Shoreline/Shallow water fishing

[rob]

Hey guys... I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to fishing. Been doing it all my life but only recently have I really been doing it a lot and started paying attention to different types of tackle and really understanding things more.

My question is what would you guys suggest as the best way to fish from shore in pretty shallow water? Working two jobs and still fixing up my friend's boat, so I typically only get to stop on the way home for an hour. The lake I usually fish (besides Monksville, where I've had no luck from shore) is extremely weedy and shallow as far as I can see.

I was able to find an area where I can get to some deeper water but the water is crystal clear there and there's absolutely no cover.

I've stopped at different spots probably 10 times in the past month and haven't caught a thing. I'm really struggling getting any action. No bites or anything. I've caught fish in these spots before but typically in the fall.

Again, I'm pretty much a novice so I know that as far as technique and what not I suck. I've tried worm fishing with a texas rig cause that's pretty much all I've ever known. I've tried spinner baits, bouncing them off the bottom, twitching them...Haven't tried the top water stuff yet cause I typically can only stop when the sun is still high and there's no cover like I said.

I understand my conditions are pretty crappy and I have no idea what I'm doing, but any tips on lures/plastics whatever to try or any other tricks would be appreciated.

[kcritch]

Shore fishing is tough in those weed choked lakes for sure. This year seems to be a little weedier than most too. If you haven't tried a T-rigged weightless Senko type bait then that's the first thing to add to your box.(also called Yum dingers, stick baits, etc.) You can fish them in weeds pretty well, float them on top, slow sink them into any holes, or twitch them like a soft jerk bait in the open water spots. 4" and 5" in Green Pumpkin work best for me. Second don't discount the topwater frogs (hollow body or swim bait type) just because it's sunny. I've caught plenty that way at all times of the day. If there are pickeral where you are fishing they will hit those as well. I don't know what kind of lakes you are fishing but a good idea would be to target smaller ponds as those are a bit easier from shore and get on the rivers. Read the reports on the Passaic, the Raritan, etc and you'll get tons of info. The rivers are much more productive from shore (or wading) in the summer for me. 4" senkos Trigged or wacky rigged on a 1/0 worm hook for smallmouth is a great easy starting point.

Read up on this site, keep at it and you'll be catching in no time. Good luck.

[rob]

Thanks Kcritch, appreciate it.

I've been using a 6 inch zoom worm in purple with a curly tail, texas rigged. I did buy a frog about a month ago but looking at it now I feel like it's pretty big. I'm at the point where I never catch anything so I'm not looking for trophies, I"m just looking for action. Hell, if I caught a 6 inch perch I'd be thrilled. I'm fishing Upper Greenwood Lake on my way home. Like I said, I've had luck in the fall from the shore/docks but the past month I haven't gotten a thing. Until my friend's boat is fixed it's all I've got. I could go to Monksville I guess but there aren't many good spots it seems like from shore. I don't know a damn thing about Greenwood Lake even though I've lived around here my whole life. If anybody has any info on good spots to fish from shore I'd love to try those out.

[Bottomfeeder]

I just got back into fishing about 6 months ago and also have limited time, the key for me has been trying different spots. I've cast onto pretty much every trickle of water and puddle in my neck of the woods. Sometimes I waste my fishing time trying to get to a stream that turns out to be unfishable, sometimes I find a nice.little pond full of panfish, catfish, and who knows what. There are a bunch of little spots that I think get overlooked on these forums.
Im not familiar with your area, but Id say spread out and try some other spots.

[gwl2oneida]

Fishing weed choked north side of greenwood lake I tend to use a lot of top water stick baits and poppers.6' gold rapala was always a go to along with Berkeley frenzy popper. Senkos are great for me early season before weed growth takes over. If I find clear water I use small tube baits of varying color.almost everything will suck in a small tube bate.
Good luck
Seth

[buzzbaiter]

Are there gamefish in there? Just because it looks 'fishy' doesn't mean there are fish in there. Look around the shallows for baby pick or bass. It could just be a sunfish/catfish pond. I have fished dozens of small ponds over the years that looked perfect but nothing but stunted sunnies.

[kcritch]

Originally Posted by rob

I did buy a frog about a month ago but looking at it now I feel like it's pretty big. .

It aint too big...just throw it and give it it's fair shot....don't be discouraged by needing to make a hundred casts to get one...trust me. I've caught 8" LM on a hollow body frog. You can also fish those Senkos on the top of the weeds just as effectively. And again....look for ponds and smaller waters...big lakes like Monks, Greenwood, reservoirs, etc in my opinion are tougher.

As bottomfeeder said:
There are a bunch of little spots that I think get overlooked.... Id say spread out and try some other spots.

[rob]

Thanks guys I'll definitely give all that a shot. I'll just keep throwing everything and see what happens. I might try and stop by Morse Lake in Wanaque. I had some good luck in that little private lake a few years ago. I guess at this point I've shied away from the top water stuff because I feel like it's tougher to catch them like that. What the heck do I know though. I'm at that point where I'm just looking to feel the thrill of catching something again though.

Another question...What would you guys is the best way to set your drag appropriately? I really have a hard time with this. I don't have a scale right now I can use and that seems to be the best way from everything I google.

I'm using a 5'11 medium/heavy Ugly Stik with I believe a Penn 4300ss spinning reel. I think it's a 5.1:1...10lb test.

[gwl2oneida]

That's a nice rig but pretty heavy. Tie your line to something that cant move.then tug hard until u get as much bend in rod as you're comfy with just before drag starts to work. At least that's how I set mine.

[rob]

Thanks. I'll give that a try. One of the only fish I've hooked this summer ended up snapping my line because I had the drag set too tight. Don't feel like losing fish/money. Especially since I never catch a damn thing. Makes it that much more obnoxious when that happens.