Hook Test

Today, I went to test out a new set of different swivels and sizes of hooks after recently getting a lot of them. I went out to see what would working what ways. I haven't been fishing in a while and I really wanted to, and my brother also wanted to fish with me. Two days ago, I finally planned out a really fun fishing trip across the street from my house. This morning, I got my rods and new hooks together and hooked the up. Then, once I got my bait cut up and ready to put on the hook, I crossed the street and started a really fun fishing trip. On one rod, I used a pretty small hook and a slightly larger one on the other rod. My bait was cut up raw chicken and cut up raw hot dogs. The sinkers I used were big and small slip-shot sinkers. Once we started fishing, I used the hot dog with the larger hook. Almost instantly, A fish took the bait about 5 feet away! I had a fish! I was pulling it in as hard as I can for a battle that lasted 3 minutes while I was scared of it taking away the bait and hook. After a fight that seemed to last forever, I finally brought it up. It was a type of pinfish! Soon after, I threw it back in the water and tried out the super small hook. A whole bunch of small fish came to nibble at the bait, and I knew that the one good thing about little fish nibbling at your bait is the fact that they bring bigger fish to check it out. Out of nowhere, an Oyster Toadfish that was disguising in the sand and seaweed from the bottom came up and snatched the bait! I brought it up and... I caught it! It was really cool how it was so camouflaged in the sea weed. I set my bigger hook up this time to give to Jacob, who came with me to fish. He was waiting and waiting for a fish to come, and he was happy to actually have a puffer bite the hook! He was reeling and reeling until he caught it! The first puffer of the day! Once we got the fish up, it was shaking and wiggling total the hook and itself of the line in the water. What's really cool about fish is that they heal very fast and can remove the hook due to water corrosion, shaking the hook, and/or growing and shedding it in a matter of hours or days. Because we had no hook on the rod, I used one of the biggest hooks I have. It was as big as about half of my thumb. It worked just as I thought it would, as I got a puffer and pinfish to start out with it! Then, Jacob thought of using the chicken and hot dog on the same hook. I thought that was a great idea so I told Jacob to try it out. It was in the water, and about two puffers went right up to it. It took time to eat them both as they are both together mouthfuls for a puffer fish. But, Jacob got the fish on the hook and started to reel it in. It was one of the biggest puffers I have ever seen! he was reeling and reeling and fighting and fighting. He got it out and caught the fish! That's two puffers for Jacob. Once I got the rod, I tried putting on the chicken and hot dogs together on the same hook just like Jacob. At first, two puffers were nibbling at the bait. But then, suddenly, a huge fish that Jacob and I saw earlier was going up and took a huge bite of the bait! I was reeling in as hard as I could but it got very far away from me then took the bait and hook away. At least I had an extra set of hooks! I got to catch more puffers, and then called it a day. Jacob and I had a lot of fun catching fish and also seeing a stingray and multiple barracudas checking our baits out. Maybe today was not the day to catch them, but I know that another day will! Here is the overview of hooks and baits for different fish. Just so you know, I used hooks and sinkers mostly from the Rapala Rigging Set in Target.

very small hook: pinfish with hot dog and oyster toadfish with chicken
small hook: Puffer with chicken
bigger hook: Puffer with hot dog, Pinfish with hot dog, Big fish (mystery) with hot dog and chicken, 2 more puffers both with chicken and hot dogs

Again, sorry for keeping you waiting and more trips are being planned.

Fishing at Orange Lake

I was at Orange Lake resort in Orlando, when Jacob, Daddy, and I decided to go to one of the lakes to fish at in the afternoon, and I ended up feeling happy I did. We had such a fun day in the pool and playing tennis, that by the time I was going to rent the pole, I was running to make it before the shop closed. Luckily, we made it in time and I got to rent the rods. We went to buy hot dogs at a store nearby because you couldn't buy it at the time in the small shop. Then we went to the lake. Once we got there, we noticed an alligator. It was really cool to see and we were interested in how it swam and what it ate. I also thought the fish would be biting today because another thing I saw once I got there was a small frog swimming very fast in the water. I wondered why it was doing that until a fish came and ate it in one bite. That gave me a good feeling! I was all ready to catch fish, but as I was casting and waiting, I was getting bored because I wasn't catching anything, and Jacob and Daddy were working together to try to get the small fish near the shore to bite, but that didn't work. Then Barry, someone else who was fishing there, gave me a tip. He said to hold the line against the rod after the cast. He said that you would feel the fish biting more. So, I tried it, and not very long after, I actually felt the bite! I was reeling in as fat as I could, very excited to catch it, and then.....

I lost it.

I was annoyed, but still determined to catch it. I set my bait up again and cast it out. After a minute, I felt a strong tug! I was reeling in this time thinking, "I've got it in the bag now!" But, yet again, It got away after a long, hard fight. This happened about 2 more times until I knew their strategy. Don't reel in too fast. Let the fish swim a little bit. So I cast out again, and sure enough I felt a bite! I using my strategy against the fish's, and it worked! I caught a catfish for the first time! Barry showed me how to unhook catfish. He said to be aware of the sharp, razerblade-like fins. I also realized to be aware of it's mouth because it bit Barry. On my next cast, I caught another catfish! I was very proud of my self, all thanks to Barry. As we were going to go, Barry helped Jacob catch a catfish too! That was one fun day, and I'm not sure what we would have done if Barry wasn't there.

LET'S REVIEW

1. You should hold the line against the rod to feel the bite more.

2. Don't risk losing the fish by reeling in too fast. Give it a little line.

THANK YOU BARRY FOR MAKING MY DAY BY TEACHING ME MANY TIPS

Fishing with Austen and Davis

Today I went fishing with two of my friends, Austen and Davis. We met up at Austen's house/dock. Davis started to use his net to catch a lot of little fish, shrimp, and crabs in the floating sargassum. Meanwhile, I was fixing up some fishing poles and put on some bait. We used hot dogs, which were stable and heavy enough to fish with. When we dropped the bait in the water, fish such as puffer fish, grunts, and a big blue striped snapper instantly came and nibbled the bait. We weren't really catching anything, but Austen and I had bites, but they got off. We figured out that the best spot was a certain place next to the boat. I went there, and not long after, I had the "blue striper" on my hook! I was reeling it in, and it touched the dock! I caught it! But as I was trying to bring it up, It's weight and strength bit the hook off. At least I caught it! That turned out to be the only fish caught with a pole that day, but Davis caught a whole bunch of shrimp, some crabs, and cool fish. I hope to fish with Austen and Davis again soon. Stay tuned!

These are some of the fish and other creatures caught with the net.

Fishing With Boris

Today I went fishing with my friend, Boris.  We went across
the street with Jacob, to catch some fish.  Our bait was raw chicken, and we
ended up catching lots of fish.  We were off to a good start, when Boris caught
two fish almost instantly!  They were an Oyster Toadfish (we called them sand fish) and a grunt.  By then, I was
ready to catch some fish.  I ended up catching another sand fish!  Once I hooked
the fish it was trying hard to get the hook out, but it didn't work.  After I
tossed it back into the water, I was impressed by how it blended in perfectly
with the weeds at the bottom of the canal.  Then, Boris was eager to catch a
puffer fish, which had kept on taking his bait.    We went next to the dock, to
where we called, "The Sweet Spot," because that's where we had caught all of the
fish so far today.  A lot of fish came swarming around the bait, but then a big
pufferfish came and bit the hook!  We reeled it in and caught it!  Boris was
really excited and proud.  I was really excited and proud for him.  The last
fish of the day was another puffer, caught by Boris.  After that, we went back
to the house, which ended our trip.  This was a fun day, and I look forward to
fishing with Boris again.  

Stay tuned, more posts coming soon!











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Part 3:

Fishing With Julian

     Today, I went fishing with my friend, Julian. Julian and I have always wanted to go fishing together and he has never gone before. We only caught one fish this day, but it was still fun. Julian Daddy, Danielle, Jacob, and I went across the street, ready and eager to fish.
         We used Chicken nuggets at first, and that is what we used when we caught the only fish of the day. It was a grunt! The rest of the time, we tried and got nibbles, but no fish. We tried using hot dogs, (raw and old is best) but that didn't work either.

Stay tuned! More posts coming soon!

THE STREAK IS OVER!!!!

Yes! My no fishing streak is over! I am very sorry for not fishing and updating the blog, but I was busy. But now, It's over! I went fishing and it was so fun! Today I went on a boat that I have never been on before..... THE REWARD FLEET. Doda (aunt) Annette left at 9:00 AM and unlike other boats, It only took a matter of minutes to get out on the ocean. Once we arrived at the fishing spot, people were catching fish but we weren't. we didn't catch a fish until we got to the next stop. one we got there, It wasn't that long before we caught a Porgy! By then we were motivated, but fishing was still slow. We had been to many spots without catching any fish. But soon enough, we were catching fish left and right. I had now decided to use a plug, a ballyhoo that has it's head and tail come off but only the fin-looking part of the tail because the part next to it is hard and stable so when you hook it there it won't fall off. The plug really helped. Since then, we had caught three snappers (we kept two) a sandtile fish, and a bright red fish that had ink. We also caught another snapper even though we didn't bring it up because it touched the boat. The IGFA fishing rules state that if the fish touches the boat or dock that you are fishing on, you get credit for the catch. That was one fun day!

                            LET'S REVEW

• Plugs are ballyhoos thats head and tail are cut off but only the fin part of the tail because the part next to it is stable and when you hook it there it won't fall off.
• The IGFA fishing rules say that if the fish touches the structure that you are fishing on, you get credit for the catch.
• The Reward Fleet is awesome, and you can choose a plug squid, or a full Ballyhoo as bait. It leaves from Miami Beach at 9:00AM and 1:00PM daily, and have 8:00PM trips on wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Happy New Year!!!

What's my New Year's resolution you ask? My New Year's resolution is to FISH MORE!!!

A New Fishing Friend

Today I am back in Los Angeles and I went fishing with Safta at the Santa Monica Pier. At the start of day, fishing was slow. I felt like there were a few bites on my line, but it was only my hook that got stuck between rocks. The rocks actually broke my line and I lost my only sinker. Then, I was lucky enough to stand near a nice man named Randy. He was kind enough to offer me squid and a new sinker. As he helped me bait my hook, he told Safta to get the camera ready and soon enough I felt a bite. I starting reeling the fish in and Holy Mackerel, it was Mackerel, a big fat colorful one too! That type of Mackerel seemed to be the most popular catch of the day. Take a look at the picture below.

The fishing tips that I learned and can share with you today are the following:

• At a pier, you should use a light sinker
• Use squid as bait if you want to catch Mackerel, but not King Mackerel (aka Kingfish), they are deep sea fish that like Ballyhoo

THANK YOU RANDY for all your help!!!

One Fish Wonder

Today I went fishing on the queen fleet in Clearwater again. Though, the fishing was way more slow. When I got to the ship it was really hot and I had to wait long because of traffic. It was probably hot because it was a cloudy day. Then we got to the stop. Barely any people caught fish. It was like that for a long time. In the middle of the trip, the first mate, Logan, went down to fix the anchor. How ironic was it that it happens every three months. Every THREE MONTHS! During the 30 minute wait, the drinks were on the house to make up for it. After drift fishing for a while, I had a fish on the line! Since Jacob was very excited, I called him over to help me reel it in. It was a grunt! We didn't catch any more fish today so I guess I was a one fish wonder for the day. Even though my family and I didn't catch more than one fish, we had a good day.

Fishing with Daniel and Dod Shlome

Just as I told you in the last post, this trip was amazing. I went across the street with Dod Shlome, my older friend Daniel, and Jacob. Today I used raw chicken. I suggest you use it too. We started with me catching a fish! I dropped it in and immediately, I felt tugs and a bite! What a good way to start the day. Next Dod Shlome caught a fish it was a puffer fish! Soon enough everyone caught a fish. Daniel caught a poisonous rockfish, Dod Shlome caught a puffer, I caught a French Grunt, and Jacob caught a puffer. Then there was a huge fat puffer fish and we were all racing to catch it. Turns out Daniel was the first person to catch it. Though, that wasn't the only fat puffer there was. I caught different one! Next Dod Shlome caught a few puffer fish, a rockfish, and a grunt with just line, hooks, and bait with no rod. He called it the Shlome rod.  Jacob caught the last few fish and they were a puffer, a        pinfish, and a redfish. What a day and remember raw chicken is another good bait option.

the pictures have me, Dod Shlome and Jacob

Fishing with Dod Shlome

Today I went fishing across the street With my Dod (uncle) Shlome and Jacob.

I have always wanted to fish with him, even though he sadly didn't catch a fish. It was a bit cloudy and we used squid as bait. At the beginning, I caught a fish but that was it. Well, at least we felt and saw (The water is shallow) lots of tugs to raise our hopes. The next post will be tomorrow and I think it will be better.

Fishing with Jacob and his Friend

Today, I went on a fishing trip with Jacob and his friend and his friend's dad. We only caught two fish today. A Porgy and a Lizardfish. We fished under the Broad Causeway in North Biscayne Bay. Though, I learned a lot more facts about fishing than how many fish I caught. Today I learned that if you are using live pilchards, you have to hook it in its back, but if you want to troll with it, you have to hook it up the jaw and through its mouth. I also learned that some of the biggest saltwater fish near shore are at drops in the sea bottom. You can find these drops when the water is at around 40-60 feet deep. I hope you use these facts!