SKUNKED!!!

[Jaderose]

Bad day at work so I decide to head to my local haunt.  Fished it a million times.  Haven't been skunked in years.  All out of sync...could never find my rhythm and always had the wrong thing tied on.  On top of that I musta lost $30 worth of tackle.  I felt like I had never been fishing in my life.  Just one of those nights I guess.  Lord...that SUCKED!!!

 

 

End of rant!

[Oregon Native]

I too am usually pretty fortunate on the water.  Last night in a small wildcat I zeroed.  Did catch a couple dinks but first time in quite some time that I pulled the big doughnut.  Was a beautiful evening though and thankful to be out and everything working including the ol body.

Tight Lines

[Bankbeater]

Been there, done that.  Best thing to do when you start feeling that way is to go home.  Get a fresh start on another day.

[edfitzvb]

1 hour ago, Bankbeater said:

Been there, done that.  Best thing to do when you start feeling that way is to go home.  Get a fresh start on another day.

Maybe. I stick it out like grim death to use up all of my "bad luck" quota. Different strokes....

[dmhoggy]

seems like my whole summer has been like that this year.

[Ratherbfishing]

11 hours ago, Jaderose said:

Bad day at work so I decide to head to my local haunt.  Fished it a million times.  Haven't been skunked in years.  All out of sync...could never find my rhythm and always had the wrong thing tied on.  On top of that I musta lost $30 worth of tackle.  I felt like I had never been fishing in my life.  Just one of those nights I guess.  Lord...that SUCKED!!!

 

 

End of rant!

It probably didn't help that the work day prior was bad but they say a bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work.  I wouldn't go THAT far but anyhow-better luck next time!

[tander]

Some days are like that, you murder them one day and the next day you can't get a bite. My golf game is the same, one day I want to throw my clubs in the lake and one day I think I can play in the PGA, well not that good.

[geo g]

You got to have one or two techniques you have real faith in, and believe they will almost always work.  A lot of fishing is trust in what your doing, and sticking with a proven pattern.  I know guys that their go too pattern is top water rapalas, tornpedos, chugbugs, others with the hollow body frog, flipping and pitching guys, and mine is the 4": senko with the lightest weight possible for max movement with the slightest rod shake.  They all work for the believer!  Find a technique and get as good as you can with one or two.  There is not just one magical way to catch fish on tough days, their are just fisherman that have mastered something, and believe in it. and stick with what they believe.

[tholmes]

6 hours ago, hoggy said:

seems like my whole summer has been like that this year.

Yep! Big rains in late spring/early summer raised the water level in my local lake by about 5 feet. It's been VERY tough to find and catch bass since then. No boat and limited shoreline access have made it even tougher. I keep going fishing, though. I catch just enough to keep me hoping.

Tom

[Jaderose]

6 minutes ago, geo g said:

You got to have one or two techniques you have real faith in, and believe they will almost always work.  A lot of fishing is trust in what your doing, and sticking with a proven pattern.  I know guys that their go too pattern is top water rapalas, tornpedos, chugbugs, others with the hollow body frog, flipping and pitching guys, and mine is the 4": senko with the lightest weight possible for max movement with the slightest rod shake.  They all work for the believer!  Find a technique and get as good as you can with one or two.  There is not just one magical way to catch fish on tough days, their are just fisherman that have mastered something, and believe in it. and stick with what they believe.

I've got them and were using them.  I am probably close to being "expert level" with a hollow body frog.  Not yesterday.  Had plenty of blowups.  No hookups.  When I wasn't froggin I was throwing a Grape Shad Fat Maxx on a 3/8 Swinghead and Wacky rig Senko's.  All 3 proven fish catchers on this little lake.  When nothing was working, that's when I started just throwing anything.  It wasn't my methods or technique.  I wasn't focused and I wasn't in the groove.  My hookup rate for frogs is around 90-95%.  Yesterday it was Zero.  Just a bad day

[Torn Thumb]

Yer head needs to be in the game sonny.

[geo g]

1 hour ago, Jaderose said:

I've got them and were using them.  I am probably close to being "expert level" with a hollow body frog.  Not yesterday.  Had plenty of blowups.  No hookups.  When I wasn't froggin I was throwing a Grape Shad Fat Maxx on a 3/8 Swinghead and Wacky rig Senko's.  All 3 proven fish catchers on this little lake.  When nothing was working, that's when I started just throwing anything.  It wasn't my methods or technique.  I wasn't focused and I wasn't in the groove.  My hookup rate for frogs is around 90-95%.  Yesterday it was Zero.  Just a bad day

(I usually go the opposite way you did).  I will begin throwing a variety of baits I think might be good for the conditions.  If I determine that the bass don't want to cooperate, then I go to my most trusted pattern and stick to it until they bite.  If that doesn't work, I go home and have a cold one.

[Jaderose]

1 hour ago, Torn Thumb said:

Yer head needs to be in the game sonny.

Exactly

[dallasdb]

You missed the hook set or the fish missed the frog?

[Jaderose]

44 minutes ago, dallasdb said:

You missed the hook set or the fish missed the frog?

I missed several hook sets.  Timing waaaaay off.  

[dallasdb]

20 minutes ago, Jaderose said:

I missed several hook sets.  Timing waaaaay off.  

Too early or too late?

[Jaderose]

Too quick......I was wound up pretty tight from a bad day and was trying to set the hook way too quick

[dallasdb]

If you would've hit happy hour on the way to fishing your reactions would've been slowed down just right!