What has helped you improve the most as an angler?

[DitchPanda]

Like many of you I have had the benefit of fishing with some good anglers over the years including my dad and a few good friends..but hands down what has helped me the most in learning what to do is by doing what not to do..kinda cliche but a butt kicking does a lot more teaching than a victory

[the reel ess]

I saw someone said "taking the time to grind out the tough part of the day". That's something that's hard to do and a mindset you have to make yourself take on. When I go and don't get a nibble for 2 hours, it just makes me want to fish longer. The lessons you learn trying to buy a bite on tough days are more valuable than the ones you learn when you can't keep fish off the hook.

[geo g]

If I had to pick one thing it would be fish with as many different guys you can with different skills from what you do.  You will learn what to do and not do from just watching your Co-anglers.  You do your thing and just watch what their doing and how they do it.  I still learn something almost every trip after 50 years of fishing South Florida.  You never stop learning.

 

Also fish as many different bodies of water as you can.  Different locations will teach you many things that you will have to adjust too to be successful.

[Craig P]

All things aside, becoming an accurate caster was game changing.  FWIW, before I became an “accurate caster” I wasn’t bad at casting, which I believe is the category most anglers fall into.

Being able to see and confidently cast to a spot the size of a desert plate, under or through a tree or brush is invaluable and downright rewarding.

 

Many years ago with a spinning rod I learned how to flip cast. I practiced in my garage or yard daily for months until I could land my lure in a small bucket every time while maintaining a low approach.  I still practice off the water here and there, especially since I switched to baitcasters last year.  I’m still not as good with a baitcaster as I am with a spin rod but I’ll get there with practice. 

[Jermination]

21 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

^best answer to any question in the history of earth 

I agree with this and love snorkeling but for whatever reason my head feels like it’s going to explode at about 8 feet down. I like the idea of scuba diving but am waaaaay to chicken for that. I’ve tried all the tricks to clear the pressure and nothing ever helps 

 

 

my answer to the OP: having a hook in the water every possible chance you get is my strategy. The learning will all fall into place if you are always fishing. Just like anything else, practice makes perfect 

cant believe getting my cell number and wait for pics/report saturday afternoon on what we are doing  doesnt rank somewhere on this list LOL

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, Jermination said:

cant believe getting my cell number and wait for pics/report saturday afternoon on what we are doing  doesnt rank somewhere on this list LOL

so the question is , where are they going to be chomping tomorrow? Hahaha

[Jermination]

26 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

so the question is , where are they going to be chomping tomorrow? Hahaha

in the chocolate milk, somewhere LOL

[Ratherbfishing]

This sounds contradictory and,if applied incorrectly is the WRONG thing to do but I think what has helped me the most is learning to try different things and, also, to slug it out when it is necessary.  I am not one to give up after a few hours and usually on a rough day I will stop, have a snack or a drink, and then tell myself to imagine that I JUST got on the lake and the clock is starting over. It doesn't always help but it seldom hurts.

[A-Jay]

2 minutes ago, Ratherbfishing said:

This sounds contradictory and,if applied incorrectly is the WRONG thing to do but I think what has helped me the most is learning to try different things and, also, to slug it out when it is necessary.  I am not one to give up after a few hours and usually on a rough day I will stop, have a snack or a drink, and then tell myself to imagine that I JUST got on the lake and the clock is starting over. It doesn't always help but it seldom hurts.

Agreed ~

When I'm not getting bit, just means I'm elimination unproductive water.

As the day progresses, I'm getting closer & closer to what I'm looking for.

Sometimes I run out of day light.

Sometimes I don't.

A-Jay

[gim]

One summer I was a surveryor for the DNR on three small lakes in northern MN.  I was allowed to fish when I had downtime (no anglers or data to survey).  I learned a lot on my own that summer how to bass fish.

 

I also took some Fisheries Ecology, Limnology, and Icthyology in college.  I actually did retain some of that education and it has been useful on the water.  You'd be surprised but using a fish's science actually does help.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Ratherbfishing said:

This sounds contradictory and,if applied incorrectly is the WRONG thing to do but I think what has helped me the most is learning to try different things and, also, to slug it out when it is necessary.  I am not one to give up after a few hours and usually on a rough day I will stop, have a snack or a drink, and then tell myself to imagine that I JUST got on the lake and the clock is starting over. It doesn't always help but it seldom hurts.

 

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Agreed ~

When I'm not getting bit, just means I'm elimination unproductive water.

As the day progresses, I'm getting closer & closer to what I'm looking for.

Sometimes I run out of day light.

Sometimes I don't.

A-Jay

 

Exactly!

 

My brain never disengages, even when I've kicked bass all the way home I'm thinking how could I've upgraded size or even numbers.

 

Old guide told me years ago, "they're always biting somewhere...it's our job to find somewhere!"

[soflabasser]

2 hours ago, Craig P said:

All things aside, becoming an accurate caster was game changing. 

I agree. Knowing how to cast accurately is very useful and it is a skill you develop while fishing on the water. This skill is very useful in the Everglades where you often have to fish in thick aquatic vegetation.

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I also took some Fisheries Ecology, Limnology, and Icthyology in college.  I actually did retain some of that education and it has been useful on the water.  You'd be surprised but using a fish's science actually does help.

Knowing bass biology is very useful, especially if your goal is to catch bigger than average sized bass. Anyone can catch the 95% average size bass of a body of water, but it takes hard work to consistently catch the 5% biggest bass of a body of water you are fishing in.

[Mobasser]

This is why I always like the threads we have on locating fish, seasonal patterns, structure, and similar topics. Even after almost 40yrs of bass fishing, I never get tired of learning about these things. I've got all the baits to cover the water column, from top to bottom, but location is where it's at in this game. The more I can learn about finding fish, the more and larger fish I'll catch. Learning these things has helped improve my fishing more than anything

[lo n slo]

9 hours ago, the reel ess said:

I saw someone said "taking the time to grind out the tough part of the day". That's something that's hard to do and a mindset you have to make yourself take on. When I go and don't get a nibble for 2 hours, it just makes me want to fish longer. The lessons you learn trying to buy a bite on tough days are more valuable than the ones you learn when you can't keep fish off the hook.

so true

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

This is why I always like the threads we have on locating fish, seasonal patterns, structure, and similar topics. Even after almost 40yrs of bass fishing, I never get tired of learning about these things. I've got all the baits to cover the water column, from top to bottom, but location is where it's at in this game. The more I can learn about finding fish, the more and larger fish I'll catch. Learning these things has helped improve my fishing more than anything

true also

[suzuki2903]

practicing with a baitcasters over and over, even in the back yard shooting for various targets. and watching bass resource youtube videos

[Michigander]

12 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Like many of you I have had the benefit of fishing with some good anglers over the years including my dad and a few good friends..but hands down what has helped me the most in learning what to do is by doing what not to do..kinda cliche but a butt kicking does a lot more teaching than a victory

Yeah, you do learn more from defeat. It was a real wake up call when I started fishing tournaments and would come to weigh in and be the only one with an empty bag. That meant it was me, not the lake, fish, or conditions that caused the zero. Really motivated me to get better. Now I almost always have at least one fish. ?

#Progress

[Alex from GA]

When I started serious bass fishing the man that taught Iovino to doodle took me as a partner in a tournament. Now I fish with a young man that knows more about bass and bass fishing than anyone I know.  What I'm saying is fish with the best people and watch and learn.

[newriverfisherman1953]

Time on the water. I’ve learned more by fishing than by reading and/or watching. Not saying that’s not a good way to learn. It is, but nothing beats time on the water. 

[soflabasser]

3 hours ago, Alex from GA said:

When I started serious bass fishing the man that taught Iovino to doodle took me as a partner in a tournament. Now I fish with a young man that knows more about bass and bass fishing than anyone I know.  

There are plenty of young people who are very good at bass fishing and it is because they put the time on the water and do the best to improve their fishing skill. I know plenty of guys in South Florida that have never caught a 8 pound or better bass and they have fished longer than I have been alive. These guys mostly bass fish while I mostly do multi species fishing and I have lost count of the 8 pound or better bass I have caught. 

3 hours ago, Alex from GA said:

What I'm saying is fish with the best people and watch and learn.

I have said this several times on this forum, find the best fishing partner you can and fish with them, it will challenge you and help you much more than reading and watching videos.

1 hour ago, newriverfisherman1953 said:

Time on the water. I’ve learned more by fishing than by reading and/or watching. Not saying that’s not a good way to learn. It is, but nothing beats time on the water. 

Same here

[jbrew73]

 Buying my own boat.  Can’t learn how to drive from the back seat!

[Sam]

1.  Time on the water.

2.  Studying the largemouth bass in the literature.

3.  Studying about weather conditions, water conditions, etc. in the literature.

[NHBull]

When I started of thinking fishing as hunting.

 

[Cranks4fun]

Reading magazines & internet articles, watching videos, and fishing with other fishermen were all very helpful, BUT fishing ponds full of bass where success is likely was like going to bass school for me. Even the poorly skilled fisherman is likely to have decent luck on a good 5-25-acre bass pond (called "little lakes" in the southeast  ).

  When you your confidence increases, as it does on most good ponds, you learn to fish with expectancy. You respond better to strikes, etc. Plus, you get lots of opportunities to correct mistakes like poor hook sets and inaccurate casting techniques. If you fish a big reservoir on a slow day when you are a new fisherman, it can be discouraging. You begin to second-guess your technique and your lures. Once you know a lure or a technique works well, you will fish it with more confidence and success, in my opinion.

[scaleface]

The most important event that happened to me while fishing  is catching that first bass on a Texas rig .I felt that tap and   remembered what all those magazine articles suggested on how to respond . I reeled the slack out of my line , set the hook like a boss and caught a keeper  bass  . Fishing got a heck of a lot more productive after that  one cast .   

[TriStateBassin106]

Persistence, and learning how to adapt to the ever changing situations I'll encounter on the water.