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Fishing alone - wrote a song about it. Like to hear it? Here it goes! "I fish alone. Yeah, with nobody else. I fish alone. Yeah, with nobody else. Yeah, you know when I fish alone I prefer to be by myself." Thank you very much!

Been a crazy summer and 2 months since I last fished and 3 months since I last fished with my dad. He has a new hip on the horizon in November but felt well enough to get back in the boat. On cue, Pops caught a "Papa fish" as the girls call it. 😆 The itty bitty LM's were loving the free rig with an OSP. Nice Spot saved the day.

Got out for around 3 hours with a friend. Ended up with 10 or so on various baits. He brought his drone and got some cool footage.

I've always enjoyed fishing alone...even as a young kid. Connecting with God / nature / satisfaction of figuring things out myself / freedom to come and go as I please / peace and quiet. As I have gotten older, and now manage a team, their primary role is customer service...I find myself fishing alone even more(!). My first boat was pretty small...could fish two, but not comfortably. And the wife wasn't about to hang with me in the old Rich Line. Last summer upgrade to the Lund...and the wife loves it! I'll head out pre-dawn to my home lake, just 10 minutes from home. Wife will drive out and join me around 10 AM, bringing snacks and her book. It's a great way to relax on the water. She usually lasts about an hour, to an hour-and-a-half, and then we head home together. I do fish with my 83 year old Dad and brother, which is GREAT! But aside from that, it's me and me alone on that boat. I have a ram mount that my phone goes in...it's easy to take pictures of my fish...

Dr Kieth Jones Berkley fishing scent specialist has written several books and articles regarding Black Bass ability to detect scent. Suggest looking up Dr Jones and reading his technical info in lieu of endless opinion between anglers. my opinion it helps when it helps and I use scents not as an attractor but to cover negative odors Tom

This is me too. I ask someone to go with nearly every time I go, but frequently no one else is able to go. Its called life. I understand. This 4 legged partner is ALWAYS ready and willing to go. I just can't let her sit out in the blazing hot sun for very long because she over heats quickly.

These days it's a special event when my wife is able to fish with me. However last several season, there are rarely any other people fishing with me. But that doesn't mean I'm always alone. A-Jay

Easily my best weekend since getting back into bass fishing this August. -Friday Night, No pics. Bright and sunny at first. Caught 6 right next to the ramp; fish were going nuts on the shad. Burned through a brand new package Green Pumpkin Rage Bugs pitching around some lily pads and brush piles, but alternated with some Crush City Ned BLTs which mostly caught smaller bass but still worked. -Saturday. Back to the tackle shop for more Green Pumpkin Rage Bugs. I need to just order a case of these things in the three colors I use. Tackle jokes with me that I have become their best Bass customer LOL. After my son's soccer game I head over to the neighborhood pond before some college football. Fishing is amazing, I even catch a pig of a crappie. I catch some good ones and then get caught in a lightning storm. But the fishing is so good I hunker down in the woods for 30 minutes. After that the fishing is even better. Still alternating between Rage Bugs and a Ned. But I lose what looked like a 5lbr on the Ned. -Sunday. It pours all night. The shop gave me a solid tip. So I follow through on plans to get to a seclude and inconvenient bank. I get soaked navigating through super tall grass and woods. WORTH IT. I arrive on the bank and the scene was just.... epic. There are large bass jumping clear out of the water on shad. I even see some enormous wipers feasting way out. There's also seagulls, some sort of diving bird (maybe cormorants?) who are not pleased to see me and two bald eagles just feasting on small fish. Immediately I start landing fish on black and blue Rage Bugs. Nice three lb bass at first. Then I lose my jig rig and decide to throw a spinnerbait for *** and giggles. And boom the biggest fish of the day. A weighed 4 lb bass with a 5lb body. After that I pick up a few more good ones. The birds then gave up and the bite kind of quit.

I'm the oddball. I never worry about scent when it comes to catching bass, don't intentionally use attractants, and don't believe it's worth my time to consider changing my approach. But, if it makes you feel better or more confident in your fishing...

"Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers".

I preferred to fish alone in rainy weather in the pre spawn period back in the day when I had a boat. Always fished night tournaments with my son mis fishing with Tommy. Out lived all my fishing partners and no boat now so if I go fishing it’s as a back seater. Don’t pass up a chance to go fishing with your kids, make it a priority, Tom

I'm 49 and prefer to bass fish alone and that allows me to make immediate changes in location or presentation. At times I'll go from throwing a 10" Glidebait to dead sticking a TRD from one cast to the next. Also many of my trips are unplanned, spur of the moment deals. I do catfish with a friend and take my sister and a couple friends catfishing several times a year. I'm in a more relaxed state of mind while dragging chicken compared to my hyper focused tunnel vision while bass fishing. Plus, I sing using my outside voice while hunting bass. Rock, Pop, Country, Gospel, the Blues,etc., I don't even know what's coming, it just happens.

I fish alone mainly because none of my friends are into bass fishing. They fish a few hours with their zebco 33's and become bored by not catching fish.

For the last couple years I have always fished alone. I used to have a fishing buddy but we had a falling out. I really enjoyed fishing with him and we fished just about every weekend for years. It's great when you have someone that you enjoy being with even if you're not catching fish. Good conversation, laughter, and sharing memories on the water is what it's all about. Since my dad passed, I have no one that I really share fishing info with. My wife listens and is supportive but it's not the same as someone that knows exactly what you're doing and can relate to everything you experienced. On a side note, my dad passed 4 years ago in December. Probably the saddest moment I had was the first time I went fishing a couple months later. After a good day on the water as I was driving home the realization that I couldn't call him and tell him about my day was just crushing and hit me unexpectedly. I hope my son (10) develops a love for fishing. I'm trying to get him into it but video games and Youtube is currently winning. Actually, tonight I am rejoining my bass club after a couples years away with a main reason being to fish with others and have a little more camaraderie on the water. Great topic.

99% of the time I'm fishing alone. I'd say a handful of times I have my father or brother in law out with me through the year but thats about it. I enjoy fishing alone, gives me some quiet time. I dont have to stress over "hosting" someone on the boat and making sure I find fish on a slow day. It is nice to have someone out there every now and then and to have someone offer up some thoughts on what to do/where to try.

24 Sept 2024 ~ . Last Update back in August noted that Lynn's Kidney function was SLOWLY / Incrementally improving. We're so grateful that trend has continued, as her blood numbers continue to improve, she still participates in dialysis 2 days a week. She's tolerating the procedure much better with only a an occasional headache in the aftermath. Lynn's kidney healing specific diet and hydration intake monitoring continues and does seem to be contributing to positive gains. Working with her assigned nutritionist has been key. Side note, I've always believed my own 'diet' was important and staying strict on what I've learned over the years has worked for me. However living through this deal with Lynn, and seeing first hand how 'just the correct diet' can change a once critically ill person, to one who is doing much better, really drives the point home. Next hurdle, Lynn's eyesight. Not sure if I mentioned it or not, with everything that was happening all at once, but during one of the many test /procedures done on her in the hospital, Lynn threw a blood clot into the back of her right eye. This has essential blocked 100% of her vision in that eye. So like so much of her life the past several years, she's had to learn to live & adapt to being a one eyed woman. There's been a learning curve as you might imagine. We've been to see two different eye specialists and there is an eye surgery scheduled for the middle of Oct to remove the blood clot from behind he eye. The expectations (insert hope) is that after the somewhat lengthy healing process, Lynn could regain some if not all of her vision in that eye. She's also been on blood thinners this whole time to help control the clot. She will need to ween down her dosage to a lower level prior to the surgery. As always, despite whatever these challenges may be, Lynn continues to amaze me with her upbeat, positive & live for today attitude. I love her for it too. Stay Well my friends and thank you all again. A-Jay

Security detail. 😆

Megabass lures smell very expensive.

Stuck a fun sized fish casting around purtis creek for a bit. Good old red eye shad. Cold front tonight means topwater cove in the morning 💯

Got back a couple of days ago from a solo camping trip on the Delaware River. Arrived last Monday and by the time I set up camp didn’t have time to launch the kayak. So fished from shore off the campsite for a hr and was able to land 3 small Smallmouths. Launched the next day on the river and got 14 Smallmouths, took a while to get on them but changed to drifting the current in 7’ of water over gravel with a Nikko Hellgrammite on a 1/8 ned head was the ticket. Next day I headed to a lake I never fished, got a Largemouth and small pickerel right away, and that was it for the day, did lose a good one on a drop shot though. Next day back to the river again, but couldn’t get any kind of consistent bite, wound up with 6 Smallmouths. The last day I wanted to launch at a site that the road to has been closed all year for repairing the road, it was supposed to be opened on Monday, but now they said it would open on Friday, so I waited till after 9am to go there. Well the road was still had the road blocks up so it was now a change of plans. I decided to take a ride to a reservoir I had only fished once a couple of years ago. Wasn’t on the water till 11am, water had a 10’ visibility tried fishing relatively shallow for a while and got nothing. Spoke to a couple different guys on boats and they said it was real slow, they weren’t getting anything either. Fished a little more and couldn’t find anything, so I decided to head back to the ramp fishing along the way. I figured let me check the 28’ to 32’ line on the way back since nothing was happening shallower. Still miffed that the road to the other launch was closed, I probably looked like the kid walking down the dirt road with both hands in his pocket kicking rocks along the way. I finally saw a good size bait ball with some stuff on the bottom, so dropped down a drop shot in a hail Mary attempt. I hook up and it’s a good one, pole bent down into the water and drag going off. Have it on for a good while until I finally able to see it, a big Smallmouth and I even said out loud “don’t jump” I was able to land it and it was the biggest Smallmouth I’ve gotten in many years. Fumbling around for my camera for a quick pic, it shook around and I lost my grip on it and she swam away. Perseverance saved my day, made a great ending to a great trip. Got back to the campsite and spoke with the lady at the office, she said NPS finally opened the road at 1pm Sorry for the long post.

That's interesting because like you I know 100% that Anise doesn't repel Bass. I switched over from garlic to anise oil at the beginning of this summer and had my typical results. The reason I switched scents is the thought that fish can become conditioned to smell. If they can learn baits, why not smells. So from now on I plan on rotating scents every season or two.

Dr. Jones wrote Anise repels bass! I use "worm juice" for two purposes first as a lubricant because I fish in grass a lot and the "worm juice" helps my plastic baits slide through easier. I use Fish Formula II or Baitmate (clear) with a ½ oz of 100% pure anise oil added; this is to mast any odor my plastic may have pick up. The only place y'all find 100% pure anise oil is at your local pharmacy, the rest will be 40-70% max.

2 day report. I struggled yesterday to get 5. All spots, all between 14 and 16 inches. Things started really good today. I caught 3 in the first 20 minutes, but couldn't shake the sharp pain in my right side, so I headed back home. The pain started last night, but I was able to get comfortable and sleep good. I thought I could fish through it today. It feels like a kidney stone, but with no other kidney stone symptoms. I think it's trapped gas. When I pass gas the pain goes away for a few minutes. Biggest from each day pictured.

Some pics from Friday evening and Sunday morning I forgot to drop in here think that last one is a meanmouth also saw sturgeon continuously sucking on the side of a dam Saturday evening

Got out in light rain today, no wind. Caught only 3 bass but lost a really good one on a Zara Spook. Did put another Snakehead in the live well though.

Deet (bug spray) and sun screen are two scents that I try to avoid on my hands before I touch fishing lures or plastics. I do use both somewhat frequently though, so I try to mitigate that. I don't really use the scent as an attractant, more as something to block those two others I mentioned. I deer hunt the same way. I get my blaze orange stuff out of the bin about 10 days before I use it, air it out, and spray it with scent killer. I'm only rifle hunting so I don't need to get super close like an archery hunter does. Archery hunters are often paranoid about scent. Many of them use doe in estrus or buck scent or whatever. I don't use that.

You become a believer when your fishing partner is kicking your butt using the same worm and you put the scent he is using and start catching bass. I don’t agree with Dr Jones on everything but it’s hard to argue with Berkeley’s success! Tom This stuff will ruin your olfactory sense for days… everything smells like Smelly Jelly. I had a plastic jar break in the boat locker oh my🤬 Tom

Cool story (for me at least) from the weekend. Got a tip from my local tackle shop about a stretch of bank at a nearby Northwest Missouri lake. This lake gets hammered by boat and bank anglers. But one area gets neglected because by late spring nobody wants to beat the brush to get to one spot. Even the boats don't want to get into this spot. It poured early Sunday and I timed my arrival for the rain stopping. I managed to get into that spot on foot and found a couple hundred yards all to myself and the fish and the birds were going nuts on the shad. Within 30 minutes I had five 15 inch plus fish landed and then a solid 4 lb fish a bit later on. A bunch more after that. Making small talk on my out at the parking lot nobody really caught anything worth. Sometimes it's about finding the right place at the right time.

I'm with @WRB Except I use Megastrike on everything and have been for several years. I don't even think twice about it anymore. It's just part of it now. Done. Can't say for sure if it gets me more bites, but I can't possibly believe it's hurting me either. My results speak for themselves. YMMV A-Jay

Yesterday's weather was 90's with 5-10 MPH wind from the South. Caught 7 bass, 7 bluegill, and 6 crappie. Water temps were 72-75 degrees. Not a bad day. Woke this morning to north wind 15-20 MPH, air temp 55 degrees, a cold front had moved through over night and dumped a little rain. Was debating...then checked my fishing logs...I got in to fish last year around this time with similar weather and water temps. So I ventured forth... Glad I did. Worked the spinner-bait in the shallow trees just off the creek channel. Very nice 20" LMB hammered the gold / bluegill colored SB...weight in at 4 lbs. 1 oz. Five more on the sheet ranging from 12-15". A good day!

One nice one on Lake 13 this morning out of 6. Shooting for 3 more kayak trips over the next month before I hang it up for the season. Realistically, any more than that would be a bonus.

Got lots of fish with a spoon and another striper on topwater

All you need is to figure out how to make scissors out of zebra mussels and make your own million dollars. Those cut through anything.

STRONGLY disagree with this. Reel seats can make or break (not literally 🙂) a rod.

@WRB it’s a good kinda stank. Smelly Jelly adheres strongly to my baits and doesn’t wear off after a few casts. I believe it gets me more bites and makes fish hold on longer.

Yup, agreed here. I can think of one particular instance recently I was catching and my father wasnt so i literally cut my bait off and gave it to him and he still couldnt catch. Way we fished it was just different enough to kill the bite for him. Agreed with Tom though in some instances I can see that happen for sure as well. Sometimes it matters, sometimes it doesnt.

Yeah, I’ve had that kinda stuff happen to me too more than once wth color, rof, plastic size and style, presentation, casting angle etc. It can be said about almost anything if one guy is being successful and his partner is not then he mimics what he’s doing and everything changes. I get it. I’m not saying that You and Berkeley are wrong, far from it. Experience and Success are the best teachers I just wanted to mention a different angle to it. Mike

I made this earlier today and it works great! Anyone else use Buzzbait spinners?

I use it. I think they hold it a little longer. SK coffee scent I really believe in. I can’t find it anymore . Power bait I think works good too . Try to put every advantage in my corner

Literally out of the box iron sights at 25 yards, pretty darn accurate. My eyes don't work well at much more than this.

Have you used an ACOG before, if so and you liked it, then that would be a great option. The word 'tactical' gets thrown around too much imo, but that's really as close to a 'tactical' optic as you can get. I would liken that optic to a technique specific rod, whereas a variable powered optic is more of a 7' MH F that offers more versatility. A good shooting Mini 14 with factory M193 or M855 should group about 3-4MOA @ 100yds. At 200yds you're looking to hit a target about 6-8MOA so anything powered more than about 6 is wasted given the rifle's potential. 3x should be plenty mag to hit that sized target at 200yds. The ACOG has been used by front line US military forces for decades now, so a fixed mid powered optic certainly has it merits, however I personally like either true RDS optics or a variable powered optic. All of those Primary Arms in house optics are great options and have been well vetted by customers for many years now.

2 years USAF. 75-77

In my experience I have never noticed a difference using soft plastics that are scented vs ones that are not. I know there are some guys that swear by that powdery stuff you can put on plastics but imo that’s more of a confidence thing than a fish attractant.

This might be my favorite paint job so far. Its an old rapala that was foiled in silver minnow. It was all beat up so i gave it a redo. Black and gold with a red belly. It pops more in person.

I fished my pond for an hour this evening and caught four. I was surface lure stubborn, casting a popper for half an hour when it wasn't what they wanted, but in the other half hour, I managed the quartet with two at 17.5 inches, catching three on a pink Senko wacky-hooked and one on a spinnerbait. I lead with a healthy 16.5-incher and close with the best bass, the thicker 17.5-incher.

Two trips here. First was a short bank beater session. They were ignoring the usual 10” so figuring I had nothing to lose I put on a 13” and it got picked up before hitting bottom by this 4lb 4oz fish. Last worm fish of the year for me. That bite is pretty much done. Caught a lot of 4s on them this year but nothing I would consider big. Second trip I found two different groups of fish. First group I caught in tree tops dropping a jig through the branches. Second group was hunting gizzards on a flat adjacent to a ledge. I was fishing a heavy saltwater jig with a 7” fluke trailer, giving it 6’ rips off the bottom. Got 4 cookie cutter fish in about 10 minutes doing this before I had a guide ring fall out which made it difficult to land any fish. I dumped 3 more then they moved off.

This is why I'm now and forever known as Swamp Girl:

I decided to ignore doctor's orders and went fishing this morning. Caught a 5 lb bass and 15 minutes later a 7 lb bass. Needless to say I was STOKED. Beat my PB twice in a matter of minutes. I was able to bump the hook out of the 7 lber's mouth with my palm.