So. I have a fishing license nothing else. I want to go fishing. Tell me if what I list out below is all I need. Icebox. Fishing rod with hook sinker bait and fishing line. The knife to gut fish. The item to descale fish. Questions I have are 1) when I catch it do I just put it on the ice box 2) how do I find out what fish I've caught and if it's legal to fish for it so that I don't catch an endangered species 3) when I take the fish out of the icebox to gut. Do i chop it's head off to kill it. 4) when I gut the fish do I just use the special knife, slice it's belly, let everything fall out then just clear the inside cavity with water and that's it? 5) do I just run the descaling knife to descale? Anything I've missed start to finish? As you can see I have 0 experience. Oh yes I will have a ruler as I have a trout license.
All the items you listed are good things to have, but I would also suggest you get a tackle box as well. I personally only use a cooler with ice when i'm in Florida and that's because I also use it as a cart to haul my gear. There should be a list of the fish lengths and things like that on your states DNR, DEC or what ever its called. They should also have a pamphlet with some popular species picture and legal length. I would cut the gills before you put it in the ice box to take out the blood from the meat. No need for any special tool for scaling a gutting, in fact, I used the same knife for both before I started to fillet fish. I would suggest you learn to fillet fish because it makes it easier to clean and you can take all those dreaded bones. But my most important piece of advise is to just have fun and don't worry if you haven't caught anything all day.
First question. What do you want to catch? It is ok to put any fish you plan to eat directly on ice once caught. When you are ready to filet the fish, I suggest you watch a video on how to do that. I do not gut my fish, I simply start the filet process and pitch the scraps afterwards. On most fish there is no need to remove the scales. I just cut the meat off the skin leaving the scales and skin intact. If you plan to fish with live bait I suggest you grab beer and a chair also.
Fillet. That's what I was looking for. I like eating my fish with skin! Beer good point. I was going to go today but it was cold and I heard fish don't like cold. I'm in missouri
Also I'm looking for my trout but really no idea. I'm just looking to catch something to eat as I'm not picky about my food. Secondly I heard you cut the gills above. Do i just make a cut across the gills? Or cut out the gills In a box fashion
There are tons of videos on youtube that can show you how to clean fish better than i can explain. Good luck.
I will just explain the trout side of fishing. I clean my trout with a pair of scissors. There's a video on youtube that is very easy to follow and it's quite fast. No descaling involved and you can bake the whole fish in the oven, at least thats what I do. If you're fishing for stocked trout then most of them will be of size. Some use a club to smack them over the head and others put their thumb in the fish's mouth to snap their spine. Buying gear, I would get; vest, some hooks, small sinkers, couple spinners, small clippers, pliers, waders, polarized sun glasses, power bait (if legal). It really doesn't take much skill to catch stocked trout. Just fish the head of deeper pools, the fast running channels, where an eddy and channel meet. Just check to see where they've stocked, if it rains the fish could move further downstream which is good sometimes. I avoid crowds so I usually wait until second stock then start fishing hard. You'll be amazed at how many people just fish the "hotspots" or the where they supposedly stocked a big one. The overlooked spots are where you'll just keep pulling them out. Also, don't be afraid to try a smaller bass lure or any lure for that matter. My friend caught a nice goldy off a small bass lure and I've caught a trout on a fly fishing fly that was tied to my trout pole. It was tough to cast due to no weight but as soon as I got it out there, fish attacked it. The ones that aren't caught yet are the ones that have seen all the different baits and presentations. Trying something different can be huge. It comes down to just fishing, maybe ask for tips from the regulars. Just have to weed out the BS that some might give you but you'll learn a lot from just watching.
Does it matter if I go early in the morning or in the afternoon? Early morning is too early and cold! Besides I dont know if I want to start drinking at 6 am.
I went fishing. Caught nothing in a stocked stream! Other people were catching their limit though. Some people are telling me my hook size 18 is too large. Any chance I can buy a size 22 off someone to send to me?
