Theories

[Mobasser]

When I started out, I tried to copy all the teqniques used by pro tournament fisherman.If a new bait came out, I had to get one. Most of these things rarely worked for me. It was when I read some things by Buck Perry, and Charlie Brewer that I started to catch more fish.I've followed their lead now for years, and will continue to do so. Once I realized its not about the hot new bait, or the latest tackle trends, I could see part of the bigger picture.This explains why many of the best fisherman use only a few baits to catch all their fish, and have been successful for years.Charlie Brewer stated many times its not about the exact lure,but the understanding of bass, and how and why they strike.I'm still trying to understand all this. Now, I buy the same things that I've bought for years, simply because I'm learning what works best. Its a lot to take in. Really, a lifelong study. Anyone else agree?

[Team9nine]

The great thing about fishing is that there a lot of really successful anglers, professional and otherwise, that encompass about every style or approach you can think of, from the incredibly simple to the overly complex, shallow to deep, with all gradations in between. There is no one "right" way to approach this game, so we can all choose to learn from, copy or emulate those we tend to think alike with or are drawn to.

 

Early on, as a bass angler with professional intentions and a scientific/computer background, Clunn was the man for me. Now that that chapter in my life has passed, I've gravitated toward studying and adopting simplicity in approach (Kehde, Brewer, Perry, Cullen, Binkelman, Plummer, Murphy, and others). It's what works for me - might not for others. Doesn't matter.

[Deleted account]

Yes, and I'll go a step further, the only opinion that counts ( including mine) is the fish's opinion, and while certain things carry over from place to place, time to time and conditions to conditions, it is specific to the present tense of all those. MMMMMMMM!...

[soflabasser]

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

Once I realized its not about the hot new bait, or the latest tackle trends, I could see part of the bigger picture.This explains why many of the best fisherman use only a few baits to catch all their fish, and have been successful for years.Charlie Brewer stated many times its not about the exact lure,but the understanding of bass, and how and why they strike.I'm still trying to understand all this. Now, I buy the same things that I've bought for years, simply because I'm learning what works best. Its a lot to take in. Really, a lifelong study. Anyone else agree?

Yes I fully agree that the best fishermen tend to be the ones that truly understand the areas they are fishing in and what it takes to get big bass on a consistent basis. These fishermen are very serious in the way they fish and it shows by the results they get.

[BigAngus752]

The biggest thing I've learned so far is the importance of adaptability.  My OWN adaptability.  It turns out that ALL of the theories are correct, all of the techniques work, all of the lures are effective, but not all work on the water that I'm fishing on any given day.  My hardest learning curve right now is not "eliminating water" (I've gotten pretty good at that).  Now I have to concentrate on "eliminating techniques and lures" to get to that one thing that works and get there in a days worth of effort.  

[scaleface]

I try to keep things simple but at the same time be versatile enough to fish any depth , cover or structure . Theres a lot of lure categories and techniques that I havent tried.

[Catt]

Many anglers assume being versatile means being able to master every technique available.

 

 What we NEED to be versatile at is fishing our strengths in various weather & water conditions!

[WRB]

Bass fishing can as simple or as complex as you make it and that is why it's a popular sport.

Understanding basic bass behavior will improve you ability to catch bass.

How important are lures? When was the last time you used that hot must have lure you bought 5 or 10 years ago? The bass haven't changed over that time period, you have!

I tried to simplify basic bass behavior back in 1974 by making up my Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar, it's so simple that apparently only I can understand it!

For me I like using a wide variety of different tackle, lures and presentations to catch bass because it keeps it interesting. When targeting big bass my lures and presentations are reduced to only a few that have proven to work at specific locations.

That is my theory.

Tom

[Sam]

Don't forget confidence.

 

If you have confidence in what you are doing then continue doing it.

[A-Jay]

Over the years, I superscribed to many theories. 

As my fishing (for several species including bass) has evolved, I have come to believe that one theory in particular has quite a bit of merit.  Additionally this theory often improves the chances of some of my 'other theories' actually working out.

Fishing in bodies of water that hold numbers of above average fish, improves the opportunity to routinely catch above average fish.   

That's my theory, and I'm stick'in to it.

A-Jay

[scaleface]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

That's my theory, and I'm stick'in to it.

The best one yet .

[BrackishBassin]

I’ve done tons of reading and watched lots of videos. Spent an hour and a half throwing the ‘correct’ baits for the conditions (cloudy with cold water) without getting a nibble. Said screw it, tied on a wake bait, and caught a new PB. My new theory is called Kitchen Sink Bass Fishing. If you’ve got it, throw it. 

[Mobasser]

Team9nine, forgot to mention how much I've liked the info on your website. Really good stuff. Exactly what I'm into now. Thanks for putting that together

[bigbassin']

18 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Fishing in bodies of water that hold numbers of above average fish, improves the opportunity to routinely catch above average fish.   

^^^Groundbreaking stuff right here.

[A-Jay]

2 minutes ago, bigbassin' said:

^^^Groundbreaking stuff right here.

Keeping it real.

Anxiously waiting your coherent group of tested general propositions.

A-Jay

[Turtle135]

That is a great strategy for the typical bass angler with a full time job who probably gets 1-2 days on the water per week. It takes a certain number of hours on the water to become adept with a new technique. A professional bass angler can spend an entire week straight learning the intricacies of a new lure. 

 

The concepts from Perry and Brewer have been around for many years. They have stood the test of time.

[Wurming67]

22 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Yes I fully agree that the best fishermen tend to be the ones that truly understand the areas they are fishing in and what it takes to get big bass on a consistent basis. These fishermen are very serious in the way they fish and it shows by the results they get.

Totally agree well said I was talking to a friend about this site and new fishermen have to be very careful with information they are receiving because what works in Wisconsin isn't necessarily going to work in Florida and might get frustrated on the sport ,the fish and wildlife around you will tell u what's going on u just gotta listen  and watch basically get on tune with your area.

[TOXIC]

Just remember professional anglers are paid to promote.  Lure manufacturers want to sell baits.  Many times new baits are just a tweak to an existing bait or technique.  How else are the bait manufacturers going to get the consumer to buy what they most likely already have?  I tend to categorize my baits into what technique I want to offer.  Top water, crankbaits, spinnerbaits or plastics.  The multitude of baits in those categories can be overwhelming.  I always go back to what Gary Klein once told me......if I can find the fish there is never less than 5 different lures I can catch them with.  

[Catt]

18 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

 I always go back to what Gary Klein once told me......if I can find the fish there is never less than 5 different lures I can catch them with.  

 

"We often give to much credit to the lure & not enough credit to the angler!"

 

"If there was a bush in the back of a cove with a 5# bass in it & Denny Brauer went by he would catch it on a black/blue jig. If KVD when by that same bush he would catch it on a spinner bait & if Rick Clunn went by that same bush he would catch it on a buzz bait. It was not the lure selection but location of the bass!"

 

Gary Klein, Bassmaster University 

[TOXIC]

6 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

"We often give to much credit to the lure & not enough credit to the angler!"

 

"If there was a bush in the back of a cove with a 5# bass in it & Denny Brauer went by he would catch it on a black/blue jig. If KVD when by that same bush he would catch it on a spinner bait & if Rick Clunn went by that same bush he would catch it on a buzz bait. It was not the lure selection but location of the bass!"

 

Gary Klein, Bassmaster University 

The other thing he told me was that he didn’t know that having confidence in a bait would catch more fish but that he knew for sure if you didn’t have confidence in a bait you wouldn’t catch fish with it.

[bagofdonuts]

Always like to keep in mind that lures are just tools. There is no magic tool, just magic in matching the right tool, at the right time, in the right place.

Take a jig for example - everyone always says jigs are good baits in the spring or in rising water or dirty water, etc. I'm convinced its not that a jig is the better lure choice because it imitates crawfish or has a unique action that's good under these conditions. It's that the bass position themselves under these conditions in areas that a jig is a really good tool (i.e. tight to cover and shallow). 

Lure manufacturers make a good deal of money convincing us that there's a magic tool.

[bigbassin']

7 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Keeping it real.

Anxiously waiting your coherent group of tested general propositions.

A-Jay

In all seriousness, I typically follow this piece of advice and fish where I catch big fish when I want to catch big fish, and fish were I get good numbers if I just want to catch a lot.  Just thought it was funny to see in writing.

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, bigbassin' said:

In all seriousness, I typically follow this piece of advice and fish where I catch big fish when I want to catch big fish, and fish were I get good numbers if I just want to catch a lot.  Just thought it was funny to see in writing.

In a sport that can so easily & quickly get seriously complicated, it's often be the simplest of principles that yields the best results.

A-Jay

[slonezp]

A well placed bait trumps all

[soflabasser]

9 hours ago, Wurming67 said:

Totally agree well said I was talking to a friend about this site and new fishermen have to be very careful with information they are receiving because what works in Wisconsin isn't necessarily going to work in Florida and might get frustrated on the sport ,the fish and wildlife around you will tell u what's going on u just gotta listen  and watch basically get on tune with your area.

The largemouth bass in Wisconsin are northern strain largemouth bass which are much more aggressive and easy to catch compared to the Florida strain Largemouth bass, which is well known for being difficult to catch when they reach trophy status( +8 pounds in South Florida, +10 pounds in Central/Northern Florida).Some Wisconsin techniques do work well down here, and everywhere else.

On 3/24/2018 at 1:45 PM, BigAngus752 said:

The biggest thing I've learned so far is the importance of adaptability.  My OWN adaptability.  It turns out that ALL of the theories are correct, all of the techniques work, all of the lures are effective, but not all work on the water that I'm fishing on any given day.

I agree with you 100%. Those who adapt will thrive, those who do not adapt will not do as good until they learn to adapt. Time on the water and learning on every single fishing trips helps much more than being online or reading a book about fishing.