New Member Wants To Know The Ins And Outs Of Fishing

[TeachMeHowToFish]

THIS WILL BE A LONG WALL OF TEXT, BUT PLEASE READ AND HELP ME IMPROVE. I want to be able to absorb knowledge from you guys and then apply it to my fishing. Please hear me out and help me on my path to become a better fisherman

 

Hi, my name is Mathew, and I would really like to take up fishing seriously as a hobby.

I'm 17 years old living in Miami, starting out strictly in freshwater. I've really taken a liking to fishing as a whole recently and I can't get enough of it. It's all I want to do, it's all I think about. But, my biggest problem is not knowing where to start. I feel like I know a little of some things, but a lot of nothing. I have a million and one questions and I really just want to know everything and anything about this sport. My problem is, no one in my family fishes, none of my friends fish, and it's really hard for me to learn something without anyone telling me if what I'm doing is right or wrong.

 

I found out about this community after watching a couple of videos by "Glenn May" I believe. He raved about how engaging this community was and how helpful everyone is, so here I am giving this thing a shot. Now I'm sure many people will say to just google, or youtube the answer to my question, but I don't feel that helps nearly as much as having conversation with someone, where you can follow up a question with another question.

 

I've been fishing many times before, and I've caught fish before too. I try and go fishing about 2 or 3 times a week. I own 2 poles, one a 5'6" Ugly stick, and a 6'6'" Daiwa Dshock. Attached to my Ugly stick is a Sahara 4000FB shimano spincast, and the regular Dshock reel on the Daiwa pole. I pretty much only use the Ugly Stick and let my friend, who is also learning with me use the Daiwa.

 

One of my problems is that I read so much into fishing and there's so many things to buy to help you fish, that I go out buy a couple things, and don't actually know how to use them. I own a couple lures that I have bought and never use them, and when I do I feel like nothing is working cause I can never get a bite. I recently justy bought my first spinnerbait, (don't even know how to tie the d**n thing on lol), so I'm excited to try that out. I also plan on buying a Pro Qualifier Baitcaster as my first ever baitcaster. (See what I mean about spending money on things I don't know how to use)

 

These are the lures I own

Xrap 08 Silver - Caught most of my Peacock bass on this

Xrap 06 Olive Green- Caught nothing on this

Rebel popper- Nothing

Rebel floating minnow- 1 peacock

Mirr O dine- Couple peacocks.

Storm Wildeye Shad.- Caught about 3 Peacocks on this.

A $1.00 spinner bait- Just bought this, have never used it.

Gary Yamamoto watermelon- Have never had any luck with worms

 

Ok, so I guess my biggest problem when catching a fish is that after catching it, I couldn't tell you what I did to help me catch it. And that isn't learning. I read somewhere, that if you don't know how you were able to catch a fish, then you aren't learning anything. And that's what I would like to improve on. I want to be able to catch a fish, know how I caught it, then be able to do it again. Living in Miami, I have caught a couple Peacock bass (couldn't tell you how big any of them were cause my fish guessing scale is horrendous), some tilapia, some Mayans, 1 black catfish, and about 2 Plecos with a snag. Almost every single one of those fish were nesting, and I was able to see them before I caught them.  I wouldn't consider any of these fish I caught anything to be proud of considering I coulda threw about anything near their nest and they would have attacked regardless. I catch a lot of brim as well on some squid (funny how they are crazy for saltwater squid) but biggest was probably a pound.

 

Ok so before I begin asking some questions, I just have a personal story to share. About a month and a half ago, I cast out my first ever lure. (Xrap 08 minnow), It was a pretty rough day, I had 1 lure in my tackle box, that I never used or even knew how to use. So I just randomly put it on my Ugly stick and threw out in the middle of the lake. I was casting fast for the first couple throws, then insanely slow on my last 5 throws. Well on my last throw, after about 10 casts, 5 of which being pretty slow, I catch my first peacock bass, that I wasn't able to see before catching. Mind you I've never used a lure before, so as I was attempting to unhook the fish from the back treble hook, it made 1 big jump, landing the front treble halfway into my thumb. A hospital and a $1500 bill later, I am terrified of unhooking a lure from a fish. I was still super super excited that I caught something on a lure for the first time, so I went and bought a couple of more lures the next day, and even used the lure that hooked me, now calling it my lucky lure as I've caught most of the peacocks on this lure. But I am still really scared of taking a lure off. Since that day I only remove lures from fish with my gloves and my pliers, still being extremely cautious. I know that using gloves isn't the best thing to do, but I'm still pretty scared, and I really don't know how to not be scared.

 

Ok so I'm just gonna fire off the first questions that pop into my head that I'm still unsure of, even after researching. I mainly only fish in a huge lake spanning a couple miles and I fish off the bank since I don't have a boat to take me into deeper waters. Keep this in mind when answering questions

 

1.What is a Jig?

2. What's the difference between a jig, and jig head?

3. When should I use a jig head, over a weight?

4. Why use certain knots over others, and in what situations?

5. What is a crankbait?

6. What a plug?

7. What is a buzz bait?

8. Why might I be having trouble with worms, when everyone seems to have success with them?

9. which circumstance should I use different lures?

10. Why use a carolina rig over a texas rig?

11. Why would certain knots be better then others, and in what situations?

12. When is mono, fluro, braid better over what and in what conditions?

13. Why does the pound of the line matter. Talking about things less then 20. I know bigger pound lines are better for catching bigger fish obviously, by why choose 10 pound line over 8, or 8 mpound line over 10?

14. How does length and type of rod (medium,heavy,lite) effect fishing?

15. How do I know when to use certain lines with certain rods?

16. Why use a baitcaster over a spinning reel?

17. How do I know what color lures to use in certain situations?

18. How can I get stubborn fish to bite?

19. What can I use in weeded areas where I know fish are without get caught in the weeds?

20. Can I use a spinnerbait without the skirt?

21. I am a righty, so obviously I use my right hand for everything. Well I plan on buying a Baitcaster soon and  I don't know if I should place the reel on the right or left side. On the one hand I can reel in way more smoothly with my right hand, but I can also control the pole mrre easily as well with my right hand if my left is on the reel. Any suggestions?

 

Ok so those are the first 20 that came to my head and I would really like to some good honest feedback here. I really am sorry for how long everything was, took me about 2 hours to write and get it all out of my head, but I would really like to discuss fishing with everyone here. I really appreciate you time and am hoping to get some responses. I know I can google or youtube some of these, but I think talking with fellow fisherman, and having conversation will help me so much more.

[basshole8190]

Ok, so I guess my biggest problem when catching a fish is that after catching it, I couldn't tell you what I did to help me catch it. And that isn't learning. I read somewhere, that if you don't know how you were able to catch a fish, then you aren't learning anything. And that's what I would like to improve on. I want to be able to catch a fish, know how I caught it, then be able to do it again. Living in Miami, I have caught a couple Peacock bass (couldn't tell you how big any of them were cause my fish guessing scale is horrendous), some tilapia, some Mayans, 1 black catfish, and about 2 Plecos with a snag. Almost every single one of those fish were nesting, and I was able to see them before I caught them. I wouldn't consider any of these fish I caught anything to be proud of considering I coulda threw about anything near their nest and they would have attacked regardless. I catch a lot of brim as well on some squid (funny how they are crazy for saltwater squid) but biggest was probably a pound.

first start by taking note of time of day and weatherconditions cloudy sunny hot cold before rain or after etc

2. Look at the water is it clear or dirty green yellow blue etc.

3. Depth of water

4. Cover and structure are you fishing in water aaround trees or brush grass drain pipes etc.

5.lure.. what kind were you using how did you retrieve it? Fast slow start and stop retrieve

6. How did the fish strike was it a hard thump. or did your rod just get heavy or just feel slack etc.

7. Where is the lure in the fish's mouth way deep or barely in there

all thhese things can help you learn how to replicate the catch over and over if you take note of these things good luck on your angling journey

[Tuckahoe Joe]

First off welcome to Bass Resource!  You've come to the right place.  I've only been fishing for about a year but I'll try and answer what I can.

 

What is a jig/jig head?  A bass jig consists of a lead head attached to a hook, a skirt, a weed guard, and a soft plastic trailer of your choice.  The jig head is just the lead head/hook.  Jigs are often cast out and then reeled in with a hopping retrieve.  Let it sink, sit there for a few seconds, and then give it a couple short hops, let it sit again, repeat.  You can also swim a jig by casting out and reeling it in.

 

What is a crankbait?  A crankbait is a lure usually made of plastic that is shaped like a small fish.  It has 2 treble hooks and a plastic lip sticking out of the front.  The plastic lip makes the crankbait wobble from side to side and dive to a certain depth.  Shorter lips run shallow and longer lips run deeper.  When reeling them in, the lip catches water and the lure dives and wobbles from side to side.  An effective way to get bit on a crankbait is to try and bounce it off of cover like stumps, logs, rocks, or you can fish one that dives a little deeper than the water your fishing and it will bounce off the bottom and stir up sediment which can get a fish's interest.  Your X-raps are similar but I believe they are a jerkbait.  I don't know much about jerkbaits so I'll leave that alone.

 

What is a buzzbait?  It's similar to your spinnerbait but instead of the blades, their is a propeller.  Its a topwater lure.  When you retrieve it you want the propeller to churn the surface of the water.

 

When should I use different lures?  Early morning (just before/after sunrise) or late evening (just before/after sunset) is usually a good time for topwater.  Give your popper a try.  If its windy and there's a bit of chop on the water, try throwing a spinnerbait or crankbait.  That's about all I can give you here.  I'm still working on this myself.

 

C-rig or T-rig?  I could be wrong about this but I think a Carolina Rig is better for covering water and a Texas Rig is better for casting to a specific piece of cover.  Say there's a fallen tree laying in the water or an old stump or something like that, you'd cast a T-rig to it, preferably from different angles and hitting different spots on/around it.  If your fishing a flat expanse of water, use a Carolina Rig.  Cast it out and drag it across the bottom all the way back to you.  Also the weight will bump into/over things so you'll be able to get an idea of what's on the bottom.

 

What pound line?  Sometimes fish in heavily pressured waters can get line shy.  A lighter line is thinner and thus a bit harder for the fish to see.  This can increase your chances of getting bit.  Also certain lures like crankbaits will run a bit deeper on a lighter line.  For example, if your fishing 15 pound line and you downsize to say 8 or 10, your crankbait will dive deeper.  I'm sure there are other reasons and maybe others will chime in.  Personally, I've used 10-12 pound monofilament since I started and have been doing pretty well.

 

Rod length/action?  Longer rods cast farther while shorter rods are more accurate.  You have to find a happy medium.  My 2 rods are both 6'6'' but I know a lot of guys on here use 7ft and sometimes even longer.  I'll leave rod power and action to someone else.

 

Color?  On bright sunny days or clear water, use natural colors like 'bluegill' or 'sexy shad' that will mimic baitfish or other forage.  On overcast days or muddy water, either go really bright or really dark.  Something like 'chartreuse' will really stand out while 'black' will make a really nice silhouette for the bass to zero in on.  As for spinnerbaits, sunny days = sliver blades and overcast days = gold blades.

 

Spinnerbait without a skirt?  I suppose you could but I'm not sure how successful it would be and wouldn't recommend it.  Those WalMart spinnerbaits are only a buck a piece.  If the skirt is messed up, go pick up a couple more in a couple different colors.

 

 

Other advice: 

*  Always use needle nose pliers for treble hooks.

*  I know you said don't just refer you to YouTube but Bassresource has videos with excellent explanations for quite a few of your questions.  All the vids are   on the video section of this site as well as several other very informative videos.  Also look through some of the other forms for other posts related to some of your questions.  I'm pretty sure there's one all about jigs pinned at the top of the 'Fishing Tackle' forum

*When I started, I had some trouble figuring out the different types of lures as well.  What helped me was that I would go to sites like BassPro.com and look at the different lures.  Just search for buzzbaits, crankbaits, jigs, or whatever else and you can get a good idea of what they are.

*  Take it slow.  It seems like your getting a bit overwhelmed.  You can't expect to learn everything overnight.  Pick a couple techniques and try and focus on them until you feel you've gotten them down.  Then try something else.

*Fish cover.  As a general rule, fish like cover.  A bass will sit under an old log or in a weed bed just waiting for a prey item to come strolling by.  Don't be afraid to lose a few baits.  If there's snaggy stuff, odds are it's a good spot for fish.  You can also throw a couple different baits to the same cover.  If you throw a crankbait at a stump and don't get bit, maybe follow up with something different like a soft plastic.

*Ask lots of questions and absorb all the knowledge you can.  Like I said, you've come to the right place.  Post specific questions in the appropriate forums and the people here will be more than happy to do their best to help you.

*Never forget, sometimes the fish win.

 

I hope some of that helps you in some small way.

[Sam]

Read, read, read.

Check out the articles at the top of the home page of this Forum.

Go to YouTube and type in the words to bring the videos to watch regarding your queries.

Subscribe to Bassmasters Magazine by joining BASS; FLW Magazine by joining FLW; Bass Angler's Magazine; Bass Times; and other bass fishing publications; go to seminars and hear the pros; go to your favorite pro's web site and read what they have to say; go to www.woodaves.com and read Woo's articles; get DVDs and books on techniques, baits and any by your favorite professionals; start your library by tearing articles out of magazines and the notes you take at the seminars; start a fishing log every time you go out; understand the weather and its impact on fishing, especially cold fronts; watch the fishing shows on TV.

Try to find copies of Glen Lau's and Homer Circle's videos, Bigmouth, Bigmouth Forever and Feeding Habits of Bass.

Try to find a copy of Dr. Keith Jones' bible on bass biology, Knowing Bass the Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish.

Subscribe to Gary Yamamoto's emails and read all you can about Senkos and YUM Dingers.

As for rods and reels, your basic rod is a 6'6" medium heavy with a fast action tip. Check out the rod's parameters stamped on it so you can figure out if the rod is one you will be using based on the line test and bait weight. A 7' rod is even better.

Join a local bass club and learn from their members.

There is a lot to learn so take your time and enjoy the process.

NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS TO REMOVE HOOKS SAFELY.

BE EXTRA CAREFUL WITH TREBLE HOOKS.

One last suggestion. When you view the TV fishing shows, read magazine articles and go to seminars remember the pros are hawking their products. So don't worry about writing down the names of the manufacturers; remember to write down the specifics of the product so you can find it from various companies.

The secret to bass fishing is learning all you can about the sport and your adversary, the largemouth and smallmouth bass and their relatives.

Ask your questions like you did above. Just try to keep it simple and to the point and one or two topics per post or you will chase us away.

All the best.

[bigbill]

In the beginning i tend to read everything, then read it again so I understand it very well. I watched fishing videos over and over about using different lures and plastics. Listen to what they tell us but watch closely what they do with the rod too.

Then I took some lures out to practice my presentations. Once I got the presentations down I was ready to fish. The fish look for flaws in our presentations so we must do it exactly right.

I would suggest getting and trying a simple lure to start off with. Get a joesfly 1/4 oz bass size in blackgnat, firetiger apache, and a mepps Anglia #3 silver blade w/Brown tail. Get some bass scent too like the original baitmate bass. Now go out and find your Rocky points, dropoffs, flats etc to fish from. You can see these from shore too

That's what I do. Cast out the inline spinner and switch them along with varying your presentations.

[Revival]

Read as much as you can and watch videos.  Research each question you have but not all at once because it will be overwhelming.  Maybe pic a specific topic and learn that topic for the day.  Think of it like building a house.  You need a solid foundation before you start adding the little things in.

 

Good news is that you came to the right place.  Remember that you will not be able to learn everything in one day.  One step at a time.

[gripnrip]

Read, read, read.

Check out the articles at the top of the home page of this Forum.

Go to YouTube and type in the words to bring the videos to watch regarding your queries.

Subscribe to Bassmasters Magazine by joining BASS; FLW Magazine by joining FLW; Bass Angler's Magazine; Bass Times; and other bass fishing publications; go to seminars and hear the pros; go to your favorite pro's web site and read what they have to say; go to www.woodaves.com and read Woo's articles; get DVDs and books on techniques, baits and any by your favorite professionals; start your library by tearing articles out of magazines and the notes you take at the seminars; start a fishing log every time you go out; understand the weather and its impact on fishing, especially cold fronts; watch the fishing shows on TV.

Try to find copies of Glen Lau's and Homer Circle's videos, Bigmouth, Bigmouth Forever and Feeding Habits of Bass.

Try to find a copy of Dr. Keith Jones' bible on bass biology, Knowing Bass the Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish.

Subscribe to Gary Yamamoto's emails and read all you can about Senkos and YUM Dingers.

As for rods and reels, your basic rod is a 6'6" medium heavy with a fast action tip. Check out the rod's parameters stamped on it so you can figure out if the rod is one you will be using based on the line test and bait weight. A 7' rod is even better.

Join a local bass club and learn from their members.

There is a lot to learn so take your time and enjoy the process.

NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS TO REMOVE HOOKS SAFELY.

BE EXTRA CAREFUL WITH TREBLE HOOKS.

One last suggestion. When you view the TV fishing shows, read magazine articles and go to seminars remember the pros are hawking their products. So don't worry about writing down the names of the manufacturers; remember to write down the specifics of the product so you can find it from various companies.

The secret to bass fishing is learning all you can about the sport and your adversary, the largemouth and smallmouth bass and their relatives.

Ask your questions like you did above. Just try to keep it simple and to the point and one or two topics per post or you will chase us away.

All the best.

I can't yell this enough.  I am self taught when it comes to bass fishing.  Reading is how I first learned to fish.  This was way before the internet.  The main thing I want to stress is NEVER stop learning and always think outside the box!  Oh yeah and welcome to your life long journey! Good Luck!

[TeachMeHowToFish]

Thank you guys so much, this really is helping. I know I can't learn everything in one day, but man there's just so much to learn and it's pretty exciting.

 

I didn't mention this in the questions but it's a really big question for me. I've see so many conflicting things on the internet and cant get a clear answer.

 

I am a righty, so obviously I use my right hand for everything. Well I plan on buying a Baitcaster soon and  I don't know if I should place the reel on the right or left side. On the one hand I can reel in way more smoothly with my right hand, but I can also control the pole mrre easily as well with my right hand if my left is on the reel. Any suggestions?

[gripnrip]

Thank you guys so much, this really is helping. I know I can't learn everything in one day, but man there's just so much to learn and it's pretty exciting.

 

I didn't mention this in the questions but it's a really big question for me. I've see so many conflicting things on the internet and cant get a clear answer.

 

I am a righty, so obviously I use my right hand for everything. Well I plan on buying a Baitcaster soon and  I don't know if I should place the reel on the right or left side. On the one hand I can reel in way more smoothly with my right hand, but I can also control the pole mrre easily as well with my right hand if my left is on the reel. Any suggestions?

I am right handed.  Most of my bait casters are right handed as well.  The only one that isn't is the one I pitch and flip with.  All of my spin cast are lefty.  

 

The reason I use a lefty for pitching and flipping is it takes a second to switch hands.  I could miss a strike on the fall. Just mess around with it and use what is comfortable.  If it is awkward at first then the old saying comes into play, practice makes perfect. 

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Thank you guys so much, this really is helping. I know I can't learn everything in one day, but man there's just so much to learn and it's pretty exciting.

 

I didn't mention this in the questions but it's a really big question for me. I've see so many conflicting things on the internet and cant get a clear answer.

 

I am a righty, so obviously I use my right hand for everything. Well I plan on buying a Baitcaster soon and  I don't know if I should place the reel on the right or left side. On the one hand I can reel in way more smoothly with my right hand, but I can also control the pole mrre easily as well with my right hand if my left is on the reel. Any suggestions?

I bought my first baitcaster a month or 2 ago.  I'm right handed and with my spinning rod, I'd reel and cast with the same hand.  I'd cast righty and then switch the rod to my left hand and reel righty as well.  When I got my baitcaster, I assumed that switching hands would lead to more backlashes so I decided to learn to cast lefty.  Left hand casts, right hand reels.  It was a little awkward at first but now it feels pretty natural and I'm getting more accurate too.  I'd suggest leaning to cast with your left hand.

[Smallmouth Hunter]

3. When should I use a jig head, over a weight?- Well with a weight you can customize your hook size rather than having a weight that's already attached to a hook. Also with a weight (I assume you are talking about a t-rig btw) it can slide down your line away from hook.

 

8. Why might I be having trouble with worms, when everyone seems to have success with them?- With soft plastics, fish will often hit on the fall, or when you give it slack and it just sinks. I am not sure what you are using now, but a good way to use your soft plastic worms is with a light weight. I go with 1/16 oz -1/8 oz sometimes if the bass are not biting aggressively so I can get a slow fall, and it looks very vulnerable to the fish. A good technique is casting, then letting it fall, and counting it down to the desired depth, then jigging it hard off the bottom and then count it down again. Then repeat.. Oh and counting it down means to watch the lure fall and see how many in, or feet it falls in a second than do the math to guess where your lure is compared to the bottom of the pond/lake. Hope this helps..

[aqualkinbush]

Figured I'd tackle one of your questions real quick.

 

19. What can I use in weeded areas where I know fish are without get caught in the weeds?

 

First off, NOTHING is ever truly weedless. However, there are a number of baits that can be fished in and around weeds without being completely unbearable.  Spinner baits are fairly weedless and can pass through cover pretty easily due to the position of the hook and the arm. Buzz baits can be fished in weeds as long as there isn't too much sticking above the water line. A weedless Jig can also be fished in weeds increase the weight of the jig based on the thickness of the vegetation. You can also fish many soft plastics in weeds if you Texas Rig it and peg the bullet weight right at the hook, once again increase weight based on the thickness of the vegetation.

 

Also don't be afraid to fish the outside edge of the weeds. Often times bass will sit just inside the weed line and will dart out to snag a bait as it passes by.  If you fish the outside edge you can fish that XRap you seem to be confident with. One additional piece of advice, don't be afraid to lose a lure. Many people, myself included believe if your not getting hung up now and again your probably not doing it right. This definitely holds true when fishing a crank bait.

 

Definitely take the time to read the articles on this site. They are Incredible. Many of your questions can be answered in the Bass fishing for Beginners section.

[Smallmouth Hunter]

Figured I'd tackle one of your questions real quick.

 

19. What can I use in weeded areas where I know fish are without get caught in the weeds?

 

First off, NOTHING is ever truly weedless. However, there are a number of baits that can be fished in and around weeds without being completely unbearable.  Spinner baits are fairly weedless and can pass through cover pretty easily due to the position of the hook and the arm. Buzz baits can be fished in weeds as long as there isn't too much sticking above the water line. A weedless Jig can also be fished in weeds increase the weight of the jig based on the thickness of the vegetation. You can also fish many soft plastics in weeds if you Texas Rig it and peg the bullet weight right at the hook, once again increase weight based on the thickness of the vegetation.

 

Also don't be afraid to fish the outside edge of the weeds. Often times bass will sit just inside the weed line and will dart out to snag a bait as it passes by.  If you fish the outside edge you can fish that XRap you seem to be confident with. One additional piece of advice, don't be afraid to lose a lure. Many people, myself included believe if your not getting hung up now and again your probably not doing it right. This definitely holds true when fishing a crank bait.

 

Definitely take the time to read the articles on this site. They are Incredible. Many of your questions can be answered in the Bass fishing for Beginners section.

Just to add on this answer a bit:

 

1. If there is current going into/around an area with weeds, a lot of times bass will hide in there for ambush. Cast a plastic worm or fluke or something weedless, into the current and make it look injured. Bass will slam it if they are there.

[Hyrule Bass]

Thank you guys so much, this really is helping. I know I can't learn everything in one day, but man there's just so much to learn and it's pretty exciting.

 

I didn't mention this in the questions but it's a really big question for me. I've see so many conflicting things on the internet and cant get a clear answer.

 

I am a righty, so obviously I use my right hand for everything. Well I plan on buying a Baitcaster soon and  I don't know if I should place the reel on the right or left side. On the one hand I can reel in way more smoothly with my right hand, but I can also control the pole mrre easily as well with my right hand if my left is on the reel. Any suggestions?

 

ok heres how i would explain this. I too am right handed. i am much more comfortable holding the rod in my right hand as you say you are. i am also much more comfortable reeling with my left hand. so when i decided to get a couple baitcasters, i got left handed models. with the left hand model i can hold the rod in my right hand and reel with my left hand which makes me most comfortable.

 

Simply put, if youre more comfortable holding the rod in your right hand, get a left handed model baitcaster...

 

also, as mentioned above, you should just slow down for a minute. we all realize its exciting, ive fished most of my whole life with some breaks in between, and i still shake after catching a nice fish. if it didnt excite us we wouldnt be here learning and discussing fishing. youre going to get a lot of repetitive answers saying you need to read and read some more. its not because people are too lazy to answer your questions, its because it will truthfully help you to learn more. read the articles here(watch the videos too) and read the old threads, go back into the archives. youll find the answers to your questions and much more. this is the best bass fishing site on the web, no doubts about it. the members here are first rate and theres a lot of experience going around. focus on a couple techniques and get good at them, then add another and another as you go along and get good at them. dont over think when youre fishing. it seems youre doing ok with that xrap, learn it and other similar jerk baits. then maybe add in spinnerbaits. you should definitely learn to fish plastic worms/lizards and stuff on a texas rig.

 

oh, and be prepared to spend lots of money on lures and stuff