Location, Location, Location

[jacob2000]

I've been fishing for a while now, and I have been exposed to a big amount of techniques that I feel confident in now. We went out on the water today, and I felt prepared to face whatever situation, but we had no luck today whatsoever. I've made the conclusion that we have just no idea where to go, and that if we could figure out where and when to fish a spot, we'd be great. I've done lots of research about what to look for. I'm in dire need of help to find the right location, because anything that we have been doing has not been producing. Thanks

[avidone1]

electronics, electronics, electronics.

[Wayne P.]

3 minutes ago, avidone1 said:

electronics, electronics, electronics.

[A-Jay]

37 minutes ago, jacob2000 said:

I've been fishing for a while now, and I have been exposed to a big amount of techniques that I feel confident in now. We went out on the water today, and I felt prepared to face whatever situation, but we had no luck today whatsoever. I've made the conclusion that we have just no idea where to go, and that if we could figure out where and when to fish a spot, we'd be great. I've done lots of research about what to look for. I'm in dire need of help to find the right location, because anything that we have been doing has not been producing. Thanks

Interesting post Jacob ~ 

First off, we're all still learning, every trip.  And at 16 years old, there is a lot of learning ahead of you.

Secondly, no one catches them all the time - no fish days are a reality for every angler.  Still,  it doesn't mean we like them. 

Third, your post appears to be blaming your lack of success on "We".  Who is We ?

Let's review ~

You been fishing for a while now, and you have been exposed to a big amount of techniques that you feel confident in.  You felt prepared to face whatever situation.   You made the conclusion that we have just no idea where to go, and that if we could figure out where and when to fish a spot, we'd be great because anything that we have been doing has not been producing.

 Here's my advice.  Keep reading & learning all you can. The Bass Resource Article Section has a ton of really great information for both you & We.  Keep going fishing when you can.   And finally don't be too hard on We.  He's most certainly doing the best he can and he's probably just as disappointed when things don't go the way you'd like as you are.   Maybe even more so.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[jacob2000]

12 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Interesting post Jacob ~ 

First off, we're all still learning, every trip.  And at 16 years old, there is a lot of learning ahead of you.

Secondly, no one catches them all the time - no fish days are a reality for every angler.  Still,  it doesn't mean we like them. 

Third, your post appears to be blaming your lack of success on "We".  Who is We ?

Let's review ~

You been fishing for a while now, and you have been exposed to a big amount of techniques that you feel confident in.  You felt prepared to face whatever situation.   You made the conclusion that we have just no idea where to go, and that if we could figure out where and when to fish a spot, we'd be great because anything that we have been doing has not been producing.

 Here's my advice.  Keep reading & learning all you can. The Bass Resource Article Section has a ton of really great information for both you & We.  Keep going fishing when you can.   And finally don't be too hard on We.  He's most certainly doing the best he can and he's probably just as disappointed when things don't go the way you'd like as you are.   Maybe even more so.

Good Luck

A-Jay

Thanks, and by we I just meant my buddy and my dad, not in the sense that it's their fault, as they probably have a bit more understanding than myself. Thanks!

[WRB]

Young man you are correct about location, can't catch them if they are not there. You also can be at the right location when the bass are not actively feeding, right spot at the wrong time. The  right lure at the right time in the right location = success.

We old timers have a saying that 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish, you want to be that 10%.

I am going to ask you to look at a chart and article I did a long time ago, 1974 called The Cosmic Clock and Bass Behavior. First I do not want you to over think bass fishing, just understand bass behavior based on seasonal periods and want you to know here isn't any panacea's or short cuts to becoming the 10% that catch 90% of the bass.

Tom

[jacob2000]

32 minutes ago, WRB said:

Young man you are correct about location, can't catch them if they are not there. You also can be at the right location when the bass are not actively feeding, right spot at the wrong time. The  right lure at the right time in the right location = success.

We old timers have a saying that 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish, you want to be that 10%.

I am going to ask you to look at a chart and article I did a long time ago, 1974 called The Cosmic Clock and Bass Behavior. First I do not want you to over think bass fishing, just understand bass behavior based on seasonal periods and want you to know here isn't any panacea's or short cuts to becoming the 10% that catch 90% of the bass.

Tom

Thanks a lot!

["hamma"]

Location is very important, but not a cure all. You could think it to death, but location isnt the only factor in any fishing endeavor. You may be fishing the right locations, but wrong lure, speed, colors, depth, cover, etc.

Fishless days are a road we all must travel sometime. And its usually more than not,.especially.in the first decade or so. If you haven't figured it out after ten years your not paying enough attention,.You stated that you have enough confidence in techniques, so that means you have educated yourself, and felt confident. To me that says you have some knowledge, applied it , and still no fish. Before you throw negativity into the equation that "Theres no fish here".. Consider this,.. no matter how the day is going; Keep your confidence level up,  due diligence always, and remember this above all, When the going gets tough? the tough get going!

 In bass fishing that means,.. if you believe, think..  or even know you are fishing the right area, or just not sure for that matter,...and still are fishless?? Be confident in your choice of area before you scrap it,. Go to the tough places many bass anglers have trouble with. Think finesse,.... We'd all love days that the fish are hitting exactly what we want every time we hit the water, but thats not reality,.... Smaller baits, with lighter gear and slower presentations, will sometimes put some fish in the boat when that spinnerbait fails. or texas rigged ribbontail worm doesn't even get a sniff, you may have tried a dropshot rig, or a senko or some other slower presentation..But often it takes several attempts at finesse techniques before you find the one that works,.... You may still end up fishless but at the very least you gave it 100%, If you have educated yourself in enough techniques to be confident, be confident in your choice of area. Exhaust all the avenues,.

..After all the years I've  been fishing? I can usually tell by the first few minutes of watching my sonar how the day is going to play out, (activity wise) Not always mind you. but often enough that I've noticed it and was correct..

 But if not just for giggles,...I always,...ALWAYS !!!! have a finesse bait tied on for the day, before i leave home, considering where im going, with the possibility that the fishing will be slow., For me? its usually a 3 inch grub on a 1/8 or 1/4 jighead, and i choose that lure for a specific reason,... to describe that reason? is a small novel. But in short? that lure covers many applications for my region. it has worked wonders for me in the past.  And,... I have enough room in my boat to have a rod ready that I may not even touch all day. So, when i'm having a "tough" day I reach for that first, before I start tying on a dozen or so other finesse lures 

 We all would like total consistency catching bass, even the top pro's struggle with that,... thing is? We dont decide how the days gunna go, the fish do. The more weapons you have on your side, the better your chances to be just a bit closer to consistent,....study some more finesse techniques and apply them before throwing the towel. It may just turn a tough day, into a good one.

 I hope this helps you some,...Good Luck

[Luna2406]

On May 16, 2016 at 8:32 PM, WRB said:

Young man you are correct about location, can't catch them if they are not there. You also can be at the right location when the bass are not actively feeding, right spot at the wrong time. The  right lure at the right time in the right location = success.

We old timers have a saying that 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish, you want to be that 10%.

I am going to ask you to look at a chart and article I did a long time ago, 1974 called The Cosmic Clock and Bass Behavior. First I do not want you to over think bass fishing, just understand bass behavior based on seasonal periods and want you to know here isn't any panacea's or short cuts to becoming the 10% that catch 90% of the bass.

Tom

Hey Tom,

So I looked up the Cosmic clock and that has to be some of the best information I have read. I'm pretty new to bass fishing as well, I've only been doing it for about 2 years now. I come here and read as much and try to soak up as much knowledge from you guys. So thanks for that info, really makes me understand that little green guy a whole lot better!

 

[Nitrofreak]

After spending the last 2 1/2 years with just me and my sonar along with a great topo map of my lake, lots of questions through this site, I am just now starting to get a feel for what type of structure holds fish in this body of water and when, hundreds of hours spent just looking around and hundreds more spent understanding the hydrology and other aspects of my home lake along with how they translate to the fishing, a 9,600 acre impoundment for a nuke plant, small in comparison to many others but, at the same time I'm finding things that translates to other lakes across my region as well, I used to dismiss the notion that moon phases and such had a significant impact, while I have not been totally convinced that it does just yet for my style of fishing, I know for sure that it is due to not having a complete understanding of it, I have learned that things like this must not be ignored, every single aspect of fishing must be taken in for consideration in some form or degree and at some point in time during this curve, some will play a more important roll, some will not.

It is frustrating to say the least during this learning curve, we must however take the time to look past what we can physically see on the shores and in the shallows if we want to be more successful, we must be more astute at understanding fish growth and behavior for both the species that we choose to target as well as the predominate bait and or baits that they choose.

All of this takes time, lots of time, in just 2 fishing trips this season I have only caught 19 fish total and one turtle but, that's 19 fish better than what I had in previous years during the start of each season so the work does pay dividends, there is still a long way to go and lots more to learn, however, one thing I wish I would have done and one thing I would ask you to consider is to join a good bass club, there are lots and lots of things that can be learned from others experiences in your area, knowledge that can be gained from others who have spent a lifetime doing what you want to do which can also in turn shorten up that learning curve a fair bit for ya!

["hamma"]

that last paragraph speaks volumes nitro!

Not much can boost your bass fishing more than a good club

congrats on your personal bass fishing progress,

I wish you nothing but more

[Raul]

On 15 de mayo de 2016 at 6:54 PM, avidone1 said:

electronics, electronics, electronics.

That pretty much sounds to me: if you don´t have electronics you are screwed.

Which is not true, you can find likely spots that can hold fish by looking at the terrain contour above the water level, other keys that tell you what´s underneath is aquatic vegetation ( certain plants only grow on certain places, the growth of the plants can tell you a lot about the bottom composition and depth ) in man made impoundments that weren´t cleared before the dam was built certain types of trees ( which are by now dead ) can tell you what´s underneath them ( in my neck of the woods trees like willows only grow where the soil is moist year round and that only happens naturally in two occasions: there´s a river/creek or there´s a natural spring, you spot a willow you have found a creek/river bed ), you can surely identify primary and secondary points just by looking at them. Electronics help and you can certainly fish and locate fish without them.

[geo g]

Congrats on your love of fishing.  Whatever anyone tells you, or whatever you read, there is not substitute to time on the water.  Fish with as many fisherman as you can, and watch what they do.  You will learn a lot of good things, and things to avoid.  I take people out all the time, and have learned as much from them, as I have ever taught anyone.  You never stop learning new tricks, if you stop learning you get worse. 

When your planning a trip, just don't go blindly back to the same area without a new plan.  Ask yourself, how has recent weather patterns going to effect these fish.  Is the water rising or falling.  How are they going to be effected by seasonal patterns.  What is the wind direction and will it cause current.  Fish will stack up when there is current.  Where is the cleanest water in the lake.  In our shallow bowls, find clear water and you usually find fish.  These are just a few of my thoughts before hooking up the boat for any fishing trip.

[drc9805]

Great stuff in this thread... thanks guys! Tom, I'm going to try to google your article as I'm sure it's loaded with good information. 

[herbu]

On 5/16/2016 at 7:46 AM, Keith "Hamma" Hatch said:

I always... have a finesse bait tied on... usually a 3 inch grub on a 1/8 or 1/4 jighead

Funny.  A couple days ago we were skunked for about 5 hours.  But we did feel some little nips on the tails of our worms and swimbaits.  Figured they were bream/crappie/perch.  Just for a break, I pulled out my ultralite w/ 4lb line and tied on a tiny panfish jig.  I brought it because we were curious what kept nipping at our baits.  Caught several bream/crappie/perch.  Threw it next to a grass line and WHACK!  Rod bent double and drag started singing.  After a couple tours around the boat, finally landed a nice 4# largemouth.

I doubt the girl would have expended much energy chasing the tiny bait.  But proved if everything is right, they'll suck in anything that looks good to them.  May just leave the ultralite on the boat.  Of course, just for some... umm... ultra specialized bass fishing.

[drc9805]

Tom, I found the article you referenced and have a couple questions...

1) How would you break-down the almost  8 days of the full moon phase per day as far as rhythm is concerned?

 

2) The summer shows the location as shoreline and I thought most fish tried to find deeper water during the summer. I assumed this meant they moved out of the creeks to the main lake and found deeper water relating to certain structure and/or cover in the main open water away from the shoreline but do bass instead just find banks/shoreline in the main lake with deeper water, certain structure, and cover? I guess it's probably a combination of both but the shoreline just threw me for some reason.

[WRB]

18 hours ago, drc9805 said:

Tom, I found the article you referenced and have a couple questions...

1) How would you break-down the almost  8 days of the full moon phase per day as far as rhythm is concerned?

It's 2 days before and after plus the full moon = 5 days (nights). Bass are only active for short time periods, during the full moon phase the stay active a little longer.

Summer shore line is where bass tend to feed at night, shoreline can be mid lake islands or under shallower humps etc.

Don't have time right now and will get back to your question.

Tom

2) The summer shows the location as shoreline and I thought most fish tried to find deeper water during the summer. I assumed this meant they moved out of the creeks to the main lake and found deeper water relating to certain structure and/or cover in the main open water away from the shoreline but do bass instead just find banks/shoreline in the main lake with deeper water, certain structure, and cover? I guess it's probably a combination of both but the shoreline just threw me for some reason.

 

[WRB]

Just want to remind you I wrote this over 40 years ago based on personal observation and measuring water and bass body temps fishing for LMB bass in deep clear structured lakes in SoCal.

Wouldn't change a thing becuase I still believe it's accurate. Could add what I may have learned about giant Florida strain bass preferences for deep water structure, swimbaits and jigs.

Tom