Learning to Fish from the Internet

[RB 77]

This website as a resource is priceless! Thank you Glenn, contributors and sponsors. Big shout out to Tactical Bassin' too. Seriously good stuff from both. With that being said, nothing will ever replace time on the water and trial and error for real time experience.

[Paul Roberts]

15 hours ago, Manly Studson said:

Although watching videos of others fishing is time consuming, it has proven to be just as helpful as shorter instructional videos. I often ask myself questions like, Why did he cast right there? or, Why is he throwing that lure in those conditions? It’s like I’m on the boat, observing a seasoned angler.

Agreed. It's one thing to get a demonstration. It's another to see it in fluid action. Full cast-to-catch segments are really important I think. I burn a lot of camera batteries making my video fishing journals. I try to provide the head's up background, then show the search, presentation details, and full cast-to-catches. I've learned a lot watching my own c-to-c bc it's so easy to miss things out there, even though I'm watching for those cues. Pretty cool having a camera strapped to your chest during a fishing day. A lot of added work though.

[Jonas Staggs]

I fished as a kid and got back into it once I retired from fighting. That's the great thing about the internet, the information is now readily available to the world where as in the past you either got the information directly from the source or not at all. This question often gets brought up in the fight community as well and while it's great to learn things from the internet, there are things that must be learned in the ring, I feel this applies to fishing as well, there are things that must be learned on the water. Reading how to fight fish doesn't replace actually fighting fish.

[TheRodFather]

I agree with everything others have said about the internet.  One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that you have to be careful with your expectations (well, I do anyway).  What I mean is you are watching a guy on a 7 minute video, throwing the bait that the video is depicting how it is used, where, why etc.  And the guy catches 5 or 6 fish, all in 7 minutes.......

 

So you think, wow that bait really slayed em, I need to get that!  But obviously, the guy most likely spent an entire day of hundreds of casts and hours of editing footage of nothing but casting to get that action packed 7 minutes.

 

It's the instant gratification nature of society these days IMO, as long as you understand that you are going to have to put the work in, and understand that the knowledge found on the internet is a (very) useful tool, but not the miracle magic bullet, then you can approach fishing with the necessary patience needed to do well at it, and enjoy it.

[Glenn]

Have you watched any of my videos?  If so, do you think I'm trying to sell you something or provide wrong information? Asking for a friend.

 

No, seriously.  I'd like to know.  I dig feedback, and have changed the way I've made videos through the years.  But it seems BassResource is rarely mentioned when it comes to YouTube videos.  So I must be missing something.

 

Maybe I need to sneak onto golf courses and do some illegal fishing?  LOL!

 

[Michigander]

2 hours ago, Glenn said:

No, seriously.  I'd like to know.  I dig feedback, and have changed the way I've made videos through the years.  But it seems BassResource is rarely mentioned when it comes to YouTube videos.  So I must be missing something.

You don't have any techno music bass (sound, not fish) drops in your videos during sweet slow motion hooksets. It's what the kids want, lol.

Keep doing what you're doing Glenn, I for one appreciate that your videos are about the general technique not an infomercial for whatever is in this month's bass fishing tackle subscription box. That being said, I would love to see more channels getting into the nitty gritty of certain tackle or technique aspects, similar to what Tacticalbassin does. 

 

[TheRodFather]

You don't try to sell Glenn.  It is funny (sad), to watch the progression of some of the personalities on Youtube.  They start out with older stuff and are making videos for the pure enjoyment and betterment of themselves and others.  And over time, some sponsor stuff starts to show up and patterns of gear emerge.  Then at some point it becomes flagrant.

 

Flukemaster is one that comes to mind, don't get me wrong, I love his videos and I have learned a lot, but he is all up in the sponsorship money at this point.  Remember when he threw Ducket and Abu cause he loved them?  Then Biospawn showed up in his vids. Last I looked he was overflowing with the rod and reel brand that won't be named.

 

I don't blame him I suppose, he is doing what he feels he has to do to stay in the spotlight to get his message out.  Which isn't a terrible thing I guess.

 

I think that's why the Googan squad is so despised though, they are (or appear to be) the biggest sellouts to come along in a while. Fishermen are generally not the type to follow celebrity happenings, but that bait and tackle monkey get the best of us ?

 

Just my Opinion.

[Ogandrews]

On 2/23/2020 at 10:03 AM, Glenn said:

Have you watched any of my videos?  If so, do you think I'm trying to sell you something or provide wrong information? Asking for a friend.

 

No, seriously.  I'd like to know.  I dig feedback, and have changed the way I've made videos through the years.  But it seems BassResource is rarely mentioned when it comes to YouTube videos.  So I must be missing something.

 

Maybe I need to sneak onto golf courses and do some illegal fishing?  LOL!

 

I will give you an honest look, never ran across any of your stuff. Didn’t mean that to come off as calling you out in any way, I just believe that there is a lot of info out there that isn’t the best. I’m really not a fan of the majority of the fishing content on Yt, really can’t stand the ADD editing with cuts every half a second, people clicking baiting with titles that have nothing to do with the actual content, slow mo shots of drops of water falling because they don’t actually have any quality fish to show, etc etc. Pretty sure I follow you on insta like your stuff there I’ll check it out on YouTube 

edit- looked your channel up and realized I’ve actually watched a few of your videos, I’m a fan. I like your stuff for the same reason I’m a big fan of tactical, your content is actually centered around helping people learn how to be better fisherman. Wish more people were interested in videos like this as opposed to the other end of things. Been thinking about trying to make some in depth videos about northern pike fishing similar to how you make your stuff, there’s really little content out there about targeting them in the US

 

[Bird]

I actually went through quite a slump after I allowed myself to be bombarded by info overload, my fault. 

Wanted to try a new technique everytime I hit the water instead of relying on years of experience and instinct. 

 

Lots of good came out of it though as I've learned finesse fishing which has become a staple on my boat. 

 

It's best to eat an elephant one bite at a time. 

[NYWayfarer]

You can learn a lot by watching YouTube fishing channels. I like to observe how they work their baits and what they throw under the conditions they are in.

 

I do that a lot with the Kicking Their Bass TV channel. Noah clowns around a lot but he catches big bass. I am impressed with his skipping skills and the way he moves jigs and jerkbaits.

[Kletust]

I'm a fan of most of the names listed before: Bass Resource, Tactical Bassin', and I'll add Brian Latimer.

 

I like Latimer because he is within an hour of me and fish the same basic waters and conditions that I do.  If I'm wondering how to fish the current chocolate milk on my lake... I can probably look them up and see a recent video about just that thing.

 

I love the teaching approach of TB and BR, I just have to pay attention.  Some tips/techniques are universal.  Others vary by location... especially timing of spawn.. prespawn, etc.

 

It's easy to go into overload mode and want to try absolutely everything though.  I'm really focusing this year on keeping it simple (which is 5 rods or less to me).  I want to focus more on identifying some real confidence baits.. and then eventually branch out.  The internet can get the bait monkey whipped up into a frenzy!

[Sam]

I look up many of the new techniques on the Internet to see how to rig and fish them.

 

 

[AstroFishingTV]

I've learned a lot about fishing off of the internet, but there is nothing like learning from a well seasoned angler. I love to talk with older fisherman and learn their secrets. (if they are willing to tell lol)

[Eric~]

I have a lot of thanks to give to my Dad for for teaching me how to fish, but the internet has taught me so much about the sport of bass fishing that I would have never imagined. It has taught me techniques and given me an understanding of bass that would have taken me a long time to learn on my own. The amount of information on bass fishing that is available in seconds is amazing. I like to watch Bassresource, Tactical Bassin, and Fish The Moment.

[Bass Junke]

On 2/23/2020 at 11:03 AM, Glenn said:

Have you watched any of my videos?  If so, do you think I'm trying to sell you something or provide wrong information? Asking for a friend.

 

No, seriously.  I'd like to know.  I dig feedback, and have changed the way I've made videos through the years.  But it seems BassResource is rarely mentioned when it comes to YouTube videos.  So I must be missing something.

 

Maybe I need to sneak onto golf courses and do some illegal fishing?  LOL!

 

Thank You Glen. Your videos are really the only ones I watch now. Actually, a lot of times I just read the transcripts at work it is quieter. Don't change a thing, they are informative, no-nonsense videos that convey the message without being really long. 

[Daddles]

Without the internet I would get blanked at least twice as much as I do now.  Plus, the internet helps keep my son excited about fishing when we can't get out which is great. He loves the old Bill Dance Blooper Vids. I mean who doesn't?

[kayaking_kev]

As someone who has just started fishing two seasons ago, the information available on the Internet is almost like cheating. In a short amount of time, I get to watch or read and learn things from people who have been doing it for their whole lives. Of course there is still no substitute for being out on the water and practicing, but it helps a lot. At this point, my knowledge of fishing greatly exceeds my skills, but I've came a long way pretty quickly thanks to the internet. 

[MGF]

I started fishing with my father way back before the internet.  That gave me a pretty solid foundation.  

 

I obviously make use of the net and pick up some useful stuff. It's been a good tool for me but I don't about learning to fish from the internet. Most of the new stuff is new twists on old stuff and the old stuff still works. LOL

[Boomstick]

I fished a bit as a kid, but nothing too serious until a few years back. When I really started fishing with my kids and ended up loving it, I went on the Internet and started learning about fishing.

 

The hatcambass Youtube channel did a good beginner's guide to bass fishing series which I found incredibly helpful to get started, and I learned a lot from this website, and the Bassresource Youtube channels, which I cannot recommend highly enough.  Glenn (bassresource) is generally short, direct and to the point and really go into great detail and cover every angle and some very situational tactics.

[Hartwood71]

Access to the information trove of the internet has been both incredibly educational and expensive.   ?

[BubbaBassin’]

I fished some as a kid, mostly catfishing with my dad. But he was never really into bass, I found rhis website around two years ago now, and I’ve been sucking in information ever since. My dad was diagnosed with a terrible terminal illness, ALS, early last year, rendering him immobile and fishing is my way of reliving those memories, although in a different manner. I was 14 when I started and I won’t go back. I had no mentor, all my learning was online. The internet as a whole has been an invaluable resource and I couldn’t really get on the water and fish because I had no one to take me. So I read and learned. I fish tournaments and place fairly well now, and I contribute almost all of my experience to hours of Bassresource and Youtube. 

[Zebco202]

This has been a great thread to read through.  I love youtube, but I mostly watch guitar videos (my other obsession) or old college or NFL football games.  Never really looked around for fishing videos  I've just followed a lot of those mentioned in this thread.  I'm looking for instructional type videos...if you guys have others that haven't been listed here please share.

 

I fished some as a kid but not much as my dad wasn't into it.  I had some friends who fished and so I went a lot with them.  I didn't pick up fishing again until age 33 in  2006 and that's when I found his website.  This has been such a great resource (pun intended).  As someone mentioned earlier, I wish I would have had someone to be a mentor but that didn't happen, so I've learned over the years by reading this site and then going out and trying to see what works and what doesn't.  Appreciate all you guys who contribute.

[Bassfishingfred]

This is a great place for info and sharing ideas. I also had to learn on my own because of no mentor. I would suggest Glenn May and Nick the informative Fisherman....Good quality stuff that should help you out:)

 

 

 

 

 

[fishingram24]

Started bass fishing in 1977 and most of what I learned came from many hours on the water with a few tips from a some much more experienced anglers and BassMasters magazine. That being said, many new ideas and ways to fish can be found on many sites online and I really enjoy trying some of them out but always return to my roots, spinnerbait, T-rigged worm, cranks and topwater. Biggest thing I have learned on the internet is the action or lack thereof of many baits. So much info so little time.