Skill

[geo g]

I do believe the most important factors are being a constant line watcher, and knowing what a bite detection feels like, and oh so subtle changes that occur.  Having a good quality line with sensitive qualities that transmit the ever so slight changes up the line.  To me this is far more important then the actual rod or reel being used.

[Bluebasser86]

A lot of what Tom says is why I've never bought into the "You have to let them eat it", train of thought, even with really large worms or plastics. Even a 2-3 pound fish can very easily inhale a 10-12 inch worm, and just as quickly spit it out. That's why when I detect a strike, I swing on them. I've had so many of my bigger fish on jigs that were just bites that something wasn't right, or my hands had set the hook before my brain even fully registered I had a bite. This was just a light "tick", while my bait was falling. A 3/8oz jig looks pretty tiny in a 7+ pound fish's mouth though like Tom said.

[Catt]

10 hours ago, WRB said:

The skill to detect a big bass strike that doesn’t move requires intuition and the ability to feel slight line movements or pressure.

 

Notice, "feel slight line movement or pressure."

 

If you "see" line movement, you should have felt the bite. 

 

Every bass is different & every bite is different. What isn't different is how the jig/t-rig feels hitting rock, brush, grass, timber, or just the bottom.

 

If I don't feel that I drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook!

 

In my minds eye the more about what I'm not feeling, I just know (intuition) it doesn't feel right.

[scaleface]

Feeling the tick when the lure is falling is what I strive to do . If I feel it , there is going to be a hookset . But something has changed over the years and I dont feel them as often as I use to . The main difference in how I fish   is the use of a longer rod . Dont know if my hands are not as sensitive or shorter rods are more sensitive than longer rods . It seems more and more now days , a fish is just on there and I felt nothing . 

[NoShoes]

I think it was Denny brauer saying he didn’t know what a bite felt like, but knew what it didn’t feel like. 

[Jmurphy87]

In my limited experience with jigs I find that the bites are more subtle than a Texas rig, most of the time. Sometimes they slam it most of the time they don’t, it all comes down to being able to detect the subtle differences that come down to something is not normal. Some of my Texas rig bites I never felt at all it was the difference in weight on my line is how I knew something had it. I also don’t have very much experience with bigger fish like most of you guys but that’s why I enjoy fishing, the challenge of getting better at something that I am not good at yet.

[Catt]

13 minutes ago, Jmurphy87 said:

I find that the bites are more subtle than a Texas rig

 

I approach detecting both the same in that I'm looking for, feeling for the same subtleties in line movement, line pressures.

 

Sometimes that line movement is just your line going ever so limp or tight. 

[Bird]

After reading through this thread, it gives me one more reason to dislike wind. 

I find it enjoyable to watch my line, especially braid while the bait is falling. 

You can actually see the inhale as the line jumps and more pronounced throwing weightless.......on a calm day that is.

 

[T-Billy]

23 hours ago, T-Billy said:

WRB state in another post that his success with BIG BASS was setting the 

hook QUICKLY. 

 

 

Not sure what happened to my post. Seems whoever posted ^this^ edited it for me. Anyhow I had mentioned staying focused and keeping your rod in position to set the hook was an important skill to have. For EXACTLY the reason posted above. This is one of several reasons I've become a big fan of braid. If I get bit with the rod up in the 10 o'clock position, I can hook them instantly without having to reel down first, and I still have plenty of power to drive a heavy flippin hook home. 

[SC53]

The creed I’ve always lived by was “ when in doubt, rip it out” or set the hook. I can’t tell you how many times I set the hook on something different and it was a fish. I’m not just talking about a worm or jig  but it applies to moving baits as well. If the bait isn’t acting like it should I set the hook. Yea I hook a lot of grass and wood but I get my share of bass as well. 

[soflabasser]

A skilled bass fisherman with cheap to moderate priced tackle will outfish a regular bass fisherman most of the time. That is why it is best to put in your time on the water if you want to be good in bass fishing. 

[Jmurphy87]

6 hours ago, Catt said:

 

I approach detecting both the same in that I'm looking for, feeling for the same subtleties in line movement, line pressures.

 

Sometimes that line movement is just your line going ever so limp or tight. 

Thank you, I agree 100% I fish both presentations with the same degree of focus and technique, I think it’s because you catch smaller fish along with larger ones is the reason they seem to hit a Texas rig harder at times for me.

[DitchPanda]

We all like those hard explosive strikes. Be it a bone jarring thump on a jig that almost rips the rods out of your hands or a top water blow up that looks like you shot your bait with a shotgun. But I agree that often with bigger fish the bite is just different. Got on a buzz bait bite one time that several of the big fish...5-6lbs...just sucked the bait down. Don't know how many 6+lb fish I've caught on a jig or spinner bait where you just lose track of the bait. Buddy of mine was out frog fishing a few weeks back and missed a bite. Threw back at what he assumed by the bite was a dink and got her to bite again. Said it turned out to be a 5.5lb largemouth.

[Big Hands]

There are times when I am able to put down an anchor, and I feel I can get hyper-sensitive to subtle strikes. This is while fishing on the bottom with heavier weights and braided main line. I reel as slowly as I can and still keep the handle moving, pausing occasionally. I will sometimes just hold the rod as still as possible, and close my eyes for several seconds at a time so that I am not distracted by visual things. I can feel it crawl up, through, and over cover and structure. I try to imagine exactly what could be giving me this feedback. It takes about three to five minutes per cast after the bait hits the bottom to fish this way. Since I am generally by myself, I don't have to worry about entertaining anyone, or whether or not they're ready to move down the bank. 

 

When I am not able to anchor, I KNOW that I am not nearly as capable of instantly detecting those super-subtle strikes. On the water I fish, the wind is rarely slack for very long, so even in relatively calm conditions you have to work at keeping the boat in the same position. Closing my eyes long enough to fully focus is not generally possible, and the boat is almost always going to be affected by a breeze. 

 

When they say "the tug is the drug", I assumed that this is in reference to the bite, but then wondered if it's the fight after the fish is hooked for others? For me, it's all about the bite. 

[evo2s197]

Reading Toms posts on his perception of high end rods is definitely interesting.

 

 I for one enjoy fishing the best equipment available, and when it comes to bottom contact fishing especially jigs, I more often than not catch more and larger fish in comparison to other anglers im fishing with whether it's on my boat or theirs.

 

Is it because of the equipment?

 

Is it experience?

 

Is it because I enjoy using my equipment more which has me more in tune with my lure?

 

Or is it a combination of all the above?

 

I can't say, all I know is that the right high end rod helps if you have at least a little bit of fishing experience, to say otherwise is just stubbornness.

 

 

[Fishlegs]

On 7/26/2021 at 3:42 PM, SC53 said:

The creed I’ve always lived by was “ when in doubt, rip it out” or set the hook. I can’t tell you how many times I set the hook on something different and it was a fish. I’m not just talking about a worm or jig  but it applies to moving baits as well. If the bait isn’t acting like it should I set the hook. Yea I hook a lot of grass and wood but I get my share of bass as well. 

Great topic, and replies to all. I am going to work on adopting this philosophy. I catch myself wondering, “was that a bite?” way too often. By the time I convince myself it’s probably not a bite…it never is.

[MGF]

On 7/26/2021 at 5:26 PM, soflabasser said:

A skilled bass fisherman with cheap to moderate priced tackle will outfish a regular bass fisherman most of the time. That is why it is best to put in your time on the water if you want to be good in bass fishing. 

I've never owned any "high-end" equipment...not my rods/reels, not my boat and not my electronics. I could afford to upgrade some but I'd be fishing for the same fish. Where I live isn't a bad place to fish but it isn't the best either. When it comes to the river brown bass I chase most I think I do better than average and maybe much better than that (it's hard to gage since I don't fish tournaments). Since I don't have the time, funds or desire to travel I'm going to be catching the same 2# bass whether it's on a $60 outfit or a $500 outfit. I just don't think an extra couple hundred bucks in a rod or reel is going to do much for me other than give me something to show off.

 

It's a running joke. I talk about bass in dollars per pound.  Don't get me wrong is I were fishing different conditions I'd probably do things a bit different.

[N Florida Mike]

On 7/25/2021 at 6:48 PM, Bird said:

Must admit though, all my bigger fish moved after inhaling soft plastics and usually in a haste. 

That’s been my experience too.

 

On the sensitive vrs less sensitive rods,

I have never owned a high end rod and dont know how much better it could possibly be than what I get with low end rods. 

Shoot , probably more than half of all the bass Ive caught came on a Ugly stik.

[soflabasser]

13 hours ago, MGF said:

When it comes to the river brown bass I chase most I think I do better than average and maybe much better than that (it's hard to gage since I don't fish tournaments). Since I don't have the time, funds or desire to travel I'm going to be catching the same 2# bass whether it's on a $60 outfit or a $500 outfit. I just don't think an extra couple hundred bucks in a rod or reel is going to do much for me other than give me something to show off.

I own a custom rod that was given to me as a gift, it is a nice rod but I prefer my regular rods. You do not need expensive tackle to well in bass fishing. What matters most is knowing how to locate bass and knowing how to catch them. I do own expensive reels for saltwater fishing since these reels do make a difference when targeting powerful saltwater fish. 

7 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

probably more than half of all the bass Ive caught came on a Ugly stik.

There is a reason why Ugly Stiks have been made for several decades and so many people like them. They are hard to beat for how much they cost and how durable they are.

[WRB]

Skill requires practice it’s not inherent. If you are a skilled angler then high tech equipment enhances you learned skills.

I was a gymnast and our high school upgraded the equipment with Olympic high bar that was wider, more flexible and higher then the old high bar. I was too short to reach it and needed a boost to reach it as a 9th grader. The Olympic high bar increased my ability to learn more skills, equipment can help broaden your abilities if you can take advantage of it. 

Don’t expect to have better skills without expanding your practice.

Tom

 

Tom

[Catt]

On 7/25/2021 at 10:58 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

what Tom says is why I've never bought into the "You have to let them eat it", train of thought, even with really large worms or plastics.

 

What drove that home for me was the first time I saw the "Hawg Trough", ya know that big aquarium on a trailer at tackle shows. I was standing right up against the plexiglass when the Pro threw a Texas Rig & a 3# bass sucked it in & spit it out before my pea brain could comprehend what happened.

 

I started setting hook on everything! 

 

As for as rod sensitivity I firmly believe there comes a point where the rod is more sensitive than our ability to feel what's transmitted.

 

I work with some of the most high tech sound equipment made. I monitor the sound on an iPad that tells me hey dummy you need to make adjustments here, after years in a sound booth I didn't hear what needed adjusting. Neither did the other two guys in the sound booth or the music director.

[txchaser]

For me, part of the payoff for spending a lot of time with the same presentation is starting to notice little things that aren't obvious, and definitely not noticeable when you are throwing the tackle box. The first bait that opened up like this for me was the chatterbait. I'm conviced people miss a lot of chatterbait bites; there's a lot going on especially if you are around grass and being able to really feel the difference between grass and a bite matters a lot, especially the dead-blade where they come up from behind. Really working to get that same feel on crankbaits, particularly coming up over a limb or finding different bottom composition. Set the hook into a lot of branches