Bass or Multispecies?

[AC870]

I just like to fish. I'm trying real hard to become a better bass fisherman but I struggle. Found them schooling for shad a couple weeks ago and caught 27, my best ever afternoon on the water.  Wish I could catch em like that often.  

I bluegill fish a lot because my wife likes fishing for them and I enjoy the action too. 

A local catfish pro took me out last year and I caught an 80-lb blue. It was pretty cool. Previous largest fish was a 62-lb yellowfin tuna.  

I'm going to get a bucket of minnows and try the crappie pretty soon. I've caught a few accidentally. But never on purpose. 

[soflabasser]

On 11/14/2016 at 11:41 AM, Red Bear said:

 I will fish for pretty much anything if i have the chance. I love to catch fish of all types. A common misconception that i see is that bass are the only fish that need to be "figured out" or "have a pattern" or "competitiveness" etc..simply not true, granted some fish are easier to target and catch than others, but for all species you still have to be in the right spot at the right time with the right baits and equipment...

   I agree with you 100%.Every single species of fish can present a challenge to a fisherman.Most people would say that bluegill fishing is too easy , yet not many +2 pound bluegill are caught.Muskie are known as "The Fish Of 10,000 Cast " and there are hard core bass fisherman up north who haven't caught a Muskie,let alone a +40" Muskie.In Saltwater fishing the Snook can be one of the easiest inshore fish to catch, or  one of the hardest since they can be very finicky.Being a multi species fisherman has greatly helped me in bass fishing and the tactics I learned in bass fishing has made me a better fisherman when targeting other species of fish.

[J Francho]

There are seasonal opportunities for many game fish here, and I take advantage of them, but most of my fishing is for bass.

[MIbassin]

I love bass fishing and it is the fishing I do the most. But, my all time favorite type of fishing is flats fishing in the keys or foreign countries with light tackle for tarpon, barracuda, jacks, permit, etc... I also love the spring striper run on Long Island since I moved there last year

[Yakalong]

This past summer I was fishing on the back of a dam in my kayak and hooked a carp back by the tail. It probably took me for a good half mile down stream before I could unhook it  that was a a blast! 

[Ohio Archer]

Kinda funny that when I was fishing exclusively for bass after moving up here I would catch or hook an assortment of fish, more so than bass.  Hooked and lost several big muskie.  Now that I'm targeting muskie, the opposite is happening.  Caught one on my largest Ohio bass a few weeks ago.  This past weekend I had a 3-4 lb bass follow my musky spinner to the boat. 

So, I will try to catch anything that will swim and eat the lures I'm throwing.

[Choporoz]

13 hours ago, Yakalong said:

This past summer I was fishing on the back of a dam in my kayak and hooked a carp back by the tail. It probably took me for a good half mile down stream before I could unhook it  that was a a blast! 

HA!

I've been dragged all over this year.  I also hooked a large carp in the tail....that was about a 20 minute ride.  but it was mostly in big circles.  I've caught a half dozen large (>#7) catfish from the kayak this year; one of which was 40#

[scaleface]

On 11/17/2016 at 7:01 AM, Ohio Archer said:

Kinda funny that when I was fishing exclusively for bass after moving up here I would catch or hook an assortment of fish, more so than bass.  Hooked and lost several big muskie.  Now that I'm targeting muskie, the opposite is happening.  Caught one on my largest Ohio bass a few weeks ago.  This past weekend I had a 3-4 lb bass follow my musky spinner to the boat. 

So, I will try to catch anything that will swim and eat the lures I'm throwing.

Haha . I fished a lake stocked with muskies one time. I used a Musky Jitterbug and my biggest spinnerbaits for a few hours and nothing . I switched to bass fishing and Texas rigged 4 inch French Fries . I caught two Muskies on them .

[Ratherbfishing]

On 11/13/2016 at 10:01 AM, Alan Reed said:

I do not know WHY they system will not let me reply using a "fresh slate" and I seem be be caught in a strange loop but it seems I have no choice so I will respond as the system deems necessary.  Anyway, I am generally a bass fisherman because I like their habits and the virtually limitless ways to catch them BUT if the bass aren't biting or I find a school of crappie, etc.  I will put down my baitcaster and pick up my spinning rod or my fly rod and have at it.  I find almost as much pleasure doing this and seldom regret any time "lost" on bass.

[everythingthatswims]

I'm with @Bluebasser86 on this one. And as my profile name suggests ~~

[CrustyMono]

If it swims, ill, take it!

even a log or a tree is better than nothing, because you get excited for a second

 

 

[Yakalong]

4 hours ago, CrustyMono said:

If it swims, ill, take it!

even a log or a tree is better than nothing, because you get excited for a second

 

 

We have all been there, especially on slow days 

[WIGuide]

I fish for bass a vary large majority of the time. With as many tournaments I fish over the summer I'm forced to fish for them and I'm totally ok with that. They're my favorite thing to fish for, but I enjoy fishing for anything that swims. If I hook into something else when I'm bass fishing I enjoy catching whatever it is too. 

[NYWayfarer]

When freshwater fishing I target smallmouth bass so that's what I get most of the time but I take what the water gives me.

Rock bass, sunfish, catfish, pickerel, carp are all pleasant surprises to catch but I do not target them. I try and go trolling for lake trout and salmon when they are in season at least once a year.

I do enjoy an occasional trip down to the ocean for some bluefish, fluke and flounder saltwater action.

 

[Kidflex]

I used to fish for bass exclusively but found enjoyment from multi species and techniques. Topwater tuna fishing is my favorite. 

[soflabasser]

Nice catches.

[DrMarlboro92]

I normally just fish for bass, and I think a lot of it has to do with how you fish. the baits are reasonable sizes, so no over working yourself just throwing baits all day. It's definitely more enjoyable standing on a deck trying to figure out the bass on that particular day even if you don't catch anything. 

 

That doesn't mean I don't Chase other fish of course. sometimes you can find me wading streams with a fly rod chasing trout, or chasing muskie, trying to land some slabs, or even throwing for bluegill. all of these have their disadvantages that make them more irritating than bass, and a day without catching one is much less enjoyable. if I'm throwing 8oz baits for muskie, it's very disheartening going home with nothing but sore forearms. if I hike 3 miles to that trout stream, wade 2 miles, then go all the way back to the truck, I'm not a happy camper. or, if i spend all day jigging for crappie and get nothing, I'm going home without my planned fish fry and it's just irritating. bluegill are irritating for the same reason: I can't fry a 5 inch bluegill. so that's why I bass fish. I'm always doing something even if it's not catching fish (its been a while since I've went out and caught nothing, so knock on wood) I'm busy, and having a good time.

[IndianaFinesse]

21 hours ago, Kidflex said:

I used to fish for bass exclusively but found enjoyment from multi species and techniques. Topwater tuna fishing is my favorite. 

Man, that sounds fun!  I would love to try topwater fishing for tuna, that sounds like it would be even more of an adrenaline rush than frog fishing for bass!

[soflabasser]

3 hours ago, IndianaFinesse said:

Man, that sounds fun!  I would love to try topwater fishing for tuna, that sounds like it would be even more of an adrenaline rush than frog fishing for bass!

Yes it is quite fun to catch a big saltwater fish on a topwater,especially saltwater fish that make long drag peeling runs with several acrobatic jumps.

[DogBone_384]

On 11/14/2016 at 0:19 PM, Bankbeater said:

Most of the time I will target bass only during the spring, summer, and fall.  In winter I will go after panfish, and trout.

'Bout sums it up for me....

[dragger201]

Now adays, I'm primarily a bass fisherman............but...............ever once in awhile I'll go for reds and specs south of New Orleans .  Sometimes when it's really hot, will sit on the end of a pier, dangle my bare feets in the water and fish for bream.  Have done the whole trot line/ limb lines/ jug fishing for cats, but don't really care for it at all.

[tander]

mostly bass but if I want a few fish to eat, I will crappie fish.

[Derek Petter]

Mostly a bass fisherman, but I'd like to learn how to fly fish, fish in the northern states, and I also love to saltwater fish, but I don't get to as much as I'd like.

[tholmes]

 

i target bass (largemouth and smallmouth) primarily, but I'll fish for pretty much anything that swims. This year, I've caught wipers, stripers, white bass, crappie, bluegill, walleye, rainbow trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout, channel cat, flathead, blue cat, carp and drum. No sense in limiting myself to only one species. 

Tom

[lakeannaangler]

Also some saltwater including dolphin, wahoo, red drum, and other small species. I love fishing for Spanish mackerel when I go on vacation. Also caught sharks . Other freshwater species include yellow perch, catfish , stripers, hybrids, muskies, snakehead, many species of trout ,and any and all panfish. My family and I are going out on a charter boat on the Chesapeake bay on  Saturday fishing for big stripers.