[ProjectPat]

Hey everyone, so I went fishing for the first time a couple weeks ago and loved it so I bought my first reel and rod and am looking to get out in the Akron area this coming weekend, 5/14/17. I've got a basic tackle box but have basically zero experience. Anyone got any advice on some good easy spots to fish from shoreline in the Akron area? Or literally any tips for a new angler in general?

 

[backfar]

What type of fish are you targeting??? Many many choices in the akron area.. mogadore,wingfoot,portage lakes, Cuyahoga river, west branch....thats just the easy close lakes...

 

[ProjectPat]

Like I said I've got basically no experience, what kind of fish would you recommend targeting for a beginner? And what kind of setup?

 

[buckzye11]

First you should try and decide what kind of fish you will be targeting... then google that type of fishing and read and watch you tube, if you go out there with a plan you'll be much more successful.
If you are targeting Bass, a M or MH spinning set up with 10 lb line on it should get you going. Get a few packs of Senkos, and plastics to Texas rig and make a bunch of casts, and try and target stuff like lay downs and weed edges.
Good luck, it gets fun when the plan comes through!

 

[jonnythfisherteen2]

Panfish. Best thing to target for results. They are aggressive, will bite on various things, and make good food when cooked.
The akron area has the portage lakes, nimisila reservoir, and long lake. Not to mention the canal and the tuscarawas and cuyahoga river. Focus on the lakes and spillways. This time of year, the sunfish are heating up and the crappie are still biting. My go to is almost always a bobber and baited hook. Cheap slip bobbers, and a fairly small hook. It varies depending on the targeted species, but generally i use like size 10 or smaller normal or circle hooks and amberdeen hooks size 6 or smaller.

As far as what to use, well, live bait works great. But i find it expensive and more of a pain to deal with than buying artificials. I like to buy berkley gulp waxies. And minnows. If the fish are willing, you can catch alot of fish on them too. Fished about 1-2 feet below the bobber, more or less depending on the depth the fish are biting at. Also, you can go with 4-6 lb test monofilament line. This is average for panfishing.
My favorite fishing rod, reel and line setup is a 5'6" or longer light action spinning rod and a size 20 or smaller spinning reel. The extra length works for good hooksets using bobbers. I have a 7'6" rod i use for bobber fishing. Love it.

Youll want to fish where theres visible structure for the fish. I read somewhere that about 90% of a lake or river doesnt have fish. Youll have to look. Dont be that guy that sits somewhere that obviously doesnt have fish and wonders why he isn't getting bit. Fish like hanging around wood and submerged stuff. And most of all, where they can find food and shelter. This means youre gonna want to work on casting accuracy and be prepared to loose stuff.
Also, if you dont mind looking, spillways are amazing for fishing. They hold all sorts of species and are easier to find fish in since they don't have alot of water.

 

[bdawg]

If you're just learning, use live bait such as dug worms, nightcrawlers, and minnows. Use hooks that are the right size for the fish you're after. Small ones of bluegill, large ones for bass and catfish. For bobbers, use one that is just big enough to cast and float your bait. Too big of bobber will make it much harder to catch fish. The fish will feel the resistance of the bobber and let go of the bait. Keep reading this website and you'll get a lot of tips about how to catch them. Nobody will tell you their secret shore fishing spot on the internet. Keep moving around until you start catching them, or you're tired of hiking!

 

[HappySnag]

Like I said I've got basically no experience, what kind of fish would you recommend targeting for a beginner? And what kind of setup?

I prefer 6'6" medium,medium action rod.
if you go fishing use 2 rods,one with bober,minow or nightcrawler,second rod cast plastic.

 

[rockytop]

Mogadore bait has everything you need,just ask for help. The blugills are already near shore and easy to catch. You will have over a month of easy near the bank fishing.

 

[ProjectPat]

Thanks for the advice everyone and keep it coming! I'm going to go out to the chuckery area in the cascade metro park Sunday afternoon for my first solo experience

 

[set-the-drag]

Hook up with some experienced fishers and you'll learn a lot in a little time. Plenty people on here look for fishing company. That's going to be the best way to get an idea quickly. There are fishing seminars as well at various outdoor suppliers just go online and look. Very knowledgeable and will be good for you to get an idea quickly

 

[Nick Lewis]

I'm less than a year in, but have got a ton of advice from these guys. I also am a shore fisherman. Carry 2 rods, both 6'6" medium action. One with 10lb mono and the other with 20 lb braid. Started with catfishing because that's what I did as a kid. However, since late fall, been bit by the bass bug. Never really did the whole cast and retrieve thing, but I found in my older years I have less patience to sit and wait. I started with a couple lures that will catch about anything that swims. Rooster tail, Mepps, curly tail on a jig, etc. Also got a few packs of senkos and some creature baits. Ton of stuff on YouTube! I am particularly fond of Flukemaster and the Informative Fisherman. One last suggestion would to be to try to get on some ponds. Usually don't have to search as hard to find the fish and will give you some confidence in what you're using. Best of luck to you and welcome!

 

[ThePhisherman]

i fished a fair amount when i was 8-12 then grandpa got sick and i never went until 2-3 years ago. i live 10 min west of downtown and like to go fishing when i can. usually portage lakes, cvnp ponds/lakes, cuyahoga, tusc, nimi, mogadore, etc. feel free to shoot me a pm if you want to meet up sometime to go fishing. i usually can only go evenings during week or mornings on weekends. i just got a kayak but i still enjoy shore fishing too. you found a good forum. mostly lurk, but have posted a bit recently.

 

[bdawg]

Thanks for the advice everyone and keep it coming! I'm going to go out to the chuckery area in the cascade metro park Sunday afternoon for my first solo experience

I've fished the chuckery area for 20 years. Rivers are not a good place for beginners. Lot's of casting where you have to accurate with your cast to get a bite. Have to cast close to wood or rock structure. You will get snagged, but you won't catch fish if you're not danger close to the snags! You have to cast upstream of where you think the fish are to adjust for the current. Be prepared to wade in the river to get to the good fishing spots. It might be warm enough this weekend to wade without waders, but I doubt it. The river is too high to fish today, but it should be okay to fish by the weekend. Probably still too high to cross the river though. If you attempt it, keep both your feet in constant contact with the river bottom. The river in that section is fast flowing compared to other sections. It's best fished from June to October when the water is low and warmer, and you can see the bottom where you're crossing it.

There are smallmouth bass and pike in there. Also lots of creek chubs and some carp. You can catch the creek chubs with a little hook and worm or maggot and then hook the chub on a big hook and big bobber and cast it close to wood structure for pike. There aren't a lot of pike there, and they're not big, 20"-30", but you could get one. You will need a wire leader or 50lb test line though or they will bite through the line. Right now, the smallmouth are spawning and are catchable if you can find them. Find the slow moving pools and use a jig or float a hook and worm in the pool close to the bottom. Most smallmouth in that area are 8-10". I've caught ones as big as 16" there.

 

[jameso]

Too bad I didn't catch ya earlier, Silver Creek Lake on Norton was stocked Rainbow Trout on April 14 so it was awesome fishing. Now I'm not sure how well the bite is on but the first weekend I caught about twenty Rainbows in one day. Bobber, light line, small hook, and Berkely Rainbow Candy for Trout.

You should watch videos on Youtube on how to catch whatever fish you'd like to catch, then go from there. Using Rapala jerkbaits is probably your best chance of hooking fish. If you want panfish, go with the smallest Original Floater, for Bass go for medium size Original Floater, X-Rap, or Husky Jerk. Then watch on youtube how to use them. Real then stop, real then stop again for X-Raps and Huskies. For Floating Originals, make little spastic twitches on the top of the water. You can catch everything on Rapalas, so it's great for beginners to learn on. I hope you catch some good ones.

Catfish love bacon.