I Hate Fishing: My personal Funny Story

[Jumper_Dad]

23 hours ago, PP1 said:

Upside down?

Yup, but I see grown men using them like this. Makes me nearly throw up...lol.

[PP1]

Could it be because they are left handed?

[GrantNKY]

43 minutes ago, PP1 said:

Could it be because they are left handed?

You can unscrew the handle on the reel to move to whatever hand you use to turn the reel. 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Kind of unrelated, kind of related....I was at Lake Norman in North Carolina the week before last. It was my first time going there. GREAT lake. About half the size of Cumberland (32,510 acres vs. 65,530 acres), and it doesn't average to being nearly as deep as Cumberland - Norman is average 33.5 ft deep with max depth of 112 ft, and Cumberland is average 90 ft with max depth of 197 ft.

Anyway, as hot as it's been, there wasn't a whole lot of fishing to be done, aside from catfishing in the evenings and at night. I read up a little online to make sure catfish jugging was legal in North Carolina, and I ended up putting out 5 catfish jugs each evening around 5:00pm or so, checking them about every hour, hour and a half, and then pulling them in around 1:30am. I had pool-noodle "jugs" like THESE, and had them all set up with 77lb-test clasp swivels, a grey-colored braided line rated at 70lb, and a 6/0 wide-gap circle hook, and baited with cherry chicken. I was catching 3lb - 6lb channel cats about 4 or 5 a day. There were 2 small blue cats added in that mix.

But twice, the first day within about 10 minutes of setting out the jugs, and then again on the 4th or 5th day, I hooked into something big enough that it actually bent the clasp-wire on the swivel and sprung it open...a freakin' 77lb-test swivel! The first time I saw the jug bob a few times, and then whatever had it actually managed to pull it down under water for a solid 20 or 30 seconds, and then it started moving out toward the deeper channel reeeeally quickly. It went back under, bobbed down under again for like 5 seconds, and then came up and stopped moving. By the time I got out there with the boat, I pulled the line up, and the swivel was sprung with the hook gone off of it. The second time it happened, I went out to check on the jugs, and one of them had moved well out into the channel since I'd checked last, so I went out and checked it, pulled up the line, and cure enough, it had the swivel sprung too. Absolutely WILD to think about how big whatever it was that got ahold of those hooks.

[Mustang]

When I was a kid all I wanted in life was a Mitchell 300 (spinning reel).  Finally I saved up enough to get one.

I've never hated anything in life as much as that Mitchell 300.  I promptly sold it and have never used a spinning reel since.  I'm a baitcaster man which most neophytes dislike because they backlash.  With a good reel and practice, throwing a plug with a baitcaster becomes second nature, and I rarely backlash.  I also use spincast (the ones with the button) reels for ultra-light fishing.

Its all a matter of preference.  Yes,  the reel in the picture is upside down.  Spinning reels are designed to be used "underhanded" and with your opposite hand.  No thatnks,!!!  My primary fishing partner is strictly a spinning reel man, but incurs numerous line twist problems.. 

[rjs4470]

23 hours ago, Jumper_Dad said:

Yup, but I see grown men using them like this. Makes me nearly throw up...lol.

People don't know what they don't know. Not everyone had the benefit of being taught the correct way to hold a spinning reel. Folks holding spinning reels the wrong way likely comes from the common use of spincast reels in childrens setups, which are held with the reel on the top. 

[oldgrappler]

16 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Kind of unrelated, kind of related....I was at Lake Norman in North Carolina the week before last. It was my first time going there. GREAT lake. About half the size of Cumberland (32,510 acres vs. 65,530 acres), and it doesn't average to being nearly as deep as Cumberland - Norman is average 33.5 ft deep with max depth of 112 ft, and Cumberland is average 90 ft with max depth of 197 ft.

Anyway, as hot as it's been, there wasn't a whole lot of fishing to be done, aside from catfishing in the evenings and at night. I read up a little online to make sure catfish jugging was legal in North Carolina, and I ended up putting out 5 catfish jugs each evening around 5:00pm or so, checking them about every hour, hour and a half, and then pulling them in around 1:30am. I had pool-noodle "jugs" like THESE, and had them all set up with 77lb-test clasp swivels, a grey-colored braided line rated at 70lb, and a 6/0 wide-gap circle hook, and baited with cherry chicken. I was catching 3lb - 6lb channel cats about 4 or 5 a day. There were 2 small blue cats added in that mix.

But twice, the first day within about 10 minutes of setting out the jugs, and then again on the 4th or 5th day, I hooked into something big enough that it actually bent the clasp-wire on the swivel and sprung it open...a freakin' 77lb-test swivel! The first time I saw the jug bob a few times, and then whatever had it actually managed to pull it down under water for a solid 20 or 30 seconds, and then it started moving out toward the deeper channel reeeeally quickly. It went back under, bobbed down under again for like 5 seconds, and then came up and stopped moving. By the time I got out there with the boat, I pulled the line up, and the swivel was sprung with the hook gone off of it. The second time it happened, I went out to check on the jugs, and one of them had moved well out into the channel since I'd checked last, so I went out and checked it, pulled up the line, and cure enough, it had the swivel sprung too. Absolutely WILD to think about how big whatever it was that got ahold of those hooks.

You weren't fishing with Robert Shaw, were you?  Hear any music that sounded like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tMqcARKRSE

 

I got some advice for you, don't go swimming in that lake.  

[GrantNKY]

16 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Kind of unrelated, kind of related....I was at Lake Norman in North Carolina the week before last. It was my first time going there. GREAT lake. About half the size of Cumberland (32,510 acres vs. 65,530 acres), and it doesn't average to being nearly as deep as Cumberland - Norman is average 33.5 ft deep with max depth of 112 ft, and Cumberland is average 90 ft with max depth of 197 ft.

Anyway, as hot as it's been, there wasn't a whole lot of fishing to be done, aside from catfishing in the evenings and at night. I read up a little online to make sure catfish jugging was legal in North Carolina, and I ended up putting out 5 catfish jugs each evening around 5:00pm or so, checking them about every hour, hour and a half, and then pulling them in around 1:30am. I had pool-noodle "jugs" like THESE, and had them all set up with 77lb-test clasp swivels, a grey-colored braided line rated at 70lb, and a 6/0 wide-gap circle hook, and baited with cherry chicken. I was catching 3lb - 6lb channel cats about 4 or 5 a day. There were 2 small blue cats added in that mix.

But twice, the first day within about 10 minutes of setting out the jugs, and then again on the 4th or 5th day, I hooked into something big enough that it actually bent the clasp-wire on the swivel and sprung it open...a freakin' 77lb-test swivel! The first time I saw the jug bob a few times, and then whatever had it actually managed to pull it down under water for a solid 20 or 30 seconds, and then it started moving out toward the deeper channel reeeeally quickly. It went back under, bobbed down under again for like 5 seconds, and then came up and stopped moving. By the time I got out there with the boat, I pulled the line up, and the swivel was sprung with the hook gone off of it. The second time it happened, I went out to check on the jugs, and one of them had moved well out into the channel since I'd checked last, so I went out and checked it, pulled up the line, and cure enough, it had the swivel sprung too. Absolutely WILD to think about how big whatever it was that got ahold of those hooks.

Lake Norman is awesome! I love a good night of jug fishing but this has happened to me several times as well. It sucks for sure. That’s the only drawback to jug fishing is if you were casting you would have the ability to fight whatever it was that got on that line and have a decent chance of landing it. But no guarantee that it even would have looked twice at your bait on a cast. Nothing beats a good night of jug fishing though. Chilling on the boat drinking some cold ones and catching some catfish.

[oldgrappler]

On 8/16/2020 at 6:21 PM, PP1 said:

While I do have fond memories of going out on Lake Michigan with my Lebanese-Grandfather, this particular practice has been the bane of my existence. My son noticed some boys walking down the street carrying fishing poles and asked me to take him fishing. After weeks of putting him off we finally went to Dick's and I bought him a 25 dollar pole and spent 20 dollars on a partially furnished tackle box. I Hate Fishing.

I took him a few days ago to this little pond in Villa Hills. My son decided that we should use hot-dogs for bait because he saw some guys on youtube using it.

After walking down this little grassy hill in the sun we picked out spot. I stuck my finger while putting the bobber on the line and then I could not get the piece of hot-dog to stay on the hook. I Hate Fishing. I cast the line out to the pond and give it to my son to hold. He decided to reel in reverse, thus tangling line inside the cover. I Hate Fishing.

I cannot untangle the line so I pull off the cover and use my teeth to break the line. I then unwind the line from this little spindle and put the line through the little holes on the pole. It is at this moment that five ducks come over and begin bothering me.

I tie another hook on to the line and stick my finger again. I Hate Fishing.

Two ducks keep rubbing up against my leg and will not leave us alone. We walk and they follow. I tie another bobber onto the line and prepare to put another piece of hot-dog on the hook. After successfully baiting the hook I give the rod to my son to hold. My son lowers the pole to the ground and one of the ducks eats the piece of hot dog. The duck waddles away and I realize that the hook is inside the duck somewhere. The duck attempts to fly but comes back down. He attempts to tun and stops and turns around. I do not know what to do. I told my son to back away and put the rod on the ground. I Hate Fishing.

I'm thinking I can pull the rod back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the hook from wherever it is caught inside the duck. I decide not to do that out of fear that the duck will go flying like crazy or it's insides will come spewing out. The duck continues to stare at me and quack as the sun is beating on my head. I pick the pole up and use my teeth to bite the line. The duck walks off. I grab my son and we run to the car and go to Rio Grande Restaurante for Mexican food.

So over the course of 25 minutes I managed to stick myself two times, lose two hooks, lose two bobbers, sweat like crazy, and hooked a duck. 

I Hate Fishing.

 

 

Sounds like a perfectly fine day of fishing to me.  🙃  I don't really care much for fishing, either.  Perhaps if I would catch more fish and had more patience.  But, my friend taught one of my sons to fish and he now loves it.  My other son also caught the bug, so the two of them will go fishing at the drop of a hat.  I go along just to spend time with my sons.  I'll take along a pole and a camp chair.  I fish for a while and when I get bored or have had one too many snags, I reel in the bait, sit the pole down and relax in the chair.  I watch my sons fish and engage them in a little bit of conversation.  That's the best part for me.  Oh, the Mexican Restaurant at the end of the day was a good idea too.  

Since I am not much of a fisherman, my sons have learned a lot from youtube videos.  They actually catch fish when they go.  And I get to relax a bit while I spend time with them.  win-win.  

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

1 hour ago, oldgrappler said:

You weren't fishing with Robert Shaw, were you?  Hear any music that sounded like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tMqcARKRSE

 

I got some advice for you, don't go swimming in that lake.  

Oh, there were PLENTY of Jaws references made after that, yeah.

"Gamin' fish eh? Marlin? Stingray? Bit through this piano wire?"

"He can't stay down with three barrels on him. Not with three barrels, he can't."

[oldgrappler]

"Your gonna need a bigger boat" or jug as the case may be.  

 

[rjs4470]

On 8/24/2020 at 1:43 AM, Mustang said:

Its all a matter of preference.  Yes,  the reel in the picture is upside down.  Spinning reels are designed to be used "underhanded" and with your opposite hand.  No thatnks,!!!  My primary fishing partner is strictly a spinning reel man, but incurs numerous line twist problems.. 

The dilemma with wanting to reel with your dominant hand, is by setting the reel up that way, you'd then be casting with your off hand. Or you cast with your dominant hand, and switch hands after casting, which is what I would typically do.  Although my normal mode, since I only fish on a boat in the ocean, is to let my guide cast for me.

[CincySportsFan]

1 hour ago, rjs4470 said:

The dilemma with wanting to reel with your dominant hand, is by setting the reel up that way, you'd then be casting with your off hand. Or you cast with your dominant hand, and switch hands after casting, which is what I would typically do.  Although my normal mode, since I only fish on a boat in the ocean, is to let my guide cast for me.

I love my spinning reels.  And every one I've ever had, has been set up as a left-hand retrieve, even though I'm right-handed.  Cranking the reel requires no special skill, in my opinion, so it could be done with either hand.  But tossing the bait accurately, or having the hand-strength for landing the "big one"...I definitely want my dominant hand in play.  I have never even thought about switching back and forth after each cast/retrieve.  

[GrantNKY]

5 minutes ago, CincySportsFan said:

I love my spinning reels.  And every one I've ever had, has been set up as a left-hand retrieve, even though I'm right-handed.  Cranking the reel requires no special skill, in my opinion, so it could be done with either hand.  But tossing the bait accurately, or having the hand-strength for landing the "big one"...I definitely want my dominant hand in play.  I have never even thought about switching back and forth after each cast/retrieve.  

This is what I do as well. Cast right handed, retrieve with my left hand. The rod feels more comfortable in my right hand and it’s easier to make subtle and aggressive movements with the rod to set the hook. 

[Deaconjim]

First of all let me say I can't believe anyone would waste a perfectly good hot dog on a fish hook. I'm one of those who has fished since I was old enough to walk. I still love it and plan to do more of it soon. I like to fish for crappie. They really agree with my taste buds!!! 😛