What’s your fishing style

[roadwarrior]

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/how-to-plastic-worm.html

 

I fish jigs even when I know something else would be a better choice.

Although I love me some jigs, soft plastics are often the winning ticket.

I don't think there is a serious bass fisherman, including KVD, that has

not mastered soft plastics.

[ajschn06]

18 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/how-to-plastic-worm.html

 

I fish jigs even when I know something else would be a better choice.

Although I love me some jigs, soft plastics are often the winning ticket.

I don't think there is a serious bass fisherman, including KVD, that has

not mastered soft plastics.

Hey that’s a fair assessment- and why I like this thread!  I fish once, maybe twice a week during the year.  I get 3-4 hours on the water at a time max always with my son and don’t do tourneys.  I know fishing a jig, I might only get one but it’ll probably be a nice one.  I’d take one 16-17” over 4 or 5 14-15” fish any day of the week...

[crypt]

first would be a bottom feeder also. then if that don't work, junk.......

[GreenPig]

My fishing style is like a box of chocolates. Might throw a a 1/32 crappie jig with half a Roboworm or a 10" glidebait. 

[Mbirdsley]

I’m a bouncing ball and depends on the day. My #1  thing I love to do is covering ground with cranks and spinner baits. I love to just crank and reel. Cranks or spinner bait is what I start out with each time. I hope that’s what they  want because, if it is it’s easy fishing 

 

 However, my number one technique that I’m actually good at is t-rigging, jigs and swim jigs.  If they don’t hit a crank or spinner bait this my next go to.  I can either power fish these or slow it down and pick apart stuff.  My big fish come here  

 

3rd is a wacky rig and what I call a light t-rig (but is a mojo rig with out the swivel) .  For numbers this is probably my favorite thing to do.  I throw both rigs on 8lbs-12lbs flourocopolymer

 

4th is ned rig especially in the spring time.  For what ever reason when june rolls around I basically for get about it 

 

5th punching slop with 11/4-11/2 jigs.  Prrsonally this is my 2nd favorite thing to do but I’m still kinda learning it abd in Michigan you get about 2.5-2.00 month window to do it 

 

Normally if I try to take only 6 rods with me  #1crank rod, #2spinner bait/square bill rod #3 t-rig/jig rod #4 wacky rig/ned rod/#5  I have a mh spinning rod that I use for tubes or swim baits #6 another mh bait caster for for swim jigs or I might do the opposite of what’s currently rigged on #3 rod 

 

obviously what I use in the fall or spring will change from what I use in the summer.  Spring/fall more finesse.  Summer more power.
 

or if fishing a river I take 4 rods #1 crank #2 spinners/sq bill#3 jig-trig#4 my MH spinning rod for tubes 

 

 

[Big Hands]

On 11/15/2020 at 4:52 PM, OCdockskipper said:

I would say it depends on how you use it.

 

When you are flippin' & pitchin' a TRig, quickly moving from target to target, I would consider that power fishing (especially with heavy gear in decent to heavy cover).

 

However, if you are slowly moving a TRig through a location, making each cast last 40 seconds or so, then I say that you are finessing them.

 

I am of the opinion that most types of baits can be fished in either a power or finesse method, but I may in the minority with that kind of thinking.

40 seconds to work a Texas rig per cast is slow?

 

I am probably 2 levels more deliberate than that. 

 

I fished a Pro/Am at Lake Mead many years ago as a co-angler, and the thing I remember most about my first day partner was that he was going so fast down the shoreline that my bait didn't have time to get to the 20' to 40' depths we were fishing before my bait hit bottom, it was already behind the boat and dragging through the water. I have no idea how he expected either of us to catch a fish like that, so it was no surprise we blanked.

 

My other recollection of that day was that we were blasting across the lake at 60 mph and my genuine authentic Ranger Boats hat blew off of my head. He saw it out of the corner of his eye and said "Was that your hat?" I said "Yep", and I thought, oh cool, we'll circle around to get it. NOPE, he just kept it matted and headed to wherever he was going. Lesson learned, LOL.

 

At any rate, I would call my style 'deliberate'. If I am going to fish an area, then I am going to work the area. I may or may not be working the bait slowly/quickly, but I am going to work the area deliberately and somewhat thoroughly.

[OCdockskipper]

2 hours ago, Big Hands said:

40 seconds to work a Texas rig per cast is slow?

 

I am probably 2 levels more deliberate than that. 

 

I wasn't saying that a 40 second retrieve is slow, but rather was giving an example of fishing a T-Rig in a power fishing method versus a finesse method. 

 

40 seconds was just a off the top of my head estimate of the minimum amount of time one would take to finesse a TRig through some kind of cover or structure.  Obviously if the area you are covering is larger or you have no idea at what depth you are going to get bit, a finesse retrieve with a TRig could take 5 minutes.

[J Francho]

My style is mid century modern.  It's very hip right now.

[TnRiver46]

13 minutes ago, J Francho said:

My style is mid century modern.  It's very hip right now.

Open concept 

[mikey z]

On 11/17/2020 at 10:32 PM, OCdockskipper said:

 

It is an out of body experience the first time you are able to do it.  You know exactly what you need to do to get bit, yet are still amazed that each time you replicate it, you get bit again.

I'm not sure I 100% understand what people mean by a pattern, so based on what you're saying, the other day when I was getting bit over and over by doing a very fast yo-yo presentation from deeper water all the way to the shallow banks with my lipless, I was dialed in to one?

[roadwarrior]

Yes

[OCdockskipper]

22 hours ago, mikey z said:

I'm not sure I 100% understand what people mean by a pattern, so based on what you're saying, the other day when I was getting bit over and over by doing a very fast yo-yo presentation from deeper water all the way to the shallow banks with my lipless, I was dialed in to one?

Possibly.

 

Sometimes a pattern is a type of retrieve that will work everywhere, because the fish are everywhere & biting (typically in the spring).  Other times that retrieve will work over & over only if you are fishing a certain type of structure and/or cover.

 

In your example, if that retrieve resulted in bites no matter where you threw it, but a steady retrieve with the same lure didn't, then you were on a pattern.  However, if you noticed that you only got bit in areas where the deep water transitioned to shallow quickly and that it was fruitless where the deep to shallow transition was gradual, then the retrieve was only half the pattern.  The structure was the other half of the pattern.

[gim]

I have about 10 places that I fish regularly throughout portions of the season and based on where I am going, I have several presentations ready for those places that have proven to be effective in the past.  Some are power, some are finesse.  Certain presentations I just do not have confidence in, so I don't hardly even try them (like a drop shot).

[mikey z]

@OCdockskipper I think I just leveled up in angler knowledge. Thank you sir!

 

I was trying a few different types of retrieve typical for lipless all around the waters and this was really the only effective one, but only in that area. I'm not really sure what's happening as far as structure or cover. I'm thinking it's probably a combination like you said. 

[SK1]

I most often fish finesse.

[Cgolf]

1 hour ago, OCdockskipper said:

Possibly.

 

Sometimes a pattern is a type of retrieve that will work everywhere, because the fish are everywhere & biting (typically in the spring).  Other times that retrieve will work over & over only if you are fishing a certain type of structure and/or cover.

 

In your example, if that retrieve resulted in bites no matter where you threw it, but a steady retrieve with the same lure didn't, then you were on a pattern.  However, if you noticed that you only got bit in areas where the deep water transitioned to shallow quickly and that it was fruitless where the deep to shallow transition was gradual, then the retrieve was only half the pattern.  The structure was the other half of the pattern.

 

1 hour ago, mikey z said:

@OCdockskipper I think I just leveled up in angler knowledge. Thank you sir!

 

I was trying a few different types of retrieve typical for lipless all around the waters and this was really the only effective one, but only in that area. I'm not really sure what's happening as far as structure or cover. I'm thinking it's probably a combination like you said. 

 

Then you you can apply those baits and retrieves to similar cover and structure in the same lake, for example fish hanging out at the base of a point in 10 feet of water.

 

For me it is dialing in say the vacation lake the first day to what type of bite they are on, chasing cranks, topwaters, plastics, etc. Also with something like plastics their are a zillion different styles and retrieves too. By day 1 I get fairly dialed in and then the rest of the week is following the fish and adapting to changing conditions and changing presentations to suit that. I usually am a 1/2 step behind, but get it figured out and can stay on top of the bite for the week. If you catch me the first day I look like a junk fisherman and on days when the conditions swing wildly, I probably do as well when I am adjusting to the new location or mood of the bass.

[FishinBuck07]

My fishing style is called LOST!

[Cgolf]

33 minutes ago, FishinBuck07 said:

My fishing style is called LOST!

 

Been there too many times as well!

[soflabasser]

Last weekend I did some ultralight fishing and some power fishing. I caught fish with both styles. 

[NoShoes]

Let’s be real, is there really ever a time that soft plastics don’t work?  I mean it may not always be the best option, but they just about always work. 

[soflabasser]

42 minutes ago, NoShoes said:

Let’s be real, is there really ever a time that soft plastics don’t work?  I mean it may not always be the best option, but they just about always work. 

I have had fishing trips soft plastics did not work yet a jerkbait, topwater, spinnerbait or other technique did work. As a bass fisherman you have to be able to adapt and that sometimes involves using techniques you might not be comfortable with.

[Cgolf]

44 minutes ago, NoShoes said:

Let’s be real, is there really ever a time that soft plastics don’t work?  I mean it may not always be the best option, but they just about always work. 

yes this year fishing reeds the plastic bite 99% shut off and until I switched to a spinner bait I was blanking. Had never seen this before but they would not bite a plastic. Also hope it never happens again. 

[NoShoes]

8 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

I have had fishing trips soft plastics did not work yet a jerkbait, topwater, spinnerbait or other technique did work. As a bass fisherman you have to be able to adapt and that sometimes involves using techniques you might not be comfortable with.

 

4 minutes ago, cgolf said:

yes this year fishing reeds the plastic bite 99% shut off and until I switched to a spinner bait I was blanking. Had never seen this before but they would not bite a plastic. Also hope it never happens again. 

 

I have not ever had a trip where they wouldn’t eat a trick worm, a senko, or a fluke. Maybe didn’t load the boat, but haven’t had a day where I couldn’t get a bite on one. 

[OCdockskipper]

2 hours ago, NoShoes said:

I have not ever had a trip where they wouldn’t eat a trick worm, a senko, or a fluke. Maybe didn’t load the boat, but haven’t had a day where I couldn’t get a bite on one. 

 

Rare is the day that I can't get bit on a Ned Rig or Senko, but they do occur. 

 

About 6 weeks ago, I had a cloudy, overcast day where I found the bass in 6-8 feet of water, but holding at about the 3 foot level in open areas, out away from docks or along seawalls (I'm assuming it was at or close to where the bait was).  They wouldn't rise up for a topwater and would not go down to the bottom for a worm or jig.  However, I loaded the boat by reeling a small squarebill past them as fast as I could.

 

I couldn't pinpoint exactly where they were, because I believe they were oriented to the bait as opposed to structure or cover, so I had to cover alot of water.  When I came across them, they were more than happy to choke the bait, albeit I am assuming it was more of a reaction bite than a feeding bite.

[Cgolf]

3 hours ago, NoShoes said:

 

 

I have not ever had a trip where they wouldn’t eat a trick worm, a senko, or a fluke. Maybe didn’t load the boat, but haven’t had a day where I couldn’t get a bite on one. 

 

Last June, I even tried a senko, and no dice, it was one of the strangest bites I had ever seen. We did have super high winds and stacked cold fronts, so that probably didn't help. Probably the toughest bite I have ever encountered in a lot of years up there. Fast forward to September when a warm front moved in, saw the same behavior on the same lake on a bonus trip. I guess I did get one bass on a plastic, but it was on a berkley power wiggler on a 1/64 ounce jig under a bobber fishing for perch lol.