Fishing - Everything Fishing!

[Madman]

Ok, help me out guys.

Now that we'll be spending our spring/summers down in the Fernie/Cranbrook area, I promised my boys we could do some fishing at Tie, Rosen etc Lakes.

So I need to gear up, but I'm not even close to Slava level.

Can I buy rod and reel combos from somewhere like Walmart and have a semi-decent spinner combo? I was looking at them on the weekend and they didn't seem too bad for what we'll be doing - or is there somewhere else I should be going?

And, is there a good link or resource where I can learn the basic knots I'll need to know so I don't look like a complete failure as a father in front of my kids?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Madman

Ok, help me out guys.

Now that we'll be spending our spring/summers down in the Fernie/Cranbrook area, I promised my boys we could do some fishing at Tie, Rosen etc Lakes.

So I need to gear up, but I'm not even close to Slava level.

Can I buy rod and reel combos from somewhere like Walmart and have a semi-decent spinner combo? I was looking at them on the weekend and they didn't seem too bad for what we'll be doing - or is there somewhere else I should be going?

And, is there a good link or resource where I can learn the basic knots I'll need to know so I don't look like a complete failure as a father in front of my kids?

Well the issue with rod/reel combos is that the reels suck for the most part. The rod is fine, but a crappy plastic reel will cause you no end to frustration because you're constantly untangling messes for the kids! So my advice to you would be to buy a cheaper rod and better reel in general (while not going crazy of course).

Then for lures buy some small spinners (Panther Martin), maybe a small spoon or two like a five of diamonds, and small Rapalas. The Rapalas you want are the smaller ones, and they're not cheap, but they work.

The only knot you need is the super cinch. It's not hard to tie, and you can probably give it a shot a few times after the boys are in bed one night and you're all set. http://www.animatedknots.com/improve...h/#ScrollPoint

That should be all you need though!

[troutman]

I would go up a level from Walmart to Canadian Tire for basic spin reels.

The basic knot:


You can tie a clip to the end of the line, so that spinners can be changed out easily without having to tie the knot every time.

[Madman]

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

I'll head to CT and check out what they have.

I was checking out the BC fishing regs too, lots to learn there as well in terms of what we can fish for and where.

[Slava]

One other thing on reels. For spin fishing you're going to see some with the button and some where you have to flip the bail to cast. (They have names but I can't think of them!) Anyway, the button is always good for kids, but to me those are terrible. I've purchased 'good ones' and the line just never seems to reel in nicely and it always results in tangles. They're easier to cast, but only if they work.

The ones where you flip the bail yourself are just more reliable I think and easier to deal with. Harder for the kids to cast, but saves you some trouble in the long run. At least that has been my experience.

Then one day you'll graduate to fly fishing and never look back!

[Madman]

Good info - I was thinking of the enclosed ones for the kids, but you do raise a good point.

And yes, fly fishing is definitely on my horizon, grew up with it but haven't done it since I was my kid's age.

[GreenLantern]

First off, there is no way you can be a failure as a Dad when you are taking your kids fishing. My best memories hands down as a kid were fishing with my Dad and his buddies. Good on you.

Do you guys have a Cabelas near you? Their brand of spinning gear is actually quite good, especially for the price. You can generally find a combo on sale for cheap. I also find their staff to be knowledgeable and won't oversell you. They don't own the business, they just work there and love to fish. Not sure what your budget is but for entry level you could find a serviceable combination for 50-75 bucks. Just look for something on sale, don't pay the full price, and this is the perfect time of year for that.

If Cabelas isn't an option, I am not familiar with Bass Pro but I am sure they have a similar set up.. but I won't be able to speak to their quality. Don't over think it for the basic stuff, just look for what is affordable. Spend money on good line though, most places will put it on for you right there. You can avoid a lot of tangles with a decent set of line. If you buy from CT especially make sure you take off whatever crap they have on there already.

For knots I always use a Palomar, once you get it down it is the fastest knot to tie and your kids will not be losing any fish with this one.

http://www.animatedknots.com/palomar/#ScrollPoint

Edit: That's spinning and bait cast, stay away from the bait casters those are generally more expensive and are better saved for an experienced angler. Kids will do fine with the spinning reels, just teach them to get the timing right on the release and like I said good line will take care of a lot of your tangle problems.

Edit edit: If you're going to CT and Cabelas or Bass Pro is an option definitely stop into one of those first before you buy, I honestly think you will find the prices to be very comparable for better quality. Like I said, it is sale season.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by Slava

One other thing on reels. For spin fishing you're going to see some with the button and some where you have to flip the bail to cast. (They have names but I can't think of them!) Anyway, the button is always good for kids, but to me those are terrible. I've purchased 'good ones' and the line just never seems to reel in nicely and it always results in tangles. They're easier to cast, but only if they work.

The ones where you flip the bail yourself are just more reliable I think and easier to deal with. Harder for the kids to cast, but saves you some trouble in the long run. At least that has been my experience.

Then one day you'll graduate to fly fishing and never look back!

spinning vs spincast I think?

I'd definitely get a cheap spincast for the kids to start out with.

[foshizzle11]

Canadian Tire has a sale this weekend on combos, looking at like $25 or less for the kids and some good stuff for you as well if you want to spend a little bit more. I would start there. You can see their fly here:
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/flyer.html

If you look at the spring flyer, they have rods/reel combos in there at 50% off.

[2Stonedbirds]

At Wally World last year I picked up a little (and I mean it's little) spin caster for the days when the water is a lil too dirty for flies. It's called a dock demon, comes with a decent reel (can't remember the brand) and I think it was like 30$. Nice and short for the kids and it isn't a POS. I used it once in the hills last year and thought the value was there.

Good luck and enjoy the time with your boys, they will love it!

[rbochan]

[foshizzle11]

I have seen those pocket fisherman before on youtube, seems legit. Not sure I would like the little rod but seems to work just fine.

So next weekend we are heading down to beaver mines lake just south of pincher creek. I have heard there are some nice sized rainbows in there. I haven't really fly fished in a lake before so I am not really sure what to use for a setup, any suggestions here on CP and how to deliver the fly from a kayak?

We are going to buy a fishing kayak to share with the kids so we can access different parts of the lake, so hopefully we will have some luck catching the larger rainbows! We would like to get a couple but we aren't sure if that is in the budget this year. So if anyone has any extra used kayaks kicking around they would like to sell, we are interested.

Thanks guys.

[Madman]

Stopped into the Okotoks CT and ran into a super nice older employee in the Sports section. Turned out he was an avid fisherman and he really helped me out, hooked me up with some great gear that was on sale and steered me away from the garbage.

Thanks for all the help guys, will be fun to get out.

[rbochan]

Made a rod hanger for the jeep...

Spoiler!

[GreenLantern]

Keep us updated Madman, will be interesting to see how you and your boys make out.

[pgsieve]

Tried fishing Lower Kananaskis lake after discovering Upper is still frozen. Shut out on the lake (kayak/trolling). Anyone fished before? What flies are you using?

[foshizzle11]

does anyone have any ideas of a good spot for camping this weekend? seems like a lot of provincial campground aren't open. We are looking for something within 1 hr of Calgary because my son has rugby mid day on Saturday and would like to come back into town for his game.

Fishing would be nice but isn't a requirement this weekend. Any ideas guys?

[rbochan]

Got my first Tiger of the year the other day.

[Angelamc]

Originally Posted by rbochan

Got my first Tiger of the year the other day.

Nice fish!

[troutman]

What do you do if you lost your WIN card?

http://mywildalberta.com/BuyLicences/WINcards.aspx

[If you lose a licence, you can go to any authorized Licence Issuer and purchase a reprint of the licence for a small fee].