Efficient Fishing

[LeChuck]

I am quite new to fishing and currently only have one rod and reel. Do any of you pre-tie your various rigs before heading out for the day? For example I may have my line rigged with a weighted texas style worm to start the day out. I make a few casts and decide that a drop-shot presentation may be more effective. It may take me 10 minutes to cut off the texas rig and then re-rig the line with a drop shot. 

Do any of you pre-tie these various rigs the night before and just simply make the connection to your main line with a swivel when it's time to change? Will simple practice make changing out lures and bait a lot faster negating the need to do any prep?

What are some of your tips for efficient fishing, especially as it comes to changing up your various presentations?

 

[fishnkamp]

No I never do but if you learn to tie a few simple knot like the palomar knot and the trilene knot they will allow you to tie lures on quickly. Next have one box like a 3600 Plano container (and this is an example only there are lots of boxes that will work) that you keep your worm weights, some different hooks and some swivels you can organize things to be able to change lure types easily. ANother great hook I use is the perfect finesse  worm hook sold by Bass Pro. It has both a sharp extra wide gap style hook and a worm weight combined into one. I use several different weights depending on how deep and how fast the current is. I like these because I can rig a plastic worm, a 5 inch grub, a craw fish imitation and other baits on one rig. Here is a picture of it at Bass Pro Shops.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Perfect-Finesse-Worm-Jighead/product/178745/

[soflabasser]

All you really need for a good bass fishing trip is 1 rod/reel combo and a plano box filled with lures.

[Fishin' Fool]

For certain techniques I have dedicated rods. Drop shotting is one of those techniques, in fact it's not uncommon that I have 2 of my rods set up that way. Consider using a snap to quickly change between crankbaits.

[Molay1292]

6 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

All you really need for a good bass fishing trip is 1 rod/reel combo and a plano box filled with lures.

You are going to make the Bait Monkey cry, and that is never a good ***......

[soflabasser]

4 hours ago, Molay1292 said:

You are going to make the Bait Monkey cry

Well let the little baby bait monkey cry himself to sleep,since you only really need 1 rod/reel combo and a Plano tackle box filled with proven lures to have a great fishing trip.Its a highly efficient way to fish,especially if you are fishing for hours in +90 degree heat.

[Turkey sandwich]

Welcome to the forum!  A single Rod and reel is a start, but as time goes on, you'll see why most of us have a collection we keep on deck.  I'll typically take 5 rods with me on the kayak, and with those five rods, I can cover a lot of presentations and can tie up the day before since I'll usually know the conditions I'll be fishing.  If I'm wading, however, I'll likely have just one rod and a vest or backpack with tackle or flies packed in it.  I'll typically tie when I get to the water and then whenever I need to make changes.  With time and practice,  you'll be able to tie Palomar, unit to uni and trilene/improved clinch knots very quickly.  

[EvanT123]

10 minutes to re tie? More rods won't solve that problem. Learning to tie knots quicker will.  Finger nail clippers and organizing your tackle will shave some time as well. 

[dsqui]

2 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Well let the little baby bait monkey cry himself to sleep,since you only really need 1 rod/reel combo and a Plano tackle box filled with proven lures to have a great fishing trip.Its a highly efficient way to fish,especially if you are fishing for hours in +90 degree heat.

yes only one rod is needed and a great way to start but as for efficiency a few rods with technique specific set ups is the way to go

 

1 hour ago, EvanT123 said:

10 minutes to re tie? More rods won't solve that problem. Learning to tie knots quicker will.  Finger nail clippers and organizing your tackle will shave some time as well. 

i agree here and what was stated before learn to tie your knots itll shave time off setting up.  also when im only taking one rod with me i like to keep my lure selection to the basics which is always half my problem to many lures and not enough time to fish them all so ill find myself second guessing what i put on

[bigfruits]

I always have something tied to each rod I bring. i hate retying. and you have to be quick with a follow up bait after a missed strike!

that's why you need a minimum of 10 rods.

 

[Choporoz]

As has been stated above, have line cutter very handy and practice tying knots.

I have a Boomerang and fingernail clippers around my neck every time I'm near water. 

When I'm learning a new knot, I'll tie and retie dozens of times while sitting in front of the TV (or pretending to listen to someone else in the room.)

[timsford]

While you only HAVE to have one rod, 2-3 will be much more efficient. Plus with only one rod there will always be certain stuff you can't throw. If your one rod is a mh casting rod, you aren't going to be able to throw ned rigs or 1/16 oz shakyheads very well. If your one rod is a medium spinning rod, you aren't going to be able to throw deep cranks or big football jigs very well. I'm not saying you need Technique specific rods like a rod just for worms, a rod for spinnerbaits, one for jigs, etc. I think you can definitely get away with 2-4 rods. Also learning to tie knots quickly and we'll and keeping stuff organized definitely helps with managing time on the water. If you are only going to use one rod try to keep bait changes to a minimum if possible

[new2BC4bass]

Might not be efficient depending on how far the car is from where I am fishing, but I carry a few extra rods in the car with different lures already tied on.  I'm like many....I prefer to pick up another rod than retie.  An Improved Clinch Knot is pretty fast to tie.  It has served fishermen well for a good many years.

[Ratherbfishing]

This is why some/many bass fishermen carry several fishing outfits with them-so they don't have to retie so often.  When I go out, I generally have 3 somewhat dissimilar baits tied on and I usually start by fishing fast (search baits and/or reaction baits) and then going slower-as need be.  This isn't ALWAYS true but generally speaking...

[Fishes in trees]

As mentioned previously, 10 minutes is a LONG time to take to change out baits - even if you're changing out braid to fluorocarbon leaders.

This suggests that you might want to improve your knot tying skills.   Another part of fishing efficiency is being ready.   If you've just got one rod & reel, have the various components well organized and ready to switch.   In my case, I address the being ready issue by having 15 to 20 rods rigged & ready to go before I leave the dock.   More often than not I'm fishing by myself and so if I should step on  and break a rod, I only have myself to blame.   That happens less often than you might think.

Your next rig, you might want to have something that handles reaction type baits ( cranks, spinner baits and so forth )   Then for your third, get the best one that you can afford for your favorite style of fishing - for me that is a jig rod.   Over time you'll build up your gear collection.

Should you get into club fishing, there might be some guys who have loaners.  Back when I was a broke college student, some of my professor pals that I went fishing with had loaners.

[timsford]

18 hours ago, LeChuck said:

I am quite new to fishing and currently only have one rod and reel. Do any of you pre-tie your various rigs before heading out for the day? For example I may have my line rigged with a weighted texas style worm to start the day out. I make a few casts and decide that a drop-shot presentation may be more effective. It may take me 10 minutes to cut off the texas rig and then re-rig the line with a drop shot. 

Do any of you pre-tie these various rigs the night before and just simply make the connection to your main line with a swivel when it's time to change? Will simple practice make changing out lures and bait a lot faster negating the need to do any prep?

What are some of your tips for efficient fishing, especially as it comes to changing up your various presentations?

What are the rod and reel and line you are currently using? Do you fish from the bank or boats? 

[Molay1292]

15 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Well let the little baby bait monkey cry himself to sleep,since you only really need 1 rod/reel combo and a Plano tackle box filled with proven lures to have a great fishing trip.Its a highly efficient way to fish,especially if you are fishing for hours in +90 degree heat.

I can see economical, but the efficient part has me stumped a little. How is 1 rod and re-tying more efficient than two rods that are pre-tied the night before?

 

[fishnkamp]

The OP asked if we pre tied rigs for bass and basically none of us do. Our solution is to have many rods each designed to do one or two specific techniques. I myself have at least a dozen rod with me in my rod locker. I had not been on a guided fishing trip in several years so when i was sitting in my boat deciding what to load on the guides boat ( Back in April we were fishing Dale Hollow Lake for smallies) I had to pull of my rods out and determine what 3 rods were my most versatile, not my favorite or favorite for one thing, but truly most versatile. It took me about ten minutes to decide on them and about 5 minutes to retie different lures on each. Most all of us have too much gear on our boats but we do rely on being able to grab tackle, cut a line and re-tie to another lure quickly.

[soflabasser]

5 hours ago, Molay1292 said:

I can see economical, but the efficient part has me stumped a little. How is 1 rod and re-tying more efficient than two rods that are pre-tied the night before?

 

Its not very efficient to carry excessive tackle when fishing from the bank. I have over 15 rod/reel combos and hundreds of dollars worth of lures,but prefer to fish with as little equipment possible when fishing for long periods of time from the bank.The less equipment you take with you while bank fishing the better it will be,especially if you plan on fishing for +6 hours in the summer (which I often do).Fishing on a boat is much easier to carry more equipment , so you can take +10 rod/reel combos, ,lay it next to your chair, ,and sit on your behind for hours while fishing.I don't tie knots the day before fishing and tie all my knots minutes before I start fishing(no matter how many rods I am fishing with).

 

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard!

Yes, sometimes I pre-tie a rig the night before.

There are even drop shot rigs you can buy that
are "pre-rigged" and all you need to add is the 
worm.

I don't carry many rods with me anymore, I keep
one wacky rigged setup, and one or two other 
setups for either drop shot or Texas rigging.

[Raul]

The only prerigged rigs I carry are a couple of d-shots.

[Molay1292]

4 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Its not very efficient to carry excessive tackle when fishing from the bank. I have over 15 rod/reel combos and hundreds of dollars worth of lures,but prefer to fish with as little equipment possible when fishing for long periods of time from the bank.The less equipment you take with you while bank fishing the better it will be,especially if you plan on fishing for +6 hours in the summer (which I often do).Fishing on a boat is much easier to carry more equipment , so you can take +10 rod/reel combos, ,lay it next to your chair, ,and sit on your behind for hours while fishing.I don't tie knots the day before fishing and tie all my knots minutes before I start fishing(no matter how many rods I am fishing with).

 

OK, well guess I am still not seeing the efficiency in this, but if it works for you then it's right for you.

 

[soflabasser]

3 hours ago, Molay1292 said:

OK, well guess I am still not seeing the efficiency in this, but if it works for you then it's right for you.

 

Everyone had their own methods of fishing that work for them.For me less is more.So far it has worked well for me and I have caught hundreds of bass over 5lbs,with several in the +10lbs category (all from the shore).BRB going fishing now and I am only going to take 1 rod/reel combo with me and a Plano box of lures.