Gut Feeling

["hamma"]

Has gut feeling played out in your bass fishing?

 With all the available technology, information, known patterns, situations out there for us all to read up and study on. How does your instincts play into the game?

 Like your at work and notice the weathers been stable for a few days, sunny skies, light breezes, and you know a certain sun beaten shoreline thats destined to hold some nice bass, hiding in its shadowed docks, weeds, and laydowns. You figure that if the weather holds, 2 days from now you have a afternoon off, and somethings telling you to be there flipping/pitching that cover.

 The day comes, and your nailin' em for a full 6 hrs or so. You end up with a bunch of smaller fish, a boatload of 3's and 4's, a few 5's, a seven, and a nine pound slob! You get home with a huge smile, and know,..only you know whats just happened. (unless your A-jay with his go pro,..lol) ^5 bro

 Or,

 Your prefishing a tourney for a lake you know, found good fish, but to get to them you must pass over a main lake point that you've always figured, during the right wind should be a good area, but have yet to experience that wind. 
  The day of the tourney comes, your heading to your fish and as you approach that point, the winds right and your finder is showing tons of bait, so you come off plane to give it a 20 minute "shot",.. just because of your hunch or, "gut feeling". You cast out a spinnerbait and within 2 handle turns, your baits been slammed by a four plus, you cast out again, and another. By the end of the day, you've not only beat up that spinnerbait, but took home a check to replace it with many of them.

  Outings when you nailed it, via consideration. When you figure "this",.... and "this" not just works, but pans out better than anticipated!

  If I recall correctly, "good days" were reported here last year, by many of you. But what Im asking about is, not just a good day, but when a good day came from that "gut feeling", by your intuition, instincts and following through to fruition.

   Are these instances more often than not? Or, are they few and far between?

 This could be good considering the vast audience here. Pb's are awesome by all accounts, but I think "gut feeling instances" can actually supercede a pb in many instances. (unless they are combined)
  As for me? "Nailing it" via gut feelings has been few and far between as of late, hopefully subject to change this season..,..lol

   So, heres a good chance for you to share, burn some time, tout thyself, cut up, even brag. But most of all, a possible chance to look at your approach, your gut feeling, and assess its effectiveness from a  "typed out" perspective, and adjust if need be.

  Im also hoping that this will help some with confidence, and effective assessment. Not much will boost ones confidence other than recognizing successful moments produced by proper assessment, in conjunction with a gut feeling... 

 Then yet,.... there is also the general "Hey, check this out!",..."I win!",.."Nanner Nanner!",. "I knew it" and of course, "I can die now". ,....lmao

 Lets hear it

Whatchagot?

[scaleface]

I always have gut feelings and   its inevitable that some will pan out . The law of averages , you know .

 

I have a gut feeling about a spot in a local lake that i havent tried yet . I lucked into a deep school of dinks one day last fall .Saw them on my depth finder as I was crossing a large cove  .They were in the middle of no where  half way across  . This is an old lake and the channel is silted in , or so I thought  . When the bite slowed down [ around fifty bass were caught ] I started searching for some sort of structure and approximately  twenty  yards away were  the remnants of the creek channel .   My gut tells me its  a big fish spot . I'll find out this summer .

[Darren.]

Yes. At least once  This "good day" in particular came

after days of rain...

 

Water table was crazy high, winds up, overcast, I was only

one there that day. Boat launch was flooded, but I had my

yak and was determined to get out.

 

There's a covered "canal" between two bodies of water.

I had a gut feeling there were bass feeding there, at the

mouth where the water was "spilling" out. Parked my yak

against the rocks nearby and cast a 3/8 oz wacky jig with a

green pumpkin/gold flake Trick worm.

 

Don't remember how many I caught, but dang, it payed off.

 

Funny you mention the topic "gut feeling". I was telling one

of my sons just this week that I had a "gut feeling" this is 

going to be a really good fishing year for us. While it hasn't 

truly begun, I truly believe it will be great.

 

I've had other gut feelings out there that apparently were

nothing more than gas, LOL. Those didn't pay off.

[A-Jay]

19 minutes ago, "hamma" said:

 

 The day comes, and your nailin' em for a full 6 hrs or so. You end up with a bunch of smaller fish, a boatload of 3's and 4's, a few 5's, a seven, and a nine pound slob! You get home with a huge smile, and know,..only you know whats just happened. (unless your A-jay with his go pro,..lol) ^5 bro general

 

Hey @"hamma"  don't knock it till you try it ~

 

That 'gut feeling' drives quite a bit of my overall fishing in general; and has done so for a long time.   Right off the bat, there's a lot of water in my immediate area (& beyond) to choose from.  So simply deciding which one to fish is where it all starts. Then choosing 'the spot', the bait and of course 'the cast', can and often are part of that gut feeling.

    I can say with a fair level of confidence that believing in and following through on my own gut feeling has accounted for some memorable days & decent catches.   Haven't really committed them all to memory but one recent situation does come to mind. 

 

While on a little paddle only lake this past August.  I had ‘that feeling’ as we past by a rather nothing looking 4x4 ft patch of pads in the middle of a mostly in descript soft bottom flat – turn out pretty good.

A-Jay

[Jaderose]

Of course!  But I think "gut feeling" is experience.  I find the longer I fish, the more I can find areas that "just look bassy" and have them pan out.  I was frogging last year and I happened to notice 2 small logs laying half in the water and half on the bank angled away from each other so they formed a little pocket right at the shoreline.  I saw it and I knew......there was a big girl there.  I was right at the very edge of my casting range.  I let one fly and plopped right in the middle of that pocket.  The fight was on immediately.  A nice 6 lber.  I was all over this particular area that day and was having lots of success but when I saw that pocket, my Gut told me THAT was where the big one was.  I was right.

[BigSkyBasser]

I feel that your classic "gut feeling" is a combination of intuition and improvisation that some people seem to have filed down to a fine science. My fiancee seems to exhibit this much better than myself. There are certain situations that I just KNOW what do and will catch fish no matter what. However during those tough days where only a single pattern, location, or technique will pay off, she seems to find that magic touch with thinking outside the box and will figure them out for us.

["hamma"]

6 hours ago, scaleface said:

I always have gut feelings and   its inevitable that some will pan out . The law of averages , you know .

 

  Yes I do know,. It does pan out, and when it does? You get that confidence boost, dontcha?. Now what brings you more confidence, a day like that? or,.... all the "schooling" ,..the learning, and reading?

 

  I for one see it like this. All the learning, and reading provide the logistics for our success, in a manner of, putting us in that situation to begin with. Without all that learning, and knowledge obtained we wouldnt be thinking as we do. Our gut feeling would most likely be telling us we're hungry, and in need of a beer...lol.

    But seeing as we do think the ways we do, our success when that gut feeling was right,.. is a giant confidence boost. The next time your out fishing after that gut feeling day is usually a quite productive day as well. The bite may have changed, but you havent, and your heart and soul wants nothing more than to keep things that way. If your still on fish? dont give it up! keep on em, keep at em, and I assure you pigs are in your future. lol,.......I see it in my crystal ball,...lol,...ha ha ha 

 good luck with that channel Scaleface , I hope your right

6 hours ago, Darren. said:

Funny you mention the topic "gut feeling". I was telling one

of my sons just this week that I had a "gut feeling" this is 

going to be a really good fishing year for us. While it hasn't 

truly begun, I truly believe it will be great.

 

I've had other gut feelings out there that apparently were

nothing more than gas, LOL. Those didn't pay off.

 

  And I hope its a great year for you both,..but those gassy gut feelings?  I got a good tip for ya,..stay upwind of us old timers. we fart dust and dont wanna sandblast ya's!,...lmao'  

  Good story about the canal Darren!

["hamma"]

6 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Hey @"hamma"  don't knock it till you try it ~

 

 Oh,..im not knocking it at all, that was just hanging there so I went for it. 

 I know many times, when I shut the truck off after finally returning home from a gut feeling day,.. that I wished I had a go pro, or someone with me to take pics at least.. Because without one? Im the only one that knows what I did, where I did it, and with what.

 OMG! that really just hit home. The amount of good days, with multiple pigs, I have experienced without a gopro, is right now freaking me out.

 If I had footage of all the pigs I ever caught? Holy moly,...there'd be volumes of videos.. How much is one of those?

   But with my luck lately? If I put a gopro my boat now? I'd probably be destined to catching nothing but dinks for the rest of my days,...lol

 

  by the way,...Nice bass A-Jay!, way to go buddy! good candidate for a pigpen! brotha!

 

[A-Jay]

6 minutes ago, "hamma" said:

 If I had footage of all the pigs I ever caught? Holy moly,...there'd be volumes of videos.. How much is one of those?

   But with my luck lately? If I put a gopro my boat now? I'd probably be destined to catching nothing but dinks for the rest of my days,...lol

 

  by the way,...Nice bass A-Jay!, way to go buddy! good candidate for a pigpen! brotha!

 

Very reasonable and these will work with most all of the GoPro mounts (with a small & very inexpensive adapter).

A-Jay

 

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Action-Camera-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00EOHUVV8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1487371648&sr=8-5&keywords=virb

 

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-12094-00-Virb-Remote/dp/B00F8APVG0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1487371648&sr=8-6&keywords=virb

["hamma"]

2 hours ago, Jaderose said:

Of course!  But I think "gut feeling" is experience.  I find the longer I fish, the more I can find areas that "just look bassy" and have them pan out.  I was frogging last year and I happened to notice 2 small logs laying half in the water and half on the bank angled away from each other so they formed a little pocket right at the shoreline.  I saw it and I knew......there was a big girl there.  I was right at the very edge of my casting range.  I let one fly and plopped right in the middle of that pocket.  The fight was on immediately.  A nice 6 lber.  I was all over this particular area that day and was having lots of success but when I saw that pocket, my Gut told me THAT was where the big one was.  I was right.

 

 

         AWESOME!  good big fish scenario! I also feel experience is guiding ones gut feelings to being spot on,..its necessary.

[UPSmallie]

Thanks for posting this.  I love it when I get a gut feeling!  In more ways than just bass fishing has it panned out for me (as in other gamefish).  Probably my favorite reoccurring gut feeling is when I pull up to a new spot and it is just glass with a nice wisp of fog coming off the water and a slight early morning chill in the air around me.  The moment my topwater heaves forward off the back cast I just know what's going to happen.  Nothing better than that.  In those kinds of conditions it's just a given that something will happen.  Gotta love it.

["hamma"]

1 hour ago, BigSkyBasser said:

I feel that your classic "gut feeling" is a combination of intuition and improvisation that some people seem to have filed down to a fine science. My fiancee seems to exhibit this much better than myself. There are certain situations that I just KNOW what do and will catch fish no matter what. However during those tough days where only a single pattern, location, or technique will pay off, she seems to find that magic touch with thinking outside the box and will figure them out for us.

 

  So, is it her gut feeling?,.. that produces for her,...or is she following rules of thumb, per learning and reading?

  Many situations arise where we "know what to do",... its from all the bass info we as bass anglers absorb. And that will eventually accumulate over time with experience to produce the "gut feeling" being spot on.

 Sometimes you can just stumble onto something and say to yourself. Im going to go here and do this, and it works

14 minutes ago, UPSmallie said:

Thanks for posting this.  I love it when I get a gut feeling!  In more ways than just bass fishing has it panned out for me (as in other gamefish).  Probably my favorite reoccurring gut feeling is when I pull up to a new spot and it is just glass with a nice wisp of fog coming off the water and a slight early morning chill in the air around me.  The moment my topwater heaves forward off the back cast I just know what's going to happen.  Nothing better than that.  In those kinds of conditions it's just a given that something will happen.  Gotta love it.

 

 

  Your welcome.,..and I got to agree with you,..gotta love it!

[Darren.]

1 hour ago, "hamma" said:

 

  And I hope its a great year for you both,..but those gassy gut feelings?  I got a good tip for ya,..stay upwind of us old timers. we fart dust and dont wanna sandblast ya's!,...lmao'  

  Good story about the canal Darren!

 

LOL, I'm having a hard time with that description, Keith.

 

A hard time keeping my beverage from spewing out my 

nose due to laughing so hard, that is... 

[Raul]

2 hours ago, BigSkyBasser said:

I feel that your classic "gut feeling" is a combination of intuition and improvisation that some people seem to have filed down to a fine science. My fiancee seems to exhibit this much better than myself. There are certain situations that I just KNOW what do and will catch fish no matter what. However during those tough days where only a single pattern, location, or technique will pay off, she seems to find that magic touch with thinking outside the box and will figure them out for us.

 

Missoula, Montana ..... The River Runs Through It.

[lonnie g]

1 hour ago, Darren. said:

 

LOL, I'm having a hard time with that description, Keith.

 

A hard time keeping my beverage from spewing out my 

nose due to laughing so hard, that is... 

I'm glad to hear that that gut feeling pertains to bass also, and not just to that 5 gallon bucket I carry. I did like the read tho and have had that feeling. no it doesn't always pan out, but i think when it doesn't it just makes you try harder. and I don't think on those days I ever loose the excitement.  

[BigSkyBasser]

On 2/17/2017 at 4:00 PM, "hamma" said:

 

  So, is it her gut feeling?,.. that produces for her,...or is she following rules of thumb, per learning and reading?

  Many situations arise where we "know what to do",... its from all the bass info we as bass anglers absorb. And that will eventually accumulate over time with experience to produce the "gut feeling" being spot on.

 Sometimes you can just stumble onto something and say to yourself. Im going to go here and do this, and it works

 

I would say it's combination of information I've beaten into her from mindless repetition but also stems from her ability try things that most bass anglers wouldn't consider a conventional technique or pattern. For example one time we were fishing pre spawn on this big point that had grown grass early and we could tell there was smallies all over there but I couldn't get them to bite anything. She ties on a drop shot rig with a 1/4 oz weight and an orange Yamamoto swim senko wacky rigged (this was the dumbest looking presentation I had ever seen.) And she starts slaying them. I'm fairly certain she couldn't explain why she made this decision other than that she was wasn't bound by the information that normally would tell me to never consider trying something like this.

 

I'm assuming this worked because these fish had been pressured by the anglers the prior weekend and had been barraged with everything you could think off, so she dropped a finesse presentation in front of them with a strange action and they didn't think twice.

Edited February 19, 2017 by BigSkyBasser

[Paul Roberts]

Man... no! Hmmmmm.... depends on what you consider "gut feeling". If you mean "fishing history"... I actually have to squelch that some. I guess over time my "reading conditions" has become somewhat second nature, or at least knowing what to do in a lot of circumstances. Guess I tend to be pretty intellectual though. I want to "understand" and be able to explain -put language around- what I'm experiencing out there. I've done so much of that -experiences are always going through the mill- that... I guess I agree with Jaderose:

7 hours ago, Jaderose said:

Of course!  But I think "gut feeling" is experience.

 

Ah! But I can tell you about gut feeling in other ways... hunting in particular. Lots of stories there. While hunting, if my heart starts to beat -an uptick- I make myself freeze and go hyper-aware. It's become VERY useful. One example is in my snowshoe hare hunting. Every once in a while I'll get the uptick, and it comes from either approaching a real potential hot-spot -just the right combination of topography and esp cover. Sometimes its more accurate then that... like I'll freeze and suddenly a hare materializes, white on white, holding and waiting for me to pass. Sometimes it's a tiny patch of lemon yellow -the coloration of the foot hairs of a hare. My brain has processed it before my conscious mind can catch up. Interestingly, that color gets my heart going, esp in context. I've developed many such "signs"/tip-offs for many creatures. What I believe is happening is I see it via "blindsight", that is, the brain's processing mechanism is faster than the conscious mind. The trick has been to know this, and be ready to -actually develop the habit of- freezing and becoming hyper-aware.

 

Oddly, I don't think of fishing that way. Although it must happen there too?

[A-Jay]

10 minutes ago, Paul Roberts said:

Man... no! Hmmmmm.... depends on what you consider "gut feeling". If you mean "fishing history"... I actually have to squelch that some. I guess over time my "reading conditions" has become somewhat second nature, or at least knowing what to do in a lot of circumstances. Guess I tend to be pretty intellectual though. I want to "understand" and be able to explain -put language around- what I'm experiencing out there. I've done so much of that -experiences are always going through the mill- that... I guess I agree with Jaderose:

 

Ah! But I can tell you about gut feeling in other ways... hunting in particular. Lots of stories there. While hunting, if my heart starts to beat -an uptick- I make myself freeze and go hyper-aware. It's become VERY useful. One example is in my snowshoe hare hunting. Every once in a while I'll get the uptick, and it comes from either approaching a real potential hot-spot -just the right combination of topography and esp cover. Sometimes its more accurate then that... like I'll freeze and suddenly a hare materializes, white on white, holding and waiting for me to pass. Sometimes it's a tiny patch of lemon yellow -the coloration of the foot hairs of a hare. My brain has processed it before my conscious mind can catch up. Interestingly, that color gets my heart going, esp in context. I've developed many such "signs"/tip-offs for many creatures. What I believe is happening is I see it via "blindsight", that is, the brain's processing mechanism is faster than the conscious mind. The trick has been to know this, and be ready to -actually develop the habit of- freezing and becoming hyper-aware.

 

Oddly, I don't think of fishing that way. Although it must happen there too?

Interesting Paul ~ 

'Hunting' a big bass, especially in a target rich environment, often sees me trying to tune into the next level. 

Looking & listening for the most subtlest of signs that may give her position any.  

See now what you've gone and done . . . . . .I'm all jacked up and we're still weeks away from soft water.

Grrrrrrrrrr

A-Jay

[dwh4784]

I've got one. A few years back my brother in law took me to this somewhat secluded spot where you can catch decent rainbows off the bank. Very limited access but not heavily fished. I've since been back a few times, and every once in awhile you catch a smallmouth instead. I got to looking at this place on a map and the complete lack of boat and bank access made me believe there was something to exploit here. This year with my new kayak I decided to try it out, paddled over to a rock face that looked good, and within a few casts with a 4" blue/black Senko I was being dragged all over the place and finally landed a 3lb6oz smallie my PB by far. I had a couple other decent outings there, but I didn't even start until late summer and I'm ready to hit it harder this year.

[Catt]

Gut Feeling?

Intuition?

 

Yea I could tell y'all stories about monstrous bass or humongous stringers but ya get this instead.

 

Bout 2 °clock in the morning Pat & Catt are about 3/4 of a mile offshore in Pat's 15'50" Alweld with a 25hp Suzuki. 

 

Fishing was alright nothing outstanding so I mentioned to Pat, "let's run over to Fin-N-Feather & fish the docks". To save a little time we decided to cut across Community Flat (1,000 acre grass flat) which is to shallow for a bass boat but in a Jon boat we alright. 

 

About 25 yds from the Housen' Bayou boat lane we run a ground! I'm talking about stuck like Chuck, I'm talking take your shoes off, put your wallet in the tackle box, ya going out the boat.

 

Got the boat out fired the Suzuki off ran to Fin-N-Feather!

 

Fin-N-Feather marina consisted of 3 rows of covered boat slips inclosed by a seawall of wood pylons. We generally fish the deep water (outer) boat slips but this night Pat pulled the boat all the way back to the shallow water side. We just got the boat in pitching distance & out of no where we both heard the wind howling through the pines across Housen' which is over 1/4 mile away!

 

I hit the trolling motor on high pulling to a slip up tight to the bank, by the time we grabbed the rods, & started to run the floating dock was rollercoastering 3-4'. We run behind the closest building which thank God had a awning attached; the rain was absolutely going horizontal!

 

Pat stood frozen starring around the corner at the boat, Ole Catt got under the awning, put his head on a lifevest, & fell asleep!

 

Gut feeling, intuition, or divine intervention!

 

Don't! Don't care! Thanked God I wasn't on the main lake or stuck on community flat!

["hamma"]

12 hours ago, lonnie g said:

I'm glad to hear that that gut feeling pertains to bass also, and not just to that 5 gallon bucket I carry. I did like the read tho and have had that feeling. no it doesn't always pan out, but i think when it doesn't it just makes you try harder. and I don't think on those days I ever loose the excitement.  

 

  Good point Lonnie!

   Those times somethings telling you to direct efforts in one direction and it "doesnt" pan out. Appears to me as just a piece of the puzzle, and not a finished product. You have estimated actions and followed through with no success.

 So what was the reason?,..maybe it could be a weather pattern that blew through that you didnt equate. OR,.. a certain bug is hatching and baitfish are keyed in on that and drew your bite away.,.. Or any one of a few hundred reasons that your "gut feeling" was lead astray. Your gut is telling you this something for a reason.

 Im by no means stating that you are incorrect Lonnie!

 

 More along the lines of, we all do what we can as bass anglers to estimate whats going on. If we all had the clear picture of the days "antics" we would be catching and not "fishing",...

 Our "estimates" are just that, and those only arise from what we figure, think, and compute. If we enter into our computer, laptop, or cellphone a search for say,... herring, we will most likely get a recipe, a history, the actual fish, herringbone necklace, and so on. The search's results will hinge upon the amount of input we ask the computer to search. such as: Herring/seasonal migration/ atlantic ocean. Now the computer will have more input to correctly compute our search.

 I believe that this also holds true for our gut feelings.

 The more input we figure into a situation, the better. If we add up "all" the pertinent input in "the" correct manner our search for the answer is going to direct our gut feeling towards the correct outcome.

 Miss just one slight piece of the puzzle and the outcome will obviously  be incomplete.

 

 Does this ruin my day?

 Heck no, I fish on as im sure we all would and continue my day with the new failed attempt added in. I may realize I guessed wrong, but I like you continue on without even a seemed hiccup, and actually a hightened sense of,.. What next, ,...And it does add into the days excitement. Finding your way to the fish after a gut feeling fails?,..adds confidence as well, it just proves that your "search" turned into a "quest" and when its been acheived?

 Your back into the right and lipping fish.,...

 This success is bigger than one would think, it adds to our memory what happened and how things turned out. Adding important info to our internal "search engine",...(so to speak)

 

   Good point Lonnie!

[Paul Roberts]

Fun thread. Good stories. I esp like Catt's story -the way its written. Storms n such -It pays to be aware. Or know what that is you're hearing.

["hamma"]

  Most cats only respond to the sound of a canopener opening a can of tunafish!

 Dang,.... he "IS" intuitive!,.,....lol

 And like a true cat,.curled up and took a nap!

 

 Just funnin with ya buddy! Hope ya doing well down there, God bless ya!

[Catt]

19 minutes ago, "hamma" said:

  Most cats only respond to the sound of a canopener opening a can of tunafish!

 Dang,.... he "IS" intuitive!,.,....lol

 And like a true cat,.curled up and took a nap!

 

 Just funnin with ya buddy! Hope ya doing well down there, God bless ya!

 

That's pretty good ole son!

 

Pat & I started out when I hired him as my carpenter's apprentice 45 yrs ago. He always panics quicker than me, wanna to go check on the boat to which I replied "go head".

 

I firmly believe in " gut feelings ", "intuition", or whatever adjectives & adverbs ya wanna add to it.

 

After we done all the homework, research, preparation next comes real time on the water where we react to the changing conditions based on past experience.

 

Sometimes it pays off sometimes it don't

["hamma"]

14 hours ago, dwh4784 said:

I've got one. A few years back my brother in law took me to this somewhat secluded spot where you can catch decent rainbows off the bank. Very limited access but not heavily fished. I've since been back a few times, and every once in awhile you catch a smallmouth instead. I got to looking at this place on a map and the complete lack of boat and bank access made me believe there was something to exploit here. This year with my new kayak I decided to try it out, paddled over to a rock face that looked good, and within a few casts with a 4" blue/black Senko I was being dragged all over the place and finally landed a 3lb6oz smallie my PB by far. I had a couple other decent outings there, but I didn't even start until late summer and I'm ready to hit it harder this year.

   

 

    Thats Awesome! a pb fish! Good luck next year hope you beat your new pb! thats beautiful.

 Your experience, and diligence, panned out! do it again dwh4784