While the past year and a half has certainly been a disaster for many people, truth be told the Covid-19 nightmare has created countless new anglers. The search for safe outdoor activities has brought many, many fishermen into the fold including kids and adults alike. Of course, we dedicated anglers grew up fishing and learned the basics early on. But many of these inexperienced anglers, often including parents of kids who have shown an interest in fishing, are in search of can’t-fail action. The answer: bottom fishing.
For you new folks out there, here’s a KISS method of bottom fishing that almost never fails:
- Get a basic rod and reel with fishing line of at least 10 pound test, and no more than 20 pound test.
- Tie on a bottom rig (some folks call them top-and-bottom rigs) with two relatively small hooks. Number-six or number-four hooks on pre-tied leaders are usually a good bet. If you aren’t familiar with getting the hooks out of fish once you’ve reeled them in, stick with long-shank hooks because these are easier to grip and remove. Then add an ounce of weight if you’ll be fishing in a low-current area. In areas with lots of current, two or three ounces of weight may be necessary to hold bottom.
- Bait the hook with half-inch chunks of bait like shrimp or squid (asking what will work best locally at a nearby tackle shop is a good move). If cutting bait makes you a bit squeamish, then buy Fishbites artificial baits in shrimp or bloodworm flavors. This stuff is mess-free, can be cut to size with regular scissors, and doesn’t need refrigeration, but still works pretty darn well.
- Cast out the rig, wait until the rig hits bottom, then reel in any slack so the line is taunt and the rod’s tip is bending a slight amount. (If there’s slack in the line, you won’t know when you get a nibble).
- When the rod tip jiggles and jerks, pull back quickly to set the hook in the fish’s mouth and then begin reeling.
We all have to realize that fishing is fishing, not “catching,” and even using this basic KISS method there may be days when the fish simply won’t bite. But if you want to get a newly minted angler grinning from ear to ear, taking them bottom fishing is as close to a sure thing as it gets.