Dumbest rookie mistakes

[stripercrazy]

None of us was born with a VS in our hands, we all had to learn one way or another. My dumbest mistake when I first started was getting too close to other guys fishing. I just didn't know, had no one to teach me. http://www.stripersandanglers.com/images/icons/icon11.gif Took a while before I figured out their angry looks were intended for me. I wish they would have just said something, I would rather get yelled at than look like an idiot. :confused:

[clamchucker]

It's been a long time since I was a rookie, but I remember when I was just learning, I would throw bait, and it would fall off the hook all the time. Guys didn't help you much back then, if they saw you doing something like that, they would just ignore you. I finally figured out to wrap some string, dental floss, or small elastic, or wife's cut up pantyhose strips around the clam. It did take me awhile to learn this. That's why I try to help the new guys when I can.

[CharlieTuna]

Don't know if I would call it a rookie mistake or stupidity. When I first started fishing eels, a few of them sloshed out and got loose in the wife's car, wasn't paying attention to the count.

When she got in the car one day and found a live one near her seat, I was in the doghouse. no sex for a week.

[dogfish]

First time I got in a kayak, I didn't know about the rule to have everything tied down or secured. Lost a nice pole in the river that day, lesson learned. :(

[stormchaser]

When I first started throwing plugs attached to mono, I lost quite a few plugts and metals because I sucked in my knot tying skills. I hignly recommend anyone who is serious about surfcasting learn to use at least a handful of different knots.

[fishlipper]

I started out fishing on partyboats with my Dad. I was always the one who got birds nests in the conventional reels, was a few years later that I learned how to apply ther right pressure.

[nitestrikes]

I wanted to become one of those sharpie nighttime bass stalkers, but a lot of my buddies were pusses, didn't want to come out at night. I was going there by myself. The first time I went to the place with a big spotlight on my head, and saw the very small lights the others were using, I felt like such a doosh.http://stripersandanglers.com/images/icons/icon11.gif

[pinhead44]

When I first started throwing plugs attached to mono, I lost quite a few plugts and metals because I sucked in my knot tying skills. I hignly recommend anyone who is serious about surfcasting learn to use at least a handful of different knots.


Hey stormchaser what's even more embarassing than losing those plugs is losing them when a lot of other people are watching! http://www.stripersandanglers.com/images/icons/icon9.gif Done that a few times myself when I first started. I'm still learning, this is a good thread, normally I would be too embarassed to admit, but we all had to start somewhere, as someone here said.

[voyager35]

I can confess to a boating mistake, when I just started out I was put in charge of securing our small tin boat to the cleats. I didn't pay quite clear enough attention when I was shown, and the boat drifted a bit one day. We had to get someone in the marina to help us get it back. Dad wasn't too happy with me that day.http://www.stripersandanglers.com/images/icons/icon11.gif

[hookedonbass]

I cast out a bait pole one time with no weight on it, couldn't figure out why it didn't go very far. :don't know why:

[joizybass]

The first time I fished for stripers on the jersey shore, I was too cheap (or stupid) to buy a quality pair of waders. I thought knee high rubber boots were good enough. First wave flooded my boots, bad move in mid-november.The old salt teaching me just laughed and said "I told you so."

[porgy75]

Not casting properly, which has resulted in many damn wind knots!

[cowherder]

The first time I fished for stripers on the jersey shore, I was too cheap (or stupid) to buy a quality pair of waders. I thought knee high rubber boots were good enough. First wave flooded my boots, bad move in mid-november.The old salt teaching me just laughed and said "I told you so."

I did that, only I did it last spring when I first started fishing for stripers.:embarassed: Boy is that water cold, I was done for the night!

[vpass]

I had only a few surf trips under my belt. When fishing in the Rockaways. It was at night and we had a moon outgoing tide. I casted my Bunker chunk and set the clicker. Then my clicker started going off, I set the hook, and this log dragged me down the beach. I'm screaming that I have a Cow on. After 10 min. we all found out I only snagged a log. My friend still make fun to this day. That happen 25 years ago.:embarassed:

[jimbob]

I made a lot of mistakes when I first started surfcasting. Not setting the drag properly, not sharpening hooks, walking on the Jetty without Korkers, using the wrong sinkers. I tried fishing with hip waders also, when I got waders I got commercial grade heavy rubber waders that must have weighed 50 pounds I killed myself trying to walk any distance. there were so many more. The worst thing is that after 35 years of surf fishing I still make mistakes like forgetting equipment or being lazy and not retying a questinable knot or resharpening hooks even though I know I need to. I always try to learn from the mistakes.

[storminsteve]

I had only a few surf trips under my belt. When fishing in the Rockaways. It was at night and we had a moon outgoing tide. I casted my Bunker chunk and set the clicker. Then my clicker started going off, I set the hook, and this log dragged me down the beach. I'm screaming that I have a Cow on. After 10 min. we all found out I only snagged a log. My friend still make fun to this day. That happen 25 years ago.:embarassed:


:ttiwwop:


That is classic BB material among friends, I would still be BB you about it too!:DAn early mistake I made was not taking the rubber hose pieces off the storm shads when they came in the packages. I misssed a few fish before I realized my error. :bucktooth:

[dogfish]

An early mistake I made was not taking the rubber hose pieces off the storm shads when they came in the packages. I misssed a few fish before I realized my error. :bucktooth:

They didn't always come with the rubber on the hooks. I made that mistake one night in the dark also, I wasn't used to taking the tubes off. Live and learn.

[paumanok]

After I moved out on Long Island from the City, a friend at work got me interested in salt water fishing. For one of my first flounder outings on my own, I dug up a couple of dozen earthworms and went down to the piers. Constantly changing bait 'cause, of course, earthworms don't take kindly to salt water. But I did catch flounder, a number of them, which I dutifully filleted and put on ice in a lunch cooler.

That afternoon, I stopped to check out a bit of carpentry I was going to be doing for some folks who needed finish work done on a raised dormer. Hell, I had the tools right in my van, "I can get started right away." And I did.

I worked into the night, all through Saturday. Around noon Sunday, I went to the van to break for lunch. I was seriously concerned. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what going on. What smelled yesterday like maybe week-old socks was now burning tears in my eyes.

Wish I hadn't thought of that: I can almost taste that smell.

[surfstix1963]

Bad knots,putting to much pressure on the fish and watching the plug whip past my head,not so great casting practices (crossing lines.)

[DarkSkies]

I worked into the night, all through Saturday. Around noon Sunday, I went to the van to break for lunch. I was seriously concerned. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what going on. What smelled yesterday like maybe week-old socks was now burning tears in my eyes.

Wish I hadn't thought of that: I can almost taste that smell.

That description brought back a few memories. "Burning tears in my eyes" Man, you do have a way with words. :laugh:

I once had a bucket of chum that spilled and the lid fell off in a 1990 Suburban as I rounded a corner. Some fell into the open door panel in the back, it was a work truck.

I thought I got it all until a week later when there was a terrible smell. I looked in the crevices of the inside door panel, and there were maggots living there in the rancid leftover chum. Good times! :upck:

[cowherder]

That description brought back a few memories. "Burning tears in my eyes" Man, you do have a way with words. :laugh:

I once had a bucket of chum that spilled and the lid fell off in a 1990 Suburban as I rounded a corner. Some fell into the open door panel in the back, it was a work truck.

I thought I got it all until a week later when there was a terrible smell. I looked in the crevices of the inside door panel, and there were maggots living there in the rancid leftover chum. Good times! :upck:


Tasty, maggots for lunch!:D

[jonthepain]

dude i think i'm gonna hurl

[vpass]

Tasty, maggots for lunch!:D


:upck:

[plugaholic]

I once had a bucket of chum that spilled and the lid fell off in a 1990 Suburban as I rounded a corner. Some fell into the open door panel in the back, it was a work truck.

I thought I got it all until a week later when there was a terrible smell. I looked in the crevices of the inside door panel, and there were maggots living there in the rancid leftover chum. Good times! :upck:

:eek: :banghead2:

[VSdreams]

The worst thing is that after 35 years of surf fishing I still make mistakes like forgetting equipment or being lazy and not retying a questinable knot or resharpening hooks even though I know I need to. I always try to learn from the mistakes.

Yeah but at least you are honest about it instead of being an elitist.:thumbsup:

I made a mistake when I was fishing on a buddy's boat. I thought I had a big striper but it was a bunch of broken rigs weighed down by a big water filler plastic bag. They all had a good laugh at my expense, because I couldn't tell the difference between a fish and a plastic bag. Live and learn.

[basshunter]

Taking the death march out to the hook and forgetting the bug spray.:eek:

[rip316]

I left my rod on the curb of the area I was fishing and didn't discover it missing til an hour later when I got home.

[crosseyedbass]

I made a mistake when I was fishing on a buddy's boat. I thought I had a big striper but it was a bunch of broken rigs weighed down by a big water filler plastic bag. They all had a good laugh at my expense, because I couldn't tell the difference between a fish and a plastic bag. Live and learn.

Don't feel bad, I did that once too.:embarassed:

[ledhead36]

The worst thing is that after 35 years of surf fishing I still make mistakes like forgetting equipment or being lazy and not retying a questinable knot or resharpening hooks even though I know I need to. I always try to learn from the mistakes.

Well said, I think that's the mark of a good fisherman, looking at where you made a mistake and being willing to learn from it.

[ledhead36]

The worst thing is that after 35 years of surf fishing I still make mistakes like forgetting equipment or being lazy and not retying a questinable knot or resharpening hooks even though I know I need to. I always try to learn from the mistakes.

Well said, I think that's the mark of a good fisherman, looking at where you made a mistake and being willing to learn from it.

[williehookem]

The first time I fished for stripers on the jersey shore, I was too cheap (or stupid) to buy a quality pair of waders. I thought knee high rubber boots were good enough. First wave flooded my boots, bad move in mid-november.The old salt teaching me just laughed and said "I told you so."

I did this too, and remember doing it in my first fall of fishing when the water was in the 50's. Man were my toes cold!