The Mistake We All Make.

[Brian Needham]

His attacks...... tone.... looking for a head to head battle isnt being civil, IMO

 

Tom has forgotten more than most of us will know about fishing, lets not forget that.

[Shane J]

That could be the problem, Brian, but I'm not so sure. According to this thread, his plan is to forget everything. I'd rather learn from someone who remembers everything, and has made sense of it all, than someone who just plain makes stuff up to sound cool.

[J Francho]

My take away from the original post is to fish the moment. Would you disagree with that advice?

[Shane J]

No, I wouldn't disagree with that.

[J Francho]

Not completely related, but an article I wrote a few years ago.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/fishing-with-friends.html

[Brian Needham]

I get all that........ but you started in how he hasnt caught yadda yadda in 30 years........ where's the pics...... did he even catch it.

 

 

you forget sir, WRB, CATT and all these old timers did it without GPS, waypoints, sidescan ect ect.

 

which is fishing at arguably a higher level than we do today.

 

anyways..... I am out of here cause I am doing what you should have done..... dont like so I am leaving the thread and not gonna rail on somebody...no minds will be changed here.

[deaknh03]

Not completely related, but an article I wrote a few years ago.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/fishing-with-friends.html

 

Good read.

[Shane J]

Good read, I enjoyed that. Thanks.

[aquaholic]

I think it could be better worded to, what worked yesterday might not work today. As for spots, If i can consistently get on fish at a spot than i dont see why i should stay away from that spot. You cant fish perfectly, and even if you did wait till you are on the water to make a plan that doesnt mean you are going to tie on what they want. You cant predict fish, and even if something worked yesterday that doesnt mean it wont or will work today.

[geo g]

Lots of good info from a bunch of people.  If I look for the biggest mistake people make when they fish it's that they fish way too fast.  If fish are not in an aggressive mood you have to slow down.  Everyone will become a better catcher if you keep this one tip in your mind.

[WRB]

What prompted me to post this thread was my most recent trip to Casitas and a post A BR member had made.

Roadwarrier made a statement that he and his partner had a recent tournament event wired, they had done the homework and knew what the big bass were on. Tournament day, they could only catch small bass and didn't do as good as they hoped, even though he was in the zone.

My outing was similar, having fished Casitas since '58 and caught a lot giant bass* at this lake during pre spawn within 5 days around the full moon, I knew where to start and what to use from past experience. I was so confident that I didn't do my marina routine, why bother. 3 hours later with nothing going on, I decided to stop fishing and start looking around to what was really going on. No baitfish in the area, bass suspended at 8' in 15' of water, surface temps at 64. Moved into a few protected spawning areas, no cruisers or beds yet! Why had the bass pulled back and inactive? Ran into a boater who was catching a few small on Megabass Jerk bait, but that bite was tough. There was no wind, visibility about 10' and could see a few bass. Put away the jigs, worms and swimbaits, got out crank baits, dart jig and A-rig, found some off colored water and fished nothing banks along the 10' break. This is a classic post spawnafternoon presentation and it worked.

I am not sure why the bass had pulled back, but they did. Next outing it may be full on pre spawn to spawn transition. You can bet that I will check the conditions in the marina before fishing what should have worked based on past experience. Fish the moment, not the past is exactly what this thread is all about.

Tom

* my bench mark for giant bass is 15 lbs at Casitas & Castaic.

[Smokinal]

I think you have to have a little of both scenarios going on. I agree that you need to fish the current conditions but to suggest wiping out all your waypoints?? Holy schniekies Batman!! About 8 years ago, I started keeping a log of every trip I made...conditions, baits used, catch rates on different baits etc... I can tell ya, it's the best thing I ever did for my fishing. Before I go out now, I look back on the past 8 yrs, find the dates, see what worked and what didn't and i can have a pattern before I even leave the driveway. Do I adjust as I get there if conditions call for it, of course I do, but man o man, to have some past knowledge of what worked under certain conditions is invaluable.

Oh, and I catch the bejeesus outta them.

[shimmy]

While i disagree with Shane on this topic and his questioning of your credibility, i would agree with him with wishing you posted your catches more often. It would be fun to be part of the journey you have out there. Big O is the only big stick i know that posts his big fish consistently. And i know we all enjoy reading his posts. Fish Chris used to do it a lot as well, but he has been out and about. Either way, Tom, we wouldn't mind seeing your big fish posted more consistently. I know i wouldn't take it as you are trying to make others jealous. There is just something about people posting big fish that serve as a reminder that that next big fish could be mine and that it is possible. 

[AQUA VELVA]

I wouldn't mind having Shane J's fishing experience and expertise minus the attitude. There is such a thing as disagreeing without being disagreeable and it has little to do with heat in the kitchen.

[WRB]

While i disagree with Shane on this topic and his questioning of your credibility, i would agree with him with wishing you posted your catches more often. It would be fun to be part of the journey you have out there. Big O is the only big stick i know that posts his big fish consistently. And i know we all enjoy reading his posts. Fish Chris used to do it a lot as well, but he has been out and about. Either way, Tom, we wouldn't mind seeing your big fish posted more consistently. I know i wouldn't take it as you are trying to make others jealous. There is just something about people posting big fish that serve as a reminder that that next big fish could be mine and that it is possible.

Off topic

Big O is in the tackle business and promoting product, Chris Fish was promoting his web site and he is a pro photographer. I am not promoting anything, just sharing a little experience and knowledge. I believe there are some photos on this site somewhere. You need to appreciate the fact our local lakes are small, posting pictures to satisfy my ego only increases fishing pressure.

Read what I posted and take from it what works for or leave it. Whomever interpretation it was fishing memories was forgetting what you know was misinterpreting what was written.

Tom

[RoLo]

 

WRB contributed a lot to the forums and shouldn't be defined by one post.

Humans are fallible, so poking holes in an errant post is as easy as taking candy from a baby. 

 

Roger

[Big-O]

Off topic

Big O is in the tackle business and promoting product,

Tom

Off topic

Yes I am and Yes I do... But even if I weren't, I'd share a few of my fishing experiences here with my many friends, and/or try to assist them with any knowledge or experience that I may have. If I didn't, they might think that I had DIED or something I can see in your original post how others might see it as possibly arguable, but I also agree that if we think that a topic or comment is questionable, we should be tactful in our response. It's important for us all to realize, that there are many young people and inexperienced anglers here at BassResource. They accept the information that those of us who appear to know what we're talking about... as FACT, so we have to be careful of our statements or comments to avoid confusion... Me included

On Topic

All skilled, seasoned and well experienced anglers on any given body of water should know that changing weather, water, seasonal or bait pattern conditions will alter the bite. Any angler who hasn't experienced that fact, would be considered inexperienced. We should always rely on our memories and experiences of each of these in order to be more successful anglers. I do agree that during each outing, we should make new memories... so that we can remember what was successful during that outing and during those times and conditions.

If a Guide forgot everything he knew about the waters he fishes and also which baits and styles of presentations that work best for him, he wouldn't stay in business very long... If a Tournament Pro forgot the areas of any lake they've fished and which bait presentations worked best at the different times of year that they've fished it, they won't be very successful on the circuit... If a person knew well at one time and then forgot, all of the seasonal bait and bass patterns on a certain lake, and all of the major structure changes including offshore ledges, humps, river bends, submerged timber and tree tops, shell beds, underwater rock and gravel locations, Grass beds etc. and which baits and colors worked best in any and all of those different areas and situations, they're back to square one.

Since I fish year around on many different bodies of water and only target one particular size of fish, it's important for me to remember any and all of my past experiences and knowledge of not only my target fish but also changing presentation styles and locations depending on the overall conditions. So I feel that remembering everything I can pays big dividends.

Another Example - Recently KVD handed the Major League Fishing competitors the biggest butt kickin in history at the Michigan event and in a variety of weather and water conditions... I doubt that he did it by forgetting all that he knew about his home waters. And just this weekend on the St Johns river, Chris Lane is handing out a royal flogging to the rest of the Elite series. I bet all of the other competitors are wishing that Chris Forgot all he knows about his Home waters too.

Maybe if you just said, we should never expect each fishing experience to remain the same if the weather, water, seasons and bait patterns have changed... it would have been less questionable. And maybe this topic was good to illustrate how important it is to understand that changing factors in conditions will make us usually change our tactics for success

[J Francho]

In case anyone was blinking, a whole lotta truth just fell out into the internet.

 

Nicely put, and a great response, Big O.  I was hoping you'd chime in.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

Thanks Tom and Big O. Francho good read thanks

[Mainebass1984]

I would love to see some pictures of bass 15 lbs plus. That would be awesome.

[flippin and pitchin]

I started to read this thread yesterday and stopped because it was turning caustic. I jumped to the last page to see how it evolved. Social media has it's problems and attempting to share what may have have been a thirty plus minute conversation in 20 lines of print has it's draw backs. One of the reasons this forum is so successful is the civility and shared courtesy shown from member to member. Please don't ever take that for granted. On topic: My take was to be flexible and weigh out what's today and not rely on yesterday. Good thought. I would love to sit down for breakfast with dozens of you guys and listen to your ideas and experiences. Thanks for your post Tom. There was alot of meat shared by many along with the bones.

[WRB]

I really don't know why the word memories became erase your fishing knowledge or leave your experience at home. The point I was trying to get across was not to preconceived what going to happen by rigging up the night before, fish the moment.

What is even more ironic are statements regarding seasonal periods and bass behavior. Consider this fact; I was a pioneer writing about seasonal periods and bass behavior 40 years ago, before some of my critics were born. Reference: Google " Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar" and look at the first page with the Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar and instructions. I made this chart up in 1974 for Bass Pro Shop seminar in Burbank CA., yes there was a BP in Burbank back then owned by Bruce Noll.

Don't leave your knowledge at home, if that was what came out of this thread, it's the wrong message.

Tom

[Lund Explorer]

I started to read this thread yesterday and stopped because it was turning caustic. I jumped to the last page to see how it evolved. Social media has it's problems and attempting to share what may have have been a thirty plus minute conversation in 20 lines of print has it's draw backs. One of the reasons this forum is so successful is the civility and shared courtesy shown from member to member. Please don't ever take that for granted. On topic: My take was to be flexible and weigh out what's today and not rely on yesterday. Good thought. I would love to sit down for breakfast with dozens of you guys and listen to your ideas and experiences. Thanks for your post Tom. There was alot of meat shared by many along with the bones.

 

I couldn't have said it better.  Tom is one of a handful of members here that should be on everyone's must read list whenever he starts a thread or chimes in on a subject.  Sadly, this topic wouldn't have become so caustic had a few people simply asked him to clarify his opinion rather than disagreeing with it immediately because it didn't fit within a preconceived line of thought.

 

On Topic.  My take on it was to quit relying on the same "magic bait" we hear of so often.  I cringe every time I read a thread where one angler asks for an opinion on what to do on Lake X, and they get a dozen replies from all over the country listing specific baits in specific colors.  How anyone can make such a suggestion without ever seeing the body of water or the conditions is beyond me.  It's that kind of advice that proves that what Tom was trying to teach all of us is sorely needed.

[Catt]

We are told not to rely on History, to fish the Moment, with Technique Specific Tackle!

I've been around this sport longer enough to go HUH!

What can be gleaned from ones "History"!

I recently had the opportunity to fish the extreme north end of Toledo Bend, an area I had not fished for 30 years. But I do have years of experience fishing that specific area and especially during pre-spawn.

What I know from history is where the prime structure is located, what types of timber grew in this area prior to the lake being flooded, what the bottom composition is in that area, what kinds of vegetation grows in this type of bottom composition, and lastly what food source is available.

During the 3 hour drive to the launch I knew what the weather was doing, I was behind the console while the boat backed down, once the transom was wet all electronics were on, and by the time I idled out of the cove I pretty much knrw the water conditions. Once the hull hit plan the Game Plan was on!

Now y'all gonna tell this dumb Cajun y'all would not know what to do with that "HISTORY"!

No wonder y'all can't catch fish!

Disclaimer: I've reached that age where my brain when from "You probably shouldn't say that"...to..."what the hell, let's see what happens"

[papajoe222]

Whatever spices you put on it, is up to you, but it simply isn't true. To say that we "all" make that mistake when we hit the water, is pretty ignorant.

I agree with Shane's thinking that the topic title is, at the least, an assumption on Tom's part. I don't, however, agree that he is ignorant. The discussion on the topic is very thought provoking and I must say that I do fish the same areas I did the day prior even if conditions have changed.  I will, however change my tactics based on conditions as I believe bass do not change their general location under different conditions.

I don't believe anyone questions Tom's or Shane's knowledge or experience, but the fire IMO is uncalled for.