After Watching The Junk Fishing Video

[Mumpy]

I've realized that is how I fish 100% of the time and I need to change that if I want to become even remotely successful at Bass fishing. I need to get better at dialing in and figuring out the pattern. I'm tired of Junk fishing... TIRED

[MaineBassFishin]

Same here, I never develop any pattern I just throw baits and hope I get a fish, I mean I throw them where fish would hold but never develop a good bait there biting on well or any pattern.

[bigbasshunter]

Go out and fish different cover. When you catch one, note where when how and why. Start looking for more places that match your last catch. Example if you go out throwing a senko and catching them off wood laydowns in 5 fow, that is close to 2-3foot depth change with the sun in your face and wind at your back. Start looking for and try to replicate that scenario. It doesn't always have to be that detailed either. Somedays any rocky bank I pull up to we catch numbers no matter what the wind or sun is doing, some times everything has to be perfect. Good luck guys hope this helps

[MaineBassFishin]

Go out and fish different cover. When you catch one, note where when how and why. Start looking for more places that match your last catch. Example if you go out throwing a senko and catching them off wood laydowns in 5 fow, that is close to 2-3foot depth change with the sun in your face and wind at your back. Start looking for and try to replicate that scenario. It doesn't always have to be that detailed either. Somedays any rocky bank I pull up to we catch numbers no matter what the wind or sun is doing, some times everything has to be perfect. Good luck guys hope this helps

thanks I'll have to start doing that more

[mrmacwvu1]

One thing that I try to teach people to do is keep a log of what you did on the lake that you were fishing. I try to include tempature both water and air, cloud cover vs sunny or raining, time of day, lures I used, methods of retrieve, barametric pressure, boat positioning, and any other minute detail that i can think of. I then try to log them and study them before I can on my next outing. If I find something that is working and the conditions are similar then I have a memory bank to fall back on.

Another thing is though is do not get stuck on just one bait on a pattern. If you are in the zone and the fish are on that is the time to start throwing baits that you have no confidence in. Start experminting and you just might find something that will blow your mind. I did this on Erie and now one of my go to tactics is yo yoing white spinnerbaits. Deadly for smallies at times. That i and rediscovered fishing a spoon.

["BRB"]

I use to be like that too up until this year. I would just go to random places and throw random lures and just get random results. Then this year I really started to pay attention were when and how I was catching them. And there been times were i knew I was going catch fish before I even got there. And don't be afraid to make small changes. My dad real good about this he might be catching them on one plug then change to something a little bit different. Like mybe color size and really start wacking them. Its hard for me to do that but I'm working on it. Just the main thing is (and I learn this from this site) after every fish you catch ask your self why.

[Mumpy]

Thank you guys for the words of encouragement and wisdom, the one thing I'm starting THIS WEDNESDAY, is keeping a Log, I figure I've done this for years, so in years time my Log should teach me enough to catch a few extra fish.

[Nitrofreak]

Junk fishing is and can be, key at times, it's most likely you have already learned a ton from it and just have not put those lessons to good use yet.

How many times have we gone to our favorite spots and caught fish on what we think should work and it does, you leave and go to another spot and it stops working, then your left with throwing everything you have only to finish the day empty handed and discouraged.

It was those times that needed to be logged into your memory disc's for future use, that rocky bank that held that nice bass that I caught on a crank bait, what time of day was it, how much was the wind blowing, what size were the rocks, was there a grass line close by, what was the water temp, the list just goes on and on.

Learn your waters you fish by understanding the structure your waters have first, spend time on the boat just looking back in the coves and locating cover, constantly look at your sonar for old creek beds, and conture changes on the bottom, take a good look at the docks around where you are, are they new or old, the older the dock the more likely it will hold fish, why? because, chances are, the dock will have algae growing on it, what does that have to do with anything? algae is a source of food for the food source of bass.

Take a day and get aquainted with your lake, you will find more than you think you know about the waters you fish.

By all means go out and establish a pattern, that is the first thing we all try to do, but don't forget, the fish are there for a reason, they have traveled there to feed, the path they chose to arrive at any given point, hump, dock, rock wall, all comes from following structure to get there.

Good luck and be safe !!!

[Mumpy]

So what you're saying is for me to establish a pattern I need to Junk fish at least one more time, hehe. Go out, throw the sink at em, catch one, Log it and then try to pattern it.

[Nitrofreak]

So what you're saying is for me to establish a pattern I need to Junk fish at least one more time, hehe. Go out, throw the sink at em, catch one, Log it and then try to pattern it.

LMAO !!!

No, what I am saying is you have most likely already learned what not to do.

Take the time you need to find fish by going out and familiarising yourself with the bodies of water you fish.

Bait fish travel from shallow to deep or open waters in the am, throughout the day as they reach open waters a lot of times they will disperse from there and travel to areas in search of plankton and other food sources, if it is a windy day the plankton and other food sources get blown toward the shore lines and the bait fish follow, so if there is a wind blown bank, chances are it will school the bait fish near the wind blown bank, but that is not always the case at each and every bank, pay attention to detail as to which ones do produce and when.

Along this path are places where bass love to hide and ambush the bait fish as they commute along their daily travels from shallow to open and from open back to the shallows, bass will follow and hold to structure and cover that is good for ambushing their pray such as humps for example, bass will often stage and wait for pray as it passes over or around the hump.

Docks, especially older ones will have algae, bait fish will stop along their travels for a snack, bass stage around cover such as these because they know the food source is good.

Junk fishing is a good thing from time to time when patterns can not be established, I would never rule that out, but learning from patterns will make you a better junk fisherman when the right occassion arises.

[Mumpy]

Hehe, I knew what you meant, I was just trying to be funny I guess. I swear, I think I’ve become a better fisherman just from this thread alone. There is so much freaking good information here. I can’t wait until Tomorrow!!!!

[Nitrofreak]

Good luck and be safe !!!

It was funny !!! at least I thought it was... I thought !!

[Diggy]

I think I junk fish almost 100% of the time, I fish in complexes for the most part.

[Michael DiNardo]

I didn't get the same thing out of the video. I didn't hear Ike saying not to "junk fish" or that it

was a bad thing???

Mike

[Nitrofreak]

I didn't get the same thing out of the video. I didn't hear Ike saying not to "junk fish" or that it

was a bad thing???

Mike

No one here said it was a bad thing, junk fishing is another way of putting multiple patterns together in one outing when the single pattern can not be established.

This type of fishing works well when the single pattern does not work, all I was saying, if you are referring to my opinions, junk fishing can work very well, but if you don't know or have trouble figuring out patterns, junk fishing will be difficult and expencive, not to mention a real let down to your ego, who here can say they enjoy spending a ton of money on fishing and not have any success.

I will forever defend junk fishing, but it has it's own time and place, if you want to be a better junk fisherman then study your waters in detail, be a great structure fisherman and you will become a better junk fisherman.

[Deleted account]

I think LMB guys get hung up on the whole "pattern" thing, just like any other type of fishing, its about finding fish, how and with what they get caught then almost defaults to the best tool based on where they are.

[Michael DiNardo]

There were several posts where people said they need to stop "junk fishing". Or posts on how to start establishing patterns instead of junk fishing. I think everyone gets hung up on what the pros do, if you are a pro fisherman great. They establish a pattern because they are going to be fishing the same body of water for four or five days. I may get three hours to fish one day a week. there is no way I am going to pass up any possible fish holding cover.

Mike

[Nitrofreak]

There were several posts where people said they need to stop "junk fishing". Or posts on how to start establishing patterns instead of junk fishing. I think everyone gets hung up on what the pros do, if you are a pro fisherman great. They establish a pattern because they are going to be fishing the same body of water for four or five days. I may get three hours to fish one day a week. there is no way I am going to pass up any possible fish holding cover.

Mike

Nice post !!!

You bring up an interesting point, especially for those of us who don't have much time on the water.

If I may ask a question, if you fish cover for three hours, do you throw everything you have at different locations with cover or on one piece of cover untill you get a bite?

[Michael DiNardo]

I rarely beat a spot to death for hours trying to get a bite. I guess it depends on the size of the cover and the availability of other spots to fish. I will usually try to make a few different presentations maybe from different angles. If this doesn't work I move on.

Mike