The Mistake We All Make.

[Shane J]

Alright, so, in re-reading through, I have to kind of admit, that I sort of did steer it off topic, and into an area that was irrelevant, and I apologize to the group  for that. As far as me n Tom go, there are just a couple people that, despite having some very valuable info and accomplishments on the water, just rub me the wrong way in how they they use it. We may never see eye to eye, but that doesn't mean that thoughts, opinions, and yeah, even a little rubbing shared along the way, shouldn't be okay to experience. 

[deaknh03]

Back to the original post, heres my 2 cents. I quote WRBs original post then reply below.

1) Doesn't matter how long you have been bass fishing or what your skill levels is, we all make the same mistake. We start of the day or night by fishing memories, using lures, presentations and locations that worked the last time we caught bass. If nothing on the lake has changed, this may work, however lakes tend to change by the hour and expecting the bass to be where they were and eat what you offered the last time you fished, you are making a mistake......if you continue to fish memories without success. 2) I am no different and pre plan my next fishing outing, tie on lures that I believe will work.3) What I have learned over decades of bass fishing is; don't fire up the engine and run to where I fished the previous outing. 4) My routine to prevent fishing memories is check the lakes conditions at the moment as the boat is launched. Look at the water color, clarity, temperature, meter around the marina for sights of baitfish and bass. 5) Put a starting plan together based on what you know at that moment6) and make changes based on your instinctive feelings from what you learn during the day or night. 7) Make new memories each outing 8) and put the past behind you. 9) Good fishing.

Responses to each noted 1) The statement that we ALL make this same mistake is simply NOT true. Only the inexperienced, unskilled or someone who is ill prepared would do such. Any successful and experienced angler absolutely has a plan and anticipates what and where their going to fish prior to hitting the water. Those same experienced anglers also take the time to ck weather forecast, water levels, rig the variety of rods and bait presentations they anticipate will give them the best information and FIRST effort to establish a bite pattern, PRIOR to hitting the water. Those same experienced anglers also take a large variety of different presentation style baits and colors so that they can change and adjust to tweak the bite patterns as needed to it's highest levels.

2) I agree with this.

3) I don't agree with this UNLESS you didn't catch fish on the previous outing, or you don't fish very often.

4) This isn't necessarily true either UNLESS you failed to do your homework on lake conditions or you're only going to fish at the Marina. Most if not all lakes vary in surface temps and water clarity over the entire lake and those conditions can often be anticipated as well with due diligence.

5) Waiting until you get to the water to begin your planning should be AVOIDED if you want to have the best chances for success. ALL professionals in the industry are diligent in their planning, then adjust their plans as needed to depending on any differences they find. Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail.

6) I can't agree totally with this either, because Remembering the knowledge gained from a past experience of successfully dealing with similar conditions that are present, is FAR BETTER than just relying on "instinctive feelings". Although many of us would like to believe differently... None of us are born with the instincts and feelings to be professional fishermen... Any type of fishing on a high level is a LEARNED BEHAVIOR and even this requires remembering what you've learned.

7) I agree with making new memories, and hope that I can remember them whether good or bad, so that I can apply to the next time on the water.

8) I don't agree with "putting the past behind you" because your past experiences in fishing (whether good or bad) are your biggest assets for being successful in the future.

9) I agree with this

[WRB]

All I can say is I must be inexperienced and somehow dumbed my way through the past 50 years or so bass fishing. The 300+ DD bass must have been retarded bass to let me catch them.

You wonder how any elite tournament angler fishing his home water could lose because they fished memories in lieu fishing the moment.

I will tuck my tail and call it a day.

Tom

[FlipnLimits]

All I can say is I must be inexperienced and somehow dumbed my way through the past 50 years or so bass fishing. The 300+ DD bass must have been retarded bass to let me catch them.

You wonder how any elite tournament angler fishing his home water could lose because they fished memories in lieu fishing the moment.

I will tuck my tail and call it a day.

Tom

Tom

I'd be more than happy to take some of your DD bass you are so lucky to have in your local hunts!  I too have been at it a long time and have yet to record a 10'er. 

 

I know you may have misworded slightly and didn't mean to say things how they sounded.  Thinking it was hashed-out and would pass, it instead endures.  Sometimes people don't read the whole thread and just post their thoughts, which is fair to expect.

 

Not that I need to apologize, but I'm sorry this has happened.   

 

FL

[Mainebass1984]

300 double digit bass is very impressive. I would love to see some pictures.

.

[shimmy]

300 double digit bass is very impressive. I would love to see some pictures.

.

 

I don't doubt his accomplishment. The guys contribution to this site is invaluable and always brings great insight. While there may have been a disconnect from what he was intending to say and how it was typed out is irrelevant to me. I would love to see him post pics and i think this thread is a great awakening opportunity for him to start posting pics. It's never too late to change! We are having a family intervention

[Jaheff]

I need a sports psychologist. My simple mind could argue both ways.

[gripnrip]

Man, what a battle! LOL  I respectively agree with Tom, Catt, and ShaneJ.  All you fellas catch toads on separate coastlines.  Last but not least Big O as well.  I met ShaneJ and Big O last year in Tulsa during the Classic.  Great guys!  I look forward to meeting other bass resource members one day.  We are all passionate about our opinions and our experiences.  

 

I can state the obvious for me as well as other members.  I thought I was a decent bass fisherman until I joined this site.  HMPH.  I had no idea what the hell I was doing.   Being a member here has taken me to a new level.  And I owe it to all the members here.  I take the advice from the more seasoned veterans to heart.  I love all the guys advice that I stated above and others too.  Glenn, Long Mike, 00mod, JFrancho to name a few more.  Thanks for being passionate and helping the handicaps like me with our future adventures.

 

Darin

[Catt]

Let's address myth #2!

I did a short 30 minute search & found 14 times a Pro won on his home lake, just think what I would find if I did a thourgh search!

[Bankbeater]

I always tie on baits before I leave home based on my fishing logs, and the current conditions of the body of water where I am heading.  Sometimes I nail it, and sometimes I sit in the boat and retie all my rigs with different baits.  That is why when I go out in a boat I take the BIG tackle bag.

[Shane J]

Man, what a battle! LOL  I respectively agree with Tom, Catt, and ShaneJ.  All you fellas catch toads on separate coastlines.  Last but not least Big O as well.  I met ShaneJ and Big O last year in Tulsa during the Classic.  Great guys!  I look forward to meeting other bass resource members one day.  We are all passionate about our opinions and our experiences.  

 

I can state the obvious for me as well as other members.  I thought I was a decent bass fisherman until I joined this site.  HMPH.  I had no idea what the hell I was doing.   Being a member here has taken me to a new level.  And I owe it to all the members here.  I take the advice from the more seasoned veterans to heart.  I love all the guys advice that I stated above and others too.  Glenn, Long Mike, 00mod, JFrancho to name a few more.  Thanks for being passionate and helping the handicaps like me with our future adventures.

 

Darin

And right there, is why I have a problem with half the stuff wrb posts. There are a lot of guys and gals on here, and quite a few youngsters, that come here to learn, and  get better, and when a (cough) respected member puts up garbage, sometimes I just can't help myself. And as far as 300 DD bass goes, man, he might just be right, when he says they must have been the "retarded" ones, because anybody fishing big fish waters like in Cali or Texas, should have accidentally caught more than that in 50+ years, heck even if they were fishing for crappie! Big O has over 4500 DD bass  pics just on his laptop, and has probably put the people he fishes with onto more than that. 

[jhoffman]

In Toms defense, not everyone has all day every day to fish.

 

If you fished 50 times a year and caught a 10+ lb bass every other time. It would take you at least 12 years to rack up 300 and thats if you get to fish that much. I on average with working a full time job might get to fish 25 times a year if that.

 

Its big difference out there when you havent been out for a week or more, everything has changed and you might not have a clue where to start(without memories).

 

Throw raising children in the mix and that time goes down for a significant period of life, if your worth your beans as a parent.

 

I consider an 8lb fish a big fish here in the north east. I can count on both hands then number of those I have caught and I have been fishing since I was old enough to walk. Ive got 30 into it at this point, man I must really be worse than I thought.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

I find WRB's post very helpful he has that old school knowledge of bass fishing and fishing in general that is often overlooked these days. i have only a handful of people in my life that have been bass fishing for there whole life. Which when they speak on bass fishing i take in the information i believe is helpful or not and put it to use. if it doesn't work that particular day that's fine at least i know it and if i ever stumble upon a situation where i can try it again i will. I'm relevantly new to this kind of bass fishing as in learning more about baits and certain applications. since I've been 5 to about 15 i used a spinning rod with braid fishing using a few cranks, spinners, jitterbugs, hollow body frogs, and senkos. That was my arsenal, didn't need more. Know that I'm older and can afford some newer baits I'm learning  every day. I found this site in high school but didn't join until 2012 so i lurked for 3 years reading the articles and posts writing things down etc.  All im saying is we don;t need to get on peoples cases about lieing , take the info for what is , these days people are trying to make a quick buck on the newest lure or rig. but the real gold is the info from the guys with real old school knowledge like your grandpa, father, uncle or the man at your local tackle store who's been running it for 40 years, those are the people to learn from. i think Tom, Big O and many others on this site are on that list. 

 

Also IMO  I'm not saying to not question and only listen , go ahead and question it, but undermining someones years of experience on the water and dismissing it as false is just ignorant. 

[Shane J]

Grizz, I see what you're saying, it's just that giving bad info (to kids in particular), is not gonna fly in my book. So yeah, take it for what it's worth. With him, that's just not much, is all I'm saying.

[Brian Needham]

whip 'em out boys ....... its a measuring contest now.

 

yall want to talk about helping young folks and new anglers????? What kind of example is whining like little girls setting?

 

can we drop the agendas now and talk about fishing? Please.

[Lund Explorer]

whip 'em out boys ....... its a measuring contest now.

 

yall want to talk about helping young folks and new anglers????? What kind of example is whining like little girls setting?

 

can we drop the agendas now and talk about fishing? Please.

 

It's too bad that Glenn hasn't been able to figure out how to let every member start their own threads yet.  Then we could read them and provide critical observations whenever we disagreed with them.

 

Then again, that effort might be beyond some!

[Grizzn N Bassin]

whip 'em out boys ....... its a measuring contest now.

 

yall want to talk about helping young folks and new anglers????? What kind of example is whining like little girls setting?

 

can we drop the agendas now and talk about fishing? Please

[mjseverson24]

if you look hard there is actually some pretty good info on this thread, a lot of unrelated and non-informative stuff as well. I may be one of the only people who took what Tom had to say probably the way he meant it, or at least close to it, and in my experience I would have to agree with the nature of his original post. Some of my worst days have come when i didnt do my research on weather patterns, look up fishing reports, and other stuff i usually do, i just went out fishing planning on catching them where i did "last time". Now typically i am able to recover and figure something out, but spending three+ hours in a spot just to figure out they are not here sucks. I guess the moral of the story is dont be lazy, approach each day like a new challenge, and dont rely on fishing spots where they have been in the past, be ready to use your knowledge to find that new "Honey Hole"... 

 

Mitch

[1234567]

I agree with a lot that's been said here.  Every time before i leave I formulate a plan based on predicted weather conditions for the following day.  So many times when relying on past experiences and places that produced have failed to replicate previous situations experienced were coming up empty and change was needed.  One day out I was flipping, bluebird skies, post cold front had moved in and winds were fairly calm. I figured fish would be super tight to cover.  Maybe they were but I stumbled across a giant school of bass and got on em good and never would have even thought of it except for finding them by accident that day.  I do agree that conditions change fish activity and fishing the same way all the time minimizes your chances of having a more successful outing.  Sometimes it's as easy as letting your plastic sit for several seconds before moving it that produces bites opposed to working the bait right away after it hit's bottom.  While most agree I think that is a big reason why most of us love fishing.  It really is a thinking man's game even when your out just fun fishing.

[basscatcher8]

I think he was just getting at the folks that go fishing and have a "milk run" of spots somewhere. They just go hit those spots if they catch nothing they put the boat on the trailer and say the fishing sucks and go home. Alot of people dont take the time to break down a day. I have spots just like everybody else here but if the fish arent on that spot i know from the other knowledge ive read on here from Catt and WRG and a few others about fish movement that the fish are going to follow the contours where they are going. So the fish that were on that spot could move either way from it and setup close by or a mile down or further. I fish river systems mostly so I know if I caught fish on a spot roaming that if the water is high the next week those fish are going to be up with their noses stuck into the bank or if its lower they will be roaming that area or moved further out into the river and setup on new cover. I think what the biggest mistake is and i've read a few others say it but alot of fisherman lack the ability to stand back and look at the big picture and figure out whats happening. And the worst part about that is the big picture is never complicated. The bass brain lives off instinct we spend all this time and money learning that instinct. And we as fisherman tend to complicate that way to much. I guess the biggest thing I'm getting at is there are alot of fisherman that should learn to ask "why?" more and not to the internet forum but while they are on the water and hitting their spot and its dead they need to stop and ask themselves "why" and if they start digging around they will find out quick and it might be that the fish just pushed out deeper cause of a temp change or the dnr came in and sprayed all the weeds and the fish vacated down a ways to clean water.

 

I'm just a nobody around here though and spend more time reading than typing but thats my two cents on this subject. Best ill get is a penny lol

[J Francho]

Tournament fishing has taught me that while fish move, they don't move that much, outside seasonal movements. I'm referring to largemouth here. You can try to beat them into a bite sometimes, but if you cut through the dock talk, and listen to the guys that had good days, when you did not, I've come to the conclusion that the bite moves, not the fish. Having terrible results? Move. Seriously.

[Brian Needham]

basscatcher..... thats worth at leaast 3 cents if you ask me! good stuff .

[RoLo]

Tournament fishing has taught me that while fish move, they don't move that much, outside seasonal movements. I'm referring to largemouth here. You can try to beat them into a bite sometimes, but if you cut through the dock talk, and listen to the guys that had good days, when you did not,

I've come to the conclusion that the bite moves, not the fish. Having terrible results? Move. Seriously.

 

John & I may not agree on everything, but when it comes down to vital tasks like Fish Location, we're both sitting in the same boat.

If you remember this one tidbit, your time in this thread was not wasted: "The bite moves, not the fish".

 

Between freshwater and saltwater I've probably fished for about 50 different species of fish (never bothered to count them).

Regardless of which species I might be targeting, I ALWAYS run a paper route of waypoints based on Species - Waterbody - Season. 

Needless to say, a great deal of time, homework and experience goes into each and every holding site, and tweaking the nuclei is ongoing.

 

Roger

[Mainebass1984]

 Very interesting how this discussion has progressed. A lot of opinions from some very knowledgeable people. You know what they say about opinions though..... "Opinions are like a**holes everyone has one"

 

I would still like to see some pictures of giant bass, 15 lbs plus. Not sure if I have ever seen one on here.

 

Either way, please continue.

[1234567]

You won't see many pictures of 15 pound bass because quite frankly, there are not many 15 pound bass in most place.  Given the odds only a few states harbour bass that big, more states than most people believe in general, but also the fact that very few people have caught a bass that big.  I'm from South Florida and I would be shocked to see a 15 pound bass caught from my area.  Are they here, absolutely but they are very hard to come by.. Now a world record bass from my area I just don't believe it is here.