It's time I learned how to fish.

[Hoopty]

If you're lake fishing from shore, you can use spinners etc but I prefer to use bait. I really haven't had much luck from shore with spinners, but obviously it can be done, I'm not much of a "pro" in that area.

If you're going for bass etc, get live minnows and put one on a small hook (usually hook it through the mouth so it can swim around fine). Attach a bobber about 4ish feet up from the hook, cast out and let it swim around. Give it slack to swim around with. You can also do the same with worms, but obviously they wont be swimming lol.

For trout, I had the best luck with power bait and salmon eggs or worms. Normally I would use a small treble hook at the bottom, and a small single hook tied on about 1-2 feet above it with around 12 inches of line. Use eggs or power eggs on the single hook, and completely cover the treble hook with a nice morsel of power bait. Cast out and let it sink to the bottom, keep the line tight (get rid of the slack without reeling the bait in closer) so you can see when something is nibbling at it.

As for stream/creek/river fishing, I suggest either learning to use a fly rod (takes a LOT of practice, time and patience to get good at casting, learn what to use, when to use it etc!!!) or sticking with spinners. I have had EXCELLENT luck with a variety of panther martin spinners and decent luck with kastmasters. Generally speaking, you have a better chance of catching big(gger) fish (rainbow/brown trout) in bigger rivers, but you will catch more fish in smaller creeks (usually brook trout). Trout feed facing upstream, so they are watching food come down with the flow. With spinners, cast it upstream and reel it in downstream.

I suggest doing this in a small stream in the mountains somewhere, preferably where you can see the fish. Be sneaky coming up to the water, as they spook easily. Use the smallest size panther you can find, I find the ones with a yellow body and red dots, with the silver spinner work good no matter where you are. Also, use a small line, like 2-4 pound test max.

[Irving]

Thank you very much for those great tips. More good stuff for me to research!

So if I wanted to drive up 6th and fish Clear Creek, I could use a spinner and cast it upstream?

I'm interested in the way you are suggesting to tie the line and use multiple hooks. That is something I'm not really familiar with. Is there a website perhaps that someone can recommend I visit so I'm not asking so many beginner questions?

[Hoopty]

Yes, you can head up clear creek and do that, however I'm suggesting you try a significantly smaller creek for now (like maybe 6' or less across). Also, keep in mind with the high runoff going on right now, you are not likely to have much, if any luck. You want to be fishing it when you can see through the water.

As for knot tying, look online for some help, I'm sure a simple google search will give you TONS of how to's. Much easier to show you than to try and tell you, know what I mean?

[Irving]

I just don't know where smaller creeks are. As far as the knots, I'm okay with the knot itself, I meant the technique of two hooks.

After thinking about it for a while, I think what I'll do is just look up Rainbow Trout and Large and Smallmouth Bass, read up everything I can about those two fish, and see if I can teach myself to catch some of those. Much easier then just asking way too broad questions like I started with the thread.

[earplug]

Coloradofisherman.com you have to sign up to post and read good stuff.
Lots of info on Denver metro fishing lakes and ponds.

[mitch]

Pick a day when there will be a barometric pressure change. A large pressure drop will oftentimes lead to the fish taking anything you throw at them.

[TFOGGER]

My honorary Indian name is "Fishes with Dynamite"