Why do I even fish?

[soflabasser]

''Why do I fish?'' There are many reasons why I fish but these are some of them;I fish since I find fishing fun.I fish since I enjoy catching big fish.I fish since I enjoy multi species fishing.I fish since I enjoy being in the outdoors.I fish for bass since its so convenient and easy.Big bass are harder and I enjoy the challenge of catching them. I have gotten quite good at catching big bass on a consistent basis but I still have lots of room to learn more which means I have more reason to fish more.I fish since I enjoy knowing that I will never go hungry since I can fill my freezer with high quality seafood such as grouper, snapper,hogfish,snook,etc whenever I want.

[HeyCoach]

I think I’ve stumbled upon a pattern. 

 

The bass I’ve been catching have come out of one area on a Whopper Plopper. Always very early, between that first light and thirty minutes after sunrise. 

 

The highs are still in the 90s with the lows in the low- to mid-70s. I don’t know the water temp as I’m still stuck bank fishing. 

 

Still no bites on different worm/plastics profiles, jigs, or reaction baits like crankbaits or spinnerbaits. 

[Sifuedition]

8 hours ago, HeyCoach said:

I think I’ve stumbled upon a pattern. 

 

The bass I’ve been catching have come out of one area on a Whopper Plopper. Always very early, between that first light and thirty minutes after sunrise. 

 

The highs are still in the 90s with the lows in the low- to mid-70s. I don’t know the water temp as I’m still stuck bank fishing. 

 

Still no bites on different worm/plastics profiles, jigs, or reaction baits like crankbaits or spinnerbaits. 

I have definitely struggled a lot in the last year. I am fishing almost exclusively local ponds, and they are new to me. I am finally finding some patterns, myself. Lipless crankbaits work well sometimes. SMALL plastics like ned rig or baby craws work sometimes. I only recently found that small plastic boot-tail swimbaits are working. I have thrown jerkbaits and hard-body swimbaits galore and they didn't work. I really hadn't tried the plastic swimbaits because I thought "aren't they basically the same thing"? Well, it seems that to the fish, they are not. This is not a high-pressure pond, but, it seems I have to stay subtle for the majority of my bites, and the LCB picks up the hungrier/more aggressive ones.

[WVU-SCPA]

Awesome that you found that niche pattern.

 

On Saturday,  the fish had the majority of us in a small tournament bamboozled.  The conditions read moving baits (cloudy, steady breeze, water temperature recently dropping into 60's, and schools of tasty shad everywhere).  After 3 hours of hunting the wrong pattern in various locations, we ended up finding a fish on almost every isolated rock we came upon in 0.5-3 ft of water on a craw bite.  Had it been a casual morning fishing a hour or 2, there is a good chance I missed that pattern. 

 

What makes the area you are catching fish at different then the other areas you are not catching fish?

[HeyCoach]

@WVU-SCPA the spot is the back corner of the neighboring pier two yards from the bulwark, right now there might be a foot and a half of water in that spot. 

 

There might be a bottom step or two for their kids to enter the water to swim/get on a jet ski. 

 

I had three swipe at the WP this morning but none hooked up. I immediately threw a white wacky rigged trick worm on a 1/10th ounce Ned rig head with no dice. 

[Outdoors]

This is why I mostly partake in old farm pond fishing, unless someone has a boat.

[ApacheGuns515]

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.

Keep at it if it's what you enjoy doing. I know everybody obviously goes fishing to actually catch fish but some days are going to be worse than others. I know it can be frustrating to spend days fishing without catching anything but it's all part of the sport. Trust me I know, earlier this year I went on vacation and spent the better part of every single day out on the water. The results of my week long fishing adventure? A 4oz Pumpkinseed. Literally, that was the only thing I caught after 5 consecutive days on multiple bodies of water. 

 

Some advice I can give may sound funny but give it a shot. Next time you head out fishing don't go "fishing", just go out there and enjoy being outdoors. Bring some other activities out there to do and toss a line in the water every once and awhile. There's obviously no science behind this but I swear I catch more fish when I'm not actively fishing than when I am actively trying. 

 

Like this morning for example, I woke up and decided that my little 10 foot boat anchored in backyard that I hadn't used in months would be a great place to have my morning coffee. So I dust it off and grab a rod with a random lure I found in my truck and hop in the boat and just cruise around drinking my coffee. I decide that I'll toss the line in the water and just troll with it while I putt around for a little bit. 

 

I caught 7 3+lb smallies in about an hour and a half by simply holding the rod in one hand and my coffee in the other and putting around enjoying the morning air. I caught the largest one last as I was reeling the line in to head back home, not reeling it in as in a swimbait but reeling it in as in I'm ready to go. 

 

That was with one random lure old lure that I just found and a random rod that I don't even know what line is on it. The last time I went out fishing in my little boat I brought my entire tackle box, a cooler, and 4 rods and a portable fish finder and I caught nothing but a cold which is why that boat has been sitting there unused for months. 

 

Sometimes the best way to catch fish is to not go fishing but rather just go "outside" and bring a rod with you. 

[thedilettantedad]

Getting skunked sucks, but if it is ruining your day, that sucks even more. I guess I fish because my son showed some interest in it after watching Catching Monsters, but now that he is in school I am practicing for when we get to go out together. It is also new and I find it fun. I am trying to be frugal about it and I think I have all the tackle I need which actually is not all that much with the exception of jigs. I bought my first so I need to go snag it soon. At the end of the day I guess you need to ask yourself the question, because if it is ruining your day maybe you just need to step away from it for a bit, maybe fish another species, or find something else to spend your time on that you are going to get something out of. 

 

I would go out with you if you were in Texas, but maybe there are some other anglers in your area willing to meet up and take you out. Might try the regional forums.

 

Also, I cannot catch panfish for my life and people say that is supposed to be easy. 

[Mike Boitnott]

Stay on course my friend.  Fishing is one of those things that if its good its real good!  Its one of those deals that if every time you went out and you landed a live well full well..that would get old quickly too!  Nothing better though than doing your homework by breaking out the map (good electronic App Like Navionics), doing a little search through Forums (like this awesome one we have at BassResource.com), get the poles and tackle already to go and everything turns out just right!  Starting out the day with a huge blow up on top water! After that the big ole sun starts to shine and you catch a few off of the grass on a spinnerbait and/or chatterbait.  Then when that ole sun gets high above you start skipping a Senko back under docks or cranking a deeper diving crankbait to cull a few times before heading in!  To me that's an awesome day however, it doesn't happen everyday or very oftten at times which makes it that much more special. #FishSmarter