Ratherbfishing

Not obsessive-compulsive (I don't think) but I've pulled over NUMEROUS times to check and make sure I've loaded all my gear. So far, I haven't had your experience. But I'm sad for you. : (

Am splitting hairs here but take solace in knowing that lipless baits and hard jerkbaits are merely subsets of crankbaits. So you HAVE caught fish on crankbaits. But if you insist on distinguishing them differently, if you keep at it, you'll eventually connect. Try trolling one sometime. They cover a lot of water and (medium and deep divers) are great for suspended fish.

I use one periodically-usually above submerged vegetation. It has a lot of "wobble" and whereas sometimes I just reel it in, a lot of times I fish it with hard jerks. It's a good bait.

You are only seeing the times when something IS working. You aren't seeing all the times when something isn't working. How interesting would THAT be? Take consolation in this (but not too much if you want to learn). Also, with creative editing, time is compressed into a much shorter span. Regarding baits, when a You-tuber advocates a SPECIFIC bait ("gotta use X, Y, or Z"), they generally fall into 2 categories: 1) Have a vested interest in selling the bait, or 2) have had really good luck with X, Y, or Z and can't/aren't looking beyond it. Another tendency is that YOU, the viewer, may watch someone else succeed with a certain bait and, when you don't follow suit, you ask yourself (as you have done) "What am I doing wrong?" You may, indeed, be doing something wrong. But it isn't inherently about you. Here is the real answer to "reasonably" successful fishing: It is MOSTLY about location and conditions (to include time of year or season). When you learn where the fish hang out and when (and why), the choice of bait (particularly in terms of brand) becomes less important. Not unimportant, mind you, but LESS important. You do still have to have the right tools for the job, BUT if there aren't any fish, there isn't any job. Period.

Yo zuri-hyrid is what I've used for nearly 100% of my jerkbait fishing and I've been very happy with it. For the extra "play" required, I employ a medium to medium heavy spinning rod.

I'll wager this same person also always backs into parking spaces (EVERY parking lot has one). Do you suppose it fits in the garage better this way? Or did they just have one too many brewski's?

Fishing for money, eh? I'm of the temperament that if someone told me that, I'd stay there ALL day-whether I was catching fish or not. And if I had to leave, I'd recruit other fishermen to camp there before I left. I'm generally very willing to collaborate and compromise with others but this?....huh uh. Ain't gonna happen.

The bait monkey strikes again.

Surely YOU weren't fined, were you? Or was it the long delay that was so costly?

I like spinning when I need versatility and when I can only carry one or two rods. Also, when casting space is limited (like around overhanging trees and brush), it's a lot easier to lob a lure (especially a light lure) out with a spinning rod. HOWEVER, if space is not an issue and I need more control, sensitivity, and backbone, I'll go with my baitcaster. Generally, I carry both and use both.

Sure-if you remove your primary motor.

I don't follow you around so I cannot know BUT I'll wager you use your chatterbait a lot more than either a buzzbait or spinnerbaits. One can only catch fish with what they use a fair amount. Spinners and buzz baits have proven to be worthy tools for me and I wouldn't think about not carrying a few. I break out in a cold sweat just contemplating not having any.

Try to keep the boat clean. Don't step on the seats (with muddy shoes) or traipse in more mud than you can help. Don't lean waaaay back on the seat pedestals. If you're going to have lures pre-tied, rig them on the rod so they don't snag the boat seats. Try to use the bathroom (number 2) sometime BEFORE departing the ramp. I don't expect or want money on the first trip but if, later, outings become the norm, be willing to share gas costs and any boat launch fees. Unless you've driven your own/separate car to the ramp and it is close by, don't ask to come in after just a few hours. If you NEED to leave at a certain time, clear it with me first. DON'T complain about the fishing (If I knew how to ALWAYS catch fish, I would do so).

I don't know what a "project Z" is (a projectile?) but when you get a backlash, are you being sure to completely "work out" the original snarl before you make any more casts? Any abrupt/sudden stop as the line feeds out and then catches at the tangle will most definitely cause a bait to "pop" and go "skyward." Your problem probably isn't the line. Nearly any line (cheap or quality) will break (especially at the knot) if there is a sudden stop so you can practice your casts until there are fewer backlashes, work out the backlashes completely before casting again and/or, perhaps, get a better reel which backlashes less.

It could have been a factor of SEEING the line OR it could have been how the line affected the action and fall of the bait (I believe it was mostly the former) BUT I was once fishing with a friend throwing virtually the same bait in the same locations. He was catching probably 3 bass to my one-UNTIL I got smart and tied on a leader (I had been fishing braid while he was using straight mono). Anyhow, after I tied on a leader, the catch ratio was much closer to 1:1. I believe on pressured fish in clear(ish) water, fish can definitely be line shy. Not nearly so much with moving baits (crankbaits or spinnerbaits, etc) but with slow moving baits (jigs and soft plastics), I definitely think it makes a difference. Enough so that I almost always tie on a leader.

Generally, yes. The water temps are about as high as they're going to get and hot water holds less oxygen than cool water. As a result, the bass will tend to be be more lethargic. (Bass do not always go deep but shallow ones will look for cooler temperatures-often in heavy, matted cover). When they do feed, they tend to partake of larger meals as the smaller "first of the year" prey will either have been picked off or will have grown. I take exception to the theory that a bass who has recently fed will not eat again HOWEVER, combined with being more lethargic, a well-fed bass can be harder to seduce. None of this is to say you cannot find or catch late summer bass BUT it definitely can be harder.

What caught my attention was when you wrote "...throwing a green pumpkin finesse worm." Perhaps I'm being too literal but is that ALL you threw? There is nothing inherently wrong with this choice of baits/techniques EXCEPT when it fails to produce. You can't expect to always catch fish using the same techniques/baits. Fishing in the late summer is one of the toughest times and one often has to think a little outside the box to produce results (and sometimes even then it can be hard). I wish I knew where to begin but the first thing I would suggest is to try very early morning or late evening OR at night. The next, look for off-shore structure. It's easy/natural to cast to visible objects but if that's not where they are biting, don't do it. A lot of summer fish will suspend in deep water so, if you have a boat, try trolling with deep divers. I can usually catch a few bass and crappies doing this. It's not my favorite technique but it keeps the skunk off. (p.s., I wrote this before reading some of your later responses but I still think it's decent advice. If you STILL aren't catching fish, change locations or ask what others are doing to find/catch fish).

Perhaps it WAS a truck landing in the pond. Have you checked with the state police for any missing persons? Or maybe it was an alien spacecraft. Has your "backside" been hurting you lately? Probably a carp, a big gar, or a beaver.

Most definitely a rock bass (or goggle-eye). They are fun to catch and I'll never sneeze at the opportunity to catch one. That's a pretty nice example, I must say.

Several years ago the smallmouth in Canada had a clear preference for the color red (and red hooks) so we sat down one evening and enhanced numerous crankbaits (especially lipless crankbaits) with red fingernail polish. Since then, I've used several colors of nail polish and enhanced/highlighted them with sharpies.

I don't know quite what you mean by "pieces" BUT you can't fish (most) soft plastics as though it were cut bait (or inactive live bait). As others have said, you have to rig it and fish it in such a way as to to impart action to it-like it's a swimming or struggling "meal." A "piece" of soft plastic (as I envision it) just isn't going to get the job done (most of the time). Not THAT long ago I only occasionally used soft plastics and didn't really have that much confidence in them. Now, although it is only part of my repertoire, I'd be lost without it-especially when the fish are in a neutral or negative mood. It is hard to beat live bait at times but with the right soft plastic fished in the correct way, you'll soon find yourself catching more fish.

The door to the poor house. ; P

This might make me very unpopular BUT if I had a dock/boat and really wanted to keep fishermen from casting around it, I'd spend a little extra time and money to make it a poor target-(Perhaps chicken wire that descends below the water's surface?). Anyway, in my earlier days I've accidentally banged lures off of boat hulls, etc. so I can certainly understand why someone would want others to stay away. Running out yelling and cursing, however, is not the best way to go about it. Neither, from a fisherman's standpoint, is dogmatically sticking around and antagonizing a dock owner going to help.

PART of the problem is that you spooled up with anchor rope. ; )

Agreed (though I can't really fathom being a "party animal" when I was young). The dorm I lived at in college had a lake ("Campus Lake") less than 50 yards from the back door and I spent many Friday and Saturday evenings fishing while many/most of my peers were hitting the bars.