>>348161 cont'dAs pointed out in
>>347832 and
>>345577 it's going to depend on what you desire to get out of fishing. If I wanted to get some catfish, flounder, croaker/Atlantic hardhead or the sort I'd probably use bait. For cats I'd get the bait close to the bottom, flounder damned near on bottom. Croaker I might have two leaders going off my line and at different depths to see which one is getting hit the most, then switch both to the depth that is delivering the most catches.
For predatory fish I want lures. I want something that mimics what those fish prey upon. Smaller fish, frogs, crawfish, etc. My favorite old school lures are simple jig spinners (like Beetle Spins) of various sizes and combined with various soft plastics. A colorado blade (somewhat tear-drop shaped) puts a lot of thump in the water and fish are able to pick up these sensations with their lateral line and zero-in on the bait. Long, tapered Willow-Leaf blades, often seen on spinnerbaits, are better suited for spinning above grass-tops and other cover. What they lack in thump they make up for in flash, reflecting a lot of light. Crankbaits and rattle traps also mimic other fish. There are also poppers, frogs, popper-frogs, stick baits, jitterbugs and a whole field of other topwater lures with their own strategies and purposes.
>>347962see
>>348020Give us a country/state and we'll link you right to your DNR (or equivalent) website and quote the relevant pricing. Here in the states licensing is often split up. Even inland a basic freshwater license often requires an additional license/stamp to target trout. Coastal states also usually have additional stamps and separate fresh/salt water licenses. Here in Maryland we have Non-Tidal, Chesapeake/Coastal Tidal, a separate Trout Stamp and a separate Crabbing license. As for the rest of your inquiry it is a pretty loaded one. At some point maybe we can use these threads to make a wiki or infographics to get people started.
