Technique

[Birdman2136]

As a relatively new angler who is day dreaming of fishing here in Central WI, I found myself wondering what people feel is the one technique is a must to have mastered. I know everyone will have their own opinion, but I'd love to hear what people have for a go-to technique. I basically started taking bass fishing seriously this past spring so I am currently reading and trying to learn what I can so I appreciate the input.

 

The techniques I am most comfortable with are; Ned Rig, Poppers, whacky worm, and grubs on a darter head or round jig head. At the end of the season I began experimenting with texas rigging creature baits and swim baits such as the Fat Impact and Rhythm Wave.

 

Thanks in advance for any input!

[NHBull]

I think if you get good at fishing jigs, everything is easier.....at least for me.

Crank Bait would be the second.

 

last year I really spent time working on what I was NOT comfortable and my overall fishing improved

[Dens228]

Hollow body frogs.  The most exciting............and most frustrating way to catch a bass! LOL

[CroakHunter]

Bottom contact baits are a must. If you can fish a jig or Texas rig, it makes things easier. Imo

[WRB]

Jack of all trades and master of none.

Start with 1 rod and reel and become a master at 1 presentation, then build on that.

This is a life long pursuit of catching bass, no reason to jump in head over heels.

Tom

[Birdman2136]

8 minutes ago, WRB said:

Jack of all trades and master of none.

Start with 1 rod and reel and become a master at 1 presentation, then build on that.

This is a life long pursuit of catching bass, no reason to jump in head over heels.

Tom

Very good advice and a good reminder to slow down. It is definitely easy to get ahead of yourself with different techniques.

 

The jig and frog are two techniques I want to learn. Especially the jig, I have the Bitsy Flip Jig and BBB Chunk in my cart on TW. I completely agree with the statement that learning to use a bottom contact bait will help me.

[scaleface]

51 minutes ago, CroakHunter said:

Bottom contact baits are a must. If you can fish a jig or Texas rig, it makes things easier. Imo

This . Any monkey can cast and reel . Learn a Texas rig / jig well and everything else will come easy . One of my best techniques is to work a Red Eye shad like a worm in deep water. Because I was already well versed in bottom bouncing there was no learning curve .

 

 

[Birdman2136]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

This . Any monkey can cast and reel . Learn a Texas rig / jig well and everything else will come easy . One of my best techniques is to work a Red Eye shad like a worm in deep water. Because I was already well versed in bottom bouncing there was no learning curve .

 

 

The book I am reading by Tony Bean echos this. Looks like I’m going to be perfecting the jig and Texas Rig this coming season! 

[TnRiver46]

Texas rig worm and jig

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Texas rig worm and jig

If you can catch fish on these baits, you can catch fish anywhere 365 days a year. 

[Oregon Native]

Agree to Texas Rig and Jig.....only thing I would add is become a line watcher.....no matter how sensitive our equipment is this is very very key to a lot of bites.

[MickD]

I'm not an expert southern fisherman, but if one expects one technique to be successful 365 in the north, I think they will be disappointed.

 

One unmentioned technique that can be very good under the right conditions, and can turn a day from bad to good, is the effective use of blade baits.  Do it right and all is well; do it a little differently and you might as well go home.  

[68camaro]

Birdman126, I think learning patience , at least for me, is critical. I have been focused on bass fishing for really second season and I get frustated easy, switch baits, techniques, locations maybe too soon.

 

I have been watching "Fact of Fishing" episodes and I was suprised how many casts Dave took to catch a fish, the following are two show stats:

 

Punching:  4 hrs, 467 casts, 17 fish equals 1 fish per 27 casts.

Forgot episode (I think bank hitting) - 7 hrs, 581 casts, 15 fish 38 casts per fish (11 LM)

 

This surprised me, Dave goes long time without catching fish but he keeps grinding it out and ends up with good averages. I just started counting casts with a target of 35 casts to catch a fish.

 

I have also learned that different techniques/baits have higher hit and hookup ratios than others so I've needed to adjust expectations accordingly. Also, my waters are pretty pressured so having 20 fish days like some here is unrealistic for me. Since I typically fish 1-4 hrs, but often, if I get a couple I am happy.

 

Also jig fisherman in motorized boats have big advantage because you can cover alot of water quickly, whereas for me in kayak I have less of opportunity. So to help even the odds this mid-summer I started experimenting with searchbaits to find productive water quickly or eliminate unproductive quickly. 

 

Also, I have learned t-rigs are great for the heavy hydrilla areas I fish so I use these alot and try different trailers, punching hydrilla was also hard for me but I've learned I just need to keep at it so next summer I will stick with technique, be more patient and see what happens, I just order punch jigs/weights to get all set up.

 

 

 

[A-Jay]

 @Birdman2136As mentioned here several times already, becoming confident & comfortable fishing a Jig / Texas rigged bait is a solid plan for any & all Bassheads.   Besides catching many very respectable bass, fishing these baits usually contributes to helping an angler develop 'feel' and understand 'sensitivity'.  Detecting when a bass has eaten your bait, while it is stationary or on the fall, may be one of the most challenging & trickiest aspects of bass fishing.  

 

Having an understanding of what both of these are to you, as it relates to your rod, reel, line & what your bait is doing at any giving moment throughout every cast, can be the difference between a good day & a great day on the water.   

 

Additionally, IMO accurate & effecting casting is a super important part of fishing, especially bass fishing.  So very often, the difference between getting a strike and an ignored cast, is a matter of inches.  Having the ability to present your bait in tight quarters is a prerequisite to being successful in many different bass fishing situations.   

 

This is often overlooked by new anglers as simply casting revolving spool tackle presents a challenge in itself, that once that is 'mastered' there is a propensity to 'go for distance' rather than 'placement'.   Do fall into this trap, take the time necessary to become an accurate caster.  This is one that you can't read about to improve - you must practice, practice,  and then practice some more.  One good thing is you may not need to be on the water to do it.  Just about any open space can serve the purpose - set up a few random targets at various distances and have at it. 

 

Once that's done, the next step is to learn how to make a 'quiet' cast - meaning with as little splash as possible.  Then, you become deadly, able to pick apart likely bass holding spots & ambush points without the bass ever knowing you are there - which is a big advantage.

 

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

 

[roadwarrior]

Weightless soft plastics, specifically the Senko and Fat Ika.

 

 

[Birdman2136]

3 hours ago, 68camaro said:

Birdman126, I think learning patience , at least for me, is critical. I have been focused on bass fishing for really second season and I get frustated easy, switch baits, techniques, locations maybe too soon.

 

I have been watching "Fact of Fishing" episodes and I was suprised how many casts Dave took to catch a fish, the following are two show stats:

 

Punching:  4 hrs, 467 casts, 17 fish equals 1 fish per 27 casts.

Forgot episode (I think bank hitting) - 7 hrs, 581 casts, 15 fish 38 casts per fish (11 LM)

 

This surprised me, Dave goes long time without catching fish but he keeps grinding it out and ends up with good averages. I just started counting casts with a target of 35 casts to catch a fish.

 

I have also learned that different techniques/baits have higher hit and hookup ratios than others so I've needed to adjust expectations accordingly. Also, my waters are pretty pressured so having 20 fish days like some here is unrealistic for me. Since I typically fish 1-4 hrs, but often, if I get a couple I am happy.

 

Also jig fisherman in motorized boats have big advantage because you can cover alot of water quickly, whereas for me in kayak I have less of opportunity. So to help even the odds this mid-summer I started experimenting with searchbaits to find productive water quickly or eliminate unproductive quickly. 

 

Also, I have learned t-rigs are great for the heavy hydrilla areas I fish so I use these alot and try different trailers, punching hydrilla was also hard for me but I've learned I just need to keep at it so next summer I will stick with technique, be more patient and see what happens, I just order punch jigs/weights to get all set up.

 

 

 

You are very right here. Patience is high on the list of what I need to improve on. I also kayak bass fish so I think I get in a hurry because I'm afraid of not being able to cover all the water I want to. Thanks for the post, being a guy who makes lists and goals I will be focusing highly on slowing down and patience. 

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 @Birdman2136As mentioned here several times already, becoming confident & comfortable fishing a Jig / Texas rigged bait is a solid plan for any & all Bassheads.   Besides catching many very respectable bass, fishing these baits usually contributes to helping an angler develop 'feel' and understand 'sensitivity'.  Detecting when a bass has eaten your bait, while it is stationary or on the fall, may be one of the most challenging & trickiest aspects of bass fishing.  

 

Having an understanding of what both of these are to you, as it relates to your rod, reel, line & what your bait is doing at any giving moment throughout every cast, can be the difference between a good day & a great day on the water.   

 

Additionally, IMO accurate & effecting casting is a super important part of fishing, especially bass fishing.  So very often, the difference between getting a strike and an ignored cast, is a matter of inches.  Having the ability to present you bait in tight quarters is a prerequisite to being successful in many different bass fishing situations.   

 

This is often overlooked by new anglers as simply casting revolving spool tackle presents a challenge in itself, that once that is 'mastered' there is a propensity to 'go for distance' rather than 'placement'.   Do fall into this trap, take the time necessary to become an accurate caster.  This is one that you can't read about to improve - you must practice, practice,  and then practice some more.  One good thing is you may not need to be on the water to do it.  Just about any open space can serve the purpose - set up a few random targets at various distances and have at it. 

 

Once that's done, the next step is to learn how to make a 'quiet' cast - meaning with as little splash as possible.  Then, you become deadly, able to pick apart likely bass holding spots & ambush points without the bass ever knowing you are there - which is a big advantage.

 

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm glad I posted this topic.

3 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Weightless soft plastics, specifically the Senko and Fat Ika.

 

 

Love the post RW! I've already read through this thread multiple times. Luckily I have been able to catch fish pretty efficiently and this post helped me get to that point! 

[Dens228]

45 minutes ago, Birdman2136 said:

You are very right here. Patience is high on the list of what I need to improve on. I also kayak bass fish so I think I get in a hurry because I'm afraid of not being able to cover all the water I want to. Thanks for the post, being a guy who makes lists and goals I will be focusing highly on slowing down and patience. 

Thanks for the advice. I'm glad I posted this topic.

Love the post RW! I've already read through this thread multiple times. Luckily I have been able to catch fish pretty efficiently and this post helped me get to that point! 

I also fell into this kayak trap....mid summer this year I decided to pick spots based on the conditions and stick to them.  I wasn't always successful at staying with spots longer but I did get away from trying to cover an entire lake in a kayak.