I'm still not good at fishing

[Ben Miller]

But it's fun!  It's been a while since tuning in with Bassresource but appreciate all the advice in the past.  Keeping at it for sure and just wanted to say thank you all!

[Junger]

I started last April, and for me, all it took was one confidence bait that I could consistently catch LMB on. From there it just snowballed as I got more confidence in other techniques, and continue to commit to learning new techniques.

 

Wacky rigged senko started me off. Just keep at it until you find your stride.

[EGbassing]

Experience, experience, experience. Pick one bait, (ideally a texas rig) watch as many videos on it as you can, and then just fish it. Also, try to fish somewhere that has a good bass population. It'll make things a lot easier. 

 

Edit: Almost forgot. Fish shallow cover. Trust me, it works. There will be fish in shallow cover on a bright summer day. 

Edited June 28, 2018 by EGbassing

[Spankey]

You'll get your groove back. Don't get frustrated. Take a good day or a bad day. It is what it is. That's why they call it fishing and not catching. A lot of things can effect fish activity. You say you are having fun. That's probably the most important thing. 

[Oregon Native]

Easier said than done but "My Dad said" It's just good to be out here.  Well....he wasn't the greatest of fishermen.  But as I look back and get older myself it is "Awesome to get out there"  So much going on around us and it's not negative....it's relaxing....therapeutic.  I love it....Praise God I can do it.

Like mentioned above you will find your bait and technique you like and the wiggle will come.

[the reel ess]

I've been fishing almost 40 years. Every time I think I'm good at fishing and I've figured something out, they show me otherwise.

 

As @EGbassing said, the T rig is just the ticket for gaining confidence. For the longest time, it's all I ever fished on my Zebco 33. And I still can tie it on and expect some action even when bass are sulking.

[scaleface]

Young anglers are at sort of a disadvantage now days compared to when I was a young angler because of all the lure  choices they have . Drop shots , wacky rigs , huddlestons , shakey heads , Ned rigs.... the list goes on and on .  A cousins kid is getting into bass fishing and he is routinely getting skunked at a lake I routinely catch 50+ fish .He keeps asking about all these lures . I tell him where to go , where the brush and laydowns are and stick with spinnerbaits , buzz-baits , Texas rigs and crankbaits but he still says he struggles to get a couple of dinks . Sometimes you need to forget about all your lure choices and stick with a few that will work well in the conditions you encounter . Over 90 per cent of the time I am either throwing a Texas rig , spinnerbait , buzzbait or crankbait and put them where bass hang out .

[TOXIC]

1. Try to learn something every time you go fishing.

2. Learn to appreciate all the other benefits of fishing and not just the catching part.  

[bagofdonuts]

Keep on keeping on. I've been at for 45+ years. Fishing will give you a life time of good memories, clean fun and great friends. I'v gotten a lot more out of it than just the fish caught. In fact, the fish are probably pretty far down the list.

 

As said above keep it simple while honing your skills. Learn how to crawl a jig through the heaviest cover without hanging up and it will make you better at all other techniques.

[Mobasser]

I agree with all the above! As Toxic said, try to learn something new each time you go. Stick with a few proven baits and get good with these.Try to learn to fish soft plastics and jigs, as these can often be a large part of a fishing day. And of course have fun.

[Deleted account]

I think a lot of the allure of fishing  (pun intended) is that it can be paradoxically both quite simple and utterly complicated at the same time, and by its nature is essentially a puzzle with at times several, and at times no solution. The whole random reward pattern thing. Completely agree with others above that experience, time on the water and concentrating on learning one type of lure at a time is a good approach. 

[frogflogger]

If water temps are in the 60's or above. Tie on a small popper or original rapala and twitch twitch twitch - fun is on its way.

[Fishing Rhino]

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 7:48 AM, Oregon Native said:

Easier said than done but "My Dad said" It's just good to be out here.  Well....he wasn't the greatest of fishermen.  But as I look back and get older myself it is "Awesome to get out there"  So much going on around us and it's not negative....it's relaxing....therapeutic.  I love it....Praise God I can do it.

Like mentioned above you will find your bait and technique you like and the wiggle will come.

I've seen people who struggle on the water, but have fun, and enjoy it.  On the other hand, I've seen those who could sink their boat with what they catch yet they gripe, complain, cuss, and throw things around.  They are obviously not having fun.

 

You tell me, who's the better fisherman?

[new2BC4bass]

On 6/28/2018 at 9:41 AM, bagofdonuts said:

Keep on keeping on. I've been at for 45+ years. Fishing will give you a life time of good memories, clean fun and great friends. I'v gotten a lot more out of it than just the fish caught. In fact, the fish are probably pretty far down the list.

 

As said above keep it simple while honing your skills. Learn how to crawl a jig through the heaviest cover without hanging up and it will make you better at all other techniques.

It is always nice to catch a few fish, but a day on the water with a friend...and no fish caught...is still a good day.

[Boomstick]

Welcome to the hack fishing club. I just like being on the water, whether I get a fish or not.

 

I started really getting into fishing last year, and I've definitely learned a ton in tactics and techniques, and can usually land at least a fish per trip now, which is much better than when I started where I might get skunked a few weekends in a row at times.

[J.Vincent]

Angling is a lifelong sport...take your time and don't worry about Fast tracking the learning curve. If you are new to the sport, stay away from YouTube at first ; instead order Advanced bass fishing by Sternberg and Largemouth Bass: In Fisherman Handbook of Strategies. There are plenty of other great books; but if you Read those 2 books cover to cover and then read them again. I guarantee you will be a lot further ahead.  Plus reading a book instead of a computer screen, will better allow the information to become a part of your cognition. I can't explain why without sounding like a know it all , but trust me a good book will grow your Angling intuition differently than reading a message board or watching a YouTube.

[CrankFate]

Some days everyone is terrible at fishing. 

 

 

 

Quote

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life.

-Michael Jordan