Best advice to give newer guys

[NavyVet1204]

I’ll also add to the “small load out” category again by saying that I truly suffer from fomo when it comes to narrowing down my choices to carry smaller amounts. Two or three packs of shakey head worms, a chatterbait(with trailer), a jig(with trailer also) and a couple packs of senkos and a pack of craws(with terminal tackle) will cover me. Oh and I always carry at least one extra spool of line. I WILL NOT, and I repeat, I WILL NOT ever go fishing again with a bait caster and not have an extra spool of line. My wife and I went to a local pond during COVID and we had one bc a piece and a small tackle tray of lures and nothing else. I ended up with a bird nest of biblical proportions and she was just burning the large mouth up on a red crank bait while I struggled for over an hour to fix my situation. I would’ve rather cut the old off and spool on new line than have done that again. Lesson learned.

[MGF]

On 4/19/2021 at 8:36 PM, redux said:

Good advice right there.

 

EDIT:

 

Practice your casting techiques and reel control at home or dedicate time on the water to practicing and not catching. It is really frustrating when you cannot get your cool setup to put your sexy bait on those beautiful fish because you can't cast properly. ? Womp Womp

 

 

I don't think there's enough emphasis on this. I think there are plenty of anglers who are fortunate to spend a lot of time fishing varied locations and develop great physical skills but when newer anglers see them on youtube they see the cool bass boat with "spot lock", side scan, 360 scan and live scope.

 

Whether you have all that stuff or not it's often skills that make the difference.

 

If you have a rod and reel it doesn't cost anything to cast in the yard. I have a little pond close to home where I go to be outside and cast. I think this has made more of a difference in my overall fishing success than any other factor.

[the reel ess]

Go to the videos on this here board and start with "beginner" videos. These things didn't exist when I was a kid so I learned from what others would divulge or show me or trial and mostly error. Fishermen used to hold their cards close if they were on a good pattern.

 

Find yourself a place where the fishing is easy. I visit my friend's pond sometimes when the bite gets really slow everywhere. The fish are stunted and hungry. It's a great way to develop some techniques. If you see a private place that looks fishy, don't be shy about asking the landowner if you can fish it. You'll be surprised how many would prefer someone take some fish out. And if you like to eat fried fish, pond bass are generally the cleanest you can get.

 

Don't overthink it. I'd start off with a T rigged worm (I did), spinnerbait and a topwater lure. Practice with these. If you see a technique that looks fun, research when and where to use it. If you try a topwater frog in January, you probably won't get much action, unless you're in So FL. 

 

As you advance, you're probably going to want more than one combo so you can specialize a bit. Techniques are easier and more enjoyable used on the combos suited for them. The first I would get is a MH. I won't specify baitcast or spinning. Whatever you're comfy with. Next would be a medium for lighter and finesse lures. There are many videos out there regarding which rod actions/powers to use for which baits. 

 

Lastly, fish the way you like to fish. Most of us aren't tournament anglers, so numbers of 15" fish are not that important until the bite gets really slow. Enjoying the sport is the most important thing. My favorite lures are topwaters. It's usually warm here April to maybe November so I get a lot of opportunities. I'd rather catch 2 on top than 4 on bottom. 

 

Good luck (make your own luck by being informed).

[CrankFate]

Best advice I’d give people is don’t tell anyone about your fishing, because my house was literally burglarized a few years back and the only thing they took were a lifetime of old pictures and the film that came with them.

[Crankin4Bass]

My advice is do not read the "Fishing Rods, Reels, Line and Knots" section here. It will cause you to spend a lot of money.

?

[Johnbt]

The best time to go fishing is when you can.

[Sam]

The best advice I can give you, as a newbie, is to keep a log of all fishing adventures.

 

Put the details and what you caught, when, where, and how on a sheet of paper and put it in a three-ring binder.

 

Once upon a time Glen had a fishing log posted on the Forum, but it was removed. Here is the link to it on Google. I suggest you download the form, make about 200 copies, and every time you go fishing fill it out, even if it is for only a short period of time.

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fish/fishing_log.html

 

Good luck and keep reading the Forum and ask your questions; subscribe to BassResource.com on Facebook; subscribe to Glen May's YouTube video's, and visit the web sites of your favorite bass pros.

[the reel ess]

On 4/24/2021 at 6:30 AM, NavyVet1204 said:

I’ll also add to the “small load out” category again by saying that I truly suffer from fomo when it comes to narrowing down my choices to carry smaller amounts. Two or three packs of shakey head worms, a chatterbait(with trailer), a jig(with trailer also) and a couple packs of senkos and a pack of craws(with terminal tackle) will cover me. Oh and I always carry at least one extra spool of line. I WILL NOT, and I repeat, I WILL NOT ever go fishing again with a bait caster and not have an extra spool of line. My wife and I went to a local pond during COVID and we had one bc a piece and a small tackle tray of lures and nothing else. I ended up with a bird nest of biblical proportions and she was just burning the large mouth up on a red crank bait while I struggled for over an hour to fix my situation. I would’ve rather cut the old off and spool on new line than have done that again. Lesson learned.

I carry a 900 yd spool of Berkley Big Game 15# for just such occasions. It saved my trip once. I don't use mono on every combo, but I can get by with BBG 15# for most applications.

[Catt]

Most important piece of advice!

 

 

[PourMyOwn]

Enjoy the process of learning. Every "Whats the best _____ for ______?" thread ends up with a ton of different opinions, all of which are valid. 

 

Experience is the best teacher.

 

 

[Dwight Hottle]

Just buy a scale so you wont have to ask "how much does my fish weigh".

[galyonj]

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Just buy a scale so you wont have to ask "how much does my fish weigh".

 

Or make embarrassing claims of fact regarding fish weight in front of people that know better.

[schplurg]

Teach them not to litter.

[A-Jay]

For me it's all about trusting in the preparation.

If I know & believe I've done all I can, I will focus on that.

I will remain the same person before, during and after the fishing,

so whatever the result, it does not define me.

It's the journey that matters.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

 

[Surfcaster79]

On 4/26/2021 at 7:11 AM, Catt said:

Most important piece of advice!

 

 

 

 

Absolutely a life saver!!!!! 

[Rangerboat94]

Bass fishing is all mental. Its almost like you can get in the zone and make fish bite sometimes. Just always stay positive and fish as hard in the last 10 minutes as you did in the first 10.

 

[frogflogger]

Just go fishing - things will work out - you'll catch fish.

[geo g]

Someone already gave this advice and it’s so true.  Slow down, lots of fisherman fish way too fast for normal days.  When you first throw out a plastic bait, you may scare the fish in the area.  They are curious creatures and will watch it from a distance and then slowly move back in to investigate.  That’s when a couple of twitches to show it’s alive and let it sit, may just do the trick.  Don’t be in a hurry.  Different days call for different tactics so change it up until you find what they want.

[garroyo130]

Don't immediately come to the forums. Go read Glenn's articles, catch some fish. Get the big picture first ... then delve into the deep end that are the forums.

[Deleted account]

 

[geo g]

On 4/30/2021 at 8:40 AM, Surfcaster79 said:

 

 

Absolutely a life saver!!!!! 

 

Don't leave home without it!

[Boomstick]

I would say don't let a bad day get to you and give up... unless you fish on one of my lakes, in which case you should just quit while you're a head.

[Bubba 460]

Unless you're fishing ponds, my advice is... stop limiting yourself and get off the bank. Purchase a small used or new Jon boat, canoe, kayak, Crawdad, float-tube, anything that you can carry in your truck or on top of your car. I bought a used 10 foot Jon boat in nice shape for $150 a few years ago. No, it's not a $80,000 bass boat but it gets you off the bank and out on the water. I see lots of 12 to 14' Jon boats for $250. Getting off the banks opens up a whole new world of advantages and adventures in bass fishing.   

[Bubba 460]

On 4/28/2021 at 6:18 PM, schplurg said:

Teach them not to litter.

Funny you mention that because it's more prevalent, especially among certain bank fisherman, who brother to carry out NOTHING when they leave. You see a spot on the bank that looks like a dump. Just the other day I was on a lake with my boat where there were two other guys in a boat who were tossing their empty beer cans out on the water. I don't even drink and now I have beer cans in the back of my truck. I can not express in words on this forum how much I detest people like this and I don't even cuss either. I "used" to think to myself that "If someone fishes, they can't be all bad" ~  learned a long time ago that's not true. There are bad actors in all walks of life and their endeavors.  I have been legally armed for more than 40 years. It would not go well for me legally if I instigated a confrontation while armed and it went south ~ I would be the "instigator" no matter what the circumstances where. You just don't know about people today.