This is my third year bass fishing and my first year was better than the second and my third so far. I jokingly blame it on knowing too much. However, I think there is some truth to that. I've learned alot being on this forum and a local forum. Some info comes from guys who have fished for decades and really know from experience. Some stuff comes from guys who don't know as much as they think they do and seem to just regurgitate what others have said before. The trick is keeping your head from getting filled up with 'knowledge' that isn't helpful. When you are on the water trying to read it, you don't want to base your approach on bad intel. I think to some degree I have learned enough to confuse myself. Everyone has different ways of fishing the same spot. you will get many opinions.
We got a small boat last year and had to learn how to fish all over again. It certainly opened up more water to fish, but more options meant more variables to work with. Or try and figure out. Namely a fish finder. Whether on a craft or shore, the key is finding the fish. It can be frustrating at times when you fish a spot that has the characteristics of a 'good spot' but no bites. Are they really not there? What am i doing wrong? Maybe I need to try x bait?
I guess what I'm saying is learn what you need to learn, try to filter the useless discussions as they will only cloud your mind while you fish.
Focus on leaning how to find the fish. Bottom contours, cover, seasonal patterns, etc. Its much easier to catch the fish if they are in the area you cast to.
I try to fish as much as I can and learn as much as I can when doing it. Hard to say if its working, I get the skunk more than not.