Why do I even fish?

[everythingthatswims]

13 hours ago, GReb said:

First of that is rough. Been skunked many times but 3 fish in 36 outings just sucks. 

 

What time have you been fishing? Have you tried fishing all periods of the day?

^^^ Something strange about this to me

[NYWayfarer]

22 minutes ago, JustJames said:

Just special for you, try wacky rig you Roboworm Ned Worm.

I am going to place an order for these. They look great.

[LCG]

14 hours ago, HeyCoach said:

I’ve caught the fish on this summer:

black baby brush hog

Junebug Trick worm

Whopper Plopper

Might I suggest trying moving baits that displace water ie crankbait s,chatterbaits,spinner baits,in line spinners,etc. 

[Koz]

16 hours ago, HeyCoach said:

I’ve only caught 3 fish all summer minus the 4 on my honeymoon. 

 

The good news for you is that being down in Alabama your water temperatures should have peaked within the past few weeks. As the waters cool the bass will become more active in most traditional foraging spots along the shoreline.

 

With the water temperatures reaching their peaks you have probably also noticed an increased presence of algae. Not the topwater coating, but the thick, soupy stuff that gathers in pockets of ponds and lagoons. Since we have very little vegetation and structure in the lagoons that I fish during daylight hours I have been targeting in and around the algae.

 

In cooler weather the bass will bust right through that stuff to grab a topwater, but not this time of year. So I cast beyond the algae and pull something through it to see what gets the bite. More than one time I have felt the pull of the algae and then had a bass grab the bait. Lately it's been either a big paddletail or chatterbaits with a Pit Boss trailer that have done the trick.

 

Fishing through the soupy algae is a pain, but my guess is that you'll find some bass hiding in there while the waters are still warm. But in a few weeks when the nighttime temperatures start to drop the waters will cool and the bass will be back in their normal hot spots for at least part of the day.

 

 

[sfpalatka]

I have been there to. Since we have been getting a lot of rain, the water temp has been down in the morning around 83 degrees. Been pretty lucky lately fishing vegetation. If all else fails, you can use the ultimate stick bait DYNOMITE  JUST KIDDING

[HeyCoach]

Yes, my attitude is rather negative.

 

I’ve had some life stressors change me from my usual happy-go-lucky demeanor. Well, how I have reacted to them has changed me. 

 

I usually have other things on my mind when I fish, which causes me to just go through the motions. 

 

I’m going to go buy a medium/fast spinning rod or combo tomorrow so I can use that instead of a medium/moderate for shaky head and put the boat in. 

[Fishingintheweeds]

On 9/13/2018 at 8:11 PM, Russ E said:

Everyone gets skunked occasionally. It is just a part of fishing. Especially if you are targeting big fish.

However if I only caught 3 fish in 3 dozen trips, I would be looking for better places to fish.

I fish several different bodies of water. If one is not producing, I move to another.

 

 

I gotta agree. I can't imagine spending 70+ hours fishing and only catching 3 small bass. Especially, if you aren't bank-bound. But even if you are...whew!

 

I think maybe there are better questions to ask that can improve your luck. I hope my post didn't jump the gun, as I haven't read every reply but learning the right questions to ask (yourself or others on here) is important and can help up your game pretty quickly. 

[JustJames]

Before when I lived in city with only small city park lakes but huge with population in SoCal, I caught may be 10-15 bass for those 8-10 years. I had been skunked more than I could count and I never give up. 

[WRB]

Location, location, location.

You can't catch bass if they are not there.

If the bass are where you are fishing then you need to change what you are doing.

So you have a boat and spinning tackle, that means you are able to go wherever you want, not shore bound. 

It's fall transition now in my area so the bass are more then likely moving and feeding on Shad.

My suggestion is start fishing main lake points from 1' shallow towards 20' deeper water, down hill. Cast all around the point and use Shad color soft plastics, translucent purples if the water is greenish color.

Move into a creek arm and repeat targeting secondary points and any brush or soil changes you see.

Tom

[Fishingintheweeds]

So, I didn't intend to sound like a jerk about it in my previous comment...an update when things turn around would be interesting. I'd like to see what you figured out was wrong and then, what changed your luck.

 

If you've bought the stuff, and gone 36 times...you're in. It's too late! You're not going to quit!

 

Good luck. 

[Glaucus]

It's the water you're fishing. Your water sucks. Move to a different body of water. The start to this season sucked for me too. Water that had always produced became trash. Thought it was me until I moved to different water. Turned out to be the best season of my life.

People talking about fall transition, meanwhile it's 90 degrees with a real feel approaching 100 today here in Illinois and it's going to be this way for another week.

[Catt]

18 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

People talking about fall transition, meanwhile it's 90 degrees with a real feel approaching 100 today here in Illinois and it's going to be this way for another week

 

Down here on the Gulf Coast we're no near the fall transition!

 

[Buffdaddy54]

Wow do I know the feeling. Horrible, horrible summer for me. Bought 4 new reels within 2 months and caught NADA! in mutiple trips out, so, I decided to start working on my technique. I go to my local middle school play ground with my 2 Baitcasters and throw to the 8 four square courts and practice,practice,practice. I still suck at flipping but I don't hate it anymore. 8 courts, 4 squares each, 32 total targets! It's getting to the point where I enjoy this as much as fishing. I try not to go home until I've hit every square. 

I know this is going to pay off in the long run. DON'T GIVE UP! Make a game out of it. 

Good luck!!

[MichaelCopeland]

I've only been bass fishing since late March early April of 2017. I've had more 5 to 8 hour days of getting completely skunked than I can count on my fingers and toes combined. In fact, I only get to go fishing when my girlfriend will actually take me unless there's a pond close enough for me to walk to, which I was fortunate to have that for a few months before I had to move. I'm limited to fishing from the bank, so most bodies of water I get to go to have hardly any accessible bank to fish from. I've only been able to get out on a boat 3 times since I began bass fishing. However, with all my limitations, I was determined I was gonna catch some bass. I didn't  give up. I asked questions on here and got good answers from the awesome folks on here. I've read alot of the articles on here to help give me some insight on what to look for to find the bass and why I should look for those areas. I read books for the same reasons. Of course all of that had to be practiced out on the water. I practiced, practiced, practiced every chance I got. Some days I didn't catch anything, some days I only caught dinks or just 1 bass, some days a mix of dinks and keepers and some days a mix of dinks, keepers and an occasional hawg. Myself, I'm in search of big bass, monster bass, trophy bass whatever you wanna call them. I still get completely skunked often, but I do expect it considering what I'm targeting. The reason I fish is for the peacefulness and beauty of the outdoors, the scenery God created for us. I fish because I feel free of almost every burden in my life. I used to get very upset when I got skunked. Now I feel Blessed for the time I get to spend out there and if I catch a dink or a keeper size or a hawg, well that is a bonus. I still have limitations for when I can go fishing and how much bank there is to fish from, but the wait on being able to get there is the only part that sucks. When I get out there, it's total bliss! Have faith, be patient and be confident when you're out there. Try different things until you find what works for you and stay with it until you have to change things up again. Then repeat the process. I wish you the very best of luck and I hope you don't give up. God Bless! ?

[r83srock]

On 9/14/2018 at 8:34 AM, jbmaine said:

The way you are feeling I'd suggest you just stop fishing. After a while the urge to go will get so strong you'll just be happy to be out on the water. Every late fall we put the boat away and spend all winter waiting for ice out. Come spring we don't always catch anything the first time or two out, but we're so happy to be on the water it doesn't matter much.

True that! We are frozen for at least 5 months here, so every day on the water after ice out is a good day. PMA (positive mental attitude and some small changes like CATT mentioned can be all you need.

[LionHeart]

I Don't have anything significant to add but will echo a few things.  It is highly unlikely that you have the power to keep fish from biting your lure that results in this many skunk sessions.  What I mean to say here is that unless you are doing something crazy, it likely ain't your fault.

 

I suppose trying a wide range of lures couldn't hurt but if it were me I'd try different water.  When I have a bad run of trips, I'll go to a pond where it's a pretty sure bet I'll catch fish even if it means driving for an hour and having less time to fish.

 

Getting validation that you actually can catch fish as long as there are fish to catch can cure lost confidence like no other.

 

Hats off to you for sticking with it this long.  If it makes you feel any better, I have come back empty handed many days after fishing for 6+ hours.  In fact, my last 3 trips (3-4 hours each)...... nothing.

[dodgeguy]

2 hours is not long enough. you may have picked the 2 hours of the day where they weren't biting. I fished 9 hour days where they only bit for 1 hour.

[Mobasser]

On 9/13/2018 at 8:39 PM, scaleface said:

You didnt change   ? You need to change if you're not catching anything . Its not always slow down and fish thoroughly either . A lot of times it pays to speed up and cover more water .

Yep! Throw them a changeup.Try different baits, depths, and speed of retrieve. The hunt for the fish is just as much a skill as fishing itself.

[YoTone]

go on more honeymoons

[HeyCoach]

7 minutes ago, YoTone said:

go on more honeymoons

Caught my PB of 6.5 pounds. I don’t know if I can justify a divorce for a new PB largemouth. 

 

I’m actually about to load up and beat the bank. It is what I normally do, and have done this summer as I’ve not had a chance to put the boat in. 

 

Such is life. 

[Harold Scoggins]

"Mushin"...and if that doesn't work, try a 9" blackberry Jelly Worm.

 

[YoTone]

surprised this hasn't been said in this thread but for me Ive caught some of my nicest catches at night. im willing to bet this will catch you more fish.  

[HeyCoach]

At 10am this morning it was 86 degrees and high humidity. Heat index was already at 95.

 

Its hot out there. 

[Krux5506]

We've all been there, but usually all my skunking comes during those dog days of summer. Honestly man, if you're to the point of just feeling burned out or strung out from getting your hopes up to be constantly let down by being skunked, you need to just chill out and not fish for a while. Get other stuff done at home, put time into other hobbies, hang out with friends who have nothing to do with fishing, or whatever. Clear your head from the craziness that constant skunking can really make you feel. 

 

 

Here in NY there's times of the year where although I am so excited to get out, I literally have to train myself to not get my hopes up too high, because the summer bite is one that can either be great or just flat out boring and non existent. Luckily we are at that transition point where it's game on again. 

[LionHeart]

2 hours ago, HeyCoach said:

At 10am this morning it was 86 degrees and high humidity. Heat index was already at 95.

 

Its hot out there. 

Man, I gotta ask.  How slow are you fishing the worm? Until this summer (which has been brutal for me also), I thought I knew what slow fishing was.

 

It was only after I dumb lucked upon a submerge brush pile that I learned what slow fishing a worm really means.  At first is was excruciating, a voice in my head kept saying how boring and miserable it is and how I'll never catch fish dragging and pausing like this.  Honestly it wasn't any fun at all, but I was desperate and had tried just about everything else.  

 

Then I got a bite, then another, then another.  I'm not saying this is your problem, and if it is, I'm not saying this is the only solution.  It did help me though.  This whole time, I had been working my plastics too fast for this Texas heat.

 

Of course this isn't the cure all, but try dragging your lure extremely slow.  Each cast of 30 yards should take 3-5 minutes to retrieve.  Sound boring? Not if it works.  Now I truly enjoy this kind of technique and there was a time when I couldn't imagine using it.

 

For the record, I still say try some different water.