Fishing is giving me anxiety

[BassNJake]

On 12/1/2020 at 12:53 PM, Luke Barnes said:

I would like to quote and reply to every one but I'm suprised how many comments ive gotten and this has reminded me why i love the fishing community. The support and camaraderie is amazing. I decided today to limit myself to 4 setups. 2 casting and 2 spinning for bottom finesse lures. 

 

But that's besides the point. I am exceptionally hard on myself and most of the time wont see it as ahh the fish just werent biting and blame it on throwing the wrong thing in the wrong color in the wrong places. Its a work in progress. Personal growth is hard and slow, but ive made progress in other areas so I will achieve being able to just enjoy being on the water even if i dont catch a fish every outing. 

 

I definitely agree with the internet its so easy to rabbit hole down things and obsess over so much when I should just take what I think will work and go for it. 

Well, being hard on yourself is one thing, having unrealistic expectations is another.

With Covid19+ it has pushed a lot of tourneys into the fall when fishing is tough and the pros have seen it too

Scott Martin is a very accomplished bass angler.

At the Central open on Lewisville Lake he fished for 8 hours a day and after 2 days caught one bass just shy of 3 pounds. 

 

It happens and we have to accept it, within perspective. The best major league hitters have more outs than hits.

 

I am competitive and have cycle of self examination, looking to fix flaws to correct and become better at whatever I put effort into. The problem with this approach is you can get trapped by just looking at the flaws and failures and not seeing or putting any stock into any the success that you have had/made. There are times when you have rapid rises and others where things will plateau. 

 

I know this is already a long response but I remember reading where todays unsuccessful outing could be just a scouting trip for the next time out. Dragging a lure around and find hard spots, rocks and sunken timber can make for a future successful trip.

[Luke Barnes]

9 hours ago, joshuaray83 said:

Hey, @Luke Barnes! Army Veteran here myself, albeit not a very experienced angler. Serving as a Chaplain Assistant (Religious Affairs NCO as it's called now), though, I have a lot of experience with Veteran suicide and its contributing factors. I know you don't know me and I don't know you. I can't possible know what you're going through. What I can say, though, is you're not alone. There's Military OneSource, the VA, the Veteran Crisis Hotline, currently serving members who are A.S.I.S.T. trained (it's a very interesting course anyone can take), your Chaplain or Chaplain Assistant, etc. There are resources out there. As someone who's lost a few close friends to suicide, reach out to someone. That DOES NOT make you weak. You're a warrior.

 

Hope you have good luck fishing!

Thank you my friend. Ive always heard Chaplains Assistant was not an easy MOS. Im doing better every day but thank you!

On 12/5/2020 at 10:12 PM, schplurg said:

 

I started carrying only one rod on the banks plus a telescopic one in my backpack. I have caught many bass with it. It's just a BPS $20 telescopic with a Trion reel on it. I used to carry two full rods but ya, sometimes it's great leaving the backpack on and covering water.

 

One day when I had two rods I put my baitcaster in the front pocket of my shorts. I was just goofing around for the video but I actually fished and walked around like that for an hour or so.

 

 

Lame ya maybe haha. But I caught my record number of fish at that lake that evening!

 

 

I live in a tough fishing area so it's not at all unusual to skunk. Skunking that long though was a learning experience for me in many ways. I'm still pretty new so I also expect to fail a lot. Everyone else here at BR catches bass so I'm obviously doing something wrong, I figured. But it was grueling.

 

But that's the point - you have to earn it.

 

I can't remember if the OP is new-ish to fishing or not. If so then I'm just trying to suggest ways to cope with an extended skunk.

 

Bottom line to me is if it ceases to be fun then find another hobby. I had serious doubts when skunking, it was rough on my confidence for sure! Maybe getting through that first big drought is what makes or breaks it for someone. I knew I'd catch again eventually, and I'm now much more confident than ever.

 

I'm going to get into trout fishing this winter and hike around and stream fish. I may suck at that too for awhile, but I can't wait to go the the Sierras and just be on the road fishing for days at a time. Life is an adventure!

Ive beem fishing about four years now and still learning. Im working on my mindset alot right now. Winter time ive done ok for dinks and small numbers working a dropshot and ned rig so looking forward to the reduced pressure. I went the other day and brought four combos and my backpack. Hey, its a start for me haha. But was easier than seven! I struck out but really tried to stay positive and not let it get me down and it helped. I enjoyed myself and had less pressure on myself. 

[mikey z]

On 12/4/2020 at 1:39 PM, Luke Barnes said:

I really like practicing flipping or pitching. Not sure which I technically am doing haha. 

Hey Luke, flipping is when you have maximum control of your pitch by holding the line with one hand as you cast with the other hand. It is a super precise, extremely stealthy water entry method. I'm pretty terrible at it though lol. I think I need a better quality longer rod for it

[Captain Phil]

24 minutes ago, mikey z said:

Hey Luke, flipping is when you have maximum control of your pitch by holding the line with one hand as you cast with the other hand. It is a super precise, extremely stealthy water entry method. I'm pretty terrible at it though lol. I think I need a better quality longer rod for it

Flipping is an acquired skill.  It works best in waters with low visibility.  It is effective when fish are highly pressured.  The biggest mistake most anglers make when flipping is influencing the drop.  When flipping, the drop is what triggers a strike.  Anything the angler does to slow or impede the fall of the bait is counterproductive.  Personally, I do not believe a quiet entry of the bait in the water is as important compared to letting the bait fall under it's on weight.   If you want to learn to be better at flipping, force yourself to flip by leaving all your other rods at home for a month.  This builds confidence.  Confidence is what separates winners from average bass fisherman. 

[mikey z]

3 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Flipping is an acquired skill.  It works best in waters with low visibility.  It is effective when fish are highly pressured.  The biggest mistake most anglers make when flipping is influencing the drop.  When flipping, the drop is what triggers a strike.  Anything the angler does to slow or impede the fall of the bait is counterproductive.  Personally, I do not believe a quiet entry of the bait in the water is as important compared to letting the bait fall under it's on weight.   If you want to learn to be better at flipping, force yourself to flip by leaving all your other rods at home for a month.  This builds confidence.  Confidence is what makes winners from average bass fisherman. 

I spent some time practicing it in the yard by trying to flip a lure into a bucket. I got like 3 in out of 50 lol. Haven't spent much time at the water with it at all.

 

Thanks for the tips! The waters I fish are very low visibility and the bass seem to be skittish a lot so there must be good use for it. I'll remember what you said about letting it fall too. I always thought one of the positives about the technique was the zero or minimal splash.

[Captain Phil]

There are many misconceptions about the flipping technique.  An inactive bass will not chase a bait.  When this occurs, fishing is thought to be poor. 

 

When fish are inactive due to weather conditions or fishing pressure, they go to where they feel safe.  In shallow waters they hunker down in heavy cover.   If you repeatedly drop a lure directly in front of a bass, you can trigger an inactive fish to strike.  When flipping, the fish normally strikes the lure on the drop or shortly thereafter.  This reaction strike is the same thing that happens when you rip a rattle trap across it's nose.  Learning to catch inactive bass is the secret to catching more bass.  Here's a nice Harris Chain flipping fish.  The fish weren't biting that day.

 

 

[mikey z]

18 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

There are many misconceptions about the flipping technique.  An inactive bass will not chase a bait.  When this occurs, fishing is thought to be poor. 

 

When fish are inactive due to weather conditions or fishing pressure, they go to where they feel safe.  In shallow waters they hunker down in heavy cover.   If you repeatedly drop a lure directly in front of a bass, you can trigger an inactive fish to strike.  When flipping, the fish normally strikes the lure on the drop or shortly thereafter.  This reaction strike is the same thing that happens when you rip a rattle trap across it's nose.  Learning to catch inactive bass is the secret to catching more bass.  Here's a nice Harris Chain flipping fish.  The fish weren't biting that day.

 

 

You just answered some of my main questions for fishing pressured or inactive bass without me even asking! I think I might take some time with my most suitable flipping combo this weekend. Thanks Captain!

[Captain Phil]

9 minutes ago, mikey z said:

You just answered some of my main questions for fishing pressured or inactive bass without me even asking! I think I might take some time with my most suitable flipping combo this weekend. Thanks Captain!

You should know flipping is not about catching a boat load of fish.  It's about catching fish others don't catch.  You need patience.  Some days, you won't get many bites. The bites you get will be fish worth catching.  Once you catch some quality fish flipping, you will have enough confidence to stay with it.   Good Luck!

[Luke Barnes]

2 hours ago, mikey z said:

Hey Luke, flipping is when you have maximum control of your pitch by holding the line with one hand as you cast with the other hand. It is a super precise, extremely stealthy water entry method. I'm pretty terrible at it though lol. I think I need a better quality longer rod for it

I guess I am pitching then?? I have the rod/reel in one hand and the lure in the other. I drop the lure, lower the tip of the rod, then raise it and flick the lure out. Im not very good but i do best with jigs on my 7'2 H rod. I can sail it decently. On a 7' MH with fluoro and a T Rig I'm not as good at distance. 

[mikey z]

7 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

I guess I am pitching then?? I have the rod/reel in one hand and the lure in the other. I drop the lure, lower the tip of the rod, then raise it and flick the lure out. Im not very good but i do best with jigs on my 7'2 H rod. I can sail it decently. On a 7' MH with fluoro and a T Rig I'm not as good at distance. 

Yes, you've been pitching. People use the terms interchangeably, but technically, flipping is a different technique. Basically, it's a modified pitch where you take control of the line with your non-dominant hand. There are a couple good tutorial videos on YouTube for it

[Luke Barnes]

42 minutes ago, mikey z said:

Yes, you've been pitching. People use the terms interchangeably, but technically, flipping is a different technique. Basically, it's a modified pitch where you take control of the line with your non-dominant hand. There are a couple good tutorial videos on YouTube for it

Yeah ive watched videos before but forgot which was which. It takes practice for sure. 

[Fishes in trees]

Where I live and in the waters that I normally fish, the water is a little too clear, IMO to flip - so I pitch.  The underhanded, wrist flip is a good cast to know.   Like any other skill it takes a while to get good at it.

Currently, after a number of years of practice, using soft plastics of a reasonable weight ( 3/8 - 1/2 ) I'm pretty accurate at distances up to 40 feet or so.   On a good day, with the wind behind me or quartering behind me, that can get extended to 50 or maybe 60 feet.   Anything farther than that I'm going with an overhand or maybe a roll cast.

 

I do own a " finesse" pitching rig.   I use a 6'10" Falcon Finesse Jig rod, a 50 size Chronarch and 10 lb Abrazx.   95% of the time with this rig I'm throwing quarter ounce Brewer Slider jig heads with a 4" or so soft plastic, so the total weight is somewhat north of a quarter ounce.  I like this rod alot.   Some days I will throw this bait most of the day, not because I think it is the best approach, but because I like the combo.