Why do I even fish?

[YoTone]

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. 

at 10 am im usually wrapping things up  if it gets that hot out. if its that hot for you imagine how it is for the fish. 

[Boomstick]

I put in a lot of time learning about migration patterns, various tactics plus just what works in situations and what doesn't.

 

I didn't get completely skunked until August and one more time a couple weeks ago  and honestly that time I'm fairly sure if I had a little more money and rented a rowboat or canoe, I would have caught some at the lake I was fishing at - there's just very little shore access that isn't limited by low treelines and it's extremely shallow and they aren't at that side of the lake this time of year.

 

Last year, we got skunked a lot, and I must admit it was a bit frustrating. But this year, it didn't bother me. I spent significantly less time on the water this year due to medical issues and still caught a whole lot more fish, and it was generally fun and relaxing trying to catch them anyway. At the end of the day, I bought a 3lb salmon filet and fed the group and that was worth it alone if nothing else.

[schplurg]

On 9/14/2018 at 7:47 PM, HeyCoach said:

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. 

 

I haven't fished very long but for me, fishing is what takes my mind off my problems. I fish sometimes just for that reason. It's like therapy for me.

 

Someone said that two hours may not be enough. It isn't. I have fished many hours only to have the bite on for maybe an hour or less.

 

- Try live bait if you haven't, at least until you catch a few

- Different water

- Different water

- Different times of day

- Different times of day

 

I think fishing with other people is a great idea, especially if your mind is distracted when you're alone.

 

I'm still a rookie but those are my thoughts. Good luck!

[Chris186]

On 9/13/2018 at 8:58 PM, HeyCoach said:

I’ve thrown everything in my tackle box. 

 

I’ve caught the fish on this summer:

black baby brush hog

Junebug Trick worm

Whopper Plopper

 

I foul hooked the spotted bass on the WP, somehow it got a treble hook under its chin. I’ve probably caught less than 3 pounds of fish total. 

At least you have caught a fish on a Whopper Plopper. I bought one when they first came out idk how many years ago, still haven't caught a ******* thing on it!

I like Baby Brush Hogs a lot, try a different color. I have had the most success with watermelonseed and big texan.

Do you have any buddies you like to go with? I have recently found some new fishing buddies and it makes a big difference for me, even if we aren't catching any we still have a good time just hanging out on the boat, talking and making jokes.

 

[Marshfly]

On 9/14/2018 at 9:41 AM, Scott F said:

If I’d only caught 3 fish in 3 dozen trips, I’d have quit myself.  My suggestion is to find other people to fish with. Join a fishing club (not necessarily a tournament club). A lot of times, fishing by yourself, you keep repeating the same mistakes over and over without realizing you are doing something wrong. Watching how and where others present their baits will give you insights you can’t always get from reading or watching YouTube videos. Downsizing your baits is also a good idea. I have a friend who was struggling to catch bass while everyone else was doing well. He was copying the guys he saw on TV and throwing big baits going for big fish which isn’t a bad thing but he was coming up empty and not happy about it. Once he switched to what the rest of us were using, he started catching and wound up with some big fish to boot. 

This is the best advice in this whole thread. No one knows what body of water you are fishing so suggesting techniques and baits to try doesn't make any sense. Getting on the water with another successful fisherman will teach you more in a day than you could learn in three years worth of solo trips. If it takes hiring a guide for a day to do that, then do it. Even if it means sacrificing a few solo trips to pay for it.

[Ratherbfishing]

What caught my attention was when you wrote "...throwing a green pumpkin finesse worm."  Perhaps I'm being too literal but is that ALL you threw?  There is nothing inherently wrong with this choice of baits/techniques EXCEPT when it fails to produce.  You can't expect to always catch fish using the same techniques/baits.  Fishing in the late summer is one of the toughest times and one often has to think a little outside the box to produce results (and sometimes even then it can be hard).  I wish I knew where to begin but the first thing I would suggest is to try very early morning or late evening OR at night.  The next, look for off-shore structure.  It's easy/natural to cast to visible objects but if that's not where they are biting, don't do it.  A lot of summer fish will suspend in deep water so, if you have a boat, try trolling with deep divers.  I can usually catch a few bass and crappies doing this. It's not my favorite technique but it keeps the skunk off. 

 

(p.s., I wrote this before reading some of your later responses but I still think it's decent advice.  If you STILL aren't catching fish, change locations or ask what others are doing to find/catch fish).

[TBAG]

Another thread with some great advice! I too have been skunked lots of times, but like others I just try to stay positive and enjoy being outside in nature and more importantly, not at work!

 

Good luck and don't give up.

[HeyCoach]

On 9/18/2018 at 11:03 AM, Chris186 said:

 

Do you have any buddies you like to go with? I have recently found some new fishing buddies and it makes a big difference for me, even if we aren't catching any we still have a good time just hanging out on the boat, talking and making jokes.

 

No. I had to move from my hometown for a job and I don’t know anybody around here.

 

There was a BASS opens tournament here the weekend before this. Similar conditions, no change in weather.

 

Finals day, I want to say only 3 or 4 had a limit. And that’s including Keith Poche and the guy that won the Forrest Wood Cup maybe two years ago. 

[Pond fisher]

HeyCoach, which body of water are you fishing?

 

Ken

[Eric J]

On 9/13/2018 at 9:54 PM, HeyCoach said:

Today was about a 2hr trip, long enough to hit all of the piers and structure around the slough. 

 

I’ve gone out before sun rise so I can try a topwater bite when the sun comes up, been out at mid morning past lunchtime, mid afternoon through sunset.

I have stayed on a single body of water for 4 hours trying to figure things out and end up catching a hog. Summer's can be tough but being out fishing gives me much needed time away from the world. This morning I ended up with 2 Perch and a dink. Came home relaxed and looking forward to Sunday, my next day out...

[WVU-SCPA]

There are too many variables to discuss all things that go into catching bass on a given day.  From conditions, weather, and some times it comes down to inches on your cast. 

 

While you can't control all the variables,  you can alter many of them.  Attitude and thought process is key to doing this.  My lunch break lake is the perfect example.  A heavy pressured clear lake that during the spring and fall I fish at least 3 days a week over lunch.  The odds of me putting the right set of variables together in a hour during the summer are slim as the good fish are deeper and finicky.  I don't put my self through that disappointment because of the little bit of time I have.  Bit of a lie....I still do it but curb my expectations.

 

If your expectation is to catch a few bass,  start there with the info shared in this thread (location, lures, time).  If you want to do it consistently,  take that information and start putting it together as a playbook (assuming you do coach).  Outside of the uncontrolled variables it comes down to probabilities.

[HeyCoach]

14 hours ago, Pond fisher said:

HeyCoach, which body of water are you fishing?

 

Ken

Lake Logan Martin. It’s part of the Coosa chain (famous for the Alabama spotted bass/Coosa bass/spotted bass).

[Eric J]

This may be contrary to most of what's been said but I do speak from experience and a lifetime of obsessive hobbies.

 

Sometimes you just need to take a break from something you love to do. Burnout is a real thing and it can sap confidence, desire and will and become a vicious cycle that feeds on itself.

 

Take a break for a while, do other things. Try not to think about fishing. Come back to it in a few weeks/month and I think you'll see a difference.

 

Tight lines and good vibes...

 

[Pond fisher]

Go to Lay. Great fishing. I've never done well on Logan Martin.

 

Ken

[Rahlow]

On 9/13/2018 at 7:49 PM, HeyCoach said:

Got skunked again today throwing a green pumpkin finesse worm.

 

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

 

I came home and the wife asked how it went. “It sucked,” was all I could muster. She asked a question that made me think. 

 

“Then why do you go?”

 

It’s just frustrating getting skunked so many times. I’ve been fishing about 3 dozen times this summer. Caught 3 dinks.

You eliminated a bunch of water that does not hold fish, there is that!

[toni63]

Couple summers ago I was in the same rut. Why bother, when I just don't catch all that much when I go?

 

I figured out the problem wasn't me, it was the lakes I was going to weren't particularly good bass lakes. After talking to some other guys who fish them, I discovered most of them saying the same thing. 5 years ago you could catch fish there, nowadays not so much. So even though they were close to home, like 20 minutes after I leave I am on the water,  if the lake stinks, its not much fun trolling around for hours catching nothing or next to nothing.

 

But I am fortunate in that there is a great bass fishery about 100 miles from here, so instead of going frequently for a few hours, I carve out entire days to go to that lake instead. So now I only get out a couple times a month, but at least I have success every time I go.

 

For me the trade off is less time fishing for better quality fishing and I find that works much better for me.

 

So to sum it up, it might be worth skipping the lakes that don't produce for ones that may be further away but you'll enjoy the fishing a lot more when you do go.

[BarefootBassin]

Your summer sounds the way my winter went. I lost track of how many trips in a row I got skunked after 7. As many have said, fishing comes and goes in flurries. I will add that the worst winter I've had turned into a phenomenal spring and summer.

Just as some anglers are better with some techniques than others, some also have a better handle on different times of year. I'm not that confident when winter hits, but summer is my most productive time of year, hands down. If you can find someone who produces well during the summer and offer to take them along and show you a few things. If not, just don't give up and it will come around.

Lastly, while downsizing can be a great tactic for after a strong front or in clear, shallow water. Excepting those scenarios, summer is NOT the best time to downsize. Bass are cold-blooded. The warmer the water gets, the more they have to eat. Summer is the time to beef up and throw big worms, creatures and jigs. I've had a 14 inch bass choke a 12 inch work on more than one occasion in the summer. Even if I'm going finesse, like a drop shot or Shakey head, I'm still using larger baits (6 in for drop shot and 8-10 in for shakey or bubba shot). Contrary to popular belief, bass will hit a buzzbait or another fast moving top water in the middle of a bright sunny day if you throw it anywhere near shade (docks, weedlines, over hanging trees). Hope that helps. Best of luck!

[HeyCoach]

I went to a few local tackle shops this week and struck up conversations with the workers and other patrons. 

 

All of them have mentioned how tough the bite has been and several have mentioned going 0-fer. They did say that sometimes there would be bites on shaky head if there was a bite.

[Paul Roberts]

Been there. I have actually been out fishing, and said to myself, "What the heck am I doing out here! I should be home... mowing the lawn or something." Fishing is nice, but catching is... the main reason we are out there.

[HotDogAngler]

On 9/13/2018 at 7:49 PM, HeyCoach said:

Got skunked again today throwing a green pumpkin finesse worm.

 

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

 

I came home and the wife asked how it went. “It sucked,” was all I could muster. She asked a question that made me think. 

 

“Then why do you go?”

 

It’s just frustrating getting skunked so many times. I’ve been fishing about 3 dozen times this summer. Caught 3 dinks.

So I have fished since I was around 6, when I saw my dad catch a bass in a nearby lake.  For 16 summers, I have fished that lake, and never got a bass, and I genuinely believed bass fishing was impossible for me.  But I didn't get mad or negative, I just shelved my desire to catch bass for more important things.

 

This summer, I tried a new pond again pretty close to home, and lo and behold, I got my first bass by accident on a hot dog chunk meant for bluegill.  Now I catch them on senkos etc mainly.  Of the 40 or so times I fished this summer, I was skunked exactly 3 times at this pond, which is pressured btw. 

 

The key for me was to quickly get a confidence bait: a bait that you KNOW you can catch something with even on crappy days.  That bait for me was soft plastics, because they work in ALL conditions.  Then, if you get nothing with your confidence bait after an hour or two, you wont waste more time because you know the action is bad that day.  

 

So try a new place, worth a shot right?

[HeyCoach]

A 90 series Whopper Plopper caught me a 2.5lb spotted bass this morning at sunrise on my 2nd cast. 

 

?

[TnRiver46]

26 minutes ago, HeyCoach said:

A 90 series Whopper Plopper caught me a 2.5lb spotted bass this morning at sunrise on my 2nd cast. 

 

?

Now we're talking! I always start getting way more bites when summer finally ends. I don't mind hot sunny weather but it tends to make fishing lousy for me 

[Big Rick]

39 minutes ago, HeyCoach said:

A 90 series Whopper Plopper caught me a 2.5lb spotted bass this morning at sunrise on my 2nd cast. 

 

?

Woo Hoo!!  Man, you are RUINED!!  There's nothing like catching a fish on a topwater bait. It's an adrenaline rush that's very addicting. Way to go and keep at it. Just remember this one thing... You can't MAKE a fish bite your favorite lure. You have to adapt to conditions. So, don't get so addicted to the topwater that that's all you're willing to throw. 

[Fishingintheweeds]

On 9/24/2018 at 10:14 AM, toni63 said:

Couple summers ago I was in the same rut. Why bother, when I just don't catch all that much when I go?

 

I figured out the problem wasn't me, it was the lakes I was going to weren't particularly good bass lakes. After talking to some other guys who fish them, I discovered most of them saying the same thing. 5 years ago you could catch fish there, nowadays not so much. So even though they were close to home, like 20 minutes after I leave I am on the water,  if the lake stinks, its not much fun trolling around for hours catching nothing or next to nothing.

 

But I am fortunate in that there is a great bass fishery about 100 miles from here, so instead of going frequently for a few hours, I carve out entire days to go to that lake instead. So now I only get out a couple times a month, but at least I have success every time I go.

 

For me the trade off is less time fishing for better quality fishing and I find that works much better for me.

 

So to sum it up, it might be worth skipping the lakes that don't produce for ones that may be further away but you'll enjoy the fishing a lot more when you do go.

I have the same experience. We live right in the middle of a chain of lakes with lots of river access and more additional lakes within 30 minutes of us than I can count. There are easy ones that the DNR has cleaned up and put docks at and are easier to get to and even have close parking! I've learned my lesson about these places though and there are very specific times when you can catch fish there and with very specific tactics...and none of them are very convenient to a tight schedule. You can't pay me to go there outside of the times I've found work but even then, it can be tough. I guess what I'm getting at is sometimes I get this idea in my head that today will be the day I can figure out the magic and I go there first. Ha, 20 minutes in, I feel I've wasted my time. and since my trips are short because of my schedule, that 20 minutes is a valuable chunk of time. 

 

Like others have said, I start thinking about what else I could've done with my time instead and all of the other things I he's to do at home. And I really feel kinda bad about going out. 

 

My fishing is all from the bank But guys in boats and kayaks all day the same thing. The lake LOOKS the past but it's extremely tough. To me, going there has ruined my feeling about how I spent my time that day. If I go other places or bounce around and only catch one or two, or nothing, at places I know are better, it doesn't have that affect on me. 

 

I guess I'm echoing what others are saying, that sometimes continuing to go to that impossible spot can really take it out of you!

[gnappi]

I get skunked, I catch small fish while much larger fish watch my lure(s) go by. I lose big fish, I lose small fish, and I catch some nice ones.

 

Thoughts on fishing from my dad...

 

There's no such thing as a bad cast till the lure is out of the water.

 

It's not about how many or how big the fish you catch (or not) it's about being there and fishing, it's necessary for therapy.

 

It's humbling to know that a fish with such a small brain can make me look like a fool, sometimes being humbled is good for the soul.

 

If I bought fish for the table with all the money I spent on boats and gear I could feed all the poor in my state for a week.

 

Fish don't care what you wear, or how much your gear cost.

 

A bought fish never tastes as good as one you caught

 

You can't catch fish if your line is out of the water.

 

A bad day fishing if FAR better than a GREAT day at work

 

 

RIP pop.