Where do you need to improve ?

[IndyGlockMan]

skipping under docks...  I can do it 1 out of every 3-4 tries and by that time I've scared off the fish.

Almost always back lash too.

[scaleface]

6 minutes ago, IndyGlockMan said:

skipping under docks...  I can do it 1 out of every 3-4 tries and by that time I've scared off the fish.

Almost always back lash too.

Thats something I've never tried with casting gear . It's pretty simple with a spinning rod .

[the reel ess]

My biggest deficiency is with the jig. I use T rigs to avoid it. But I'm all over the jig this year. I have a dedicated combo for it.

[bonzai22]

I need to work on my top water game. I don't think its a factor on my lakes that often but I know frog fishing won some tournaments this year so that is one thing I am gonna work on throwing more often.

[Mothercanucker]

Locating larger smallmouth. I really really struggle trying to target deep 5+ lb smallies in the river current. We have 7lbers here...I think spendin 5k in electronics might help. LOL not gonna happen.

[everythingthatswims]

5 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I have, and I think that's the problem. I think I might need to stop retrieving and start letting it sit. The only time I ever get a bite is after the initial fall, after the bait has been sitting for a few seconds. 

"Power finesse fishing" is all I do unless I'm fishing COLD water. I fish it just like I'm flipping a jig. Toss it out, let it fall, shake it, pick it up and let it fall once more, REPEAT. Tons and tons of fish on a DS this way. 

[Frise]

I need to learn how to fillet fish better because the bullseye snakehead down here is one of the best tasting fish i've ever had. 

[Senko lover]

8 hours ago, Kevin Beachy said:

I thought the same for the ponds around here, so I spent several hours trying to figure out how to fish it, and i soon found a way!

It's a lot easier to try and catch something on a certain in a farm pond vs a lake, at least in my experience  

[Senko lover]

Anything that has a lip is my weakness  

[Firefish Alumacraft]

Everywhere!

[geo g]

Flipping, I just can't get into it!

[aj88kc]

What I need to improve on is jigs,weighted t-rigs, spinner baits,(basically anything other than some top water) seeing how I have never thrown them before. I have stocked up on them and plan on using them a lot this year. I just need to find me a pond or lake full of dinks to learn how to use them. I have only used top water baits like weightless t-rig worms and lizards, spooks, wake baits, and hollow body frogs.  

[Airman4754]

12 hours ago, pwahmy said:

X2 always can throw a shakey head but never can catch one on the dropshot, I'll try what A-Jay said. 

I've been the same way. I will catch a few fish on a drop shot, but the shakey head is way more productive. If I mark fish on a hard bottom I'm grabbing the shakey head every time. I occasionally drop shot in the spring on beds, but it's a lot easier to just throw a weightless Senko. 

I catch infinitely more fish on a Carolina rig over a Texas rig too. I still catch fish on a T-rig but it's not very many. It's usually only in the summer really deep with a 10" Power Worm. 

This year I want to get better at drop shotting, Texas rig, and swimbaits. Small weedless, light weight swimbaits, not the monsters I throw in the spring. 

[Airman4754]

11 hours ago, Raul said:

Hell I can practically catch bass on a bare hook except for -------> buzzbaits ! those sobs are my Kryptonite ! 

I totally forgot about buzzbaits. I've had the same two for about twenty years now. I had one miss it at dusk in about 1997.

I've never caught a fish on a buzz bait and I've never seen anyone catch a fish on a buzz bait. I hammer them on a Torpedo though. 

[Fishes in trees]

Time management on the water can be an issue for me.   I spend too much time trying to make the fish bite what I want to fish, instead of figuring out where the fish are.  I could improve my deep water game.  We're talking/writing fishing and not life, right?   

There are a whole bunch of life management skills that I could get better at, but that is a subject for a different thread.

[Bankbeater]

A lot of the lakes I fish have thick vegetation growing in them.  I will start off with a shakey head, or a dropshot, but after a couple of times cleaning off the bait I will switch to another bait.  I guess it is improving my confidence more than anything.

[Catt]

Crank Baits!

i don't know why I just don't throw em!

[Sam]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Crank Baits!

i don't know why I just don't throw em!

Catt, being ADD I need a moving bait to keep my attention at a high level so I love crankbaits, Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and swim jigs.

Give 'em a try on Toledo Bend and you may surprise yourself at their catching ability.

 

[Molay1292]

19 hours ago, Mike L said:

I need to improve my confidence level and decision making when what I'm using isn't working.

I'm always second guessing myself that I have the right bait tied on. Example..If throwing a T rig for a 1/2 hour and not getting bit I fight with myself... Should I just change colors, go to a different shape and action plastic (worm to maybe a craw) or tie on a jig!

Or throwing a spinnerbait..Should  I change the blade configuration, skirt color, or just put it down and throw a sq.bill!

Drives me crazy!! Like all of us I have my "confidence baits" but when they're not working, I just stand there for a while saying to myself "Ok Mikey now whattca gonna do????

 

Mike

Sounds familiar, I used to have a similar issue, too much tackle, too many choices.  I called it paralysis by analysis, so what I did was just started taking a much smaller tackle bag with my confidence baits, and few others that I wanted to try or though may be productive.  What I found was that often times just going smaller or slower was the ticket and those confidence baits worked well in all sizes.  Good luck.

[Molay1292]

Two things I need to work on this year.   First is boat positioning, the second is trusting my instinct.  Sometimes I am fishing and I think to myself, self we should go try this spot  or I see an area that looks promising and think I should stop and check that out.   Well this year I am going to trust my instincts more.

[Molay1292]

14 hours ago, the reel ess said:

My biggest deficiency is with the jig. I use T rigs to avoid it. But I'm all over the jig this year. I have a dedicated combo for it.

A guy might ought to have  a couple of jig setups if possible.

[Sam]

Patience.

Need to follow pro's one-hour rule and not pull up and move after 10 minutes on any one area.

Patience.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Sam said:

Catt, being ADD I need a moving bait to keep my attention at a high level so I love crankbaits, Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and swim jigs.

Give 'em a try on Toledo Bend and you may surprise yourself at their catching ability.

 

Oh I'm fully aware of their fish catching abilities & have caught plenty of bass on them.

I might throw once a year!

[herbu]

Truth is, I need to improve on everything... except maybe weightless worms.  After a hiatus of ~25 years, returned to fishing about a year ago.  There are 2 big differences now.  (1) This wife doesn't mind.  (2) I have a lot more $ to buy stuff.

So I bought a bunch of stuff... boat, rods, reels and baits for everything mentioned so far.  Kinda cycled through them until hitting on the plastic worm.  Did well, so stuck w/ it all year.  Not quite exclusively, but almost.  Now need to grow.  I'm thinking Jigs and Dropshot will be my focus this year.  Starting now w/ cold water.  Good idea?

[the reel ess]

57 minutes ago, Molay1292 said:

A guy might ought to have  a couple of jig setups if possible.

Well, being such a T-rig lover, I have to keep one open for that. So that's 2 combos. I have a Med BC combo for trebles and a Med spinning combo for smaller trebles. And one MH spinning combo for single hook presentations, like Trick Worm. That's 5 total.  I only have 5 rod holders on the kayak. But I intend to add another flush-mount.

I do have one more BC combo, but it's cheap and the idea has been to replace it before it lets me down on a big fish. I think the composite reel frame is getting warped.