Why No Success?

[DitchPanda]

I'll add to my first post and now echo a few mentioned above that I agree with: passion- most people want to catch fish but don't really give a care about the science behind it but anglers who care about those environmental scientific factors like water temp, Sun angle, pressure change etc. seem to succeed more and more often than a casual angler. I myself like the challenge and also have that kind of mind in that I want to know more than just the what but also the why. My job has driven this part of my passion as well..I am a plant technician for a biofuel company so I have a lot of training in chemistry, physics, fluid dynamics and the like so a big part of my job is troubleshooting a.k.a detective work. Looking at clues and getting to the root of a problem through knowledge and process of elimination. This has helped me in understanding more of when to switch what to switch to and why it will work. Pieces of the puzzle.

The other one of these that I agree with that WRB mentioned is being gifted. Natural ability. Raw talent. Whatever you call it. Some people are naturally smarter than others. Some people are mechanically more proficient. Some guys like Aaron Martens...KVD....Brandon Palaniuk are both. It just makes sense to them on a deeper level and they are more able to do the physical things to get where they need to. Myself I believe I have a some natural ability...it has always been my main hobby because I love it and it's also made sense to me. I'm not the smartest or most physically talented...far from either... But I'm also far from the dumbest and average or above at casting accuracy and distance. I make up for my deficiencies through study, learning from people better than me at certain things and lots of on the water practice. PASSION!

[Mobasser]

As WRB and others have said here, location and timing are where it's at. When I first started, my tackle was good enough, I could cast well enough, but had many days with no fish to show. When I started studying where to fish, at what time of year, my fishing began to improve. Having good gear always helps, but you still need to be fishing the right location to catch bass consistently. I'm happy to say I'm still learning about finding bass , on the tough days, after almost 40yrs of bass fishing.

[Mobasser]

We have some great moderators on this site. They always give good info, based on years of experience. They have also all caught they're share of truly big bass- with consistency. At that point it becomes a different game, and much harder than catching smaller fish. Learning about location, deep water spots, and being able to put together all the other skills to catch these fish, is a lifetime thing for sure. It takes some serious dedication to the sport.

 

[WRB]

Get out and enjoy fishing, it should be fun and not a challenge.

Today it's easier to gain knowledge, some good and some not so good, everything together can be overwhelming to new anglers.

I learned at a very slow pace because bass fishing information wasn't readily available. We had hunting & fishing magazines with occasional bass fishing articles. This slow pace builds a solid foundation, you fish more and worry less about catching bass.

I was invited to do a bass fishing seminar back in 1974 because of catching a few local big bass. I was excited and set down putting together everything learned to that date. Being a engineer my presentation was detailed and analytical, "The Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar". The presentation was on a 24" X 36" poster board with instructional hand out. A freind digitized it a few years ago and is on the internet today.

My point is the presentation didn't go over well, lots of deer in the headlights looks. Too much information at a time when seasonal periods were not understood. The audience came to learn what I caught the bass on and where. This is my gift to bass bass anglers, it's all in that presentation, the key to bass fishing success. The  problem is few understood in '74 or cared and still don't today.

Tom

[scaleface]

1 hour ago, Bird said:

Since moving from a bass boat with the nice standing platform to a seated position in a kayak, my accuracy has suffered some.

Pitching from a raised deck is easy . Standing up in a jon boat with sidewalls , a trolling motor and depth finder clamped to the side and one has to learn how to pitch with a shorter amount of line . I'm surprised my old Eagle depth finder is still working as many times as I have whacked it.

[813basstard]

Below average talent + hard work x knowledge= average results

 

Average talent + hard work x knowledge= above average results

 

Above average talent + hard work x knowledge= excellent results 

 

Excellent talent + hard work x knowledge= Extraordinary results 

 

Apply that to basically anything in life

[GReb]

Stay with me.....I once had a very brilliant Econ professor that told the class on day 1 that 75% of the class was going to struggle because most people can not mentally separate their brain to think in an economic mindset.  He taught a very difficult honors level macro economic class that was regarded as one of the most difficult on campus.  Some of the most intellectually gifted people I have ever met struggled to make a B- in the course.  There were also several very average students like myself, who were terrified on day 1, that made A's.  

 

Bass fishing (and most things in life) is no different.  Some people can think like a bass better than others.  

[The Bassman]

3 hours ago, WRB said:

Get out and enjoy fishing, it should be fun and not a challenge.

Today it's easier to gain knowledge, some good and some not so good, everything together can be overwhelming to new anglers.

I learned at a very slow pace because bass fishing information wasn't readily available. We had hunting & fishing magazines with occasional bass fishing articles. This slow pace builds a solid foundation, you fish more and worry less about catching bass.

 

Tom

Very well said. There's so much info, so many things one can buy that it justs fosters confusion and frustration. I find myself guilty of this frequently even though I've been fishing for many years and have developed a measure of skill.

[skekoam]

If I get skunked, which happens a lot, I can only assume the fish were not there.  At first I though I plain suck at bass fishing, but I've been to smaller ponds and were able to catch several fish.  I tend to get skunked at bigger bodies of water because it is a lot harder to cover ground and I often stick to one bait for far too long.

[Ratherbfishing]

First and foremost is location.  You can't catch fish if they aren't there.  But you have to take into consideration such factors as time of year, weather, structure, etc. to understand location.  Second and third of almost equal importance are bait selection and presentation-which takes into consideration things like water temperature, clarity, barometric pressure, etc.  All of this requires that you have at least a passing understanding of the prey.  It all interrelates, really.

[Log Catcher]

There are many things that can make a difference in catching fish. What puzzles me is this. I can be having a bad day and change to a different color or different bait and it is like you flipped a switch and start getting a lot of bites and catching a bunch.

[Hammer 4]

19 minutes ago, Log Catcher said:

There are many things that can make a difference in catching fish. What puzzles me is this. I can be having a bad day and change to a different color or different bait and it is like you flipped a switch and start getting a lot of bites and catching a bunch.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Bass fishing..

[basser27]

9 hours ago, WRB said:

Get out and enjoy fishing, it should be fun and not a challenge.

Today it's easier to gain knowledge, some good and some not so good, everything together can be overwhelming to new anglers.

I learned at a very slow pace because bass fishing information wasn't readily available. We had hunting & fishing magazines with occasional bass fishing articles. This slow pace builds a solid foundation, you fish more and worry less about catching bass.

I was invited to do a bass fishing seminar back in 1974 because of catching a few local big bass. I was excited and set down putting together everything learned to that date. Being a engineer my presentation was detailed and analytical, "The Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar". The presentation was on a 24" X 36" poster board with instructional hand out. A freind digitized it a few years ago and is on the internet today.

My point is the presentation didn't go over well, lots of deer in the headlights looks. Too much information at a time when seasonal periods were not understood. The audience came to learn what I caught the bass on and where. This is my gift to bass bass anglers, it's all in that presentation, the key to bass fishing success. The  problem is few understood in '74 or cared and still don't today.

Tom

Where is it online? I’d like to check it out

[Hammer 4]

Can be found here.. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Cosmic+Clock+and+Bass+Calendar&rlz=1C1CHWA_enUS634US634&oq=The+Cosmic+Clock+and+Bass+Calendar&aqs=chrome..69i57j33.2947j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[PhishLI]

13 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

IMO it's just an intimate understanding of your local waters.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[DogBone_384]

21 hours ago, Bird said:

I catch 1 fish in 40* water

Have you used blade baits?

[MacJig]

Fishing is like real estate. The most important thing is ... location, location, location. Even Roland Martin couldn't catch fish in a bath tub. Experience, tackle , technique ; these all won't be worth two copper pennies if they are fished in a fishless body of water. The first issue of importance is to make sure you are not fishing in a bath tub. Being from Rochester, NY and being a bank fisherman, finding that consistent body of water is, for me, a very challenging thing. 

[JustJames]

Let me talk about location, I went out with my fishing buddy on my home lake in one evening. I was chucking big top water lure, he asked me what structure of this area. I told him it is a big shallow flat with hard bottom, he switched to lipless crank got a few bite but land one, he switched again to jerkbait and got bite right away, landed a few after that. Me on the other hand got only one bass. 
Location is nothing if you don’t know how to adjust, or as @WRBmentioned right lure, right place and right time.

Also as bank fisherman the location seem to be even less important since bass mostly roaming more than schooling close to shore. 

[jbjordan]

The key to consistency is to work at your craft and try to keep it as simple as possible.  Patience is a very big part of it, the right tools for the job is another.  Some think technology plays a part, but all the Marine Electronics under the sun can not help, if you don't understand the Bass itself and its surroundings and behavior.  Just my 2 cents.

[Bluebasser86]

Confidence and location.

 

You present a bait, any bait, in the right location and have confidence in it, you'll catch some fish. Do that enough and you learn and gain more confidence and learn more about the right locations.

[TriStateBassin106]

It's pretty simple, some guys don't have to deal with pressured waters. They're so used to running around on huge lakes with $100k boats and electronics that they literally can get right on top of fish and depending on conditions like water temp and right presentation. (They're always gonna catch fish) I'm forced to fish public park ponds that are heavily pressured, it's kinda funny how so many anglers challenge themselves to catch a certain number of fish meanwhile I'm literally trying to just catch one bass hahahaha. 

[scaleface]

11 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

It's pretty simple, some guys don't have to deal with pressured waters. They're so used to running around on huge lakes with $100k boats and electronics that they literally can get right on top of fish and depending on conditions like water temp and right presentation.

There is an in-between,  at least where I live . There are numerous small Missouri dept of Conservation Dept lakes within 100 miles of me . Small jon boats , kayaks... is all that is needed . You can fish the whole lake in a single day , so location   isnt even that important . Just go fishing . They are loaded with bass . The lake I go to frequently  has boats , all I have to bring is an elec. motor , battery , and sonar that I rigged by taking an old Eagle and mounting it on a  gutted trolling motor.

 

  My sonar unit gets quite a bit of attention from the other anglers .

 

 

[Mobasser]

That's true. I fish some smaller lakes in my canoe, with a portable depth finder. Sometimes I don't even bring the depth finder, and just troll around and fish different spots.

[MGF]

My wife fishes for fun. I'm more into the challenge. It's fun for me too but she doesn't work too hard at catching fish. 

Between boat handling and trying to fish I can have some rough days. She never has a hard day fishing.

 

This is my tough time of year. The river is high, fast and, often, on the dirty side...and it's almost always windy. I NEVER do well this time of year. I read about all the "pre-spawn action" but I don't catch anything until the weather and water warm up and settle down. On one hand it's nice because I can motor up river. I just can't seem to catch much.

 

I don't even know what to do differently...other than waiting for June. LOL

 

Still, I'm going to try again today.