Anyone else not fish for bass very often?

[Vilas15]

Wondering if there's anyone here like me that doesn't actually bass fish much but spends way too much time on this site. Between the other species I catch, limited season here where lakes ice over, and limited opportunities in general I probably fish for bass maybe a few days a year. I do try to keep my recommendations and such to my limited experience and not parrot the same info I've read on here about various subjects I have no experience in.

 

I appreciate the size of the community here compared with other forums related to other fish species that I've found. This one is the biggest and best imo.

[Dens228]

Well, I'm semi retired. In summers I fish 5-6 days a week.  I fished 6 hours this morning, and can't wait to get back out! LOL

 

[MN Fisher]

Well, I fish bass every time I'm out from season opener to mid-late October...but that's only once a week max for 4-5 hours because of the home situation. Oh the wife would let me go more often, if it was logistically possible, but due to circumstances, that's the best we can arrange.

[rtwvumtneer6]

Nope.   I might spend a couple days a year fishing for trout, panfish or cats but for me that's more about relaxing and enjoying the outdoors, or when I want to catch and cook.  Most of the other species I catch are on accident.  

 

Bass fishing for me is more about practice than it is a leisurely activity.  That's not to say it isn't fun, but the more successful I am the more fun I have.  And, I truly believe it helps to keep me balanced mentally.  

[DitchPanda]

Nope I bass fish probably 2 or 3 days a week for 3 to 6 hours a day from April through November some years. I do fish for panfish a decent amount as well. By that I mean 1 time to every 10 or 15 times I bass fish.

[Black Hawk Basser]

I used to fish a mixed bag, but I've fished bass more and more as of recent years.  I just get more fun out of it than with other species.  I will say that getting into bruiser catfish is something I try to do a few times each year.  I get quite a few panfish through ice holes, so I stick to them in the winter.

[JustJames]

Since last year I think I’ve spent more time and effort for Crappie more than bass. I’m lucky enough to live in private lake about 3-400 acres where I can fish any time of day 24 hours.

I only spent maybe a few hour most trip for bass. My goal is to catch just a bass or two from the lure/plastic I choose. I would feel tired quick if catching bass from same lure/plastic over and over so I change lure every other trip or until I catch bass from such lure/plastic. I found myself spending time here more than actually fishing. I try to get an idea on which lure/plastic I should use next time out.
For crappie is different story, I spent evening until night or sometime all night long chasing them. I don’t fish for food either but will keep some for my wife. Same like bass, once I feel I catch plenty I’ll spice thing up with different type lure, jig, crankbait. Can’t wait until I get a hand on trout fishing.

[keagbassr]

Wait what? There are other fish besides bass? What the heck for?!?

[skekoam]

I probably only bass fish once every few weeks.  I would like to go a lot more, but there just aren't many good ponds/lakes available nearby and im also stuck to the shore.  Even the times I go, we normally get skunked on the bass side so we go for easier panfish.  

[Smokinal]

 

 

 

[Armtx77]

I'm fortunate enough sometimes to catch Redfish and LMB on the same lure on the same stretch of bank.

 

I dont eat LMB, but I often target Reds and Specks for the table. More specks than Reds, but Reds are a great sport fish to me.

[DitchPanda]

Ha..watchu talkin bout vilas? That's great

 

[JediAmoeba]

I didn't buy all these jackhammer's to catch carp.

[Vilas15]

Dang ok I guess nobody else works full time, has other hobbies, kids to take care of, or has to travel far to where they keep the boat. And any fish other than bass are trash ?. Never said i didnt want to fish more than I do!

[Plopperwhopper]

I don’t fish as much as I would like to but I still go at least once per week from March-October. Between work, raising a 3 year old boy, and everything else that comes up. The best I can do most of the time is find a couple hours here and there throughout the week. Which also limits me to local ponds and creeks. I’m planning on buying property on a 100 acre lake in the next year. And then I’ll get my own boat too. Would fish a lot more of I could walk outside my house and just go

[Boomstick]

If you aren't fishing for bass, are you really fishing at all? Kidding but I don't know how you do it...

[jimmyjoe]

   I'm retired and live less than 2 miles from the Mississippi river. I've been fishing it for around 35 years. When you fish the river, you might hook into anything, and I did. I caught more pike and sandies than anything else. After I found this site, I started to target bass specifically, and my catch ratio really took off.

   Now I really like fishing for bass. But make no mistake about it; I still run into anything and everything if I fish the river. So I've started to fish lakes a LOT more. Better populations of bass. More fun. Less mud.    ?     jj

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, keagbassr said:

Wait what? There are other fish besides bass? What the heck for?!?

Bass have to eat something.

 

I fish for everything, but a vast majority of the time I focus on bass. There's lots of very talented multispecies anglers on the forum though, so you can get plenty of info on not just bass. That's why there's the "Other Species" forum.

[Ogandrews]

In a perfect world I would fish for pike and musky 365 days a year, but that’s not possible. I fish for toothy fish as much as possible, but I enjoy everything. I would say that bass are my favorite after those two, but I mostly only target them if I don’t have time to get to musky/pike water, or if it is the hottest part of the year with water temps getting close to 80 and pike are deep and musky are too stressed to be able to release safely. I really enjoy bass fishing, I just enjoy fishing for bigger more aggressive predators a lot more. Every winter and early spring I will spend a lot of time fishing for walleye in the rivers as well as trout in the streams. I would say most of my dedicated bass fishing is in July and August. Come September when the water starts to cool I will spend all my time fishing for toothy fish. I will always bring a smallie setup with me when I’m fishing the river for muskies in late October- November because when they are all schooled up that is the best bass fishing of the entire year, but it’s also the best time to get a musky of a lifetime so I have to balance my time. Really don’t ever target panfish besides a couple times in the winter ice fishing if my tip ups aren’t going off. I go on a musky forum a lot but it’s not nearly as active as this site so I spend a lot of time here.

[geo g]

I fish at least 6 days a week and catch bass and peacock.  If I had my choice I would rather catch peacock then a bass of the same size.  It's like a bass on steroids, they fight so much harder, jump higher, take longer runs, and fight even when you lip them.  The pit bull of fresh water.

[Tim Kelly]

I live at least 1500 miles from the nearest place I bass fish, so I get to go between 0 and 2 times a year, depending on life. This year life is not working with me! I was supposed to be bass fishing in Spain next week. That's not happening. I was invited to fish in Canada in July and it's hard to believe that will happen either.  I was supposed to go fishing for zander (walleye) in Holland at the end of March, that didn't happen, and my usual fishing here in the UK for perch, zander and pike  has been banned since mid March, so I've developed a tick. Lol

I'd go bass fishing a lot more given the choice, especially smallmouth fishing. But short of a lottery win I'll spend as much time as I can thinking about it and watching others doing it and enjoy every moment I get to actually do it. I usually go fishing most weekends here and enjoy it but my bass trips are very special.

[Jaderose]

I don't understand these words

[DanielG]

8 hours ago, Tim Kelly said:

I live at least 1500 miles from the nearest place I bass fish, so I get to go between 0 and 2 times a year, depending on life. This year life is not working with me! I was supposed to be bass fishing in Spain next week. That's not happening. I was invited to fish in Canada in July and it's hard to believe that will happen either.  I was supposed to go fishing for zander (walleye) in Holland at the end of March, that didn't happen, and my usual fishing here in the UK for perch, zander and pike  has been banned since mid March, so I've developed a tick. Lol

I'd go bass fishing a lot more given the choice, especially smallmouth fishing. But short of a lottery win I'll spend as much time as I can thinking about it and watching others doing it and enjoy every moment I get to actually do it. I usually go fishing most weekends here and enjoy it but my bass trips are very special.

Wow, I didn't know that in the UK there were so few bodies of water to fish in. Then again you're surrounded by ocean so maybe time to take up salt water fishing?

Where I live you've got to meander all over the place to get from point A to point B because the roads have to divert to avoid all the water.

[slonezp]

Depends who I am fishing with. Alone or with my son, it's bass and artificial bait. With dad or grandson, it's multispecies and live bait.

 

Any fisherman who wants to be at the top of their game should really pay attention to the habits of all the gamefish species in their waters. 

[Tim Kelly]

5 hours ago, DanielG said:

Wow, I didn't know that in the UK there were so few bodies of water to fish in. Then again you're surrounded by ocean so maybe time to take up salt water fishing?

Where I live you've got to meander all over the place to get from point A to point B because the roads have to divert to avoid all the water.

There are lots of places to fish, and I go most weeks, just no bass. Perch are the most bass like fish we have, very similar to yellow perch, though they grow to about 5-6lb max in the UK, a bit heavier in mainland northern Europe. My heaviest is 5-04, which is exacty the same weight as my best smallmouth. Zander, very similar to walleye and pike (northern) are all here, just no bass. 

 

Access is another issue here. Most lakes and sections of river are privately owned, rather than state owned, so you have to pay for permission to fish each different section, if you can gain access at all. Teddy Roosevelt is my hero. That guy nailed it for public access!