I am not mechanically inclined, and it took me forever to figure out how to run the line through the rod. The first time we went out, I had to spin the reel backwards in order to retrieve the line. I got fed up with it, and the rod spent the next two months in the garage. It would probably still be there if not for the fact that I lost my job due to the death of my employer, and I suddenly had free time.
I figured out how to run the line correctly only to have it unravel. So then I had to learn how to spool a reel. A few hours later, I finally had the rod set up. I went out again. I went to the least crowded public access fishing spot I could find so that I wouldn't embarrass myself around others. I caught some blades of grass and lost a lure.
I had read on the internet that the best fishing is just before a hurricane. So I went to the bayou. On the second cast, my artificial minnow sailed through the air without pulling the line behind it. Marco probably took it out to sea. At least I saw my first crab in the wild. The next week, I got up rather early one day and felt I should try a different spot. I managed to make three casts before losing my lure. The trip wasn't a total waste, as I found some money on the way back to the truck. Wear your lucky drawers, people!
I went back the bayou just before Hurricane Sally. I didn't catch anything, but it was kind of cool to see a jellyfish rather than being stung by one.
I spent some time learning how to tie clinch knots. Although I still didn't manage to catch anything on the next trip, I at least came home with all my lures. I started watching YouTube videos.
Fishing is best at night, especially when the tide is rising.
Use glow in the dark lures.
If you ain't catching anything, change: retreive, location, or lure.
My wife took me to a pier at about 7pm Wednesday. I used a glow in the dark shrimp lure and a Dawai spinning rod and reel. I was hoping for flounder, red drum, or sheepshead since those would be the easist for me to identify. I started casting at the first benches at about a third of the length of the pier. I made severals casts on either side. I kept walking the pier and repeating the casts. After passing the second bench, I made several casts on one side as I walked my shrimp along the bottom of the ocean.
I felt something pull so I set the hook. I reeled in my line and saw that all of my efforts had finally paid off. I had landed my first saltwater fish! I struggled to get my wife's attention so she could take a picture of me with my catch. Again, wear your lucky drawers!
I let the fish go because I couldn't identify it. After some discussion with more experienced anglers, it was probably a whiting.. At least the fish was edible. Now that I know a good spot, I can try again with different techniques to land the flounder or red drum.