The fishing tip you wish someone had told you.

[GORDO]

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

[Scott F]

8 minutes ago, GORDO said:

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

The Flying Wallendas couldn't balance on that tightrope! 

[A-Jay]

44 minutes ago, GORDO said:

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

Have a girlfriend that DRAGS YOU fishing ~

A-Jay

[blckshirt98]

I wish I could have had it drilled in my head more that you just need to keep your color selection simple.  No need for 15 different colors of the same size/brand of senkos, worms, crankbaits, etc.

[WRB]

I shared "The Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar" back in 1974.

Tom

[BiteFiend]

That I will spend thousands of dollars on this hobby. But then again, it's not hookers and blow so that's kind of a win.

[soflabasser]

6 hours ago, GORDO said:

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

Take her fishing with you.When you hook up to a big fish give her the fishing  rod so she can catch the fish.Keep her happy when she is fishing with you and you will be able to go fishing more often. 

[flyingmonkie]

I wish somebody would have told me to get a better boat before I got married...

[Ohio Archer]

8 hours ago, A-Jay said:

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

How old are you?  J/K!!!  I was only 6...

Wish someone had told me not to get into Musky fishing.  WAAAYYYY more expensive than Bass fishing.  I still love to catch the green fish but in the lakes around here they are almost as bad as the big toothy critters in terms of casts required to hook one.

Use heavy enough line to cast, pitch, punch, flip into the nastiest stuff you have on the lake.  The easy ones are easy to catch, the old, smarter ones are in the deep stuff.

[j bab]

8 hours ago, A-Jay said:

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

Tell me more

[A-Jay]

18 minutes ago, Ohio Archer said:

How old are you?  J/K!!!  I was only 6...

Wish someone had told me not to get into Musky fishing.  WAAAYYYY more expensive than Bass fishing.  I still love to catch the green fish but in the lakes around here they are almost as bad as the big toothy critters in terms of casts required to hook one.

Use heavy enough line to cast, pitch, punch, flip into the nastiest stuff you have on the lake.  The easy ones are easy to catch, the old, smarter ones are in the deep stuff.

LOL ~ I was only 7 myself -

But think of the possibilities !

 

6 minutes ago, j bab said:

Tell me more

There isn't a whole lot to say - between spinner baits, rattle baits & small crank baits - Burning them is a great way to get bit.

A-Jay

[Ohio Archer]

Just now, A-Jay said:

LOL ~ I was only 7 myself -

But think of the possibilities !

A-Jay

Yeah, KVD might never be known and all the Bassmaster tournaments would definitely not be the same.

[Catt]

Sometimes we are given tips but it takes awhile for them to sink in!

[bigbill]

Don't dwell when we lose a big bass, suck it up and learn from it. The next day schedule a tow truck to land it. Stay calm, fish on like it never happened. Lmao

[Columbia Craw]

Bass live deeper than you think.  Get off the bank a little.  

[Mike L]

I wish I realized much earlier that bass are not always shallow. Some will move in and out all day long. 

I wish I realized much earlier that what I did, and where I did it yesterday doesn't mean it will work today. 

I wish I realized much earlier that when no matter how slow I think I'm working a bait it's sometimes not slow enough. 

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 

[bigfruits]

no one told me not to stand to pee off of a canoe when I am 5 beers deep.

[papajoe222]

Mine was: Study the fish you want to target and then study the forage they target. 

I got into bass fishing because I would occasionally catch a few when walleye fishing. I went out and bought a few 'bass' lures and spent many a day fishing those walleye hang outs in search of bass.  Once I read up on seasonal movements, bass being ambush as well as schooling feeders and their preference in forage in northern, natural lakes, I began catching on a fairly regular basis.  I still have fishless days 50 yrs. later, but it's not because I don't understand my quarry. 

[Torn Thumb]

2 hours ago, bigfruits said:

no one told me not to stand to pee off of a canoe when I am 5 beers deep.

Don't break the seal dude.

[Ratherbfishing]

On 9/23/2016 at 8:01 AM, Columbia Craw said:

Bass live deeper than you think.  Get off the bank a little.  

and continuing with that "theme", often the better fish are on the OTHER side of the boat.

[MrPeanut]

I wish I learned how to read a topo map earlier - seems to help find fish a lot better driving around looking for fishy looking spots

Something I don't think is stressed enough still is sun protection - I didn't care about it as much when I first starting fishing a lot more often, a couple bad burns later and I always leave home prepared for sunny days. 

[Ratherbfishing]

That there aren't fish in every stretch of water and that I have to go to the fish rather than hoping the fish will come to me.  I still have a LOT to learn in this regard.

[Bankbeater]

I wish someone would have told me that if the hook in your hand has no play in it, then it is through something solid, and you should go straight to the ER.

You can push the hook through and cut the barb, you can back it out and cut along the barb to free the hook, or you can tie a line around the hook and yank it out with a quick snap. 

When that hook has gone through something or is around something, then you might cause more problems by trying to remove it yourself.

Found that out about 30 years ago when a treble hook went into my hand.  In the ER they told me that the hook had gone through nerve tissue, but luckily it was not severed all the way and would heal over time.

[Raul]

On 21 de septiembre de 2016 at 8:17 PM, BankBassing said:

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?

Don't purchase every lure you like. 

 

[ClackerBuzz]

-picking out back lashes will catch you some amazing fish so wake up and take note.

-if you're not catching fish on a new lure/ technique it's b/c ur adding too much 'angler action'

-stop trying to feel every bite.  keeping slack in ur line will get you better quantity, and better quality.

-you can power fish in cold water. 

-stop watching Youtube vids and immediately ordering from TW.  take the time to dig thru ur Rubbermaid containers full of tackle and make due with what you have to try this newly discovered magical technique.

-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 envy.  

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

-if you fish from kayak/canoe/boat, skip ur next 3-4 technique specific combos, and several hundred lures, and buy a sonar with side imaging.

-you can't have 'confidence in a lure' without experience. 

-50% of what you read/watch online won't apply to your water.  the other 50% still needs to be customized. learn to identify your body of water and it's biological personality

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

-it's better to try something new and completely ridiculous for 5 mins then get skunked for another 2 hours via the same 500-600 repetitive casts