what do you guys do when you get skunked?

[aku17]

Just curious, what do you guys use when you get no bites for a long time. I've been fishing for about 3 weeks with no bites at all i feel like these bass at my reservoir are picky. Is it just the fish or me? in these rough situations what would you guys do? 

[Sam]

No, its not  you. It is Mr. & Mrs. Bass not either wanting to feed or they have left the area in the reservoir.

You have to take the weather into great consideration. When cold fronts move through the bass will still be in the area but they will pull off the banks and go deeper. When the sun comes out Mr. & Mrs. Bass will look for places to rest against or in something that gives them protection, such as one strand of grass, a pier, dock, floating dock, trees, brush, over-hanging foliage, etc.

Now you have to take a step back and write down your baits and presentations for each day you have fished for the past three weeks. This will give you an idea of what did not work under specific conditions. You then parlay this data into different baits, colors, depths, forage and techniques to try to entice Mr. & Mrs. Bass to consider hitting your baits.

If you add your geographical location and also introduce yourself in the Introductions Section we can give you more pointed input for your area of the world. Lots of difference from fishing the rich waters of Florida, Louisiana, Texas and California as compared to the New England and Big Ten states.

Continue making a log of each adventure and after a few months you will see the various patterns for the reservoir.

Then join BASS and FLW for their free magazines; subscribe to the Forum's Facebook page; study your body of water; and read, read and read articles about bass fishing to help you understand your opponent.

Best of luck to you and please don't leave us and never return. There is no "magic pill" for bass fishing and the longer you stay with us and read the posts and input the greater your base of knowledge will expand and you will have a lot more fun when fishing, be it from the bank, a kayak or a bass boat.

[Master Bait'r]

I drink beer and play some Marley and just concentrate on enjoying the moment.  Even if you're having a crappy fishing day chances are it's still better than work!

[herbu]

Plan my next fishing trip.

It's a great time to try new spots and techniques.  I generally dance with the one that brung me.  I mean, if I'm slaying 'em, I don't change spots or tactics.  But when the bite dies, especially for several days, it's time to try some of the suggestions and knowledge found here, or in magazines, or on fishing shows.  If they don't work, I figure I didn't do any worse than I would have repeating the same old skunk strategy.

[Hurricane]

1 hour ago, Master Bait'r said:

I drink beer and play some Marley and just concentrate on enjoying the moment.  Even if you're having a crappy fishing day chances are it's still better than work!

Well said.....

[Bankbeater]

I sit back and wonder what the poor suckers at work are doing.

[buzzed bait]

[YoTone]

if its like 4 times being skunked i go to my dink pond and take out my anger on half pounders.

[Yudo1]

Everyone gets skunked from time to time, but 3 weeks is a long time especially this time of the year.  I fish from a yak most of the time so if I get skunked I just enjoy the water, weather and scenery.  Luckily I don't skunk often in the yak.  Oddly enough, I skunk the most often when I'm in the back of my buddy's boat.  I swear he is bad luck sometimes, lol.

[scaleface]

The mistake I see most beginners make is they cast out straight out and reel it in .  Watch some videos on the Texas rig and start casting into the snags .

[Mike L]

Everyone gets skunked,  everyone!...Sorry no exception's.

The key is to keep casting, and remember everything you throw where, how and when as Catt said. 

 

 

Mike

[MassYak85]

If the day is wrapping up and I haven't gotten a bite I'll rig up either a super small dropshot (I'm talking like a trout hook and 1/2 inch piece of soft plastic worm) or a really small ned rig and just lay into some complete dink bass, crappie, perch etc for an hour before going home. 

[Ratherbfishing]

It's you.  Just kidding.

How many times have you been out in those 3 weeks?  Once? 15 times? 21 times?  WHEN did you go out?  Was it immediately after a cold front (of which we in Illinois have had several)?  I have a rule which I generally adhere to:  Don't go out if the conditions are going to make me look bad.  I have fished often enough that casting for castings sake is not all that much fun.  You are new to this site (3 posts) but how new are you to fishing?

There are SO many variable that can determine success-some of which are within our control and some are completely out of our control.  So much so that I wouldn't know where to begin without grilling you with loads of questions-which I'm too lazy to do.

[benzmech]

Well the last time I was getting skunked.....it was beer, beef jerky, chex mix and fire up the electronics. Just motor around the lake and look for some new structure, rock, drop off, or some spring break scenery. Beats being at work. Oh, and tie on the good ole Ned rig.

[frogflogger]

Yep - ned rig

[Surfcaster]

I have a tape of the old American Sportsman outdoor show with Curt Gowdy.   Curt and Sir Laurence Olivier was fishing for Tiger fish on a river in Botswana, Africa.  In his British accent Sir Laurence said to Curt,  "I've put my bait in 5 times already and caught nothing.  Is that normal."  Curt replied,  "That's fishing."

I have confidence that my stuff works, maybe not at a particular time and I have been around really good fishermen who will "zero" at times.  When I am skunked, which seems a lot,  I keep fishing.

[Catt]

2 hours ago, Mike L said:

Everyone gets skunked,  everyone!...Sorry no exception's.

The key is to keep casting, and remember everything you throw where, how and when as Catt said. 

 

 

Mike

Just keep chunking & winding

[Fisher-O-men]

What i don't do is stay in the same place and keep doing the same thing.  I see guys fish the same 30' of shore line all morning for nada!  The fish are likely not there, at least not today! 

Yeah, we all succumb to the pole cat from time to time, but you have to go down fighting! My secret weapon for skunk killing is the neko rig on very light line.  Never had much luck with the ned rig.  Guess it is not a CA. thing.

[Raul]

Back then when I smoked what I did was to light up a cigarette, open up a beer and smoke, drink and burp as loud as I could, enjoy the scenery and take it easy. Now that i don´t smoke I open a beer, drink and burp as loud as I can ( it´s fun ! ), enjoy the scenery and take it easy, I´m in no rush, it´s been decades since I cared about how many or how big, I´m happy just for being able to go and enjoy the moment.

[BaitMonkey1984]

Happens to everyone. Usually I try a bunch of different areas and techniques to try to get bit. On occasion, I get defeated. For example, I was bass fishing a new lake in NH last year. Very clear water, sandy bottom. Not a lot in terms of cover or structure. To make matters worse with high skies, no wind, and good glasses I could see underwater great. Ended up moving around a lot and never even seeing much of anything. I finally gave up on the fishing, cracked a cold beer, turned the tunes up and explored Ossipee lake. Had a ball doing it, all without catching a fish. 

[Senko lover]

Until I get my truck, I'm at the mercy of my mom's timing for getting picked up, so sometimes I'm ready to call it quits but she can't come for another hour or two. When that happens, I usually tie on a Ned Rig and a Jig, and just go to the deeper areas in the ponds I fish and drag the baits. It's painful but I can almost always get something doing that. I also like to play around with baits I don't usually throw, just for the heck of it.

[geo g]

It does not happen very often, but if it does I change locations.  I have faith and confidence in what I'm doing, so it has to the bass have change location, or just went dormant.  Next trip will be to a new location and I'll always try to find some current.  Current will position the fish in a strike zone where they can ambush easy prey.  Finding current points often turns a slow day into a super day.  Current can come from run off spots, wind driven funnel points between grass islands,  or man made structures, and feeder streams or merging creeks.  If things are tough, these spots can be game changers quickly.

[Red Bear]

8 hours ago, Sam said:

If you add your geographical location and also introduce yourself in the Introductions Section we can give you more pointed input for your area of the world. Lots of difference from fishing the rich waters of Florida, Louisiana, Texas and California as compared to the New England and Big Ten states.

adding your location should be required upon registration. so many people post questions where knowing their general location could provide better answers if it was available...

[blckshirt98]

I have a small handful of reservoirs to choose from so if one location has a slow bite I'll try to fish a different reservoir, or, will schedule a day to just pick a completely new stretch of shoreline to fish and explore.  Usually one of the reservoirs will have a decent bite, and if not taking the time to explore new fishing areas is always worthwhile.  Also if I get skunked I always feel better after I go to the tackle store and buy more stuff!

[primetime]

I break out the ultralight rod and rig it up with a small panfish bait and hope I can just get some bites....Some days the fish won't touch anything and it is what it is, but sometimes you can get lucky and find some decent sized Panfish,Crappie, or Catfish...If you get really lucky you may be able to get a few Golden Shiners and if you live line a golden shiner your chances will now go up big time...

Catching panfish on 2-4lb test can be a blast, but some days if the Bass are not around, good chance nothing else is around either, so I like to use a small bait like a 1-2" grub, Gulp earthworm, or tiny crappie Jig so I can move around and cover water and if lucky, you may uncover a group of bedding gills, or a school of Crappie and when reeling one in, you may discover that all of a sudden a large Bass appears to steel your catch...

All above ideas are good...Have a drink, just enjoy nature, maybe take a ride and fish some new water, but catching panfish or smaller bass in the 4-6" range is not a waste of time because sometimes it gives you color ideas or a better understanding of the sizes of bait in the lake...Striking out is part of fishing...It even happens in small ponds when you know Bass are seeing your lures and baits, but sometimes the most memorable fish you end up catching  are on the toughest days when you are just casting to go through the motions....

Another option is to practice your pitching skills, try out all the lures you rarely use, figure out which ones need tuning...You can still make it a productive trip and maybe your next cast will be the one you never forget...