The fishing tip you wish someone had told you.

[BankBassing]

For me, I learned one today.  Still learning with the baitcaster.  I've gotten a lot better, but I couldn't figure out why sometimes I would backlash time and again after doing so well for a long time.  Today, it happened, and I got frustrated enough that I unspooled about 90% of my braid and respooled it while holding some tension on it.  Suddenly it was like I became a much better caster.  Before today, I'd just unspool a few rounds after getting the tangles out.  Here half of my backlashes were because of the tension problems caused further down in my line by a previous one.  This made my day so much better.

What is one thing that nobody told you that could have saved you a lot of frustration bass fishing?

[Scott F]

I've been fishing the same lake on average 1 week a year for over 25 years. I wasted a lot of time in the first 20 years fishing patterns that were successful on another lake. I did catch fish but it wasn't until I found some mid lake, underwater islands that I really started catching. The lake I fish is pretty big but doesn't get much pressure. Even now, I never see anyone fishing any of the spots I do, when I'm there. If someone had told me about this pattern a long time ago, it would have made a huge impact. Now if I could only find someone to tell me where find them when i go back in the fall.......

 

[soflabasser]

Don't miss the forest for the trees.Enjoy bass fishing and understand that everyone has slow days in fishing. Relax and enjoy the outdoors.

[jr231]

Some lures catch fish.. some lures catch fisherman. I know for sure I'd have alot less stuff if someone let me in on this little secret without finding it out for myself. 

[scaleface]

 I wish some of the guys I fished with early on knew what they were doing . I had to go learn everything by myself . Bassmaster , FishinFacts , In Fishermen were my text books . 

[JigMaster4]

Not to go and buy a bunch of baits. I did and then didnt use half of them.

[OCdockskipper]

That what works on each lake is different (similar to Scott F's).

For me, when I was a teenager & learning, I was like Scaleface and had to rely on Bassmaster & other publications.  I tried to apply what pro's & experts would do on Southern reservoirs to a Southern California lake that was nothing like those bodies of water.  Throwing big topwaters & spinnerbaits shallow on a lake where smaller finesse baits in deeper water would have been more appropriate.  Initially, I thought that the lake I was on just didn't have many fish in it, over time I found that I was just fishing the wrong lures in the wrong places. 

[soflabasser]

13 minutes ago, JigMaster4 said:

Not to go and buy a bunch of baits. I did and then didnt use half of them.

Same here.Those lures become part of my fishing lure collection or are given away to family members . 

[riverbasser]

Hard to say. I think I struggled for a long time trying to force fish to bite the way I wanted them too instead of figuring out what they wanted. 

[MikeWright]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

 I wish some of the guys I fished with early on knew what they were doing . I had to go learn everything by myself . Bassmaster , FishinFacts , In Fishermen were my text books . 

First thing that comes to.mind when you say text books...is man you're an old school

[Molay1292]

When you catch a fish don't take it for granted.   Take the time to try an understand why that fish was there, why it bit the bait you presented.  Look at the depth, water color, temp, wind direction, shadows, structure, cover, try and take in as much as you can about why, why, why.  It can really help you start to understand some things, and find a pattern.    

Trust your instinct and don't let anyone talk you out of them, find out for yourself.

 

[AndrewJ]

I wish I understood fishing rods and reels more thoroughly when i started.  This would have saved me some money as I have a few fishing rods and reels that are not what I want and I could have avoided buying them by doing some research. 

["hamma"]

Exactly the same as Scaleface, I primarily fished a bog, a small reservoir, and a couple small ponds. To only have the same magazines to go by, I was at a huge loss and struggled for years, then I eventually learned that the techniques depicted, needed to be applied in different manners to work up here. It took many years and I must say,...It would have been nice to have someone "teach" me, But then I wouldnt have become the angler I am now. My diligence and determination on the water is what it is, and I can attribute that to those days I struggled. 

 I can remember using a old bagley's fat cat crankbait in the bog, as a topwater technique, jerking it to dive a few feet, like a dying bluegill, and snagging brush, slime, weeds, etc.,and not many bass....lol.

 Slowrolling a spinnerbait in the res, on the ever so slight "channel" in summertime searching for key cover on structure, which just wasn't there,. fishing that 90% of the res that had no fish,.....

 And casting a original berkley powerworm weightless on a eagle claw weedless bait hook, rigged with a slight twist by pushing the worm on just a bit too much, this created a "spin" for the worms presentation, hoping to create a better vibe in the weeds. Hence, how I learned the valuable lesson of fixing line twist,... To think of the money wasted on new line back then,..omg. I did catch a few fish, but under extremely aggravating conditions. 

  As for baitcasting gear? OMG,.. 3 full seasons of pulling my hair out till I finally gave up. I "learned" from my team partner many years later.

Also, I learned the hard way about: DEET, sunburn, heat exhaustion, and to never go barhopping the night before a early am canoe outing, cheap snaps suck, sunglasses are better than losing a eye, and before you push off a log with a paddle? look to see if there's a dangerous snake on that log first, they will slither down the paddle. Gigantic ancient snapping turtles will attempt to flip your canoe, if you have a bass on a stringer, hung over the gunnel into the water. Slow moving puddle jumper type rigs, are at a loss on big lakes, when there's a threat of lightning.

Just for a few tips I "remember",... Im now like one of those old guys, I used to curse at the launch,..that took so long getting ready to shove off while I waited in my truck. And now I know why they did so. lol

[Senko lover]

I wish I had understood more about which rods and reels to buy. Don't go cheap; you'll regret it later.

[Torn Thumb]

I wish I wasn't led to believe that nightcrawlers and bobbers should be held up on a pedestal. I wish I was taught to fish for more than just trout. These things I learned only more recently. I could have been having more fun all these years.

[NYWayfarer]

2 hours ago, Torn Thumb said:

I wish I wasn't led to believe that nightcrawlers and bobbers should be held up on a pedestal.

Same here. I was taught how to fish with live bait (crawlers, shiners, craws, etc.) and that artificial baits don't work.

When I left the nest I became experimental and tried new things. I can still remember the first trout I caught on a rooster tail. I am now fishing with almost 100% artificial baits.

I also wish I had learned sooner that the Ugly Stick is not the best rod in the world.

[jr231]

I think ugly stick is hard to beat for the money tho..

[NYWayfarer]

21 minutes ago, Yeajray231 said:

I think ugly stick is hard to beat for the money tho..

I did love my ugly sticks back in the day but I would rather have a Berkley Lightning rod for the same money. Much more sensitive than the mushy tipped ugly stick.

[scaleface]

To go further on my last post ,when I started bass fishing from a  boat in a bass club  , not one of the guys I fished  with had any idea on thermoclines and offshore structure . It sure would have saved me a lot of Trial and error if there was someone who understood  deep fishing . Every last one of them was a bank beater and I knew we were missing out on the best fishing our lakes had to offer .

[crypt]

keep it simple.don't over think it. 

[Scott F]

One thing that stands out to me about the replies on this thread. IF, someone had given the advice that we now find valuable, way back when, would we have been wise enough to listen and done as we were told? I'm sure we all got good advice from our parents when we were young. How many of us ignored that wisdom and went out and did something stupid anyway?

[Robeng]

Well put Scott F.

[buzzed bait]

1. don't buy everything in every color, every size right off the bat

2. get a 2nd and 3rd job for buying tackle

3. only marry a chick with a lot of money that lets you fish all the time (this would eliminate the need for 1 & 2)!!!

[Surfcaster]

That you had to bounce a crankbait off something in order to trigger strikes.  When I was younger I tried my best not to get hung and loose my crankbaits (and rarely caught fish).  Now it seems I have be hung up on a submerged tree or digging a trench on the bottom, on every cast, in order to get a bite.

[A-Jay]

There are a few concepts that I've come to know over the years that had I know them many years ago, when fishing was different, may have had an impact on my fish catches.

Bass (and often Very Big Bass) can be caught the day the Ice goes out.  I used to Wait for warmed weather - Stuu-Pid.

Wish I knew what a drop shot was in 1966.

And finally, wish I knew the power of speed back in the day as well.

A-Jay