Hey every my name is Danny,

I live in Tampa, FL USA.
I have only been fishing for about 3 months. I have good skill for fishing as far as casting, catching, landing fish. But often times Im not very sure what kind of rigs to use, bait selection, ect. I find knowinig when to fish kind of difficult too as there are many factors but this website is def helpful!

I have a question:

When should you fish Major and Minor times?

Are MAJOR times always best for fishing for that day? Are minor times always worst time to fish for the day?

Does this go by Moon phaze as for as which time to fish by or does it go by months. Thats what I am most confused about.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!

TIGHTLINES EVERYONE!

Hey danny, I'm Chuck in Ocala, so we're pretty close. I'm new to this website. I'm not sure how they figure the times for fishing. I find it to be a little off myself, the other day I looked and it was a poor day, I caught more fish than I had in months! I know it has a LOT to do with not only the moon phase, but the barometer too. Fish tend to 'turn-off' on a falling barometer. Fallinf usually indicates a front moving into the area. As far as the rig to use, that is depending on what you are trying to catch. If youre fishing for anything, (saltwater), you can use a simple rig of a weighted bobber, leader and a live shrimp.
freshwater, now thats another story. Bass... artificial worm/buzzbait/spinner bait/live bait.
Specks (crappie), small hook, small weight, amall bobber and a small minnow. Obviously there are a lot of variations, just depends.

Hi Danny

Check out this article. It needs a little revamp but it should give you a good idea of how the fishing times are calculated: http://www.fishingreminder.com/best-fishing-times-explained.html

The major times are generally the best times. They normally work great for me.
But you'll also have to look at the weather, wind, sun and tides.

You'll have to experiment a little to find out what works best for your location and on certain days and conditions. E.g. if it is too windy during a major time its better to fish at a minor period.

I have one location that I always fish at major times and another location that seems to fish better during the minors. Sometimes if the weather isn't too good during the solunar periods I go fishing at sunrise or sunset instead.

But in the long term I have had the best fishing during the major times. B)

Welcome Danny! This group and site has a lot of good topics at left side front page to link , take advantage of this knowledge .These members are great folks to offer help ,and friendly too enjoy. We are all Beginners every day, what works one day might not the next, so be ready to change Bait, line ,rigs, i have learned that it is best to take an extra reel and pole,and tackle ,I know you are studying up on this, good one.(if you can't afford a new Pole etc., there are good used ones available, I am semi-retired so we watch our budget, we moved from the Big city to rural area-Bull Shoals/White River, in No.Arkansas,Good fresh water Fishing here.)
Buy your Tackle etc in Off season, yes i know Florida, you can fish full time, but the catalogs-online companies ,like Cabela,or Bass pro shops, offer discounts this time of year and during the winter Holidays,order there catalogs to get some ideas, and don't over buy .

Go to the library and check out some Books on the Type of fishing you do, (like Gene Kugach on Fresh water Fishing,Look on Amazon's Reviews carefully to get some ideas, , these books will show you many tips and you will find that you wish to stock on your own Book shelves,ofcourse the library is a free way to get educated .Learning will save time as well.This advice i share ,so you will excel with ease your fishing skills.Be Patient ,it comes together .Learn knots online free YouTube ,Books and Cards, all are tools to help you Fish quickly when needed, Practice knots with twine type or parashoot rope .
You will enjoy the Fishing in Florida, We hear you have fantastic catches in Fresh or Salt water. Remember , it is not you catch the largest or big numbers, it is all about getting outdoors , smelling ,Seeing and experiencing the wonder . Have Fun,Enjoy Fishing ,
AJ

PS make sure and make some local Fishing Buddies, they will give you their 2 cents worth,also the local Bait shops ,find one you trust and get along with,ask a lot of questions, be prepared to jot down some notes.

Nice to meetya Chuck. I love the fishing from the Ft desoto skyway bridge to the bay area.I dont have a boat so spot location is crucial to me. It seems like the fish are moving to deeper holes in this colder weather which is a disadvantage to me since I cant get to them. I have only just recently started using live shrimp since i didnt have a bucket but i bought a small aerated one that i can leave in the water on a rope to keep them shrimpies alive. I actually have not caught many fish at all and tend to have bad luck, or just by choices in fishing. I try to use more artificials then anything.

Thanks for the advice Hillbilly, I def spend alot of time reading online and in books about different fish species. 0 but this usually leads to me heading to the store and buying more tackle hehehehe . I mainly target trout, redfish, snook.

I have two poles,
an AbuGarcia 7' 6-12lb ln wt. with a number 4 garcia reel, with about 50 yards of mono backing and 250 yards of suffix performance braid, both in 15lb test. and 20 lb high seas flouro leader.

my other pole is my dads old pole. although it is in good condition for its age.Its a Shakespeare ' ugly stick medium act. 12-30lb test rod. the reel it had on it was completely seized and the 20 lb shakespeare line that was on it was so brittle i could snap it by pulling on it. That was discarded and I bought a SHakespears ALPHA reel - now now now, I know that its a low end reel, but it did come fully spooled with 14lb mono which is a good fit and i est i can get ~300 yds of 40lb braid on there for me pier type/surf/or trolling or wreck fishing. May even be dare to go for tarpon on that one. ^_^ although my lady tends to keep me busy fixing it and getting out line tangles HAHA but I gotta love her, Hey besides, who elses girl friend loves to go fishing with them?

Your one lucky Fisherman hav'in a young lady along to partner up Fishing! Enjoy all , hey a day fish'in is better than one in the office ! Try using different types of bait live or not, if you can keep simple notes of the weather , all conditions, lunar , barometer, etc,. watch tides, then when you have a good day, see and note the differences, then you can improve as you go. Most of all enjoy the moments! Take it easy with tight lines, AJ