Beginner Needs Some Advice.

[chmeyers]

Just recently have started fishing again after about 25 years. Seems that catching a Bass is now impossible.  What are some simple beginner steps to get me back on the right track. I think i have way over thought this and buying all the lures and working different techniques may be working against me. I have jigs, crank baits, frogs, senkos, spinner baits and so. This morning I finally landed good 2 LBer using a senko on a Texas Rig with a small bullet weight. Im really curious on reeling methods, and sinking the hook methods. Ive heard and seen some reel then stop and let the bait and sink. Some  use a constant reel while popping the lure. As for sinking the hook, once i get a bite, I try to let it take another bite so I'm not trying to soon, but seems I usually wait to long.

 

Any advice is beyond appreciated. 

 

Heres a pic of my first pic worthy Bass. Im now its not much....

 

 

[Trenton]

Honestly out of everything you had in your list as I was reading it I was thinking I was going to tell you to stick to the T-rig. Use it and only it, it's probably the most versatile rig you can use in any situation. Fish it deep, shallow, in hard cover, weeds, and there is no right way or wrong way to fish it. Some days I've caught them dragging it real slow with the reel and pausing to let them get a good look at it when fishing is hard in the dead of summer, pop it two-three times then pause, hop hop hop, you let the fish tell you what they want. Some days you'll figure it out quick some days not at all. Fishing is fishing it's not catching unfortunately. Get yourself a confidence bait then move to other techniques. The t-rigged senko was my first

[Long Mike]

Go to the Fishing Articles section on this site.  There is a ton of information available there.

[Big C]

Just keep it up, you may be overthinking it a little.  But the more you read/learn on BR the better.

[Ski213]

There's a ton of info on here as Long Mike said. As downman said I think t rig is a great idea.

It is really easy to get overwhelmed with all the techniques and advice. Keep it simple for now. Read all you can and gain whatever info you can then slowly incorporate it. As was mentioned, the t rig can be worked a lot of different ways. I would add to that the spinnerbait. It can also

Be worked many ways in many different conditions.

[gulfcaptain]

T-rig and learn to fish a dropshot.  Oh, and read EVERY article on this site.  I have, some two or three times.  Apply it to the types of fishing conditions you encounter.  Not sure if you're bank fishing or by boat, but overthinking your game plan will cause you more problems then just going fishing and enjoying.  Senkos work great just flylined or wacky rigged as well as t-rigged.  Find someone that enjoys bass fishing that you can go fishing with, watch and learn from as well.

[roadwarrior]

"Just Getting Started"
Guaranteed To Catch Bass
I just cant catch bass
Learning to fish on your own

[Catt]

K.I.S.S.

You've bass fished before & despite what many will tell you techniques aint changed that much...equiptment has changed.

Concentrate your energy on finding fish...once you find em selecting the technique to catch em is easy!

[the reel ess]

Unless you are fishing deep you probably don't need any bullet weight for a Senko. Part of their appeal is the slow horizontal fall and wiggle. The slower, the more real it looks. Most bites will come on the initial fall. For that reason, if I'm hitting specific targets, I'll use it wacky rigged. More wiggle when you do twitch it.

[d-camarena]

For the first year i fished i only used senkos and zoom lizards. Caught a lot of bass that way. Still my go to baits. I use the senko for wacky rig and the lizard for texas rig

[chmeyers]

Awesome,

 

  Thanks everyone, I think like several have said, I am over thinking it. Also think I am over weighting it in hopes of getting it deeper. Im doing all bank fishing right now. I have a boat but, its a wake boarding boat. Not exactly something I can creep on some fish with. My two main spots are pretty heavily fished so I think i need to focus on technique. Thanks for all the advice. It has made me realize I'm probably over thinking it.

[thomas15]

I restarted bass fishing last year after a 15+ year break. I have the same problem you do. Last year was awful, this year a bit better.

 

In the past I bank fished but last year we bought a small boat and this is what brought me back to bass. The kids are grown and I have a bit more money but not more time. I think the biggest mistake I made this year was trying too many different kinds of presentations. Next year I'm slimming down on the variety but in all honesty, I love to buy fishing gear.

[MrBigFishSC]

Stay with the senko either weightless or with a very light bullet weight. Since we are into fall I would also recommend a chartreuse black back square bill crank bait. Stay with mono and fish as much as possible to gain back experience

[the reel ess]

Find somebody who knows what they're doing (maybe a local tourney guy) and ask if they'll give you pointers or if they want to fish with you sometime. Chances are they'll take you. You'll learn more from their back seat than your front. If they're really good at helping people learn they'll get you on the front and give lots of good advice.

 

I started fishing a local place a few years ago because I tagged along with a guy who has a key to one of the gates. He showed me a lot in my first year fishing there. Now I usually take my kayak and I've learned my own tricks. But his advice got me started. It was very different from the major impoundments.

[blckshirt98]

I only picked up bass fishing a few years back and LMB were always intimidating for me since I last fished in jr high.  I started out wacky rigging a senko because it was the easiest to tie/set up.  I tried C-Rig, T-Rig, but what really made my confidence skyrocket was learning how to dropshot.  I started to catch fish left and right and eventually for about a period of 2.5 years fished a dropshot about 90% of the time.  Just this past year I made a firm decision to rely less on dropshotting and started branching out to new techniques more regularly, but if you're a beginner learn to tie a dropshot and you'll catch fish.

[chmeyers]

Thanks again for all the advice,

 

 

I went out at sunrise at a little pond. Threw a few with no hits, T-rigged a pink Yamamoto senko and as soon as it hit the water BAM. I snagged my biggest yet. I would assume maybe 3-4 LBS.  I also had a lot of luck this weekend with using a dual tail grub. I also dabbled in the drop shot this weekend. Which was very intimidating but I rigged one up and was getting hits right away. One of the biggest things i have learned is not to over weight the lure. Its so easy to weight it down so I can get a good cast. I have used light weights or none. Tough to get use to but huge payoff. Alot  of good advice from everyone, THANKS AGAIN. 

[corn-on-the-rob]

 I try to let it take another bite so I'm not trying to soon, but seems I usually wait to long.

 

 

Others might disagree while using weightless plastics, but for any application, unless I miss multiple fish, I set ASAP at the first sign of a bite. The second "tap" a lot of the times is the fish spitting it back out,