Fishing in a large lake.

Question
Hello,

My family is planning to take a trip to Lake Erie in PA at the end of June.  My 11 year-old son loves to fish, but the only experience I have is fishing for trout in small streams.  I could use ANY advice on what size line to use (8 pound test?, 20 pound test?), what size hooks to use and what kind of bait to use in a large lake like Lake Erie.  We will be fishing from the shore (no boat).  We don't care what kind of fish we catch, we are just hoping to catch some fish.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.... Thanks!

Answer
Hi there, and thank you for the question. Just fishing from shore won't require too much gear, plus I'm sure you want your son to have a good time as well. What I would suggest, would be fishing for bluegill and panfish, they're plentiful, and they're always biting. Far as equipment goes, just some 4 to 6 pound test line would do the trick. Good old fashioned bobbed fishing would got the nod. Some split shot and some #2 or #4 baitholder hooks. When you go to the store, most hook manufacturers make hooks for certain species, to make selection easy. I would recommend as far as rod and reel set-up would go, a couple ultra-light to light power spinning rods, equipped with 1500 size or smaller spinning reels. So that way you can enjoy more of a fight out of scrappy bluegills and panfish. For bait, trout worms, waxworms, pieces of night crawler, and small scented softballs would work just fine. Such as Berkley, Berkley gulp, etc. Remember to keep the bait small as bluegill and panfish have small mouths. Thats why too, I recommend small hooks. But this type of fishing is very simple, fast paced, and a lot of fun. Hey any more questions on what you might need etc., please feel free to drop me a line. Until next time, GOOD FISHIN!!