FRUSTRATED!!

[Buffdaddy54]

Im about ready to throw in the towel. 7 outings in a row no fish no bites and on different lakes. I have no idea what I am doing, obviously since I'm not getting any bites. Ive thrown everything but the kitchen sink out there and nothing. I'm so close to calling it quits and packing up my stuff for the year. No fun gettin skunked every time out. 

Road Warrior I have followed your advice and walked the bank throwing Senkos first, nothing, then I've thrown the Fat Ika, nothing, worms, nothing, chatterbait,nothing, buzzbaits, nothing. Can someone explain to me what you would throw and in what order?  From the bank, first cast of the day what are you using first and why? Most water I go to is stained with vegetation, fishing from bank so am limited as far as structure. I do not have the ability to fish early, early, early. Sometimes I can get out just before dark but not often so most of my fishing is done mid to late morning. Temps are going to be near 100 the next few days with no chance of rain. 

Desperate for a bite!

[Jonathan Evans]

Tell me the conditions of the spot you are fishing. I am new to bass fishing as well but With help from guys here I have an a handful of tactics that have made my fishing much more successful.

[bigturtle]

use live worms to see if theres actually fish where you are fishing.

[Turkey sandwich]

1. Don't jump off a cliff.  

2. Take a deep breath. 

3. Learn. 

 

Anything can be frustrating for beginners, especially without hands on guidance.  Forget everything that's complicated and make things as simple as possible.  This also means you need to forget your ego.  Conditions, forage, and the body of water itself dictate where and how to fish, nothing else.  

So, here's the likely deal with your conditions... It's going to be very hot and the days are going to be long, so that means lower oxygen content in shallow water.  Some of the days coming up are showing lots of sun which means fish are going to relate to deep structure or cover that provides shade.  It also means that your early morning and evening bites are going to be best.  You might get decent pockets of activity during the day, but it'll likely be deep or in the weeds.  If you're fishing from shore, these aren't likely to be the easiest days. 

When your confidence sucks, you're going to struggle, period.  This might be a good opportunity to hire a guide and learn something on the water.  A good guide can sometimes teach you more about conditions and a body of water in one day than you'll learn struggling on your own for an entire season. 

[riverbasser]

Its hard when you try to force fish. Fishing is suppose to be a relaxing hobby, if its not then its not fun hobby. If I was fishing strictly from the bank I wouldn't only be targeting bass. Don't forget the reason your there. Relax and catch some fish. Throw out a catfish line and bass fish while waiting for a bite. Have fun and just learn as you go.

[DogBone_384]

I've been in your shoes.  Listen to the membership.  Grab some live bait like worms or shiners and verify there are fish where you're casting.  Keep your artificial baits simple.  A Texas rigged worm, spinner bait, or even in-line spinner if need be.  

It's also Summer, which is the slowest time of the year in places.  

Lastly, there's plenty of support here from the membership. Things will turn around for you. 

Good luck out there. 

[wnspain]

If ya don't catch the bite on top water EARLY, then you might as well fish deep. Unless you have depth charts, or some other means of determining depth, summer fishing can be frustrating to say the least. Try night fishing and see if changes your luck..you may be pleasantly surprised 

[MassYak85]

1 hour ago, Buffdaddy54 said:

 Ive thrown everything but the kitchen sink out there and nothing.

Clearly the problem lies here. Try this.

All joking aside I would say either

- Try live bait for a little bit just to make sure the spots you are fishing can produce at least some fish

- Try to get on an early morning topwater bite (if you can, you did say you can't get out super early)

- Fish deep during the day, I know you are fishing from the bank but try to find spots from shore where the bank is steep, and fish can come up to feed while still having access to deeper water. 

We've all had days where we "should have been catching fish" but it just didn't happen. It is frustrating, but keep at it, the guys above have posted good advice. And remember, a bad day of fishing is still a day of fishing, it's good to just be out there. 

 

[Kyhokie]

find someone who is better than you at fishing. Might be a friend, might be a guide. Go with them and watch/imitate what they do. I learn a lot here and on the water by myself,  but I almost always learn something new with a better fisherman. Keep your head up and when in doubt, 8 lb test, ned rig tied directly to your line, med light spinning gear. If that dont work, buy an R/C car. Tight lines man.

[NorcalBassin]

Agree with the live bait recommendations. Not necessarily a "sporty" way to catch bass, but it should be a slumpbuster.

[Jonathan Evans]

3 hours ago, Buffdaddy54 said:

Im about ready to throw in the towel. 7 outings in a row no fish no bites and on different lakes. I have no idea what I am doing, obviously since I'm not getting any bites. Ive thrown everything but the kitchen sink out there and nothing. I'm so close to calling it quits and packing up my stuff for the year. No fun gettin skunked every time out. 

Road Warrior I have followed your advice and walked the bank throwing Senkos first, nothing, then I've thrown the Fat Ika, nothing, worms, nothing, chatterbait,nothing, buzzbaits, nothing. Can someone explain to me what you would throw and in what order?  From the bank, first cast of the day what are you using first and why? Most water I go to is stained with vegetation, fishing from bank so am limited as far as structure. I do not have the ability to fish early, early, early. Sometimes I can get out just before dark but not often so most of my fishing is done mid to late morning. Temps are going to be near 100 the next few days with no chance of rain. 

Desperate for a bite!

 This is advice that came from the people on this forum. You need to remember its hot and we are bank fishermen. This is the hardest time of the year for us and it can get a bit hopeless at times. I take 3 poles with me when I go and they all have a soft plastic on them. I use one for a Texas rig Sinko, one for a Texas rig worm and one for a weightless fluke. I just asked around on here what people used the most in summer and those 3 are always mentioned. Ever since I started doing this i have not had one skunk day at all. I might only catch 1 or 2 on a slow day but I am fishing a pressured pond in the middle of summer so I can live with those numbers. Use as little weight as possible and WORK IT SLOW! let that worm sit for 10 seconds and give it a little pop or drag it really slow. Also, Every fish I caught from the bank was caught while I was standing more then 10 feet from the water. Fish spend most of the time looking up for forage so they will see you before you see them. Remember this is a Apex predator that has been perfected over 3.5 million years. They are good at what they do and are intune with their senses like you cannot imagine. 

[Molay1292]

Just go have some fun, if that means taking some worms and bobber and sitting under a tree catching bluegill.   Fishing is suppose to be fun not frustrating.

[Hogsticker]

I agree with MassYak85. I'm always looking for areas where fish have quick access to deeper water. Look at the landscape you're standing on. If it isn't somewhat steep, move. How bad is the vegetation? Can you navigate away from it? You need to find out if fish are indeed in the area. When I'm fishing a new spot from the bank I always start with 2 presentations. A small paddle tail swimbait and a flick shake style worm. Fan cast the paddle tail. Work it on top and then the bottom. Fan cast the wacky rigged flick shake on the lightest weight possible and let it sink on a semi slack line. Try dead sticking a small stick bait in areas you feel in your gut fish should be. Lastly, split shot a small creature / craw imitation. You just have to keep experimenting until you get a strike and the light bulb goes off. If you get nada after all that it's probably time to find a different spot. Getting frustrated won't help. You gotta be zen man, dialed in and in tune. Don't give up. When you figure it out it will be that much more rewarding. 

[Acerty]

Are you fishing into the night, or do you leave as nightfall starts? A lot of the time, any bite there is or was can shutdown as the sun sets until the sky turns completely dark, and in the dog days of summer the night bite can be better than the day bite all together. 

 

You mention that there is a lot of vegetation in the water, does this extend straight to the top of the water? I know you've tossed buzzbaits, spinners, etc. Have you running a hollow body frog around the lake? Also, have you gone finesse style on the lake or used over sized worms? 

 

Also, if you are fishing a well cleared, common, everybody fishes spot that can hurt your chances of a bite too and you need to find different angles or different spot. Even if that means something as simple as walking in the water a few feet to open up new angles of retrieve. 

[crypt]

9 hours ago, Turkey sandwich said:

1. Don't jump off a cliff.  

2. Take a deep breath. 

3. Learn. 

 

Anything can be frustrating for beginners, especially without hands on guidance.  Forget everything that's complicated and make things as simple as possible.  This also means you need to forget your ego.  Conditions, forage, and the body of water itself dictate where and how to fish, nothing else.  

So, here's the likely deal with your conditions... It's going to be very hot and the days are going to be long, so that means lower oxygen content in shallow water.  Some of the days coming up are showing lots of sun which means fish are going to relate to deep structure or cover that provides shade.  It also means that your early morning and evening bites are going to be best.  You might get decent pockets of activity during the day, but it'll likely be deep or in the weeds.  If you're fishing from shore, these aren't likely to be the easiest days. 

When your confidence sucks, you're going to struggle, period.  This might be a good opportunity to hire a guide and learn something on the water.  A good guide can sometimes teach you more about conditions and a body of water in one day than you'll learn struggling on your own for an entire season. 

slow down.........use smaller baits........like Turkey sandwich said take a deep breath and learn. we all go through it.     now if we only had a 12 step for people like us...........

[frogflogger]

throw a topwater - they're fun

[scaleface]

You need some sort of water craft . I've fished from 10 foot jon boats on up , plastic boats , canoes , kayaks and bass boats .  

[Fishinthefish]

Find stickups, find lay downs, find cover, shaded areas, go to the side of the bank that you can fish with the wind to your back so the cooler bottom water is churning up and the hotter water is being pushed away from you. Throw texas rigs into the lay downs and stick ups, throw ned rigs as close to them as possible, hit holes in any weed beds, or hydrilla areas you can find. Fish slow, fish smaller.

[Cgrinder]

 Bank fishing during the day in summer can suck. Downsize your presentation and work your way up. Sounds like you need a few dinks to get the confidence back.

[OCdockskipper]

49 minutes ago, scaleface said:

You need some sort of water craft . I've fished from 10 foot jon boats on up , plastic boats , canoes , kayaks and bass boats .  

Don't forget those little pedal boats, they are a pain in the wind, but they can get you where you want to.

[trick worms]

Summer is a VERY tough time to fish from the bank. Try fishing small ponds or places you know have bass in them.

[You_Only_Live_Once_Fishing]

12 hours ago, riverbasser said:

Its hard when you try to force fish. Fishing is suppose to be a relaxing hobby, if its not then its not fun hobby. If I was fishing strictly from the bank I wouldn't only be targeting bass. Don't forget the reason your there. Relax and catch some fish. Throw out a catfish line and bass fish while waiting for a bite. Have fun and just learn as you go.

 

11 hours ago, Kyhokie said:

find someone who is better than you at fishing. Might be a friend, might be a guide. Go with them and watch/imitate what they do. I learn a lot here and on the water by myself,  but I almost always learn something new with a better fisherman. Keep your head up and when in doubt, 8 lb test, ned rig tied directly to your line, med light spinning gear. If that dont work, buy an R/C car. Tight lines man.

great ideas ^ i fish a small pond with a dock. I bring 3-4 rods. I leave my tackle bag on the dock. set out 2 03 rods for catfish or (if I'm UNlucky)  a turtle. then i bass fish by covering water. Tie on a 1/0 or 2/0 EWG Worm hook, get a pack of zoom finesse worms 4.5" get a 1/8 oz worm weight, use this aka texas rig. cast shallow to cove and work slow. then fish small cranks or topwater shallow and in the middle. soft bodied swimsuits work too

slow down

small baits

patience

=fish

[Buffdaddy54]

Thanks everybody for the encouragement and advice. Quick question, you get to the place where you are going to fish say just after sun rise, what's the first thing you throw and why? Besides top water. My method was to go top water (frog,pop r )and when that did not work I went to a wacky rigged Senko. I have NO confidence in worms. I want to use them but not sure I would feel the bite. I guess why not though right? Nothing else has worked. 

So again, let's say you get there after sun up, what's the first thing you throw and why?

Thanks again for the help

[Kyhokie]

@Buffdaddy54 I enjoy all types of topwater, but when I first started, I threw mostly moving lures (buzzbaits and jitterbugs). I gained confidence in these, then moved on to more challenging presentations. It may not look like it but there is a lot going on when fishing poppers and spooks. That being said one of the first things I throw if I get to my pond in the morning is a tex rigged salamander.

[Turkey sandwich]

Dude! You can't complain being frustrated if you aren't throwing arguably the best confidence bait of all time!  I'd wager pretty heavily that if polled, the members of this forum, from total novice to sponsored tournament fishermen have caught more fish on Texas or Carolina rigged worms than any other presentation.  Personally, 1/2 of all largemouth over 20" I've ever caught have come on Culprit ribbon tails, Power bait curl tails, or similar worms Texas or Carolina rigged.  Fishing from shore, you NEED to learn to fish T-rigs and finesse/light C-rigs.  If I'm fishing for largemouth, unless the conditions are really ridiculous, I'll always have a T-rig tied on at least one rod.