What do you fish for? Where? How often? Also, any tips for a northeasterner transplanted to the midwest, now trying to learn freshwater fishing for bass and walleye. It's harder than trolling a bluefish school in the Narragansett Bay with a fish finder and an umbrella rig! I have to say, I prefer it so far, even though I've mostly just gotten catfish and bluegill. My 4-year olds love the bluegill.
Sweet! I thought about making a thread like this myself. I am a former midwesterner now living in the PNW. As far as freshwater fishing goes it is all about structure and bottom type ie. weeds, mud, sand, etc. If you are fishing rivers the current is also a factor. The best way to find out what works in your area (if you didn't already know) is to visit several tackle shops and just ask. I grew up in the Mississippi river valley near Minneapolis and fished mostly in that and other rivers. The great thing about them is you can catch just about everything. In the Mississippi I have caught: Walleye, Sunfish (bluegill etc), 4 species of bass, Northern Pike, Sauger, 2 species of catfish, 2 Species of Crappie, Carp, sheepshead, Shad, Dogfish and 2 species of Suckers. My dad once caught a Paddlefish and my uncle has caught a muskie! Since moving out here to Seattle (late march '08) I have tried for some ocean fish from the docks as I don't have a boat. I have so far caught several varieties of flat fish some rockfish and some other really ugly things. I have also had some luck crabbing with about 10 dungeness keepers and like 30 or so red rock crabs! Let me know how you do. I'll post some reports myself if I ever get the chance to go out again. I always seem to be busy these days If you let me know what kind of fishing you are doing I might be able to help with some tips as well. My first tip is you should find a good map of the lake/river you intend to fish. A couple of companies make them and those maps will tell you where the structure is and often times how and what to fish for. Sorry for the longwinded post but I just love to talk fishing!
Cool. I keep reading about structure being key, so that's definitely something for me to keep in mind. I also don't have a boat, so it's mostly been shore-fishing and wading. We've had some recent temperature drops, so I'm hoping Oct. will be better than Aug/Sept--the water was still in the 70s, so I think the fish were staying deeper.