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Location: Northern Wisconsin | Hi,
In about a week im taking my girlfriend on a musky fishing trip. She is a novice fisherman and really never fished until recently with me. I started off having her catch carp and bass at ponds. Besides getting bored when theres no fish she has been fine. She can cast a baitcaster "OK" and i just need to work on her retrieve and figure 8.
So what are some tips to keep them interested in fishing, What are some good lures for a newbie to cast... maybe some that are less prone to backlash and are easy to work??? what can she do if she doesnt want to stand any more?? if she needs to sit are there any good lures that can be jigged over the side of the boat in hopes that a follow may hit it??
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Posts: 661
Location: Roscoe IL | I started my Son off with a Topraider, its easy & very difficult to get snaged. |
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | I agree with toothy. surface baits and safety pin style spinners. Give her lots of "pretty" baits and don't complain about her swapping lures every 15mins. Position boat closer for her and you should be cast more at an angle. I would swtich to a slower retrieve bait to make up the difference.
If all else fails, consider trolling. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | bring jigs and leeches along too. spend the peak times hitting muskies and then balance it out with some smallie fishing during the mid-day. bring a cooler full of good eats, a small grill and a couple folding chairs and have a picnic break on an island or shoreline. make it fun for both of you not just you. good luck and have fun.
also, not so crazy to take a break and go jump in the water.
Edited by jonnysled 6/1/2009 9:19 AM
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Posts: 256
Location: Janesville | My wife gose musky fishing with me alot. when she is bored she will read a book our just sit there and enjoy the sun . We also will fish some crappies so it is also fun for her. She would like to catch more muskys but some times she just likes to sit and read. She always brings things to do in the boat and eat also. |
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Posts: 460
| My best advice is don't over coach her and if she wants to just sit and chill then let her. |
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Posts: 132
| Creatures!!!! Light tackle that won't tire her out and she will constantly catch something, even if it's 20" Pike all the live long day! You can't get bored creature fishing.
I also noticed that novices, kids, etc like surface baits. It's something they can see and the strikes are addictive. A really good surface bait that is light enough to fish on a bass rod but is very noisy is the Luhr Jensen Wood Chopper. Its 3/4 ounce, about 4 1/2 inches long and has a prop on both ends. Good hooks and made for Peacock bass so they are tough. VERY noisy and impossible to fish wrong. |
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Posts: 215
Location: Wisconsin | I must second the call for surface baits. Very back lash friendly and difficulty to snag (trees and such can still cause problems)
Since she is already 'OK' with a bait caster you should be fine. If not, have her take a few 'warm up' casts at the launch or off the dock so that she gets used to the set up.
Have fun, afterall, that is the most important part. |
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Posts: 386
| Give her a 6" kickin' minnow -- there's no wrong way to fish them, they can land all sorts of different species, and in fact, her erradic retrieve might even trigger a strike. It did so for my wife and now that's all she'll fish with (keeps you from having to switch out her baits every few minutes!). |
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Posts: 90
| The lake I fish alot has quite a population of 22-28 inch northerns, I used to set my girlfriend up with a spinning rod and texas rigged plastics like a 6 inch fluke or something and let her bounce that around, she would catch a few northerns and the occasional smaller musky, take a break, catch some sun, read a magazine and control the radio. It was a good time usually. |
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Posts: 1769
Location: Algonquin, ILL | Just be paitent, It takes a lot to learn how to cast the larger baits we normally use and then keep it up hour after hour, Learning to do a fig 8 is no easy task either.
Just be paitent
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Location: Oswego, IL | I would bring something with you FOR HER(magazine,ipod,etc..) just incase day is kinda slow and she gets bored, last thing you want to do is get off the water early. Bucktails and topwater, easy as pie. |
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| Have her throw a topraider or L-spinner. If she gets tired, have her vertical jig a tube or other soft plastic at the side of the boat. She may convert one of your followers.
Otherwise, set up a way for her to lay out and work on her tan. Tell her that the rocking of the boat ensures the best tan possible because of the way the sunlight changes angles.
Brian
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Posts: 8789
| fish4musky1 - 6/1/2009 1:42 AM
Hi,
In about a week im taking my girlfriend on a musky fishing trip. She is a novice fisherman and really never fished until recently with me. I started off having her catch carp and bass at ponds. Besides getting bored when theres no fish she has been fine. She can cast a baitcaster "OK" and i just need to work on her retrieve and figure 8.
So what are some tips to keep them interested in fishing, What are some good lures for a newbie to cast... maybe some that are less prone to backlash and are easy to work??? what can she do if she doesnt want to stand any more?? if she needs to sit are there any good lures that can be jigged over the side of the boat in hopes that a follow may hit it??
My girlfriend has been asking me to take her muskie fishing, too. The only difference is she has never been fishing. I started out with just a few "do's and don'ts", told her a bit about how you cast, etc. Then I took her to Gander and walked her through all the aisles so she could pick out some lures she thought she might like. Next step is making her watch a few videos, just so she knows a little about what it's about. After that is the mechanics of casting, figure 8's follows, etc.
I am going to steer her towards something that floats to start, for obvious reasons, and beyond that?
1. She may hate muskie fishing. And that's ok.
2. I am letting her pick lures. Why not?
3. I will not make fun of her
4. I've got to be patient. She may lose a lure or two. I may spend the whole day picking out backlashes.
5. This is HER day, not MY day. I've been muskie fishing hundreds of times. If I don't fish, I don't care.
My goal for the day is just simply to show her the basics, teach her to cast and figure 8, and hope we see a fish. If she wants to stop casting, or go in, or whatever? Then we go in. I win either way. If she loves it I have a new fishing partner. If she hates it she will never ask to go with again. My job is to makes sure she enjoys the day as much as she possibly can, which will only happen if I am patient, helpful, willing to answer dumb questions, and do not belittle her, make fun of her, get mad at her, or get frustrated with her.
I just have to figure out a way to convince her that I ALWAYS wear a helmet int he boat, even though I'm not wearing one in any of my pictures.  |
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Posts: 2017
| My wife loves to fish.... but in 3 hr "sessions". Plan on making the day MUCH shorter than you normally would want to go.. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | esoxaddict - 6/1/2009 1:37 PM
fish4musky1 - 6/1/2009 1:42 AM
Hi,
In about a week im taking my girlfriend on a musky fishing trip. She is a novice fisherman and really never fished until recently with me. I started off having her catch carp and bass at ponds. Besides getting bored when theres no fish she has been fine. She can cast a baitcaster "OK" and i just need to work on her retrieve and figure 8.
So what are some tips to keep them interested in fishing, What are some good lures for a newbie to cast... maybe some that are less prone to backlash and are easy to work??? what can she do if she doesnt want to stand any more?? if she needs to sit are there any good lures that can be jigged over the side of the boat in hopes that a follow may hit it??
My girlfriend has been asking me to take her muskie fishing, too.
Come on Jeff, no we all know you're full of it. You don't have a girlfriend! Or did you convert on one of those honeys up at Presque Isle?? |
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Posts: 8789
| Pointerpride102 - 6/1/2009 2:36 PM
[...]
Come on Jeff, no we all know you're full of it. You don't have a girlfriend! Or did you convert on one of those honeys up at Presque Isle??
No, she's actually from down here. The girls up in PI? Let's just say you don't crap where 'ya eat and leave it at that. As a wise man once told me: "You'd better plan on bringing your women with you up to the Northwoods and not finding one when you get here..."
Edited by esoxaddict 6/1/2009 2:44 PM
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Posts: 4266
| Don't go in to the trip with great expectations as far as technique or performance. Go in to it with the idea of having a good time and spending quality time together so that she wants to go again and again and let any fish be a bonus.
Let her kick back and read a book, take a nap.......anything she wants, and let her know that you don't mind if she does it.
Don't expect her to sling all day, and let her know that you don't expect her to. Bring at least 2 other rods rigged up for other species depending on the body of water and what is available. Let her throw little Twister tails around weeds or have a slip bobber rigged up for tossing into pockets. A crankbait rod combo will catch bass, walleye and pike, or let her fish boat docks while you fish the inside weed edge.
Don't scold her for anything! She'll be nervous enough. Guys who have spouses or girlfriends who fish with them are lucky guys. I can't wait for this summer, and the 3 weeks of vacation that my daughter and I are taking together. She was brought up fishing, and her boat bag is packed with books, ipod, Nintendo DS and more. She fishes for whatever she wants to whenever she wants to, and has turned many a crappy day into a fish-fry lunch or dinner and loads of laughs, and she can net fish as well as most guys her age and older.
Have fun, and give her a reason to ask you to go again and again.
Beav |
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| throw a sucker out |
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| Have girlfriend bring a bikini. You bring a bottle of whiskey. When things get slow, find a cove and tell girlfriend that if she changes into the bikini, you'll give her the whiskey. Then turn your back so she isn't embarassed.
After she's changed, give her the bottle. Tell her to take a drink every time she gets bored. Then leer at her.
After awhile she'll start telling you what she really thinks of you and muskie fishing. Don't get mad. Tell her how nice she looks in the bikini; and ask her to come sit in your lap while you troll.
At this point she'll either let loose with a barrage of cruel invective; or she'll acquiese and come right over. If the former, the relationship is over. If the latter, you'll both have a great time and it won't matter if you catch fish or not. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | bringing your women with you up to the Northwoods and not finding one when you get here..."
the Northwoods .... "a great place to raise children and a terrible place to raise adults".
any effort to find an adult up here with the ability to improve your life and help it to move in a positive forward direction is pretty much futile. Worrell may have beaten the odds but it looks as though he out-kicked his coverage ...
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Location: SE Wisconsin | A lot of really good points here. I'll just re-emphasize a few already mentioned to stress their importance.
1) Make sure it's fun time for both of you, not just you!
2) Do let her take breaks when she wants and don't bother her with questioning (i.e. What's wrong? You okay? etc.)
3) Topwaters are definitely the best to start with, their the bait you wonder if you'd catch something if you'd throw it, but you'd rather throw what you're currently using, and beginners like seeing their bait, it keeps things interesting. No real wrong way to use it either.
4) Bring a good snack - And make sure you stop to enjoy with her, don't just eat while you drive to another spot like I always do - chicks don't dig that!
5) Don't expect to go on a serious musky hunt, make it fun.
6) THE CARDINAL RULE!! DON'T BLACK OUT AND FORGET SHE's THERE!! You must make conversation. She won't know what to talk about, thus she won't talk much unless you do. If you don't either, she'll blame you for not talking to her and she'll get bored.
. . . I've been through it all! Soon enough, you're patience, your sacrificing precious water time to a less serious approach, etc. will get smiles like these out of your girl and you'll have a boat partner for life! I've even let her tie up a tube to the boat that I'll drag with the trolling motor as I fish. She'll just hang out in the sun, swim a little, get back on her tube, and I'll fish. Sometimes I'll tell her there's a giant following if I bring the bait past the tube. She loves that!
Edited by Sam Ubl 6/1/2009 3:43 PM
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| Actually, any guy that has a wife or girlfriend that wants to fish...and likes it...has a big plus over those who don't. Think about it.
As more or less mentioned, I'd recommend a smaller topwater lure. (6") The odds are that she will get a bird's nest or two at first. A top water lure will just sit there and float while you guys work out the tangle, instead of sinking to the bottom like a bucktail would, and possibly getting snagged. And a smaller lure will minimize the reel taking off to fast on her and causeing the bird nest to start with. |
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Posts: 283
| Give her a Johnson silver minnow with a twistertail on. It's easy to cast, won't get snagged, catches anything from small pike, bass, and musky and when she hits u in the head with it u won't have to dig the hook out. |
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Posts: 285
Location: NE Wisconsin | Surprised no one used the "t" word. If legal in your area try a little trolling mixed in with the casting. |
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Posts: 162
Location: East Troy, WI | surface lures for sure, never know when you are gonna get a horrible wasp nest backlash |
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Posts: 32892
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | What Sam said. Sled you have NO idea. I'd say I was Lucky. BUT...
'Lucky' isn't even close...I am WAY past lucky finding Sue out there on the Internet of all places. Averages went clean to hell.
Proves even old ugly guys still have a chance if they are at the same time...charming. You ain't bankrupt in that dept, Sled, have some confidence.
Sue loves to fish, but likes the fishin' weather in the winter cold and sunny, and in the soft water season, warm and sunny. She has a couple Okuma low profile reels, her own lures and tackle box ( Baldy and Llunen even made sure she has a few lures all her own...custom), and is a master at the net and working a lure after only a few years of tagging along with this old man. Taking a newbie out should be an adventure, fun all the way, and not too serious. Serious has ruined too many trips to count, and the fish don't care.. |
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