# New To The Fishing Arena



## GIRLPOWER (Jan 13, 2006)

HI EVERYONE,

JUST RECENTLY GOT INTO FISHING ABOUT A YEAR AGO. FIRST TIME, DURING MY TOUR IN CUBA. LAST YEAR WENT FISHING AT SOLOMON ISLAND (DIDN'T CATCH MUCH). THIS YEAR I WOULD LIKE TO TRY SOME NEW FISHING SPOTS. MY PRIMARY AND ONLY SOURCE OF BAIT IS SQUID. 

PLEASE HELP ME, I'M LANDLOCK AND WANTING TO LEARN MORE.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Hi GP and welcome to the forum. Lots of good people here willing to help where ever they can. What area are you located? By your post I take it you're a female in the military. Thanks for your service. Lots of military guys here but it's been a while since we've had a lady among us. Fishing is at a lull around the bay right now but come February things will start to happen. Ask as many questions as you want, we are always learning from each other. Happy to have you aboard.


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## cygnus-x1 (Oct 12, 2005)

Yes Yes, Welcome and many Happy returns. This has been my first year here (actually 3months =) ... its a great forum. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need to ( I sure have ). But one thing on NETiquette ... turn your caps lock button off when you type. ALL CAPS LIKE THIS symbolizes yelling!

About your serving the armed forces I have to give you a big thumbs up and a big thanks as well!


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## KT_UMCP (Oct 11, 2005)

*Welcome Girlpower*

Just wanted to give a shout out and welcome you. The members on this board are very friendly and the posts are very informative. I have fished solomons as well so have most here. 

Depending on your location will determine what areas may be more suitable for you to fish. The bay is alot of real estate, just give us a general idea.

Welcome, weolcome


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

If you have the time try to make the Pasadena annual flea market. It's the best around. Lots of good deals for the shore angler. It's usually well attended by folks from this forum. Maybe some of us can meet there so you have a chance to meet some of us. Check it out. http://www.heyfish.com/Flea/Flea2006.htm


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

If you know someone with a boat or have the money to get a guide, you can go out of Solomon's in the dead of winter and jig for big rockfish near the Calvert Cliff power plant, that's about it for the mid bay cept perch and pickeral in the creeks.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

*Welcome......*

First, welcome to the boards. Like the others have said, location and type of fish you're fishin for will determine your bait selection.


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## combatcatcher (Sep 17, 2003)

*Welcome aboard*

from youre post Im assuming youre Navy?Marine stationed at Pax. If thats the case you have acsess to some pristine and prime fishing grounds on the bay. I charge to drag guys from the board on to base. J/K. Im active Army and have fish Pax naval base since I was 5. this spring we can show were you can land trophy rockfish right from the bulkhead. once again welcome. My brother just got back from gitmo in december.


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## jerseysalt (Jul 8, 2005)

*Gp*

first thanks for your service ....and we will help u to catch fish.....or at least give your good advise...........JS


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## GIRLPOWER (Jan 13, 2006)

*Thanks for the Welcome*

First and foremost thanks for welcoming me and the NETiquette advice. I definitely don't want to seem as though I'm yelling at somebody. 

I'd retired from the military (last year --- Army, National Guard) and currently reside in the Forestville, Maryland area.

Right now, I would imagine the type of fish I would like to catch would be croakers, catfish or perch. 

I must admit...I don't like...or take the fish off the line. Too squirmy for me.  So some advice on the best way of taking a fish off the hook would probably be one of the first and best advice for me; next to bait, hook, etc.


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## bwoodhouse (Oct 13, 2003)

*Welcome Aboard...*

They can be squirmy - can't they. Important thing to remember is if you handle them right they won't hurt you so there is no reason to be afraid. Another important thing to remember is you can hurt the fish and you want to be careful not to because you will often want to practice catch and release depending on your druthers and the regulations for size and creel limit for the species you are fishing for. 

How you unhook and handle a fish has a lot to do with the type and the size. I fish fresh and saltwater - and when it comes to perch, bass, crappie and stripers I try to grab them firmly in the mouth - grasping the jaw with my right thumb inside the mouth. This way you don't disturb the slime on their bodies which they need to survive if you are returning them. This approach won't work with a fish with sharp teeth like a blue or a chain pickerel - a fish like that you will want to probably grab it in the gill plate or gently clasp it with your hands. If your keeping the fish for the table it's a lot less important how you handle the fish for the fish's sake - but watch out for yourself - especially for the hook or fish with sharp teeth. For removing the hook - a good pair of pliers is a must - I've used both needle nose and the type on a leatherman. The pliers will give you the leverage you need to work a hook out when your fingers won't do the job. 

I'm sure there are weblinks or sites with more information - and I don't fish for catties so I'm no help there. Good luck though - best advice for any of this is to watch people around you and ask questions.


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Just use a rag to grab the fish. No big deal, really. Once you start catching a lot of fish, you'll loose the rag. It'll just get in your way.


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## Blue Heron (Jun 12, 2003)

Welcome GIRLPOWER. Thank you for your service to our country. 

For some reason the skin on my fingers crack when exposed to the innards various baits. To avoid this I always wear cheap, disposable latex gloves. They can bought in Walmart for about $4.00 for 50 gloves. Over these gloves I usually were cheap brown "yard work" gloves. They help reduce the slipperyness of the baits as well as enable a better grip on the fish. You can find these in your dollar store for - guess what - a dollar. 

I forgot to mention there's another cheap type of glove that can usually be found in Walmart and dollar stores. They are white cotton on top and have a blue or red rubber/plastic material on the palms and fingers. There are grooves in the fingers and palms for added grip.

Blue Heron


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## MDFisher (Oct 12, 2004)

GIRLPOWER said:


> I must admit...I don't like...or take the fish off the line. Too squirmy for me.  So some advice on the best way of taking a fish off the hook would probably be one of the first and best advice for me; next to bait, hook, etc.


bwoodhouse pretty much covered everything. Though there is also the option of using a "gripper" of some sort. Things like boga grips, berkley lip grips, there are other companys that make them too I'm sure. I keep one around for the toothy guys but you can use them on any species.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

If necessary I just use a pair of needle nose pliers to grab the hook and flip them into the cooler or to release them back into the water. This is the *ONLY* way I handle blues now after having received 8 stitches to put my index finger back together again.


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## repair5343 (Jul 8, 2001)

For bait if you can get squid you can get everything else?
If you don"t want to touch the live stuff go frozen or buy fresh clams and break the shells.


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## GIRLPOWER (Jan 13, 2006)

*Proper way of handling a fish*

Thanks for all your advice. I will try to put them into practice -- it might be awhile before I actually touch a fish. Until then I will be making a trip to Walmart and the Dollar Store for some gloves as well as making an investment in the Berkley lip grips. Do you think that the flea market that's being held in February will have the grips?


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

GP, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to pick up them up at the flea market. Sounds like you might be planning on making it. Great. Other than the fishing stuff my favorite part is the oysters on the 1/2 shell and the pitt beef sandwiches.


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## TRIGGERFISH (May 21, 2001)

GP, now that everybody's told you what to wear on your hands, but nobody has told you where to fish for croakers....April is the month at PLO(Point Lookout State Park) southern Maryland off of Rt.5. You can use squid,shrimp and fish bites blood worms and the best time to fish PLO is after 8pm and till your arm falls off. If you should make it out there you can catch fish on the left side going toward the end,usally the two corners are full,but you'll see that the middle is open that's because there's a snag monster right in front of you, so do not fish it.PLO last year was the best place to fish for everything( croaker,spot,rock,blues and some small flounder,trout). I hope this helps. TRIGGER


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## TRIGGERFISH (May 21, 2001)

catman, you don't go to the flea market to get your fishing supplies,only to eat the good food they have there. I might show up there,we'll see.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

TRIGGERFISH said:


> catman, you don't go to the flea market to get your fishing supplies,only to eat the good food they have there. I might show up there,we'll see.


I'm counting on you being there. Hey I've slowed down in the food department - lost 24 lbs since my hip operation on 11/16. I can actually see my belt buckle when I look down. I am looking forward to a few plates of oysters and a pit beef sandwich though. Hope to see you there bud.


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## fyremanjef (Feb 17, 2005)

*Welcome GP*

Hey GirlPower,

Welcome to P&S.

the Solomons area can be quite productive if you fish it during the right times. As fish move up and down the coast and the bay they are more active in some spots than others. You can read through old posts and search for common hot spots such as:

SPSP- Sandy Point State Park
Peake- Matapeake pier
Tank- Choptank River Pier(s)
IRI- Indian River Inlet
Rte 50 Bridge the Bridge in Ocean City
AI - Assateaque Island
PLO- Point Look Out
Narrows- Kent Narrows.


If you find a bunch of reports from PLO in say August and none for SPSP, Or SPSP in March and none for PLO then you will have an idea of where the fish are and when.

Also keep an eye on the reports. They will start to roll in as spring comes around.. Are you a supporter? If not why not? 

Welcome and tight lines. This board is full of all kinds of characters and lots and lots of info and tips.

Jeff


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## CPT (Jan 21, 2006)

Newsjeff said:


> Just use a rag to grab the fish. No big deal, really. Once you start catching a lot of fish, you'll loose the rag. It'll just get in your way.


Using a rag will kill the fish!!! it takes the mucuess that it needs to survive out of the fish then the fish well dry in the water and drown!!!


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## BigJeff823 (Oct 14, 2002)

Welcome Girlpower;YES I TALK THE SAME WAY but its better to tone it down.Dont wory about the fish slime;just handle the fish with your bare hands then after your done with that fish(putting the fish back or into the water)use hand sanitizer and maybe water.That will get iky feeling off your hands.


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## Axon (Sep 8, 2002)

GP, 

As retired military you can get on PAX NAS, about 10 miles south of Solomons. As combatcatcher said your more than welcome to tag along this spring.


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

hehe... girlpower im sure you got the friendliest welcome of any fisherman since i've been on this site!!!! im sure you'll have no problems getting questions answered! 

good luck to you this upcoming year

neil


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## fyremanjef (Feb 17, 2005)

*right NTKG*

Hey Neil, I was thinking the same thing.

Oh well, its all good.

hey Girl Power, welcome again!


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

fyremanjef said:


> Hey Neil, I was thinking the same thing.QUOTE]
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## fyremanjef (Feb 17, 2005)

Aint no fish at matapeake 

but I'll see you there anyway


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