Sitting and waiting. NOT!

[Ratherbfishing]

I've recently befriended a guy who doesn't fish.  After determining that he wasn't actually dangerous, I asked him why.  He said it looked boring-just sitting still staring at a bobber or waiting for the line to move.  But as I think about it, I would probably get pretty bored too, if that is all I did.  But I am constantly moving and casting and trying different things.  Unless the fishing is stellar or I believe things will change, I will not stay in one spot very long.

 

How many of you would give up (or sharply curtail) your participation in the sport if all you COULD do was cast to a few spots and sit and wait?  I imagine the answer might be different if this were a catfish or crappie forum but since we're talking about bass here...

 

Anyhow, I vowed to take my new found friend out at least once.  I'm not sure he was convinced.

[riverbasser]

I agree it is not as fun but I would still fish just not as often. probably save a butt load of money too

[Ratherbfishing]

7 minutes ago, riverbasser said:

I agree it is not as fun but I would still fish just not as often. probably save a butt load of money too

Agreed on the saving money part.

[scaleface]

I love catfishing . 

[fishballer06]

Different strokes for different folks...

[kcdinkerz]

I fish multiple species and sometimes just sitting there waiting for a bite is pretty relaxing.

[Team9nine]

Not many people Bass fish that way intentionally, though I could certainly fish that way with shiners for big bass. If expanded to fishing in general, if you can no longer appreciate or get even a little excited about seeing a small float go running off as it slowly gets pulled out of sight beneath the water, then you've lost a small part of yourself, a part that makes this sport so great. That simple fascination should never grow old.

 

-T9

[Spankey]

Sometimes I like to fish for catfish. Anchored up (setting). Chilling out, munching out on something, listening to the radio, straightening out my bass tackle. Not a stir of the moment thing I pretty much know that's what I'm gonna go do.

 

My bass fishing is a bit different when I get to where I want to be I'll work an area few different ways. Then I'll move on. Do the same thing. I don't Bass fish with live bait and a bobber. Different strokes for different folks. But if that's the way you fish I guess you have to bobber watch for awhile.

 

If you fish one way and your buddy fishes another, guess you'll have to work out the middle ground.   

[MassYak85]

I've fished for stripers occasionally when they run up the rivers here and I honestly don't mind sitting with bait for hours and hours. But with that kind of fishing you could hook into a 40+ inch fish so at the end of the day one bite might be worth it. I certainly wouldn't do it if I was fishing for bluegills lol. 

[frogflogger]

I feel sorry for those that don't fish.

 

[wdp]

On 1/19/2017 at 2:24 PM, Ratherbfishing said:

I've recently befriended a guy who doesn't fish.  After determining that he wasn't actually dangerous, I asked him why.  He said it looked boring-just sitting still staring at a bobber or waiting for the line to move.  But as I think about it, I would probably get pretty bored too, if that is all I did.  But I am constantly moving and casting and trying different things.  Unless the fishing is stellar or I believe things will change, I will not stay in one spot very long.

 

How many of you would give up (or sharply curtail) your participation in the sport if all you COULD do was cast to a few spots and sit and wait?  I imagine the answer might be different if this were a catfish or crappie forum but since we're talking about bass here...

 

Anyhow, I vowed to take my new found friend out at least once.  I'm not sure he was convinced.

I had a co-worker that hunted a lot but had only fished a few times - the usual bobber & crickets or worms. I was always talking bout fishing & he kept asking how I could fish so much since it was so boring. I kept telling him that's not the way I fish for bass - that it was actually more like hunting. 

 

Fast forward a few months & I get him on the water at a small lake with a phenomenal top water bite on buzz frogs. Needless to say, he was hooked. Didn't even wanna leave that day. A week later I was meeting him as Bass Pro to help him buy a rod, reel & some lures. ?

[Spankey]

Something you don't read about much (live bait) if at all on this site and its associated threads. Please.....I mean nothing negative about that. My conversion back in the late 70's and early 80's was not easy and a true struggle for me. Fish on, by whatever means it takes.

["hamma"]

  When I was fishing tourney's (mid 90's), sitting back with a bait out either striper, or trout fishing, was a good change of pace. The relaxing aspect of the sport of fishing does have its place in my arsenal.

 Back in the early 80's Id sit on the shore with a bobber out there and a shiner beneath it targeting bass. And I had 2 rods, one for me and one for my girlfriend. When I'd fish alone and the fish weren't active, I would set up "her" rod with a culprit worm and occupy myself. This, I believe, was my introduction into my bass fishing as it is today. And I have to laugh at the presentation I employed. The hooks I used for my shiner fishing were old eagle claw weedless bait hooks, the ones with a wire weedguard and double inverted barbs on the hooks shank to keep live worms up.  I would thread the culprits up on the shank of the hook as one would attatch a grub on a jighead, only I would thread the worm on so they would ride up on the bend of the hook, giving the worm a twist.,... Oh,.. the line twist I endured,..., Funny part though is that this actually attracted alot of fish, that twisting and turning offering did twist my line, but it also tricked alot of fish, bass and pickeral alike. I actually had a certain few bridges over local rivers that I'd take my "worm" rod to after fishing, and cut the lure and hook off of the line, drape the line out into the river, so to remove the line twist in its current,...lol 

  Im sitting here typing this out thinking back and reminiscing the crazy lengths I used to go to, just to fish. Consider most of this early bass fishing was facilitated by motorcycle,.. Yeah,. two 2 piece rods attached to the sides, and a plano trolling bait bucket lashed to the sissy bar. And this was a suzuki gs 400 ,.. a little street bike, that I'd take down dirt trails to get to some of the secluded ponds to fish,... some of these trails? weren't even for dirt bikes,...lol

 I attribute these early days of weightless worm fishing to my reluctance towards fishing a senko.,... I had enough line twist to last several lifetimes. But to get back to the post at hand,..I got bored sitting and waiting even in my bass fishing's infantcey, hence the funky rigged weightless culprits. I actually came across some of those hooks last week, searching for some materials for a new tie on the flyvise,... I smiled, recalled those days, and considered...."hmmm,..weightless worms, whodathunk!,...lol",... really! Who these days fishes a weightless worm?,...lol 

[scaleface]

15 minutes ago, "hamma" said:

   

  Im sitting here typing this out thinking back and reminiscing the crazy lengths I used to go to, just to fish. Consider most of this early bass fishing was facilitated by motorcycle,.. Yeah,. two 2 piece rods attached to the sides, and a plano trolling bait bucket lashed to the sissy bar. And this was a suzuki gs 400 ,.. a little street bike, that I'd take down dirt trails to get to some of the secluded ponds to fish,... some of these trails? weren't even for dirt bikes,...lol

  

I had a Kawasaki 175 . I would take a two piece spinning rod and a few crappie jigs and make a milk run of places along the Mississippi river . You learn to make do with what little .  I caught a lot of fish that way .

[Kidflex]

Some of my best memories of fishing have been from sitting on a river bank in a chair with rod holders in the sand and bell alarms on my poles. Drinking beers and a fire with good friends. I wish I still did that. Now it's all business with the bass. Still fun but......sometimes I work my tail off for one bite. 

[Hawkeye21]

Being by the Mississippi I love a day out on the river fishing the wing dams.  Bring a cooler, sit back and crack a few beers and drown some worms.  The best part about doing this is that I never know what i'm going to catch.  I see the tip of my pole twitch, set the hook and hope it's a big one.  It could be a bass, bluegill, catfish, sturgeon, walleye, dogfish, perch, crappie or even an eel!  Such a relaxing and enjoyable time.

[Preytorien]

I've done, and still do, both types. I love taking my daughter out fishing for bluegills, and boy does she have a blast! The enthusiasm in her eyes when she screams that "a fish ate her bobber" is pure unbridled fun of fishing. Takes me back to fishing that way with my grandfather. It was where it all started, and although I deviated from "the way" while I was in college, I never forgot that rush of adrenaline. 

 

That said, my preferred way to fish myself is as stated, constantly moving, seeking out fish, or fishing spots. When I'm not in my kayak, I'm on foot, which means I HAVE to keep moving to find the fish.

[Ratherbfishing]

Oh, for the record, sometimes I do fish quietly in one spot.  I'm not knocking anyone who does.  It IS relaxing and can be a great way to regroup when I am tired and/or the fishing isn't going my way.  I just wouldn't want to do it that way ALL of the time.  And the friend I've referenced-I don't think he can sit still very well.

[Bassun]

I'll admit, I still get jazzed up when I see a bobber drop!  I don't think anything I've done fishing brings back the nostalgia quite like seeing the bobber go under.

 

Every year, we get the families together on free fishing weekend, and make a road trip to a small lake, somewhere generally semi-local.  I try to pick a different place each year, but - we're running out of places to go that are close, lol.  Anyway  --  I generally load up the bulk of my rods, and my live bait box and basically try to provide everyone who comes with a chance to catch fish.  And I mean everyone -- From great grandmothers, down to the little dudes who still haven't mastered reeling yet, lol.  I get more pleasure out of watching them catch fish, then I get catching them myself.  

 

99% of it is done under a bobber, or fishing the bottom.  I look forward to that trip each year more than any other fishing trip I take, and it is the most simple fishing to do.  To me, having everyone together, all piddling around, joking and fishing is just an absolute blast.  Seeing people who would rarely consider fishing at all getting excited over a bluegill is just priceless.  If all I could do was fishing like that, I would be 100% ok with it!

[A-Jay]

As mentioned above, there are many different ways / approaches to enjoying the sport.

For those who may have read Bill Murphy's book, "In Pursuit of Giant Bass" the author utilized just this approach. 

By setting up on what he knew to be Big Bass Holding spots, he'd patiently wait for the fish to come to him. (or decide to eat if they were already there).  His favorite technique was very stealthy and he recorded some seriously impressive catches with this approach.  A lifetime of trial & error supported his efforts.

Until recently, my fishing has been from a small craft (canoe) exclusively for several years.  I applied quite a bit of the methodology Mr. Murphy relayed in my own fishing with decent results; and still do today.   I will admit to failing miserably using his "stitching" technique though, replaced it with a drop shot & jig/craw.  Total win.  

However waiting out fish is an acquired taste and may not be for everyone, but that's fine by me.  Can't even count the number of times I've had other anglers come in to fish 'a spot" I was anchored on.  They'll usually beat the water to a froth by machine gunning casts randomly all over the area often never coming close to getting a bait near the spot I'm hoping to capitalize on.  I usually stop fishing, have a sandwich & watch the show, hoping to learn.  After 10 minutes or so they fire up the big motor & bail.  At which point I'll resume my efforts which have enough positive results to keep me coming back.

 

A-Jay

[Paul Roberts]

On 1/19/2017 at 1:24 PM, Ratherbfishing said:

I've recently befriended a guy who doesn't fish.  After determining that he wasn't actually dangerous, I asked him why.  He said it looked boring-just sitting still staring at a bobber or waiting for the line to move.  But as I think about it, I would probably get pretty bored too, if that is all I did.  But I am constantly moving and casting and trying different things.  Unless the fishing is stellar or I believe things will change, I will not stay in one spot very long.

 

How many of you would give up (or sharply curtail) your participation in the sport if all you COULD do was cast to a few spots and sit and wait?  I imagine the answer might be different if this were a catfish or crappie forum but since we're talking about bass here...

 

Anyhow, I vowed to take my new found friend out at least once.  I'm not sure he was convinced.

It would definitely not be as much fun. But fun is a funny thing. Those handicap access fishing docks always give me pause: Imagine if I could only fish there. ... I'd probably redefine my idea of fun.

[scaleface]

I have camper on the banks of shallow mississippi river backwater protected by a levee .Its a decent bass place in spots , not so hot where I am located at . So I fish for carp a lot . Man , I have learned a lot about carp fishing since locating there . I set those rods in well anchored holders and wait . When a carp hooks up and bolts those rods lay flat . Its a blast .

[Paul Roberts]

9 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I have camper on the banks of shallow mississippi river backwater protected by a levee .Its a decent bass place in spots , not so hot where I am located at . So I fish for carp a lot . Man , I have learned a lot about carp fishing since locating there . I set those rods in well anchored holders and wait . When a carp hooks up and bolts those rods lay flat . Its a blast .

Carp are great fun, anyway you catch them.

[scaleface]

My mom landing a carp at the camp.

 

 

[Bassun]

50 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

As mentioned above, there are many different ways / approaches to enjoying the sport.

For those who may have read Bill Murphy's book, "In Pursuit of Giant Bass" the author utilized just this approach. 

By setting up on what he knew to be Big Bass Holding spots, he'd patiently wait for the fish to come to him. (or decide to eat if they were already there).  His favorite technique was very stealthy and he recorded some seriously impressive catches with this approach.  A lifetime of trial & error supported his efforts.

Until recently, my fishing has been from a small craft (canoe) exclusively for several years.  I applied quite a bit of the methodology Mr. Murphy relayed in my own fishing with decent results; and still do today.   I will admit to failing miserably using his "stitching" technique though, replaced it with a drop shot & jig/craw.  Total win.  

However waiting out fish is an acquired taste and may not be for everyone, but that's fine by me.  Can't even count the number of times I've had other anglers come in to fish 'a spot" I was anchored on.  They'll usually beat the water to a froth by machine gunning casts randomly all over the area often never coming close to getting a bait near the spot I'm hoping to capitalize on.  I usually stop fishing, have a sandwich & watch the show, hoping to learn.  After 10 minutes or so they fire up the big motor & bail.  At which point I'll resume my efforts which have enough positive results to keep me coming back.

 

A-Jay

 

I unfortunately do not remember where I read about it, but there is a similar writing about stalking smallmouth in streams using a camo and stealth approach.  Not my style of fishing really, but interesting, and he was quite effective with it.