Was there a difference?

[Moto]

Hi,

Im just curious..... Is there a difference  bass fishing now and and bass fishing let’s say in the mid 1900s?

Like for example was there a difference with bass population, or bass behavior, what they bit and what they didn’t, or anything like that? (Not regarding our modern fishing technology)

[the reel ess]

Well, I wasn't alive until 1970, but I know states do a better job of managing the fish populations now. I think there are bass in a lot more places than there were then. Bass aren't native to a lot of places where they are caught now.

[Bluebasser86]

Lots of stuff that was made and used in the mid 1900's is no longer in production. I doubt many rods and reels from that era are still in use for every day purposes. I don't think fish populations are much different, but they're probably more difficult to catch thanks to much higher fishing pressure. This is thanks largely to catch and release, which wasn't a thing back then. 

[Ariffy]

More people fish now days so I would assume they're slightly more difficult to catch 

[Eric J]

I started fishing in 1970 when I was 10. Through the 70's and 80's it certainly was different. As a community we were less connected, we did not have the social media community we have now. There was no WFN or myriad outdoorsman shows. Fishing was a more local thing.

 

Boats were nowhere near the sophistication level that they're at now as was technology. Back then maps, all sorts were you're guide. We didn't have video clips showing every single facet of fishing from how to rig your plastic to an underwater camera showing the bite/set. Most info was through anecdotal conversation with other anglers, family, dads and grandads passing it on...

 

I love all the great stuff we have access to now but still I miss the smaller community feel of those years. Its much like the loss of so much of the local tavern feel most towns had that has been vanishing for years...

 

But still, nothing beats that feeling when the strike hits and the set sticks...

 

Eric J

[thinkingredneck]

More water now, in the South at least.  More Bass.  More people.  Better gear.  Hard to compare because everything about being young seems better.  Nostalgia doesn't equal history.

[BillP]

For me fishing has changed a lot since the mid-sixties. Better reels, rods, tackle choices. TV shows and internet sites provide more educated guesses. Catching, unfortunately, has remained exactly the same. I keep telling myself that someday I will catch a 3 pound Smallmouth or 4 pound Walleye ?

[Rahlow]

Lots more pressure on the fish these days, 

[Catt]

[RPreeb]

On 6/9/2018 at 12:06 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

Lots of stuff that was made and used in the mid 1900's is no longer in production. I doubt many rods and reels from that era are still in use for every day purposes. I don't think fish populations are much different, but they're probably more difficult to catch thanks to much higher fishing pressure. This is thanks largely to catch and release, which wasn't a thing back then. 

Although "catch and release" may not have been an officially recognized policy back then, even as kids we knew what was a "keeper" and what needed to be tossed back to grow some more.  That was true of anything we caught, not just bass.  I started in the late 50's, and for bass, if it wasn't worth filleting, then it wasn't a keeper.  We only kept sunfish and crappies that were too small to easily fillet, and even then we had a self imposed minimum size.  The real difference was that when we caught one that was destined to die because it had swallowed the hook, we could legally keep it, no matter how small it was.

[ww2farmer]

I don't know much about bass fishing prior to the late 80's, and even then from the late 80's -early/mid 2000's I was just a casual angler that fished for what ever was biting and easy to catch at the time. Most of the time it was for bass, but it was not uncommon to spend several outings in a row just for panfish, bullheads, pike, etc.... I had always been "bass-centric" would follow the tournament trails, buy and try the latest and greatest stuff, but rarely would work at becoming a better bass angler. When I really really got into it was in the mid 2000's, like circa 2004-05, and a tournament angler around 2007. One big thing I have noticed since just then, is the guys I fish against have gotten way way better, way faster. Back when I started, there were a half dozen guys who were the "ones to beat" at most every tournament I went to, and had been known as heavy hitters for years, with 3/4's of the field there just going through the motions and donating money. It took me a solid 4-5 years into my tournament fishing life to be any good, wins were almost next to impossible to get, and just cashing was a feat. Then around 2012, a light bulb went off, and I have been a casher and winner more times than not.  In the last 2-3 years though, it seems like everyone is a threat to win now, new to the scene or not, and the number of un-competitive anglers is almost zilch.

[WRB]

On June 8, 2018 at 1:06 PM, Mottel said:

Hi,

Im just curious..... Is there a difference  bass fishing now and and bass fishing let’s say in the mid 1900s?

Like for example was there a difference with bass population, or bass behavior, what they bit and what they didn’t, or anything like that? (Not regarding our modern fishing technology)

1. bass behavior isn't going to change in our lifetime.

2. Looking at my top 5 bass 4 were caught in the early 90's, 1 in the early 80's, all on hair jigs with pork rind trailers. 

The overall bass population hasn't changed where I fish, the giant bass population is gone, hopefully may recover.

Tom

[rtwvumtneer6]

Many lakes in my area (PA) have adopted this program with success over the last few years.  Typical minimum size to harvest was 12"  and they are aiming to protect the spawn. However, the majority of resources seem to cater to trout fishing.  

 

Too young to tell you about anything too far back.