My Head Is About To Explode

[Bankbeater]

Don't try and become an expert with every bait all at once. I started out with crankbaits when I started fishing. Each year I try to learn a new bait.

[grampa1114]

George...George...George...relax and enjoy whatever you are throwing and where ever you are throwing it...Just go fishing...you aren't fishing for "World Peace"...just remember that this is supposed to be "fun"....Just check in every once in a while and tell us how you're doing.

Grampa

[WRB]

Thanks to everyone for their advice and encouragement. I went out this morning in the cold and just stuck to the basics of using a senko worm and spinnerbait but came up empty. However, I realized that even with the disappointment of not catching anything, I still had fun out there. The anticipation of a large fish on every cast is a drug of its own. I'll keep chugging away and be patient.

George,

The Okuma is a spinning reel, the US Reel SX810 maybe be a spinning reel?

You have a boat, but probably not a bass boat.

You have been studing bass fishing, but have not had much success catching bass. You are in overload, relax!

To catch bass with any lure the bass must be in the area you are fishing and I realize it's a problem knowing where to start!

Let me see if I can help to make this easier and not more complicated then it is.

Bass location is seasonal, it is now winter in most areas for the bass. This means the bass are in deeper water now and deep water is nearly always in the 1/3rd of the lake near where the dam is. This is the area where you need to fish until it starts to get warmer in about 3 to 4 months. So let's fish in the deeper area.

What you can use with your spinning outfits are soft plastics, like the Senkos you like to use. Senko's have a lot of salt inside the plastic and they tear easily, the salt is what makes it sink. Yamamoto makes a soft plastic called a fat Ika, this is a better deep water soft plastic, then a Senko and can be fished a little faster. Take a look at the Gary Yamamoto site for info on the Fat Ika.

What I suggest for you is a finesse C-rig called a slip shot rig.and You use soft plastic worms, size 2/0 Owner 5100 or Gamakatsu 11 light wire worm hook and Top Brass Prov-Jo 3/16 and 1/4 oz weights. The weight is held up the line away from the hook with a Carolina Keeper about 18", if shore fishing and can be adjusted easily to make it longer or shorter. The color soft plastics for cold water should be darker tones. Purple with red flakes and some brown works very good.

You can look at Don Iovino worms or Roboworms 6" curl tails on Tackleware House. You can also use grubs like Yamamoto 4" single or double tails on the same slip shot rig.

This gives you soft plastic choices that will catch bass in deeper water fished from shore or a boat.

The spinnerbait is better when the bass are more active in shallower water, if you it now slow down the retrieve so it runs deeper.

Good luck, enjoy your time on the water and the bass will start to cooperate soon!

In about 3 months the bass should move into the middle 1/3rd area of the lake, then the Senko and spinnerbait are more effective. Another 2 to 3 months (March or April) the bass move again into protected shallow water areas to spawn, the Senko is very good at this seasonal period. The next 2 seasonal periods are summer and fall. Bass can be everywhere then so all your lures and presentation learned so far will continue to work for you, if you can locate where the bass are and how deep to fish. By this time next year, you will be sharing your advice on how to catch bass.

Tom

[TRYTOFISH]

nothingbeats experience. take your time, enjoy the time you take. talk to other fisherman at your lake, lots of people will help and give good info and tips. but try what you think will work. you will soon be amazed how much you do know in a short amount of time.

[unionman]

Its called fishing. Not catching. Dont give up. What really helped me in the beginning was visualizing my lure. You need to be aware of what your lure is doing at all times. Maybe find some clear water and try different retrieves with your lure visible so you can see how they react.

Theres more to fishing a spinnerbait than just cast and retrieve. Theres pops, pauses, rips, rolls and w/e you can think of. You really need to be aware of the action you impart on a particular lure to give the best presentation for the current conditions.

When fishing plastics you need to know how a particular lure will react when rigged weightless as opposed to rigged on a jig head or texas rigged or rage rigged etc. etc.

Like I said. Find some clear water and study the lures you use.

Too many people just cast out and retrieve with no further thought. They just daze off thinking about work or something until the bait hits their rod tip.

Practice. Visualize. Catch fish.

[wademaster1]

This is called the learning process. You'll keep trying different things as you get tired of using things you've been using. Lots to try and learn. Good luck.

[WRB]

George isn't a newbie bass angler with a PB at 5-6 lbs! He is asking how to consistantly catch bass year around and for any bass angler to become consistant, you need to understand basic bass behavior and seasonal period locations. No lure or live bait will work fishined in the wrong place at the wrong time and a wide variety of lures will work fished in the right place at the right time.

Tom

[merc1997]

here are my keys to help with the learning curve of fishing. first, to catch bass you obviously have to be fishing where the bass are. so, the first step is to learn the seasonal patterns of the bass. tom young's cosmic clock is a great place to start. bass will always be where the food supply is. the other important thing is to fish at the right depth at the right speed to get a reaction strike or reflex strike. when bass are actively feeding speed is not as critical, but most of our fishing time, bass are more in a nuetral mood and speed is a critical factor is enticing a strike. hope this might help with your learning curve.

bo

[piscicidal]

When my head is about to explode, here's what I do...go fishing.

Fishing is supposed to relieve stress not create it. Just fish. Enjoy it.

Eventually, you will gain the knowledge to make the on water adjustments. Keep a journal...it will speed up the learning process. After fishing, write down what you did right..if you caught some fish, why do you think they were there (wind, water clarity, forage, seasonal, etc). Come to this site...ask questions. Work on your technique at home.

To me it's like in golf...you put the work in before/after the round (practice range, putting green, etc). Then when it's time to play, just go out confidently and enjoy it.

[SirSnookalot]

When my head is about to explode, here's what I do...go fishing.

Fishing is supposed to relieve stress not create it. Just fish. Enjoy it.

As Nike says " Just do it". My object is to get out and get some fresh air, clear my head and walk around mindless, putting no pressure on, I don't have to catch a fish to enjoy myself. IMO the fish are doing 90% of the work, I'm just tossing a bait in areas I hope they are going to be and they're in the mood. The days the bass are "on", it's as easy as fishing gets, the days they are "off" it's as hard as it gets.

[Diggy]

I know the feeling.

Before this site and others, Id fish worms 99% of the time and catch fish...use the same rod for everything (mono)

after this site and others, I have tons of lures , some that work, many combos, but soft plastics still catch most of the fish when I use it and can still use one rod for almost everything and catch fish...moreso its just the line thats used to make it happen so I can catch multiple species with no probs.

I could be content but Id rather spend my money on fishing that drugs or alcohol like many do so Im content using it for something that makes me happy.

[Swamp Girl]

I hear ya, georgeyew. It is overwhelming, which is why I sometimes settle for a leech, a splitshot, and a hook, which, by the way, catches a LOT of bass.