I'm Baffled

[basslover12345]

I'm Baffled- throughout the year I can easily catch nice fish on finesse tactics, slider heads, wacky rigs, and grubs- BUT when it comes to tournaments where I try those tactics/baits- I do horrible and can never catch a limit, I'll catch 2 or 3, but thats it. I can catch all the bass I want in the community lakes and ponds around my house. I don't like Crankbaits abd I have very little experience with them because of all the grass and algae around here on top of the water and on the bottom. All the lakes around here get clogged with grass, so its tough to power fish. I know how to fish topwater, jigs, and buzzbaits- and I do throughout the season- but my comfort zone is finesse fishing- I love to feel that bite and set the hook, I'm not an agressive person by nature, yet I still fish kind of fast- you can call it a power-finesse type fishing. I can use a baitcaster, and I have used one- but I'm just so much more comfortable with a spinning rod in hand. Don't get me wrong, I love to catch big bass, But I also like to catch numbers of bass when I can. any suggestions? I really want to step-up my game in tournaments this year, I;m just trying to find a way that suits me best. I fish most of my tournaments from a boat on the lower Potomac river- but will be fishing Lake Anna and a few other places this year.

[flyfisher]

I am guessing your tournaments aren't on your local lakes?

I think everyone does better on their home waters. You know them better and can try new things and gain confidence. The problem you run into is when you get stuck on one style of fishing and try and use that everywhere. Unfortunately it doesn't always work and when you are out of your comfort zone usually your confidence is lower and catch rate decreases.

I have only been back into bass fishing for three years and each year I start out with certain techniques I want to learn. I then try and stack the odds in my favor by looking at bodies of water close by, reading contour maps and figuring out where I could up my chances of success with the technique I am trying to learn. Once I have a little success I try and find similar areas for that technique on every body of water I fish.

Once you get through that initial phase of learning you will find you can work all these techniques on new bodies of water and up your chances of catching a limit.

Bottom line is fish more and get out of your comfort zone and you might be surprised.

[scrutch]

Is to possible that when you are not in tournaments you are fishing slowly and not in a rush like you are in a tournament? Is the pressure of fishing in a tournament causing you to unknowingly fish faster than you should be i.e. "power finesse fishing"? When I get rushed while fishing, I tend to fish much faster than I should. As a consequence, my catch rates go way down. It is my single biggest challenge while fishing, especially while finesse fishing and deep cranking. I catch myself winding the crap out of a deep crank and have to slow down to the point that I can just barely feel the wobble of the bait. Similarly, it is very tough to dead stick a finesse bait while in a tournament which is a timed event.

Like the old adage says, "when you think you're fishing slowly, fish slower!"

[jhoffman]

I dont notice this difference so much as some and I think its because I live on what is affectionately considered the most over pressured lake in pa. It forces me to fish with intent even on days when there is no money involved. A good day on this lake would be five fish in the midst of full blown summer. These fish have seen it all.

 

My suggestion to you is to leave the local small ponds as yeah you might be catching a lot of fish but its setting your expectations at an artificial level. I have a local pond that only a few have access too. I can put 5lb fish on the bank there all day. Its so small that you have to wait after landing a big one till it calms back down but its CHOKED full of big largemouths and gills. You can catch gills on a bare hook!

 

Im not saying fish in a mud puddle but go somewhere that offers you more of a challenge. Its kinda like the person who gets into trout fishing, at first they wanna catch a bucket full in the first hour of "opening day" stocked fish. That same person ten years down the line is either bored with it or they have likely moved onto a C&R fishery or took up fly fishing.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I'm Baffled- throughout the year I can easily catch nice fish on finesse tactics, slider heads, wacky rigs, and grubs- BUT when it comes to tournaments where I try those tactics/baits- I do horrible and can never catch a limit, I'll catch 2 or 3, but thats it. I can catch all the bass I want in the community lakes and ponds around my house. I don't like Crankbaits abd I have very little experience with them because of all the grass and algae around here on top of the water and on the bottom. All the lakes around here get clogged with grass, so its tough to power fish. I know how to fish topwater, jigs, and buzzbaits- and I do throughout the season- but my comfort zone is finesse fishing- I love to feel that bite and set the hook, I'm not an agressive person by nature, yet I still fish kind of fast- you can call it a power-finesse type fishing. I can use a baitcaster, and I have used one- but I'm just so much more comfortable with a spinning rod in hand. Don't get me wrong, I love to catch big bass, But I also like to catch numbers of bass when I can. any suggestions? I really want to step-up my game in tournaments this year, I;m just trying to find a way that suits me best. I fish most of my tournaments from a boat on the lower Potomac river- but will be fishing Lake Anna and a few other places this year.

 

Are you referring to Smallwood SP? 

 

I fish crankbaits from Spring to Autumn on the tidal Potomac from DC to Mallows Bay. When the tide is high, try fishing a Minus 1 or other shallow diving crankbait/wakebait over the grasses, and when it's lower try fishing the edges with the same baits. Snakeheads will also hit these lures with reckless abandon. For fishing above the grasses I really like the BPS "The Egg" crankbait. It only dives about 3" if you really crank it, otherwise it wakes at the surface. I'd recommend changing out the hooks, however.

[WRB]

Know one can catch bass if they are in the wrong location, spend more time studing where bass are located, then it becomes a choice of how to catch them. Tournament bass are 3 lber's on average = 15 lbs limit will put you in the money most of the time. A 3 lbs LMB is a young adult bass, usually aggressive and react to a wide variety of lures. Tournament fishing is all about confidence and making the right changes during the time period you have to fish. You need to have at least 5 locations you feel hold bass at the time you will be fishing those areas. Do your own planning and don't listen to dock talk., if spinning tackle is your best method, use it.

The biggest issue may be your speed, slow down, finesse is all about precise presentations.

Tom

[merc1997]

fishing is smaller lakes and ponds equates to more of a captive audience.  your techniques of finesse will catch bass on the bigger bodies of waters also.  you probably just need more time on bigger bodies of water to learn how to zero in on the right locations to be fishing.  if finesse fishing is your strength, stick with it.  there is always more than one way to skin a cat.  learn the seasonal patterns for the bodies of water that you expect to fish tournaments on.  your technique will catch bass, but you just need to get better at finding where the bass are in the bigger bodies of water.  hang in there, you will get better at it.

 

bo 

[Deleted account]

I'm Baffled- throughout the year I can easily catch nice fish on finesse tactics, slider heads, wacky rigs, and grubs- BUT when it comes to tournaments where I try those tactics/baits- I do horrible and can never catch a limit, I'll catch 2 or 3, but thats it. I can catch all the bass I want in the community lakes and ponds around my house. I don't like Crankbaits abd I have very little experience with them because of all the grass and algae around here on top of the water and on the bottom. All the lakes around here get clogged with grass, so its tough to power fish. I know how to fish topwater, jigs, and buzzbaits- and I do throughout the season- but my comfort zone is finesse fishing- I love to feel that bite and set the hook, I'm not an agressive person by nature, yet I still fish kind of fast- you can call it a power-finesse type fishing. I can use a baitcaster, and I have used one- but I'm just so much more comfortable with a spinning rod in hand. Don't get me wrong, I love to catch big bass, But I also like to catch numbers of bass when I can. any suggestions? I really want to step-up my game in tournaments this year, I;m just trying to find a way that suits me best. I fish most of my tournaments from a boat on the lower Potomac river- but will be fishing Lake Anna and a few other places this year.

The Potomac for the most part doesn't lend itself to finesse fishing, particularly while tournament fishing. I find the fish there chew, if you are on them they'll bite. a 5" senko and a 3/16-5/16 t rigged creature are the smallest thing I usually find myself reaching for. Lipless, cranks and spinnerbaits are usually required in the arsenal as are frogs, and punching baits, depending on the time of the year.(oh and bring at least one jerkbait and popper). I live in Waldorf for those that are familiar with the area, and the local ponds and lakes are loaded with bass (I won't say how big, cause you wouldn't believe me anyway) and in those finesse baits do work best a lot of the time. Let me know if you ever want to go out and compare notes.

[Nitrofreak]

I'm Baffled- throughout the year I can easily catch nice fish on finesse tactics, slider heads, wacky rigs, and grubs- BUT when it comes to tournaments where I try those tactics/baits- I do horrible and can never catch a limit, I'll catch 2 or 3, but thats it. I can catch all the bass I want in the community lakes and ponds around my house. I don't like Crankbaits abd I have very little experience with them because of all the grass and algae around here on top of the water and on the bottom. All the lakes around here get clogged with grass, so its tough to power fish. I know how to fish topwater, jigs, and buzzbaits- and I do throughout the season- but my comfort zone is finesse fishing- I love to feel that bite and set the hook, I'm not an agressive person by nature, yet I still fish kind of fast- you can call it a power-finesse type fishing. I can use a baitcaster, and I have used one- but I'm just so much more comfortable with a spinning rod in hand. Don't get me wrong, I love to catch big bass, But I also like to catch numbers of bass when I can. any suggestions? I really want to step-up my game in tournaments this year, I;m just trying to find a way that suits me best. I fish most of my tournaments from a boat on the lower Potomac river- but will be fishing Lake Anna and a few other places this year.

 

Anna? in a tournament?

 

Are you going to be a partner to someone?  in other words are you going to be on the back of the boat?

 

Anna is something I will touch on later but first I want to offer advise as to fishing tournaments, it sounds like your just getting started with tournaments, you are going to have to get comfortable with fishing all kinds of baits, not just finesse, you are going to have to get out of that comfort zone of yours and open up, Cranks on Anna are very popular and perform very well if they are used in the right way, one thing that is the most important when fishing for money is that you first find the fish, you are saying you can find two or maybe 3 lets me know you are not giving yourself the chance to be successful, some days you can stay in one spot and be successful but those days are rare, when you are pre-fishing how many spots are you looking over to find what the fish are doing ?

 

I have never fished the Potomac but I have been doing a lot of research on her, I will be there in August, so far I have found that 15lb bags or more require a good bit of travel, unlike fishing a place like Anna where you really don't have to cover the whole lake but still need to move around.

 

There have been some really great suggestions and the one I like the most was suggesting to go to these other bodies of water, you need to really look for fish and figure out what they are telling you, and then start fishing, take up some of the offers and go fishing with some of the guys who have offered you a day on the water and learn from them, it's a lesson that will become some of the most valueable and most cost effective information you will ever get your hands on.

 

As for Anna, your finesse fishing will play a huge roll in being successful, but you have to find the fish first, just like in any other body of water, cranks, jerk baits, drop shots, jigs and spinners everything works there and she offers all kinds of great fishing opportunities, I will give you a hint and let you know to concentrate your efforts in the upper portions of what used to be Anna river, depending on what time of year you plan on going I may be able to help you even more.

 

Find the fish first, thats always going to be your key,  take some of those offers and go fishing with the guys and take notes and give back as much as you can, open up and get out of that comfort zone, if your fishing from the back of the boat the speed in which the angler in the front fishes will determine techniques you will need to be comfortable with, a lot of times the front angler will fish much faster than you are used to fishing, last thing is stay ralaxed but don't loose focus, especially if you know the fish are there.

[basslover12345]

I've been fishing tournaments for 3 years as a co angler

[aharris]

If you're fishing as a co-angler, you kinda have to keep up with the speed of your boater. It's kinda hard to fish finesse baits if he's throwing a spinnerbait or crankbaits or power fishing in general. Its hard to fish a drop shot thoroughly if your boater is constantly moving from place to place or quickly covering water. Good luck this year!