The fishing tip you wish someone had told you.

[Torn Thumb]

On 09/22/2016 at 0:52 PM, GORDO said:

A fishing tip I wish someone would have told me was how to balance a girlfriend and fishing time. 

Fishing time is my girlfriend.

30 minutes ago, ClackerBuzz said:

-if you fish from shore, skip ur next 3-4 technique specific combos, and several hundred lures, and buy a kayak.

I could have gotten 1.5-2 decent kayaks by now with this logic and I wish that I had.

 

[soflabasser]

4 hours ago, ClackerBuzz said:

 

-expensive equipment won't help you catch bass.  sooner or later ur going to bump into a guy with an Ugly stick that pulls out his cell phone pix and makes you drool with ***.  

 

So  true. Knowing how to fish well in a wide range of conditions is far more important than the price of one's fishing gear.I know plenty of guys down here that love to brag about their custom rods and $$$ reels,but their catches simply don't add up to what some bassers catch on "cheap" gear.These bassers that catch these big bass are more interested in having fun and catching big bass than showing off $$$ gear to their fishing buddies.

[Preytorien]

A couple things that would've saved me a lot of headache in the beginning and would've made my transition to fishing a lot smoother....

• As mentioned before, and still I hear it a lot, is how "in X lake or river you can't catch em' unless you're using live bait" - yea, tell me that as I'm pulling out a 4lb smallie on a Iovino popper or Rooster Tail spinner
• I would've had far less trouble if I used better line when I was younger. Back then admittedly it was about cost since I was at the very bottom rung of affordability, but now I realize so much of my success is due to the tiny little string that attaches the fish to me
• Some of the "worst" days for fishing are actually the best
• Spend some time fishing in ways you never did before. I tried wading a small river near me a couple years ago for the first time - now it's my favorite way to fish
• Can't buy/pull/afford a bass boat? Enable yourself to still get on the water with a kayak
• Lastly, make it fun. Do what makes you happy as a fisherman. If that means tournaments, go for it. If that means being a guide, be great at it. Do what makes you feel good on the drive back home. Just have a good time. 

[the reel ess]

Flip the bail on a spinning reel and tighten the line a little all with your free hand before you start reeling. This will save you a lot of line. I have a buddy who never does this though I tell him every time we fish and he always has half a spool on the reel.

Use braid on spinning reels. Less twist. You can use that same line until you get tired of it.

Don't go after bass with an ultralight combo. You never know when the big one is lurking. (I still do this BTW because it's fun for the dinks)

It doesn't really get too cold in the south to catch bass. That's what you tell yourself when you don't want to brave the cold.

Instead of asking what they're biting, ask generally where they're biting or what they're doing. I can't say how many times I've been told they aren't biting and caught either a lot of fish or a big one using a technique I like.

Downsize when they won't bite all the usual offerings.It's really fishing for smaller fish, but it works.

Take days off from work to go fishing-or do whatever it is that you love. On your deathbed you won't say "I wish I'd worked one more day."

[scaleface]

31 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

 .

Instead of asking what they're biting, ask generally where they're biting or what they're doing. I can't say how many times I've been told they aren't biting and caught either a lot of fish or a big one using a technique I like.

Downsize when they won't bite all the usual offerings.It's really fishing for smaller fish, but it works.

 

LOL . The local fishing reports here are almost always wrong . I will have a fantastic day and a week later the fishing report comes out stating Bass fishing is poor  .

 

The two points above I adhere too.. . Long ago I was constantly looking for the right lure instead of the fish . Now I have an understanding of where , when and how to use baits , I switch much less and concentrate on getting bites

 I dont hesitate to go small . Little  baits in the right spots get lots of bites and with numbers will come some nice ones too .

[fishwizzard]

On 9/28/2016 at 11:58 PM, ClackerBuzz said:

-you only need 3 colors: white, green, black/blue.

Surely I need red as well? And maybe brown? 

I started fishing with no one to teach me and I wasted a ton of money buying every lure under the sun, mostly plastics that I didn't really understand how to use.  I have just recently got them all organized and anything I don't catch a fish on in the next year is getting sold/traded/given away.  

 

 

[Wind Knot]

I wish I would've learned sooner that a palomar knot is way better than a cinch knot.

[Airman4754]

On 9/22/2016 at 4:05 AM, Senko lover said:

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

I agree with this for two reasons. 

1. It will make you a more confident fisherman. If you know for an absolute certainty that it's you and not your gear then you're on the right track. 

2. Resale. A $300 and above rod has legit resale value. A cheap rod, well you might as well just keep it. 

The two things I tell every beginner are to be confident and fish. It's the same two things I tell people learning how to play guitar. Know you can do it and put your time in. 

I see guys all the time come flying up to the stretch I'm fishing, come off plane, look at me for ten seconds, and punch it back out of there. I just shake my head. If you know there is fish somewhere then fish it. I could have motored away a minute before they got there and they would have stopped and fished away. Why? Because their brain tells them that is fresh water and they are confident that it will hold fish. Pull up, see what the boat in front of you is doing and do something else. If the boat in front of you is throwing reaction baits go behind them with bottom contact or top water and fish your pattern. 

[Jon P.]

On ‎9‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 9:19 PM, OCdockskipper said:

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. 

I live in Montana, here everything is giant swimbaits and finesse, none of that power fishing activity like down south.

On ‎9‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 9:19 PM, OCdockskipper said:

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. 

I live in Montana, here everything is giant swimbaits and finesse, none of that power fishing activity like down south.

[MBB Nate]

Buy terminal tackle in bulk because you WILL lose it.... a lot!

[AnthonyBarnaoBASS]

One thing that i have been taught is to always fish with someone else while fishing. Not only does it keep you occupied, you can always learn something or a new technique. Another thing that i learned is to get to know the employees of your local tackle shop, not only will you meet new people to fish with, they also fish the same lakes and ponds that you do, resulting in a exchange of information.

[Bait Runner]

As a newbie to bass fishing, I wish someone would have told me sooner that at this stage I shouldn't make every fishing trip about catching as many fish as possible, but about learning something new each time. It's much easier for me to grow as a fisherman with this mindset.

[joeblowwwww]

I wish I had known earlier that dragging a soft plastic behind the boat at 40mph would catch so many big bass. Can't believe I wasted  so much time on dropshots and swimbaits.

[bigfruits]

13 minutes ago, joeblowwwww said:

I wish I had known earlier that dragging a soft plastic behind the boat at 40mph would catch so many big bass. Can't believe I wasted  so much time on dropshots and swimbaits.

 

wow, you must have a pretty heavy weight on that.

[Deleted account]

If you get advise online and on the lake, listen to the lake,

if you get advise on the lake from some guy and from KVD, listen to KVD,

If you get advise from KVD and the fish, listen to the fish.

[NCbassraider]

Most anglers fish too fast with all baits but especially soft plastics.  You can't fish a senko slow enough.  

 

Watch Gary Yamamoto fish.  He is the opposite of all the power fishing we see on TV.  Wish I had learned to slow it down years earlier.

[ww2farmer]

About 5 years into my tournament "career" I had a light bulb go off in my head that would have helped a lot had I been told to do so....And that is:

 

On tournament day............just go fishing, and do what you do.

 

Leading up to that, I did OK in tournaments, cashing once in while, and rarely winning. Since I said "screw it, I'm just going to fish a tournament like I would fish any other day", I cash more times than not, and win more often.

[S. Sass]

On 12/21/2016 at 9:41 PM, AnthonyBarnaoBASS said:

One thing that i have been taught is to always fish with someone else while fishing. Not only does it keep you occupied, you can always learn something or a new technique. Another thing that i learned is to get to know the employees of your local tackle shop, not only will you meet new people to fish with, they also fish the same lakes and ponds that you do, resulting in a exchange of information.

Heck some fine looking and knowledgeable ladies work at some tackle shops as well.  I'd be willing to say several here could probably out fish many of the locals. 

On 12/23/2016 at 8:54 AM, joeblowwwww said:

I wish I had known earlier that dragging a soft plastic behind the boat at 40mph would catch so many big bass. Can't believe I wasted  so much time on dropshots and swimbaits.

Awesome 40mph bass fishing. Ill have to research that one a little more before I give that a try. I'm not sure any of the bass in my local lakes are that fast. 

 

I guess the one thing that I really wish I had done better with was skin protection. I do remember my mom at some point when I was a kid discussing this with me. As I get on up in age it really would have been more proactive in this area. I'm not a nut about it even now but just simply rubbing some sunblock on is important and very helpful. 

[CTBassin860]

Thats an easy one.NEVER leave without packing toilet paper!

[the reel ess]

I wish someone had told me to buy a kayak instead of a bassboat about 6 years sooner. I've caught a lot more fish from it and can put it in anywhere.

[HoosierHawgs]

On 9/23/2016 at 9:24 AM, Mike L said:

 

And finally and probably the most important thing I wish I learned much much earlier, is that the best teacher I ever had is what I learned on my own.

 

Mike 

This right here. Every fancy trick in a magazine isn't useful unless I apply it to my situation, and sometimes the new trend in the magazines or on the TV won't work for my specific circumstances. Sometime you just have to learn a body of water. 

[lonnie g]

On ‎9‎/‎22‎/‎2016 at 4:39 AM, AndrewJ said:

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. 

got to start somewhere.  but if we do take time to ask a few questions and read.  probably benefit from it.  in short I agree with andrew

[smr913]

I caught a lot more fish this year by doing two things:

1. Exploring new waters.  Past years I hit the same couple miles of river wading. This year I started kayaking and finding new stretches from Google Earth. 

2. Reading a topo map.  This pertains to Lake fishing.  Once I sat down and located what I thought would be spawning locations I tried to figure out where they would be heading from there. 

[Tracker22]

Sometimes, try the unexpected. On my last trip, all the signs said fish deep. Caught a few then during a lull I tied on a top water. Boom! I found them. Suddenly we were getting blowups one after the other. Sometimes you just have to experiment.

 

[Cranks4fun]

I wish I had accepted the advice from Bill Dance years ago about plastic worms. He said something like, "If you think you are fishing slow enough, you need to fish just a little bit slower (paraphrased)." While that is not always the case, oftentimes it is. I also wish I would have known to occasionally put my favorite crankbaits and topwaters down, regardless of how fun they were to fish, and to use jigs and weedless soft stuff to go into the heart of nasty cover. I've read that biggest mistake that tournament fisherman make (pros and amateurs) is to ruin their winning chances by getting "stuck" on their favorite methods when circumstances are screaming for change.