What's The Most Challenging Thing You Find About Fishing

[roadwarrior]

I think Rick Clunn summed it up years ago and his statement still rings true:

 

Catching bass is easy, the challenge is finding them.

 

 

[Paul Roberts]

I think Rick Clunn summed it up years ago and his statement still rings true:

 

Catching bass is easy, the challenge is finding them.

 

 

Not to contradict, but to jump off from...

 

I fish a lot of small waters, and "finding the bass" isn't the issue there, unless we use the term loosely. They are right in front of me. But they aren't always "happy" or "active" or... appreciating what I'm trying to feed them. Sometimes "finding them" is as much about matching method and technique to water, conditions, and fish, about stealth, about timing, as it is about their actual whereabouts.

 

Most challenging for me: Finding time to fish, and staying focused when the bite is tough.

Most rewarding: Gosh... all of it. Still love the strike! And figuring something out. That always feels good.

[roadwarrior]

Well, I fish a lot of small water locally and am not always successful. However, I believe the main 

reason for poor results is simply not being able to reach the fish from the bank, especially this

time of year. The bass may be shallow occasionally, so that could be attributed to "timing", but

for the most part the bass are simply deeper.

 

For a specific example, yesterday I fished a Keitech Swing Fat on a 1/2 ounce jig head. With a

strong wind behind me (think gale force). I was able to cast out maybe 50-60 yards to where

the pond floor rises dramatically. I caught a couple of fish that were so pale they were almost  

white. Generally, I just can't get there.

 

Now to a point you made that we have all experienced, sometimes we can find inactive fish.

My observation is that these fish, much the same as suspending fish, are for the most part

uncatchable. However, sometimes this is EXACTLY where The Rig comes into play. In this

region and at Pickwick specifically,  more double digit bass have been caught in the last four

years than the cumulative total in the history of the lake. I believe most of these fish have

never been caught and are basically "uncatchable" using convention lures. Enter The Rig

and everything has changed.  

 

 

 

[Paul Roberts]

Yeah, finding them can certainly be an issue, esp on big waters. But in the waters I'm talking about I can cover them entirely by walking around the bank, and others by float tube. I know where they are; they just aren't having what I'm tossing. A couple examples:

 

I fished a couple small ponds this October. Things just felt "dead". I couldn't raise a fish in a spot I knew held fish. I cajoled with a bunch of things with not a look until I tried a wacky'd soft jerk, and by twitching it like a dying minnow just under the surface over those dying milfoil beds bass started to materialize. They wouldn't commit, but were interested and told me they were there all along. I switched to a buzzbait and got whacked by three.

 

The next pond (with high clarity) I'd hit twice in the day and fished a bunch of things: swim jigs (2), SB, tiny buzzer, topwaters (Zara Puppy, popper, waker), and 2 crankbaits. Zippo. Then I put on a lipless and just burned it, and got smacked 4 times in probably 10 minutes. They were there all along.

 

Sometimes I can catch em on what I've tied on before I left the house -knowing season and local conditions- but other times I have to play around. Both hit my challenges and rewards: love when I'm onto something, especially when I can predict it ahead of time. But it can be tough on the psyche when the fish don't cooperate.

[Catt]

Kent & Paul, y'all totally right!

Many people are amazed by my abaility to catch on a lake the size of Toledo but there are always fish biting some where...ya just gotta find that somewhere.

In a small body of water they are right there under my nose & I still struggle!

[Dogmatic]

1.) Finding the time to fish

2.) Topwater explosion.

[Paul Roberts]

Kent & Paul, y'all totally right!

Many people are amazed by my abaility to catch on a lake the size of Toledo but there are always fish biting some where...ya just gotta find that somewhere.

In a small body of water they are right there under my nose & I still struggle!

 

Sometimes I dig in and try to figure it out. Other times I throw up my hands and switch ponds altogether, looking for cooperative fish. Depends on how much challenge or reward I need right then.

 

Tough thing is knowing how much of it was me, the fish, or the pond. It's a hard lesson looking at tournament stats in which, almost always, someone whacks em.

 

Kent: Alabama or Ned? Both are pretty amazing.

[soflabasser]

By far adjusting to environment changes is always the toughest part of the game.

The most injoyable part is just being out there with nature.

I agree with you Geo that adjusting to weather changes is tough,but it's also extremely rewarding figuring out how to catch bass in these circumstances than catching bass when it's easy.

[BaitMonkey1984]

Hey guys,

 

I have a big project I am working on and wanted to get your opinion on somethings. 

 

1). What is the most challenging thing you find about fishing?

2). What is the most fun and exciting part of fishing?(Obviously catching a fish ;-) But anything else you find exciting?) 

 

 

I would love to hear your opinion.

 

Troy

 1. How am I going to buy all this fishing equipment and still pay my other bills.

 2. Catching a fish on a new technique. 

[Raul]

1. How am I going to buy all this fishing equipment and still pay my other bills.

 2. Catching a fish on a new technique.

The most challenging thing about bass fishing is trying to keep you danged evil spirit off my back and your banana stinking fingers away from my wallet !

[roadwarrior]

Kent: Alabama or Ned? Both are pretty amazing.

 

 

I bought the mushroom heads and have several Ned Rigs ready to go, but I have not actually fished them yet.

The two rigs seem to represent opposite  ends of the spectrum, the Ned Rig for numbers of smaller fish vs the

Alabama Rig for size.  

[Paul Roberts]

Ah, double-digits you'd said.

 

I just ordered some mushrooms too. Of all the jig heads I have I can't believe I'm buying more.

[CarlF]

Most challenging aspect (for me) is finding good bass water.

 

Most exciting aspect is the fact that long hours of boredom and persistence can be immediately turned into an adrenaline rush...

[Jaderose]

Challenging?  Figuring out what they want.

 

Exciting?  When you DO figure out what they want!

 

 

 

Actually, my most favorite thing is the toilet bowl flush of a big Momma sucking down a frog I'm dragging through some muck.  *twitch*  *twitch* KA-WOOOOSH!!!  and the fight is on.  Don't get much better than that.

[FSUFish]

Challenge: Finding fish.

 

Exciting: Finding fish.

 

[Ozark_Basser]

Finding fish is probably the most challenging thing on any given day. Being consistent no matter what the circumstances are isn't a walk in the park and is probably the most difficult thing about bass fishing as a whole.

[coderforlife22]

Thanks for all of the feedback guys! Its been awesome reading through your discussions and thoughts. 

 

Everything has been documented and taken into play. :-) 

 

Feel free to keep commenting! 

[Jake the Cake]

Challenge: Not spending my entire paycheck at Bass Pro or any other decent bait shop

 

Exciting:  Finding that one new lure that really does work as well as you thought it would 

[coderforlife22]

Challenge: Not spending my entire paycheck at Bass Pro or any other decent bait shop

 

Story of my life!!! :-)

[looking4structure]

Challenging for me is finding a pattern pre fishing for a tourney then to find out the pattern is no good come tourney day. We chase smallies in alot of lakes i fish here. You can catch a limit in one spot in ten minutes then the next day they are gone. 

Exciting for me is of course seeing my line jump or having one knock slack in it. I fish some lakes in the Arbuckle mountains and it's not uncommon to see a bald or golden eagle time to time. I've seen an osprey grab a 12inch smallie one time and fly off. 

[Spankey]

Early season finding them the pre-spawn thing all wrapped up in one. For me it isn't easy on the river. I have to work pretty hard at it. I struggle early.

My like. Being free, total stress relief, I'm in my own world, and just try to suck in what god put on this green earth. I'm not a real religious guy but I appreciate him putting these bass down here us. 

[fishballer06]

Challenging: finding fish in new water or big water

 

Rewarding: Trying out new techniques and being successful

[Choporoz]

Lots of challenges....well documented above.

 

For me the most exciting is probably a big topwater explosion.

But most rewarding for me is when I sight that laydown a ways away; pick out exactly where I think that bass is holding, make a perfect cast and the line jumps.  Boating a fish that I felt I earned or deserved or whatever is much more rewarding than most.  I can still remember many hits on 'perfect' pitches and flips.

[Brent Christian]

Hardest thing about it would have to be finding the time to go.

Most exciting would have to be for me seeing other people catching fish

[reb67]

Being new to tournament fishing

challenging :  putting a limit in the live                              well

exciting : culling the fish you have in the                       live well