Something I dont understand

[Allaroundfishing]

Something Ive been thinking about recently is a phrase Ive heard often among friends and at ramps or in the parking lot at tournament. 

" Man the only thing I can get bit on is "X" but you aint gonna catch me throwin that"

This seems to be something I hear alot about finesse techniques or slower techniques. Especially a carolina rig or splitshot rig, ned rig etc

The biggest hypocrisy I see is people saying they cant stand to drag a carolina rig offshore but you look at their front deck and they got a shaky head and drop shot right beside their big worm and football jig.... so I just wonder what makes you decide that fishing slow one way is better than another and if the fish are biting a carolina rig better than a football jig why not make the adjustment to get more bites? This is something I hear people at my level of fishing clear up to pros stating "well I knew they'd win it flippin the grass but i wanted to catch em offshore" seems to me that if theyre biting something why would you not throw it...

Perhaps im just too inquisitive but it genuinely stumps me as to why you wouldnt throw something you are getting bites on just because its not the way you want to fish. 

So whats your thoughts on this, are you like one of the anglers mentioned above or are you like me and let the fish decide.

[Catt]

I'm a stubborn hard headed cajun but if you catch 2-3 I'm changing!

[mrpao]

I dont care. If the fish are biting a beetle spin with a yellow mister twister grub, then thats what I'm throwing.

I'll give the fish whatever they want.

[N Florida Mike]

Yeah, I’m pretty much about catching fish however I can …

[Choporoz]

7 hours ago, Allaroundfishing said:

The biggest hypocrisy I see is people saying they cant stand to drag a carolina rig offshore but you look at their front deck and they got a shaky head and drop shot right beside their big worm and football jig....

What?   Where is the hypocrisy?

 

I guess I have not talked to the same people you are talking to, because I don't think I am hearing the same kinds of things.  I suppose though, if I did, I would shrug and say that anyone ought to fish the way they enjoy fishing.

 

The only thing I kind of extrapolate from my experience is perhaps a-rig, or big swimbaits, or even carolina rig and drop shot....because each of those requires different equipment and or rigging that complicates things.

 

A carolina rig, in particular,  really is a whole different game, at least here where you see 1 oz weights ahead of  2-3 ft leaders.

[A-Jay]

8 hours ago, Allaroundfishing said:

Something Ive been thinking about recently is a phrase Ive heard often among friends and at ramps or in the parking lot at tournament. 

" Man the only thing I can get bit on is "X" but you aint gonna catch me throwin that"

 This is something I hear people at my level of fishing clear up to pros stating "well I knew they'd win it flippin the grass but i wanted to catch em offshore"

why you wouldnt throw something you are getting bites on just because its not the way you want to fish. So whats your thoughts on this, are you like one of the anglers mentioned above or are you like me and let the fish decide.

I can relate to this one. 

Sounds like these bassheads might be stuck in Stage 4 ~

A-Jay

[FishinBuck07]

I hate throwing the Carolina Rig, but my buddy told me last year he catches them on a couple local lakes I fish on that darn rig.  You know what I did?  Yep went and bought stuff to fish the Carolina Rig.  haha  I am stubborn, but I am not stupid!!  haha

[Deleted account]

This is like #3 on my "You know how I know you don't fish" list. If you are fishing for fun, and you want to catch them with lure X,  you may be misguided, but hey, whatever floats your boat. If you are fishing a tournament, and for God knows what silly rationalization you decide you want to throw something or not throw something, for any other reason than because it is the best tool for the job at the time, and it's what the fish want, well then that's just plain stupid (or maybe you like loosing). That goes for electronics, and any other aspect of equipment and approach that is allowed by the rules.

[Allaroundfishing]

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

What?   Where is the hypocrisy?

 

I guess I have not talked to the same people you are talking to, because I don't think I am hearing the same kinds of things.  I suppose though, if I did, I would shrug and say that anyone ought to fish the way they enjoy fishing.

 

The only thing I kind of extrapolate from my experience is perhaps a-rig, or big swimbaits, or even carolina rig and drop shot....because each of those requires different equipment and or rigging that complicates things.

 

A carolina rig, in particular,  really is a whole different game, at least here where you see 1 oz weights ahead of  2-3 ft leaders.

I was pointing out that the same people who will not throw a carolina rig offshore will throw a football jig in the same situation, its still a slow moving presentation same with a shakyhead or worm. The presentation is similar but for some reason its more or less acceptable to throw one of the other

31 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

This is like #3 on my "You know how I know you don't fish" list. If you are fishing for fun, and you want to catch them with lure X,  you may be misguided, but hey, whatever floats your boat. If you are fishing a tournament, and for God knows what silly rationalization you decide you want to throw something or not throw something, for any other reason than because it is the best tool for the job at the time, and it's what the fish want, well then that's just plain stupid (or maybe you like loosing). That goes for electronics, and any other aspect of equipment and approach that is allowed by the rules.

And that's what I don't get because most people I hear this from i fish the local weeknight and weekend derbs with, and I have buddies who are in the college series that either say what I mentioned above or hear it at the tournaments when talking at the ramps with other competitors.

[Deleted account]

7 minutes ago, Allaroundfishing said:

I was pointing out that the same people who will not throw a carolina rig offshore will throw a football jig in the same situation, its still a slow moving presentation same with a shakyhead or worm. The presentation is similar but for some reason its more or less acceptable to throw one of the other

And that's what I don't get because most people I hear this from i fish the local weeknight and weekend derbs with, and I have buddies who are in the college series that either say what I mentioned above or hear it at the tournaments when talking at the ramps with other competitors.

They just don't know any better.

[FishTank]

I fished with a couple of guys like that over the years. One would only fish a Zoom lizard, another a 7in Power Worm in Junebug, and another a jig.  And they would do this all year round.  No adjustments or changes and fishing as close to the bank as possible was the only place to be.  

 

The guy fishing the jig was the worst.  He would flip a jig on to the bank. We would be 15-20 feet away from shore all day. I could jump on to the bank sometimes. The part that drove me crazy was he had 7-10 setups he would never touch.  Some of his reels were faded on one side. They had never been fished.

[king fisher]

Call me pig headed, but I'm not going to fish a pink Helicopter lure on a Zebco Barbie rod, I don't care how many fish it catches.

[FishTank]

8 hours ago, king fisher said:

Call me pig headed, but I'm not going to fish a pink Helicopter lure on a Zebco Barbie rod, I don't care how many fish it catches.

Don't say it.....  Took my daughter out to a local pond when she was little with a pink Barbie rod and every "pretty" bait she could find. I took an arsenal of rods.  She schooled me. I got skunked. She caught at least 10. It was embarrassing and my wife has never let me forget it.

[gim]

I can be pretty stubborn when I'm fishing too.  Generally I am not going to start off with an ultra finesse fishing tactic because I find it to be painfully slow and boring, but I will certainly switch over to something like that if it means catching a few fish.  Especially if the other person in the boat starts hammering them.

[TOXIC]

Bass fishermen like to think the bass are smarter than they really are and that they are smart enough to figure them out. Winner…..fisherman.  When I’m giving seminars or doing demonstrations with a Senko I hear this all the time….

 

”I don’t use a Senko because it’s an idiot bait that doesn’t require any skill to catch fish” 

 

I then have to chuckle when I say that the reason we fish is to catch fish right?  I understand we like to think our skill is to “figure them out” which proves we are a better angler than the next guy that can’t.  

[EWREX]

2 hours ago, FishTank said:

I fished with a couple of guys like that over the years. One would only fish a Zoom lizard, another a 7in Power Worm in Junebug, and another a jig.  And they would do this all year round.  No adjustments or changes and fishing as close to the bank as possible was the only place to be.  

 

The guy fishing the jig was the worst.  He would flip a jig on to the bank. We would be 15-20 feet away from shore all day. I could jump on to the bank sometimes. The part that drove me crazy was he had 7-10 setups he would never touch.  Some of his reels were faded on one side. They had never been fished.

there's an old timer in my club who only throws a green pumpkin senko on a light texas rig. he usually does decent in our small club tournaments and always comes back with fish in the livewell. to each their own i guess! 

[Deleted account]

56 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

I understand we like to think our skill is to “figure them out” which proves we are a better angler than the next guy that can’t.  

"Fish are smart, bigger fish are smarter, you gotta think like a fish (they don't), you have to outsmart fish, blah, blah, blah". Find the fish, catch the fish, ice the fish, ship the fish, (recreational guys leave the last two out) it's not that hard.

[FishTank]

1 hour ago, EWREX said:

there's an old timer in my club who only throws a green pumpkin senko on a light texas rig. he usually does decent in our small club tournaments and always comes back with fish in the livewell. to each their own i guess! 

Same with the guys I mentioned. They usually catch fish. But its times when fish are transitioning and the guys around us are fishing different baits and are way further out from the bank or are off shore structure fishing and killing it, that causes my blood pressure to rise.  Getting blanked instead of establishing or even recognizing a pattern, gets frustrating.  But as a co-angler, it's always best to make the most of the cards you're dealt and fish on.

[RDB]

Do I have to fish the finesse technique on a “fairy wand”?  ?

 

About the only thing I won’t fish with is something with images of Disney characters on it.

[king fisher]

I am curious if those who say they will do anything it takes to catch bass as long as it is legal, will you troll, or use live bait.  Both are very effective, but many refuse to do either.

[RDB]

13 minutes ago, king fisher said:

I am curious if those who say they will do anything it takes to catch bass as long as it is legal, will you troll, or use live bait.  Both are very effective, but many refuse to do either.

No doubt some do look down on those who troll or use live bait…I am not one of them.  I don’t refuse to do either though I choose not to for LM bass (I do both in saltwater and for stripers).  If I shared a boat with someone who wanted to, I would have no problem doing so as well.  Most of my LM enjoyment comes from finding the fish and trying to coax a bite using something artificial.  

[the reel ess]

I generally resist finesse tactics until they're completely necessary. I did catch one 6.5 lb. on the shaky head this summer. Who's to say I wouldn't have caught that particular bass with whatever I crossed its path with?

[BlakeMolone]

6 hours ago, FishTank said:

I fished with a couple of guys like that over the years. One would only fish a Zoom lizard, another a 7in Power Worm in Junebug, and another a jig.  And they would do this all year round.  No adjustments or changes and fishing as close to the bank as possible was the only place to be.  

 

The guy fishing the jig was the worst.  He would flip a jig on to the bank. We would be 15-20 feet away from shore all day. I could jump on to the bank sometimes. The part that drove me crazy was he had 7-10 setups he would never touch.  Some of his reels were faded on one side. They had never been fished.

Did those guys do very good? I’m guessing they did well in the spring and fall and struggled the rest of the year?

[FishTank]

2 hours ago, BlakeMolone said:

Did those guys do very good? I’m guessing they did well in the spring and fall and struggled the rest of the year?

 

Correct. We would fish the same spots no matter what the fish finder told us or the seasonal weather. 

[Lead Head]

I love to fish, being on the water is my "happy place". I enjoy playing with my toys and relaxing ALMOST as much as catching fish. My fishing time is for me, and I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone. Im very competitive, I know if I were to tournament fish it would destroy the things that I love about fishing. It's not uncommon for me to fish where and how I want, knowing that the chosen presentation (conventionally) has a low likelihood of success. But hey, I'm out there for me...

 

Having said that, I'm definitely trying to catch fish. If someone hits 3 and I'm at 0... I'll definitely switch to what they are throwing (at least until I've boated a few).

 

In my opinion, anyone who pays a tournament fee and isn't doing anything and everything possible to legally catch winning fish is wasting their time and money. But its their time and money, not mine, so my opinion should mean absolutely nothing to them.

 

I do get a chuckle when I hear someone suggest "I knew how to win, but decided not too". All I hear in that statement is "I don't mind to lose, and like giving away money".