New, looking for a little guidance

[baya]

My name is Bart and I am posting here because I am looking for some advice on taking up the sport fishing. I'm not sure if this is the correct section for such a post but this appears to be the most general section of the fishing forum.

My fish knowledge is very little but I wouldn't necessarily consider myself completely green. When I was younger I used to go fishing with my grandfarther, we would take a couple poles, some night crawlers, a ton of sinkers and fish for suckers around the Manistee area waters. I always had a lot of fun but considering I was probably 5 or so I did more watching of my grandpa then I did actually taking part of the fishing. When I was about 12 or so my younger brother and I would go off the pier with some night crawlers and a pole and hook. We would throw the bait in the water and wait for the rock bass to unload on it. Although I would never deny that this was a lot of fun, getting a dinners worth was slightly more difficult than going to the grocery store and buying a box of Gorton's fish fillets. My father although being an avid deer hunter has never cared much for fishing, so I never really had a mentor of any kind aside from my grandfather who is no longer able to fish. I recently got my drivers license and car to go along with it. Being a large hunting fan and a huge fan of the outdoors I am very interested in taking up fishing extending my experience past the rock bass stage. I've over heard a lot of talk recently about blue gills so I'm assuming this must be a good time of year for all pan fish? Also I feel this would probably be a good place to start. I know how to tie a hook, cast, bait a worm(as to whether or not correctly I am unsure) and the basics like that.

I was just curious if anyone could point me in a direction as to what kind of hooks I should be using? What kind of worms? Will the night crawlers suffice or is there a better choice I should look in to? I have a Zebco pole and reel I had purchased from K-Mart a number of years ago and wondering as to whether or not this will be adequete. Also where around the Manistee/Onekama/Ludington area I should go for the best panfish fishing? Will the typical techniques I used to use for Rock Bass work aswell?

Basically I'm just looking for some general beginner tips as to what kind of hooks, baits, and general techniques I should be applying. Also as to where I should be going to get the most out of my fishing experiences. Any help is greatly appreciated. Sorry for such a long first post.

[waterfoul]

Portage lake has some slab gills and rodk bass in it. As well as good pike and bass. Used to fish it as a kid.

Zebco is good for the beginner... but if your going to try to get a little more serious you may wish to step up to a decent rod... perhaps an Ugly Stick light and a Shimano, Diawa, or Quantum spinning reel.

Go with Gamagatzu hooks... they are nice a sharp. Use decent line also... don't go cheap on the line as it's the ONLY connection between you and the fish. Gamma technologies makes great line. As do P-Line and Trilene just to name a few. Stay away from the $3 bulk spools at K-Mart or Walmart.

[Brown duck]

Good to see you're once again interested.

Yeah, gills are a good fish to target - they're found just about anywhere, will bite pretty much anything, and if they're in the mood, pretty easy to catch otherwise. Also, just about any rod/reel will work - you don't need to get too fancy.

Nightcrawlers work well sometimes, othertimes you might want red worms or leaf worms. Ask around for specifics. Gills love crickets, too, but they're a pain - jump out at you, then you've lost a substantial portion of your bait. Then, one missed bite and it's gone (they don't always stay on the hook too well). I like size 8 or 10 hooks, tied right to the line (not the pre-snelled type) with a splitshot tied above for weight (more for deeper water, less for shallower) and a bobber above that will work. If they're very shallow, you might not need the bobber.

If they're on their beds (spawning), they'll hit artificial lures just the same (and other times of the year too). Small spinners or jigs (1/16 oz or smaller) with plastic grubs or tubes will do the trick.

Of course, depending on the lake (or other body of water), you could get other tasty varmints too. Crappies, redears (look like gills), rock bass, perch, bass, etc. will all hit at times while you're targeting gills.

Hope this helps

[waterfoul]

Baya, you might want to fill out your profile. if we know a little more about where you live and such, we can be of more help. Also, there are those on this site with a vast amount of knowledge who simply won't give it to someone who has no profile.

[MrBluegill]

Hey baya great to see you getting back into the sports i think the best way to pick up some good tips on fishing and where to fish is just to visit the site dayly and just go thorough and read some posts that might intrest you. Theres so much fishing info on this site i can barly comprehend it:lol: .......good luck fishing and make shure to post the pics of the fish you catch when you start hammering them!!!!;)