arou1990

Thank you everyone for the tips! I just wanted to update you all with my progress recently. I took your advice in focusing more on location than lures and whatnot and have had a few successful days. Today brought in a couple nice 2-4 pounders. Not huge I know but I’m making progress. I have a question about good rods and baitcasters...I have been using a 6 foot ugly stick rod and spinning reel combo I picked up a dicks. Do y’all have any suggestions for a nice upgrade and preferences between baitcasters and spinning reels?

I have rented a kayak at the manasquan reservoir before and it helped as I caught more than I do shore fishing. They also rent boats with elec motors but I won't have my boating safety certificate for another month and I need that to rent something with a motor.

Funny you say that, I had been considering buying an inflatable raft (newbie I know) for sometime not realizing they made inflatable kayaks. Great call!

If it were as simple as going out and buying a kayak I would have done it already. Storage and transportation are my real issues with doing it.

Awesome I’ll definitely give that a shot. I typically buy from Walmart occasionally I’ll head to Dicks for a bigger selection. I’m gonna order those from eBay and see what I can do. I will certainly give those a whirl and see what I can do. I haven’t done any research on them are there any specific colors you suggest or are they all one color? That’s a great question. A suggestion I got from a friend of mine said to walk around the lake or pond trying the same bait and if I get around without a bite then switch to something else. I’m trying to be more patient with everything to find the right presentation. I’ve done some reading and watched videos about different presentations and retrieval techniques but given that I’m new to bass fishing sometimes I wonder if I’m just plain doing something wrong.

Thank you for the welcome and reply! I try to be conscious of my pace and certainly think I can do better with slowing down because you are right, when the going is tough I do speed up. Following the directions in the "Guaranteed to Catch" thread has certainly helped my patience level but there is always room for improvement. When it comes to using spinnerbaits and buzzbaits I try to find the line between getting them to spin and going too fast so i'm sure there is room for improvement there.

Thanks for the suggestion. Although I wish we were all catching more it is definitely reassuring that I am not the only one having a tough time. Are there any specific sizes or colors you would recommend for buzzbait at night?

Hey All, I have been lurking on this forum for a few months now and finally decided to post and ask for help. I have been fishing since I was a kid (I'm 27 now) and recently got into freshwater fishing seriously (specifically for bass) a few months ago. To give some background I live at the beach in Monmouth County NJ and fish mostly local ponds and lakes. Sunset Lake, Deal Lake, Takanasee Lake, Turkey Swamp, Manasquan Reservoir, Spring Lake, Forge Pond and Marlu Lake to name a few spots. I don't have a boat so it is always shore fishing. One of my first times out I landed a 3lb bass at the bridge on Sunset lake using a 3.5" keitech swimbait with a red jighead. Ever since then I have not been able to catch another good size fish. I have tried different color senkos, crank baits, spinner baits, more keitechs, topwater frogs, and even rooster tails out of desperation. The only thing I have managed to catch any other Bass with are some little chartreuse swimbait minnows but they are always like 5-6 inch little guys. I read through the "Guaranteed to Catch" Thread and others offering tips on how to fish certain baits. I also searched for threads about NJ fishing to try and follow some of their tips specifically for this area but nothing seems to be working. I know this is how it works sometimes but boy is it deflating to go out day after day and not catch. Typically I go out in the morning before work (6-9) and then out again after work until sunset. Part of the reason it is so frustrating is because I am fishing spots where I see fish hitting topwater but they never seem to want what I have. Anyways I apologize for the rant. I am hoping some people can offer any help. Thanks. -Alex