Tag Page Fishing

#Fishing
dsmith

Almost needed stitches filleting this snakehead! 🔪

Was cleaning my catch on the boat gunwale like always when that slippery snakehead started sliding everywhere. Thing was covered in slime thicker than baby oil - my knife kept slipping as I tried to hold it down. One wrong move and I nearly sliced my thumb open. Scared me straight about proper prep work. Now I always bring fish home to a stable surface, hose off all the slime, dry them with paper towels, and even lay newspaper down for extra grip. Sharp knife is crucial too - dull blades make you apply more pressure and that's when accidents happen. Takes an extra 5 minutes but beats explaining stitches to the wife! What's your worst fish cleaning close call? #fishing #fishcleaning #snakehead #fishingsafety #knifeskills #fishinglife

Almost needed stitches filleting this snakehead! 🔪
kdiaz

This fishing mistake almost cost me my eye (braid danger) 👁️

Was snagged on a stump with my favorite swimbait last month and did what I always do - pointed the rod straight at it and yanked hard. With braid having zero stretch, that Texas rig weight came flying back like a bullet and missed my face by inches! Scared the hell out of me. Started researching and found horror stories - weights embedded in cheeks, hooks lodged behind eyeballs, even a guy killed by a 3-ounce sinker. Braid acts like a bow string with no give to absorb the pressure. Now I use short, sharp pumps instead of steady pulling when breaking off. Let the line slack between attempts so if something breaks free, it doesn't turn into a projectile. How do you guys deal with snags safely? #fishing #braid #fishingsafety #snag #braidedline #bassfishingtips #fishinglife

This fishing mistake almost cost me my eye (braid danger) 👁️
kdiaz

Found bass in flooded parking lots (no joke!) 🌊

Woke up to our lake 9 feet higher after that crazy storm last week. Thought my fishing weekend was toast until I remembered something a tournament pro told me about flood patterns. Pulled up Google Earth and started hunting for submerged structure. Found bass absolutely crushing it around: 🎯 Flooded picnic tables and park benches 🛰️ Submerged boat ramps (they warm up fast) 🌿 Cornfields now 3 feet underwater 🌊 Current breaks behind big rocks and trees The key was loud baits - spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, anything that displaces water in that muddy mess. Fish can't see much but they can feel those vibrations from way off. Ended up having one of my best flood fishing days ever in spots that are normally dry land! What's the weirdest flooded structure you've pulled bass from? #fishing #floodfishing #bassfishing #highwater #FishingTips

Found bass in flooded parking lots (no joke!) 🌊
fisherchad

Realized too late that my favorite hooks aren’t always legal on certain waters 😬

Was crushing stripers in Jersey last fall with live bunker when a warden walked up. Thought I was golden since I had my license and was within limits. Wrong! Turns out they require circle hooks for all live/dead bait fishing for stripers now. I'm standing there with J hooks like an idiot, totally clueless about the rule change. Luckily he just gave me a warning and educated me about gut-hooking prevention. Then I found out trout conservation areas have even crazier rules - barbless only, max 3 hooks per lure. That little Rapala with two trebles? Illegal in some spots even though it's artificial! Now I obsessively check regs before every trip. What hook rule caught you completely off guard? #fishing #circlehooks #hookregs #troutfishing #hookrules

Realized too late that my favorite hooks aren’t always legal on certain waters 😬
fisherchad

Braided line cut through my hand like a knife! 🩸

Was fighting this beast bass in heavy cover last month when my drag started slipping. Without thinking, I wrapped the braid around my hand for better leverage - huge mistake! That stuff sliced right through my palm like I grabbed a cheese wire. Turns out braid was originally used in surgical sutures and Kevlar vests because it's basically indestructible. Zero stretch plus that slight texture means it'll cut you before you even realize what's happening. Now I always use gloves when cinching knots tight or add a fluoro leader so I have something safer to grab when landing fish. Learned that lesson the hard way! Ever had braid give you a nasty cut during a fight? #fishing #braidedline #fishingfail #bassfishing #fishingline #fishinginjury #fishingsafety

Braided line cut through my hand like a knife! 🩸
jasonking

Hot dogs as bait? This guy's a genius! 🌭

Been struggling at my local lake until this old timer shared his secret - hot dogs on a bobber! Sounds crazy but hear me out. He explained thick braid is too visible underwater, and hot dogs work amazing for smaller fish that reveal what's actually living there. Plus you can slice them thin and quarter them for perfect bite-sized pieces. His real trick? Using a weightless rig to map the underwater structure by feeling elevation changes through your rod tip. Dude's been mapping our entire lake this way all summer! Sometimes the simplest baits work best when you're just trying to figure out what's down there. Ever tried unconventional grocery store baits that actually worked? #fishing #hotdogbait #lakefishing #fishingbait #bassfishing #outdoors

Hot dogs as bait? This guy's a genius! 🌭
jasonking

Guy caught 9-foot shark with a DRONE?! 🤯

Just read about this Texas angler who used a drone to drop bait hundreds of yards offshore and hooked into a massive 9.5-foot tiger shark from the beach. My mind is blown! Turns out drone fishing is totally legal in Texas, but states like North Carolina, Michigan, and Oregon have banned it completely. Hawaii just passed a law with up to $10,000 fines because they're worried about tangled lines hitting swimmers and more trash in the ocean. I'm torn on this one. Part of me thinks it's genius innovation - imagine the spots you could reach! But another part feels like it's taking away from the traditional skill and challenge of fishing. What's your take - is drone fishing the future or should it stay grounded? #fishing #dronefishing #tigershark #beachfishing #saltwater #fishingtech

Guy caught 9-foot shark with a DRONE?! 🤯
kdiaz

I trust black lures more than any other color now 🖤

I’ll admit it—black lures never caught my eye in the shop. No flash, no glitter, no holographic paint. Until this old bass pro schooled me last fall. While I'm cycling through every flashy crankbait in my box getting zero bites, he's crushing smallmouth after smallmouth with a plain black tube. His explanation blew my mind: "Fish see silhouettes first, details second." Everything underwater is backlit - black creates the sharpest, most defined outline that fish can spot from way farther out than those fancy realistic patterns. Now I start every trip with black. Buzzbaits on sunny days, streamers in murky water, poppers for smallmouth. Plus it mimics so many natural bugs - leeches, beetles, ants, hellgrammites. My tackle box went from rainbow to mostly black, and my catch rate doubled. What's your go-to "boring" color that just produces? #fishing #blacklures #bassfishing #fishingtips

I trust black lures more than any other color now 🖤