How Do You Do It?

[Squirmin Wormin]

just like the topic states is the question,and when you get to whatever body of water you've arrived at, do you have a strategy or game plan that your going with prior to hitting the water or when your on the water, then put one together? some plan ,some don't . what do you do in your op? i plan ahead prior to hitting the water, it works 85% of the time.taking all factors in account,

[Fish_Whisperer]

just like the topic states is the question,and when you get to whatever body of water you've arrived at, do you have a strategy or game plan that your going with prior to hitting the water or when your on the water, then put one together? some plan ,some don't . what do you do in your op? i plan ahead prior to hitting the water, it works 85% of the time.taking all factors in account,

Say what?

[Raul]

I never plan on advanced, I arrive, check the conditions, select the baits for that moment and begin fishing, baits and fishing techniques can change and evolve as the conditions change throughout the day.

[Catch and Grease]

I never plan on advanced, I arrive, check the conditions, select the baits for that moment and begin fishing, baits and fishing techniques can change and evolve as the conditions change throughout the day.

Same here, I'll take a quick look at the weather and tie on something I think I'll use the night before but it gets swapped with something else more than half the time once I get on the lake...

[PersicoTrotaVA]

Yea I plan in advance all the time.  Get the tackle box ready, bring the baits I think will work, that kind of stuff.  As soon as I get to the water and start fishing the plan, I soon learn my plan isn't the fish's plan.

[Brian6428]

I always research, check the weather, and tie up the night before (assuming time allows). It saves time on the water and lets me take my time to tie good knots, but sometimes i get to the lake and I was just plain wrong about the weather and have to re-tie before even casting. 

[FD.]

I always have a specific plan with options.  If you don't, then you are just practicing you casting skills.

[papajoe222]

Yea I plan in advance all the time.  Get the tackle box ready, bring the baits I think will work, that kind of stuff.  As soon as I get to the water and start fishing the plan, I soon learn my plan isn't the fish's plan.

 

This

 

[SirSnookalot]

My first stop of the day is not bass fishing, I'm checking out a number of things to decide on my location, target species and the gear I'm taking with me.

When I go bass fishing my plan is simple, weedless baits if I'm fishing canals and lures with exposed hooks if I'm pond fishing.  Once I get there the plan may change, I keep enough backup in my car to fish different conditions.

[WRB]

If you fish the same body of water regularly, know what the bass are feeding on and where,what depth etc., you may be able to pre plan. The problem is weather, no body can accurately predict weather and that is a major factor.

Getting your tackle organized is always a good plan. Tying on lures a day ahead of time isn't, unless you know what the bite is. I don't keep anything tied on over night. I check the line and keep my rods threaded with line through the guides, nothing is pre tied except leader to braid and re tie that before fishing.

I think about what I want to do and where to go, however my routine is launching the boat and doing a marina sonar survey while checking out all the visual clues, weather, wind, water temps, bird activity, bait depth...everything before tying on hooks, jigs, lures and starting my day on the water.

Tom

[Darren.]

I will often rig my setups the night before with leaders and hooks and that's about it. No baits, usually.

 

One rod will be weedless wacky, another may be straight wacky hook, or Texas, or Mojo rigged.

 

Then once I get on the water I will adapt to what conditions (like WRB, water, wind, etc.) dictate.

[ColdSVT]

Depends. But i always look at a map of the lake and try to identify area that should be holding fish depending on time of year and water conditions

Once on the water i change according to what the water looks like first hand accounting for clearity, depth and water temp. I also like to know what kind of forage and weeds are in said lake

[TBO]

depends.  when i go to my usual i know what im tying on.  but otherwise thae plan is to get out fishing and have an awesome day without any stress or stupid ppl BS.

 

i bring 4 rods usually. one worm, one frog, another top water jitter bug /torpedo the last rod usually has a some kind of swimming bait 

[Nick B]

I plan most for most trips, except those spur of the moment trips. I have an idea where I am going to fish and where I expect them to be. Of course those plans are subject to change once I get on the water. Water conditions, weather, fish activity, and fishing pressure/boat traffic will usually throw a wrench in my plans. My last trip I planned to fish shallow cover early then work some off shore humps later in the day, but the winds picked up quickly and I wasn't able to fish the humps effectively or safely. So I found some wind breaks and was able to catch some more fish.

[Justin Mott]

I honestly can't visit a lake without making a plan. I am generally visiting a lake to practice for a tournament or to fish one, so I try to spend my time as efficiently as possible. I'll get a general idea of how the lake typically fishes, fish size, what kind of cover , water color, etc. I also get a map and based on time of year and also various areas that just look fishy, I will plan out the areas that I think are worth a look with a red marker.

 

I don't deviate from the standard lures that I will be throwing much. I'm looking to catch my fish, not someone else's. But I will select a size and color that fits the lakes better.

 

After that, I will spend my first day on the lake following the plan and trying to find a pattern. I believe the time spend developing a game plan helps me stay focused. I fish fast and cover a ton of water in a days time. If I didn't have a map saying to go here next and then there, I could sputter out and get confused on where to go next. When I was first branching out on my own, I hit this problem more times than not. People would give me advice and say that the fish are here but I couldn't catch them but didn't know where to go after that. As my frustration grew, my focus grew. I started studying and asking for advice. it didn't take long before my dad to just say, "You need to plan more."

 

So now I plan for more areas than I can truly fish in a days time so that I will never not have somewhere to go and can stay on pace.

 

Justin Mott

[Bankbeater]

I check the weather and try to learn as much about the new lake as possible. As far as hitting the lake with a plan, I usually just wing it.

[smithtonbassmaster]

I usually check the weather the night before, then again right before I head out. The thing about the weather here in Missouri, you can never bet on it to be right. I usually carry most of the tackle that I use year round in my truck. If I didn't have a kid on the way I would find a way to tear the seats out and make a tackle system in the back to store all my gear. I survey the conditions. Feel to see what I can guess the water temp is then I look at what my options are. Is there standing timber, grass lines, downed trees? Are there inlets or coves that fish might move back into. Where are the baitfish, which way is my wind how is the chop on the water. After I get a good feel for what or how to fish I just tie on to match. I try to cover as much of the water as I can until I get on some bites them I fish it till the bite slows.  

[mjseverson24]

I always have a plan if it is a lake that i am not that familiar with. In these cases I spend time before the day searching the maps for spots, and researching the weather for the day, and for the last couple days prior to the day. If it is a lake I am pretty familiar with, I sometimes just go out there and decide where to start and what to do when i get there and have a chance to see the lakes condition. I would say however that every time before I go fishing I totally rig up every one of my rods specific for the lake that I am fishing and have pretty much every possible scenario covered. I rig up about 15 reaction type baits and 15 bottom contact and or finesse type baits. In fishing I dont believe there is such a thing as being over prepared, you get out of it what you put into it.  

 

Mitch

[Bluebasser86]

I have a plan before I get to the lake and make adjustments accordingly once I start fishing.

[*Hootie]

I have a plan before I get to the lake and make adjustments accordingly once I start fishing.

That's exactly how I approach it.

Hootie