Probably Won't Do That Again ~

[A-Jay]

 With this new year being ushered in by a brisk & bitter wind whistling through the pines

and something close to 13 more weeks of hard water ahead of me,

I've got some time on my hands.

Yup, plenty of Time; time think about how last fishing season went.

So specifically, and to address the title of this thread, the question is . . . 

 

Is there an aspect of your fishing that you participated/engaged in last year, that didn't work out the way you expected

and that you'll most likely not be repeating; perhaps ever ?

Whether it be an approach, a technique, a presentation, maybe a particular body of water that was excessively vacant of bass or whatever,

it was mostly a negative deal and you're done with it. 

 

I have two.

First one is a presentation - Glide baits.

Now I know they catch fish, and some big ones.

But for whatever reason, not for me.

I just don't get it. 

Not only did I throw these wacky baits all ALL my favorite big fish haunts last year,

I've been hurling these things all over northern Michigan for going on 3 seasons !

Well, not anymore, my current glide bait inventory is ZERO.

I sold them all and have NO plans to change that. 

Free at last !

 

Second deal probably falls under the 'approach' category.

Long story short, I will be fishing the 2022 season with less rods & reels.

And 'less' may be a relative term in this case.

Either way, leaving close to half of what I routinely load into the rod locker,

hanging in the garage, will make having access to what I do take, a whole lot easier.

I'll have to make do and we'll see how it goes. 

So that's the deal for me.

What say you ?

Fish Hard

(with less and no Glide Baits) 

A-Jay

 

[TnRiver46]

Spinnerbait for the 30th year in a row……. 

[MickD]

I will not fish all day when things are not working out well without completely stopping about mid-day,  grabbing a  sandwich, and thinking calmly and deeply into where I've been, what has not worked, why it probably didn't, and what options I have for the rest of the day.

[DINK WHISPERER]

Finesse fishing for me! I tried it all of 2021 and although it caught a few fish they were all tiny dinks! From now on a 6" senko on a 1/4oz tungsten and 17lb fluoro is as finesse as I'll get! ?

[T-Billy]

Punching mats is out. It just doesn't seem to be a very productive technique on my local lakes. I spent a bunch of time punching this year, and while I caught a few, it was never the best way to catch 'em on any given day. It did pay off in a big way however.

 While weed mats alone didn't produce well, wood that's choked out with weeds sure did. I caught a lot of quality bass fishing laydowns that were so weed choked that I would have just made a few casts with a frog and moved on in the past. Picking them apart with that heavy T rig was my #1 pattern during the dog days, and it continued to produce well late into the fall, even after the weeds were dead. The pattern didn't fall apart until the weeds ( Milfoil and Hydrilla) broke up. Soo... Punching mats is out, but punching laydowns is in, in a big way.

 

[Mike L]

30 minutes ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

Finesse fishing for me! I tried it all of 2021 and although it caught a few fish they were all tiny dinks! From now on a 6" senko on a 1/4oz tungsten and 17lb fluoro is as finesse as I'll get! ?

Me too

i took my youngest grandson to a small local pond by his house and when he got tired I took his spinning rod  I wacky rigged for him and made a few casts. 

After about 3 minutes I realized why I don’t throw any finessey stuff. 
 

Next time I’ll just take him home. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

[DitchPanda]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Spinnerbait for the 30th year in a row……. 

We should hang out for a few weeks this spring..ill show you what's up with spinnerbaits.

[the reel ess]

43 minutes ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

Finesse fishing for me! I tried it all of 2021 and although it caught a few fish they were all tiny dinks! From now on a 6" senko on a 1/4oz tungsten and 17lb fluoro is as finesse as I'll get! ?

I know I'll get arguments. But to me downsizing and finesse fishing is just targeting smaller fish. I'm old enough that I don't need to catch a lot of 1 pounders. 

 

@A-JayGlide baits also have not worked for me. 

[Mike L]

No argument here. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[TnRiver46]

5 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

We should hang out for a few weeks this spring..ill show you what's up with spinnerbaits.

I would love that! I don’t work them right somehow. They work pretty good for most people 

[the reel ess]

One thing I will do this year is fish through winter, barring miserable conditions. If you aren't fishing by February here you're missing a chance at some good fish.

[slonezp]

Sell my Lund...

[TnRiver46]

19 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Punching mats is out. It just doesn't seem to be a very productive technique on my local lakes. I spent a bunch of time punching this year, and while I caught a few, it was never the best way to catch 'em on any given day. It did pay off in a big way however.

 While weed mats alone didn't produce well, wood that's choked out with weeds sure did. I caught a lot of quality bass fishing laydowns that were so weed choked that I would have just made a few casts with a frog and moved on in the past. Picking them apart with that heavy T rig was my #1 pattern during the dog days, and it continued to produce well late into the fall, even after the weeds were dead. The pattern didn't fall apart until the weeds ( Milfoil and Hydrilla) broke up. Soo... Punching mats is out, but punching laydowns is in, in a big way.

 

I know you’ve already said it but I’ll never find it, who makes that beaver bait you fish trees with? 

[RDB]

History is obviously important but I will spend less time fishing history (spots, not conditions) and more time scouting new areas.  In a perfect world, I would like to add several new high potential spots on every trip.

 

I will add one thing I started in ‘21 and will continue because I believe you created a previous thread highlighting your experience…stitching.  I have had a surprising amount of success, especially on several high pressures lakes.  It can be like watching paint dry but when there are rock or shell beds, it kills.

[gim]

Hate to say it, but topwaters have been almost a complete disaster for me the past 5 or more seasons. Especially frogs. I don’t know if they were over fished for a number of years or if they just aren’t in the mood anymore, but it’s really a buzz kill because topwater fishing is one of my favorite ways to fish.

 

I’m not completely ready to give up on them but it’s getting close.

[T-Billy]

8 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I know you’ve already said it but I’ll never find it, who makes that beaver bait you fish trees with? 

I do. Ultra Molds produces the molds. I have two more on the way for a total of six. I go through a pile of 'em pitching them on flippin hooks. Generally one or two fish per bait.

[TnRiver46]

6 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Hate to say it, but topwaters have been almost a complete disaster for me the past 5 or more seasons. Especially frogs. I don’t know if they were over fished for a number of years or if they just aren’t in the mood anymore, but it’s really a buzz kill because topwater fishing is one of my favorite ways to fish.

 

I’m not completely ready to give up on them but it’s getting close.

I watch this one guy in MN on YouTube fish a lot of frogs, he seems to do well with them all summer in the thick soupy stuff. It looks fun, I don’t know if you have any of that stuff nearby . It looks like birds could walk on the scum it’s so thick 

[MickD]

I notice most if not all who are not doing well with finesse are largemouth fishermen.  Those of us who concentrate on smallmouth know that finesse is not a "dink" technique.  My third best smallmouth, over 6 pounds , was taken on a Ned.

 

If you largmouth fishermen have not tried tubes, you probably should.  Up here in MI largemouths love them.  

[OldManLure]

1 hour ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

Finesse fishing for me! I tried it all of 2021 and although it caught a few fish they were all tiny dinks! From now on a 6" senko on a 1/4oz tungsten and 17lb fluoro is as finesse as I'll get! ?

There may be a reason some synonyms for finesse are ‘avoid’, ‘eschew’, and ‘shun’.  Just saying.

[TnRiver46]

9 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

I do. Ultra Molds produces the molds. I have two more on the way for a total of six. I go through a pile of 'em pitching them on flippin hooks. Generally one or two fish per bait.

Well that makes those catches even more excellent 

2 minutes ago, MickD said:

I notice most if not all who are not doing well with finesse are largemouth fishermen.  Those of us who concentrate on smallmouth know that finesse is not a "dink" technique.  My third best smallmouth, over 6 pounds , was taken on a Ned.

 

If you largmouth fishermen have not tried tubes, you probably should.  Up here in MI largemouths love them.  

I agree. 6 lb test and small plastic worms is my main producer for smallmouth (I don’t use ned tho)

[T-Billy]

31 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

I know I'll get arguments. But to me downsizing and finesse fishing is just targeting smaller fish.

I agree much of the year, but when the waters cold a TRD bug on a 1/16 or 1/8 jig head is a powerful tool that catches fish of all sizes. I can't keep the musky off it in the early spring. It's also the best bed bait I've ever thrown.

[throttleplate]

no more buzzbait for me, tired of catching pike on it.

[the reel ess]

5 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

I agree much of the year, but when the waters cold a TRD bug on a 1/16 or 1/8 jig head is a powerful tool that catches fish of all sizes. I can't keep the musky off it in the early spring. It's also the best bed bait I've ever thrown.

Yeah, people in my region catch some big bass while trolling for crappie in winter. But we're talking winter time. 

[DINK WHISPERER]

53 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

I know I'll get arguments. But to me downsizing and finesse fishing is just targeting smaller fish. I'm old enough that I don't need to catch a lot of 1 pounders. 

 

@A-JayGlide baits also have not worked for me. 

I completely agree with this.

And @A-Jay to me glide baits have always been a search tool. I throw them to find fish since they rarely resist following them. After that I thoroughly break down the area and catch the followers. 

[Mobasser]

My thing has been tubes, and not throwing them enough. I've ordered some new tubes and heads. Looking back, there were several times that they would have worked well, but I stuck to my same old things that didn't work. I plan on using tubes more this coming season, and develop some confidence in them.