i wish freshwater fishing was like salt water fish

[robertdilbert]

only sometimes though. i go out in the ocean in florida, roll up to just about any mangrove, throw a shrimp on a hook and every other cast will be reeling in different snappers, snook, shark, drum, jack, catfish, lady fish, you name it. all on one bait; its really all you need.

sometimes i wish i could go out to the lake and have that much luck. maybe its summertime slump and the fish aren't as active? maybe i'm not fishing the right techniques/baits/lures? maybe i need a fish finder? did the dix river with my wife today and not a bite. bluegill would just watch my lure go right past them. on a positive note the dix is absolutely beautiful, i suggest everyone make one trip up it.

has anyone else had the chance to compare the two?

[sweetwater]

only sometimes though. i go out in the ocean in florida, roll up to just about any mangrove, throw a shrimp on a hook and every other cast will be reeling in different snappers, snook, shark, drum, jack, catfish, lady fish, you name it. all on one bait; its really all you need.

sometimes i wish i could go out to the lake and have that much luck. maybe its summertime slump and the fish aren't as active? maybe i'm not fishing the right techniques/baits/lures? maybe i need a fish finder? did the dix river with my wife today and not a bite. bluegill would just watch my lure go right past them. on a positive note the dix is absolutely beautiful, i suggest everyone make one trip up it.

has anyone else had the chance to compare the two?

Growing up in Alabama I was lucky enough to live close to some of the best fresh and saltwater fishing in the country. Salt is different than fresh in about everyway possible and it's hard to compare the two. While I love freshwater fishing and offshore salt fishing I must say I don't care much for the inshore salt fishing as you spoke of and with the exception of snook, redfish, permit, and pompano there are not many inshore species that are a desirable sport/table fish to me. My absolute favorite fish to catch and eat is dolphin. (not flipper but mahi mahi) As far as freshwater fish goes, I like to catch them all but I will only eat bluegill, walleye and the occasional crappie. All the other freshwater fish including the basses and catfishes are just too oily and fishy tasting for me. In a nutshell and with a few exceptions, saltwater fish are sportier and better table fare than freshwater fish are.

[12VoltMan]

Freshwater & Saltwater fishing. These are both great passions; however, living in Kentucky my saltwater fishing is not as frequent as my freshwater. What I love about freshwater fishing is the simple fact that I get to do it pretty much at will and the tournaments that allow me to compare my skills with my fellow fisherman. I do get to fish the shores and tidal creeks of Seabrook Island, South Carolina a couple of times a year. It's here I chase after sharks and redfish. While smallmouth bass may be some of the best fighters in freshwater, they cannot compare to the pulling power of a redfish. Where I fish for reds in tidal creeks, the catch is much more satisfying, because there are so many more ways for the fight to fall into the favor of the fish. Don't get me wrong, boating a bass of any size takes a lot of skill and experience to be successful; but landing a redfish when you're trying to keep the fish from heading into the reeds and clam beds is very difficult. Then there's the shark fishing from the beach. There are always two separate fights when catching sharks. The first fight happens after the fish eats the cut bait and if you're lucky enough to turn the powerful creature and land it, the second fight happens once the fish is in the grasp of the boga grip on the beach. These fish will continue to fight you until you release them back into the surf. If I lived closer to the coast, I'd still do a lot of freshwater whenever I had the chance, but given the choice, I'd head to the vast verities of fish in the salt.

[crappiehunterchris]

I used the same baits in fresh and salt and caught lots of fish a 2 inch crawdad bait was deadly off of piers for grunt and snapper when i was 17 lol tore them thangs upppppp didnt know the limits so i just kinda kept bout 30 pf em seemed a fair number

[robertdilbert]

small mouth are fun, but when you hook into a shark that almost pulls you overboard its a whole different game of fighting, and it doesn't take a big shark to do that.

don't get me wrong, fishing is fishing, but when I can use one bait and pull out 5-10 different species in a 2-4 hour span its really nice. I wish I could take a can of worms and head to the creek and slay them, just isn't that easy with the freshwater.

[DJD]

small mouth are fun, but when you hook into a shark that almost pulls you overboard its a whole different game of fighting, and it doesn't take a big shark to do that.

don't get me wrong, fishing is fishing, but when I can use one bait and pull out 5-10 different species in a 2-4 hour span its really nice. I wish I could take a can of worms and head to the creek and slay them, just isn't that easy with the freshwater.

Im with you on this. I love to fish and since I grew up saltwater intracoastal fishing I always wish I could go back to that when times get tough fishing fresh water. Creeks are pretty easy to fish with small baits and red wigglers but the fight and size of the fish don't compare to salt.

[timmbur22]

I feel much the same way. If I lived near the coast, I probably wouldn't fish freshwater much, although I would miss smallmouth and trout fishing. Like many of you, I only get to fish saltwater once a year and look forward to making the trip down to St. George Island and sometimes Tampa Bay.

...and you are right, it is a different game altogether and much better tasting IMHO.

[riverrat12]

Yep love me some saltwater fishing and can't wait for my few trips to the ocean a year. Guess that's why I fish for big cats up here, closest thing to a freshwater shark I can find. Don't get me wrong, I love freshwater to but there's just something about the smell of the ocean. I think I was a sailor in another life. And I'm with sweetwater Blackend Mahi Mahi YUM!

[sweetwater]

small mouth are fun, but when you hook into a shark that almost pulls you overboard its a whole different game of fighting, and it doesn't take a big shark to do that.

don't get me wrong, fishing is fishing, but when I can use one bait and pull out 5-10 different species in a 2-4 hour span its really nice. I wish I could take a can of worms and head to the creek and slay them, just isn't that easy with the freshwater.

I'm thinking a grouper instead of a shark. Around the marinas it's common to hear the term "slammed by a freight train", that means getting hooked up to a large black or gag grouper and losing it. I've seen guys that are built like an Alabama linebacker get literally brought down to their knees and be unable to stop the freight train from getting back to his lair in the reef or wreck and then shred a 100 lb. leader without so much as a second thought. Only a savvy grouper groper will bring a freight train to the gaff, unless you're extremely lucky.

[stripernut1]

i will be in the salt for 12 days end of september, cant wait. i was born in miami fl and my dad and granddad were commercial fishermen in islamorada when i was a kid so i grew up living the dream. love me some dolphin (anyway you fix it is fine with me). love catching red snapper, big groupers, ajs, kings....but the meanest and fastest and absolutely heart stopping critter i ever hooked into are the big wahoos, if i can have only one bite all day please let it be a big wahoo! and please let me land it, and please let me grill it with some oak chunks....oh man i cant wait.

BUT...in the meantime i will continue to chase whats locally available, and i will enjoy every minute of it

[sweetwater]

i will be in the salt for 12 days end of september, cant wait. i was born in miami fl and my dad and granddad were commercial fishermen in islamorada when i was a kid so i grew up living the dream. love me some dolphin (anyway you fix it is fine with me). love catching red snapper, big groupers, ajs, kings....but the meanest and fastest and absolutely heart stopping critter i ever hooked into are the big wahoos, if i can have only one bite all day please let it be a big wahoo! and please let me land it, and please let me grill it with some oak chunks....oh man i cant wait.

BUT...in the meantime i will continue to chase whats locally available, and i will enjoy every minute of it

Watch out for those wahoo teeth too. I went hoo trolling with a friend once and up until then you would've never convinced me that you could catch fish trolling at 20 knots but we sure did. We had a problem with cudas biting the tail off of the wahoos though. Come to find out, because of their broad tail a cuda is faster than a hoo or a king for a short distance and they will rise up and bite their tail off then eat them at their convenience. Amen to eating the phin, anyway is a good way.