from me, and see at what speeds this seems to swim.

Worms, they do need a little bit of action depending on the lake you are in however nothing bottom bouncing won't produce.

While in the canoe be midful fo what falls, how you step and what not. The bottom of boats act as a sonar pulse under the surface of the water.

 

[apz245]

That's what I missed on trying to get across with my point of keeping it simple and just catching fish. You worded it for me. Ps using a braid straight to hook isn't all that bad BUT using a tied mono can work well onto a braid. I typically use a straight tied connection around 6 feet of mono so using a swivel wont work for me because it would not work with my guides on the rod.

Yeah I tie on my leaders the same way as you because I don't like the swivel so high up, makes it hard to cast without messing up your guides like you said, If I absolutely need a swivel, i'll tie it as close to my lure as possible

 

[hammercarp]

I have a suggestion is you want good sized hard fighting fish. And since as previously stated you are in " carp heaven" , Why not fish for them. Get a can of corn and empty its contents into a reusable plastic container. Take it with you. Throw some of the corn into likely spots as previously described. Put some corn on your hook and fish those spots. Don't be surprised if your canoe gets towed around by a feisty carp that you have hooked. .

 

[pleace]

Hey guys, sorry i didnt give an update. Anyways i didnt have any luck at lake wilcox. But im actually going camping at Bon Echo soon, and Bon Echo lake(not the main mazinaw lake) apparantly has some good fishing for bass and such. im not really picky as to what im catching, just catching any decent sized fish would be great(bass would be awesome). i got a canoe and i also am definetly going to pickup some live worms. i've attached some pictures of my tackle and a possible setup, any feedback would be great. not sure what kind of line im using, it came with my rod.

EDIT: Also, with the actual technique, do i just cast out and reel back in slowly, ocasionally jerking the line for some action?

 

[Kasim Baluch]

Oooo... so many toys haha. I would go with the frog early early morning and after that I see a nice jighead with a white tube attached to it!

 

[pleace]

Oooo... so many toys haha. I would go with the frog early early morning and after that I see a nice jighead with a white tube attached to it!

lol we never get out early morning. by the time were on the lake its like noon, and then we also go or stay in the evening. but thanks for the advice

 

[BearInTheWoods]

Don't expect the fish to bite any time of day you want them to.
My best fishing time for almost any species is between 5-7am, but then again consider weather, water conditions etc...
Just saying starting to fish at noon isn't necessarily going to produce results for you in an already overfished body of water...

 

[Mr. Bassturd]

# 1 be patient and try out all those lures in your tackle box you have a lot to chose from if I were to pick one thing from your tackle box it would be the pack of powerbait worms texas rig them. cast it out let it drop to the bottom then lift and repeat . This would be for bass .

#2 try to use lighter line or if you use heavy main line look into using a flouro carbon leader.

I attached some pics of my favourite lure for bass it is a 5 " stick worm from lunkerhunt you can use different brands the colour is most important











good luck and consistency is the key with a little luck

 

[pleace]

# 1 be patient and try out all those lures in your tackle box you have a lot to chose from if I were to pick one thing from your tackle box it would be the pack of powerbait worms texas rig them. cast it out let it drop to the bottom then lift and repeat . This would be for bass .

#2 try to use lighter line or if you use heavy main line look into using a flouro carbon leader.

I attached some pics of my favourite lure for bass it is a 5 " stick worm from lunkerhunt you can use different brands the colour is most important

DSC00006.jpg

DSC00008.jpg

DSC00009.jpg

DSC00010.jpg

DSC00011.jpg

DSC00012.jpg


good luck and consistency is the key with a little luck

Thanks for the tips. I went out today and caught 2 bass, about 2 pounds each. And one of them was actually on the Texas rigged worm, the other was on a white crank bait.

 

[Mr. Bassturd]

congrats u can also use the texas rig on most soft plastics other than jigs where u would use a jighead such as tube jigs. anyway experiment and see what happens and also try the other advice posted here there is some good stuff.