I've lost confidence in feeling the bite

[Luke Barnes]

Two years ago was the best fishing year for me so far. I started around 2017 so I'm still new to bass fishing but I started with simple techniques. Texas rig and ned rig were my staples and I got confident in them. But in 2021 I got experimenting and playing with new techniques and barely threw anything that required feeling a light bite. I also caught way less and smaller than previous years and thought to myself, I need to go back to the basics of what actually worked best but my confidence is shot. I barely pulled out the new rig rod and suffered for it. 

 

How do you get your confidence back with something that you knew, but set aside for a while and lost the "touch"?

[KSanford33]

There's a lot of members on this forum who are better fishermen than I am, but what's always worked for me is to not really go by feel at all, especially with a texas rig. I just watch the line and if it does anything out of the ordinary, put the steel to 'em! So if the line moves in any way that I wouldn't expect, I'll usually set the hook. Sure, sometimes it's just a false alarm, but a lot of times it's not.

[Luke Barnes]

13 minutes ago, KSanford33 said:

There's a lot of members on this forum who are better fishermen than I am, but what's always worked for me is to not really go by feel at all, especially with a texas rig. I just watch the line and if it does anything out of the ordinary, put the steel to 'em! So if the line moves in any way that I wouldn't expect, I'll usually set the hook. Sure, sometimes it's just a false alarm, but a lot of times it's not.

I got better at line watching throwing a wacky rig. That was the one take away from 2021 for me. I threw the wacky for the first time and threw it alot so I learned to watch for anything in the line. I need to convert that to the ned and t rig I guess. Because these three techniques have been the most consistent fish catchers for me when I quit experimenting so much!

[N.Y. Yankee]

I do both. Watch the line and feel the fish. What I mean is I need the whole sensory activity, seeing what the line is doing and feeling what the lure, line or fish is telling me through the little impacts and resistance on the line. I feel I need both to judge if and when to strike. Somewhat like fly fishing for trout. You see the line move or the fish take the fly and you feel a slight tug, or maybe a strong tug, and your brain says to pull the line tight and let the fish hook itself. Same idea.

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Luke Barnes said:

How do you get your confidence back with something that you knew, but set aside for a while and lost the "touch"?

I've been there a time or two.

My 'solution or cure ' is to fish for another species entirely.

Panfish or especially Crappie, fits the bit nicely for me.

Usually plenty of bites, many of them fairly subtle too.

Then when I go back to bass, the strike often feels like the rod blew up in my hand.

Give it a try.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[Luke Barnes]

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I've been there a time or two.

My 'solution or cure ' is to fish for another species entirely.

Panfish or especially Crappie, fit the bit nicely for me.

Usually plenty of bites, many of them fairly subtle too.

Then when I go back to bass, the strike often feels like the rod blew up in my hand.

Give it a try.

Good Luck

A-Jay

That makes alot of sense because I was doing best on t rigs and neds when I was crappie fishing more. But bank fishing for crappie got frustrating so I stopped. You may be onto something with this.... 

 

But this is why I havent given jigs or Carolina rig/split shot rig any time. I'm worried I'll waste all day fishing it, have bites, and not be able to tell. I feel I could be missing out on fish. 

[Deleted account]

45 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

Two years ago was the best fishing year for me so far. I started around 2017 so I'm still new to bass fishing but I started with simple techniques. Texas rig and ned rig were my staples and I got confident in them. But in 2021 I got experimenting and playing with new techniques and barely threw anything that required feeling a light bite. I also caught way less and smaller than previous years and thought to myself, I need to go back to the basics of what actually worked best but my confidence is shot. I barely pulled out the new rig rod and suffered for it. 

 

How do you get your confidence back with something that you knew, but set aside for a while and lost the "touch"?

Your title says lost confidence in feeling the bite, but the body of your post suggests you aren't being bit. FOMO on bites is over blown. Even if you are missing more than you should, you will feel most of the fish that bite if you are on fish. The whole "if I don't have an NRX and Tatsu, I'm at a disadvantage" hurts the mindset of a lot of inexperienced anglers, (and some who should know better). Just like a ball player, find a batting cage, and take some cuts.

 

[Luke Barnes]

1 minute ago, Deleted account said:

Your title says lost confidence in feeling the bite, but the body of your post suggests you aren't being bit. FOMO on bites is over blown. Even if you are missing more than you should, you will feel most of the fish that bite if you are on fish. The whole "if I don't have an NRX and Tatsu, I'm at a disadvantage" hurts the mindset of a lot of inexperienced anglers, (and some who should know better). Just like a ball player, find a batting cage, and take some cuts.

 

I stopped throwing them and when I went back to using them I would get bites but not detect it until it was too late and I swung on nothing. I hesitate because I cant decide if it was a bite or not and so i stopped throwing my best fish catchers. 

[Chris Catignani]

What I like to do is go fishing more.

You have to come to the conclusion that some days/weeks/years are better than others.

[Team9nine]

It’s simply become a mental thing in your head at this point. You're not missing bites. Ned rig has never been about feeling bites - unless you aren’t fishing it the way Ned intended. He fishes with $20 rods. You could argue the same thing with Charlie Brewer and Slider fishing. Same goes for wacky.
 

Have you ever timed how long a bass will hold these baits and just swim around with them in their mouth? Oftentimes it’s 20, 30 or even 45 seconds or more. I’ve done the experiment - you should, too. It’s an eye opener.

 

Get back out there and just go fishing. Try and play like a tournament angler during practice, and see if you can shake the bait out of a basses mouth when he bites, and get him to drop it. Don’t even try and set the hook. You’ll have a whole different mental outlook after you’re done ?

[Derek1]

1 minute ago, Team9nine said:

It’s simply become a mental thing in your head at this point. You're not missing bites. Ned rig has never been about feeling bites - unless you aren’t fishing it the way Ned intended. He fishes with $20 rods. You could argue the same thing with Charlie Brewer and Slider fishing. Same goes for wacky.
 

Have you ever timed how long a bass will hold these baits and just swim around with them in their mouth? Oftentimes it’s 20, 30 or even 45 seconds or more. I’ve done the experiment - you should, too. It’s an eye opener.

 

Get back out there and just go fishing. Try and play like a tournament angler during practice, and see if you can shake the bait out of a basses mouth when he bites, and get him to drop it. Don’t even try and set the hook. You’ll have a whole different mental outlook after you’re done ?

That’s interesting 

[Luke Barnes]

19 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

It’s simply become a mental thing in your head at this point. You're not missing bites. Ned rig has never been about feeling bites - unless you aren’t fishing it the way Ned intended. He fishes with $20 rods. You could argue the same thing with Charlie Brewer and Slider fishing. Same goes for wacky.
 

Have you ever timed how long a bass will hold these baits and just swim around with them in their mouth? Oftentimes it’s 20, 30 or even 45 seconds or more. I’ve done the experiment - you should, too. It’s an eye opener.

 

Get back out there and just go fishing. Try and play like a tournament angler during practice, and see if you can shake the bait out of a basses mouth when he bites, and get him to drop it. Don’t even try and set the hook. You’ll have a whole different mental outlook after you’re done ?

So with the wacky I got better at line watching. I should do that with the ned and t rig? I dont actually know how Ned himself fishes it, I just do what I think works. Well I did anyways haha. 

 

I know it's such a mental thing because I had so much confidence with these techniques and they worked but now my mind says use something else or you won't catch anything. 

[gim]

Might be worth trying a moving lure instead that will get slammed hard instead of a finesse tactic where feel or sensitivity comes into play.  Burn a spinner bait.  You will know when something hits it.  It won't be so subtle.

[padon]

yes especially with lighter soft plastic baits the fish alot of times will drag that thing around way longer than you think. if you have a pond nearby even if the bass arent big just go catch some and get your mojo back.

ned himself calls it a no feel technique. he says he does feel some bites but he also does alot of line watching.

[Luke Barnes]

Just now, gimruis said:

Might be worth trying a moving lure instead that will get slammed hard instead of a finesse tactic where feel or sensitivity comes into play.  Burn a spinner bait.  You will know when something hits it.  It won't be so subtle.

That's what I have been doing, but with chatterbaits and flukes. But my catch count went way down not throwing more finesse and being able to throw a t rig anywhere and everywhere. 

[OkobojiEagle]

2 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

 I dont actually know how Ned himself fishes it, I just do what I think works.

This is often the problem... Both Brewer's slider fishing and Kehde's Ned rig fishing are about the technique, not the tackle.

 

oe

[T-Billy]

I agree with those above who stated it's just a mental game at this point. Success builds confidence. Wanna get good with a T rig? Take only that with you, put it in your hand and keep it there. Over time you'll get really good with it. I think your on the right track there. The T rig and ned are both techniques that every bass angler should dedicate the time to get good with. They both produce year round, shallow and deep. Those rods never leave my deck and get used nearly every trip.

[gim]

11 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

That's what I have been doing, but with chatterbaits and flukes. But my catch count went way down not throwing more finesse and being able to throw a t rig anywhere and everywhere. 

Well that's unfortunate.  The fish are not always in the mood to bite a moving lure aka "power fishing."  Just thought I'd offer it as a suggestion in case you hadn't tried it yet.

[Fat Ika]

1 hour ago, Luke Barnes said:

Two years ago was the best fishing year for me so far. I started around 2017 so I'm still new to bass fishing but I started with simple techniques. Texas rig and ned rig were my staples and I got confident in them. But in 2021 I got experimenting and playing with new techniques and barely threw anything that required feeling a light bite. I also caught way less and smaller than previous years and thought to myself, I need to go back to the basics of what actually worked best but my confidence is shot. I barely pulled out the new rig rod and suffered for it. 

 

How do you get your confidence back with something that you knew, but set aside for a while and lost the "touch"?

Interesting to hear everyone's experience and they're all valid. I personally had the same issue when I started fishing in the 90s. Tons of success mostly sticking with t-rigged plastics and finesse plastic techniques. Then you watch KVD burn a spinnerbait and squarebill when you're an inexperienced youngster without any help aside from reading mags and your own personal experience. Had no idea when to throw reaction baits, but I was content just going back to simple soft plastic presentations regardless of conditions and gaining back confidence in power plastic or finesse plastic fishing. 

 

In order to get your confidence back, I would just commit to what your original confidence is with plastics, be slow methodical and patient on both looking and feeling for the bite. It's fun when the power bite is on, but if the water levels are low/no wind, I personally find myself just committing to plastics. 

[WRB]

If interested I can send a copy of my Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar, basic behavior to explain activity levels from very active to inactive. The right lure ant the right in the right location and depth is the key to catching bass consistently.

Sounds simple to use lures and presentations you have confidence with to increase your success. 

I always found in a slump fish a lake that the bite is easy, avoid lakes where the bite is tough.

The Slip Shot Rig using 3” reapers, size 1 light wire hook on 6#-8# mono spinning combo is very effective. If you don’t feel a strike the will engulf and swallow the soft plastic hook themselves. You rig a reaper flat side up.

Tom

* Iovino Lightning Shad works verywhere.

[Luke Barnes]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

If interested I can send a copy of my Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar, basic behavior to explain activity levels from very active to inactive. The right lure ant the right in the right location and depth is the key to catching bass consistently.

Sounds simple to use lures and presentations you have confidence with to increase your success. 

I always found in a slump fish a lake that the bite is easy, avoid lakes where the bite is tough.

The Slip Shot Rig using 3” reapers, size 1 light wire hook on 6#-8# mono spinning combo is very effective. If you don’t feel a strike the will engulf and swallow the soft plastic hook themselves. You rig a reaper flat side up.

Tom

* Iovino Lightning Shad works verywhere.

I never knew there was such a thing. Sounds pretty interesting. I want to fish a split shot rig but ive heard it is one of the hardest to tell you have a bite. I hear over and over how effective it is, not sure where or when, but that it's a solid technique. But if i can't tell i have a bite I doubt i will catch much and get frustrated. 

[RDB]

3 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

I hesitate because I cant decide if it was a bite or not

Personal motto:  Swings are free

[WRB]

The big difference between a split shot or mojo rig is the main line slides through the weight.

When a bass strikes the soft plastic you may not feel it on slack line, however you will feel a change in line tension called a rubber band bite. When the bass moves off with the soft plastic you know it. Hook set are a reel and firm rod sweep.

I have taught a lot of 6 to 10 year old kids to use this presentation successfully.

Tom

 

[T-Billy]

10 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

I never knew there was such a thing. Sounds pretty interesting. I want to fish a split shot rig but ive heard it is one of the hardest to tell you have a bite. I hear over and over how effective it is, not sure where or when, but that it's a solid technique. But if i can't tell i have a bite I doubt i will catch much and get frustrated. 

You often won't feel the bite on a split shot or mojo rig, but it doesn't matter. They will hold that bait and swim with it a long time. Don't worry about it. Just go throw it. You can't learn it if your not throwing it. 

[dodgeguy]

3 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

So with the wacky I got better at line watching. I should do that with the ned and t rig? I dont actually know how Ned himself fishes it, I just do what I think works. Well I did anyways haha. 

 

I know it's such a mental thing because I had so much confidence with these techniques and they worked but now my mind says use something else or you won't catch anything. 

You should always be watching your line when fishing touchy feely baits. To not do so is a major mistake.Dont forget sometimes small panfish will hit your bait and you think it's a bass. If it feels like a machine gun it's panfish.