Risky topic…what are your personal biases???

[MN Fisher]

24 minutes ago, FishTank said:

only to see they have a $70,000 boat, a $50,000 truck, $10,000 in electronics and about 15-20 budget friendly set ups scattered around their deck. Its at this point they usually declare themselves a budget fisherman

non-sequitur - their facts do not compute.

[FishTank]

16 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

non-sequitur - their facts do not compute.

Exactly....  That's the thing that bugs me.  

 

I know you don't exactly need 15-20 set ups for one person at a time. 5 or 6 quality set ups will do it. Why the expensive boat, truck, and other misc stuff but cheap budget gear?  If you can afford a lavish boat, why not get some decent gear and leave me be? 

 

Sorry for the rant but this has bugged me for years. 

 

 

[DaubsNU1]

On 2/4/2022 at 8:10 PM, ironbjorn said:

Fluorocarbon is not very good fishing line. It isn't as invisible as marketed, it's stretchier than marketed, and it has poor knot strength. Bass are not line shy fish. Monofilament is much better line.

 

Technique specific rods are a sham. Every company has a different idea of what action and power is, which alone proves this point. It's a money making gimmick. Fishing is not that complicated.

 

Too many anglers prepare for the once in a lifetime scenarios over the typical every day situations.

 

There's nothing wrong with booze before noon and only relatively recently in human history did this become taboo.

 

 

 

Agreed, I am not a fan of fluoro.

 

Agree again, technique specific rods are a sham. Just another clever marketing ploy by marketing folks to get us to spend more $$. 

 

Agree on the booze...in the middle ages, people fermented their own beer / alcohol...it was safer to drink than water. Everyone drank beer : ) 

 

[Cdn Angler]

Lots of irrational brand biases.

 

I have a bias against anything Berkley, flatworm excepted. Too many of their products just seem like garbage so I don't want to use them, particularly swimbaits. Most of this is based on nothing, but what they make doesn't look right to my eye for whatever reason. Even the names sound stupid to me. 

 

Livetarget I dislike from buying their stuff and catching nothing. I assume it looks good and has no action. 

 

Megabass I haven't seen any increase in catching ability compared to comparable or cheaper lures. They do look great though. 

 

Spinnerbaits, pretty much hate everything except R2S. Why? I like R2S spinnerbaits so everything else looks/feels weird by comparison. 

 

If a bait, new or 40 years old, says Cotton Cordell, Rapala or Mepps on it, I assume it'll catch fish, whatever its other shortcomings are. 

 

When it comes to reels/rods, I assume anything Japanese is better, rightly or wrongly. 

 

A standard jig with a weedguard/skirt will never make any sense to me. I'll still fish it, but I'm always inclined to favour a straight texas rig. I don't think that jig looks one bit like a crayfish or a shad/bluegill, despite bass wanting to eat a jig and it being a proven thing. 

 

Topwater will catch fish in any possible conditions.  Based on wishful thinking. 

 

Context for catching any big fish matters. Don't much care otherwise. 

 

Dislike pros or youtubers who seem to exaggerate a southern accent or yell biggun every 5 seconds.  I swear many do this intentionally. 

 

Nearly any crankbait will get bit unless it doesn't run true at all. Not as much as another crank in a given situation, but it'll get bit. 

 

Preferred colours do matter and are based at least partially on reality. Why? Nobody knows. I think there are noticeable regional preferences that don't make sense aside from individual anglers trial/error i.e. based on reality and that somehow gets translated into the "bigger picture."

 

It would be cool to have actual experiments done to figure out how much line colour/size and colour matter, but it is impossible as there will never be enough data. 

 

If you are fishing from the bank or a boat with no trolling motor you are better to sacrifice line size/strength for casting distance. Can't land a fish if you never hook it. 

 

Most advice from quality sources is meant for people with 10 rods in a bass boat with a trolling motor and livescope. Few mention that. Keep that in mind. 

 

Bass are basically big sunfish and will eat anything. 

 

Fishing is about getting in touch with nature. People fishing looking like a Nascar car are poor representations for the sport and look ridiculous. 

 

Tournament fishing is, mostly, an abomination. I still get it and watch it/sometimes compete, but it is one of those things that is only a good thing if a not lot of people aren't doing it. 

 

Also on tournament fishing: you should know, every second, what they are throwing and on what setup and in what depth of water. Randomly showing people catch fish says about as much as watching the Super Bowl, but you only see the score go up and down, but don't know how they scored. Pointless. 

 

Too much technology destroys the essence of fishing. 

 

Most of fishing is based around biases and inclinations, most of which are unscientific or based on a super limited quantity of trial and error or outright rumour. If you are pretending otherwise you are kidding yourself. At the same time, some are able to distill all of the variables better than others. 

 

Fishing can be a hobby, not a sport. You can just fish to enjoy nature and get outside and that doesn't make you any less of a fisherman. The point of fishing generally isn't to catch as many fish as possible for a cheque or to post something on the internet, it's to commune with nature and to escape from your daily grind. If you catch 10 fish or 5 fish, or a 6 lbr or a 2 lbr, the result is usually the same. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[coosa1]

CDN Angler, I share many of those same biases. But I've also had to let some go. I finally had to admit that I catch more fish on a drop shot using a Berkeley flat worm than anything else, so that is my main drop shot bait. And I get more bites using their Hit worm on a shaky head than other plastics.

 

I dislike braid on a baitcaster and was using Trilene xt for much of my worm fishing, and then carried my uncle fishing. We were doing everything the same except that he was using Sunline Sniper, and he got 5 times the bites I did that day. The fish were 25' deep and his sinking line was causing a more appealing presentation. I put it on a reel for the next trip and soon discovered it was also much more abrasion resistant than the mono. I use it for most of my worm fishing now. I don't know how other FC line compares, but the Sunline is good stuff.

 

I don't like a baitcasting rod with a Long handle. They are great if you are gonna stand up to fish, but I am an old man and have to sit down. That long handle just gets in the way when sitting. There are a whole lot of people that fish sitting down, but you can't buy a decent rod with a short handle now. I build my own and put a pistol grip on them.

[NoShoes]

I detest anything with a treble hook.  
 

I don’t get why standard LH reels aren’t the standard for right handed fisherman. 
 

I really don’t like how much electronics and tournament fishing drives this sport. 
 

I like black and blue 10” worms. 
 

I like the way a 1/4 oz weight casts
 

I’d rather fish for bream than drop shot. 

[Yuddzy]

On 2/22/2022 at 10:12 AM, Phelptwan said:

Palomar Knots should never be used for FC Line.

 

You are completely right about the majority of Michigan cuisine...

https://youtu.be/3Yskxh0MC80

[Big Hands]

I'm sure I have plenty of biases, but here's a couple of the ones I am aware of:

 

1) I'll probably do more harm than good by changing out hooks on a stock jerkbait.

 

2) Where I fish, the bass eat plastics far better than other baits.

 

With regard to #2, every bass I caught at my local lake in 2021, I caught on plastics. But given that that what I fish with the most and have the most confidence in, there's no doubt that it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

As an angler, I can be my own worst enemy.

[Bird]

Ok got one...... toilet paper MUST unwind from the top for me to catch fish that day.

[islandbass]

I have no biases, even though I’m biased toward being unbiased. ?

I can relate to many of things already mentioned. 
 

Don’t even get me started on red hooks. Theoretically, hook color shouldn’t matter, right? So why in the heck when I’m drop shotting with chrome or black colored hooks and they don’t work, I slap on a red one and bam!? Talk about a disconnect. I slap the red when chrome and black fail, lol. 

 

I am curious though if what we sat we are biased toward might be preferences instead. ??

[WRB]

Prefer hair jigs w/pork rind trailers.

Don’t like braid and dislike braid w/FC leaders.

Like premium FC dislike FC knot strength.

Prefer hand pour worms, will use injection molded worms and  soft plastic trailers as a second choice.

Structure spoons should have sharp feathered treble hooks, dislike single hooks on structure spoons.

Dislike fishing in heavy cover, grass mates with jigs, like to fish top water swimming weedless spoons, frogs and toads.

Like to use big swimbaits, wake baits like rats, not very good with glide baits.

I am full of idiosyncrasies.

Tom

[GoneFishingLTN]

34 minutes ago, WRB said:

Prefer hair jigs w/pork rind trailers.

Don’t like braid and dislike braid w/FC leaders.

Loke premium FC dislike FC knot strength.

Prefer hand pour worms, will use injection molded worms and  soft plastic trailers as a second choice.

Structure spoons should have sharp feathered treble hooks, dislike single hooks on structure spoons.

Dislike fishing in heavy cover, grass mates with jigs, like to fish top water swimming weedless spoons, frogs and toads.

Like to use big swimbaits, wake baits like rats, not very good with glide baits.

I am full of idiosyncrasies.

Tom

I see here you dislike Structure spoons with only one hook, so do you run a treble up the line and have it rest on the top of the structure spoon?

[Phelptwan]

8 hours ago, Yuddzy said:

https://youtu.be/3Yskxh0MC80

 

Just speaking personal biases.  Anything under 10lb in FC my Palomar Knots break and the suggestion of a sharp hookset.  Using a tri-tag, pitzen, whatever and they HOLD.

[Jaderose]

I have no need to watch a video of the average joe fishing.  I will never understand the incessant need to have cell phone on you at all time.  99% of the time mine stays in the truck.  Also...music on the water sucks.  I don't wanna hear your crappy "bro-country" or whatever passes for music these days.  I wanna hear nature.

[lunkerboss923]

I am a try new things fisherman. Yo-yo'ing Traps with 50# braid in thick grass with a heavy frog rod, for example. Beads on a Tokyo rig for extra sound in grass. Contrasting colors on trailers when i throw skirted lures(chatruese trailer on a green pumpkin or black and blue...works).  I'm a firm believer in Yo-Zuri Hybrid line, despite all the hate! I'll buy 3 spools for the price of Sunline Shooter and be just as effective. Speaking of line, Bass Pro Shops fluorocarbon is extremely underrated! I've heard rumors that Seagar makes it and puts BPS logos on it. You'll save in the end. I like to gear down 8 speed reels, because I like the handle length...it's a superstition of mine. Junk fishing is my favorite way to fish. I'll bring 6-7 rods to a pond and get to try everything. Get dialed in and have a fairly effective day. I think traveling light limits you. I'm a weekend angler and set aside a Saturday or Sunday to 5-6 hours of intense fishing. My goal is to catch 3 or 4. When I'm out there I'm learning. I don't have forward facing sonor or technology, so I feel the water for cover and make mental notes. I don't think there is anything wrong with technology, but the game is called fishing, not catching, I digress. I will buy original chatterbait baits and will take off the line tie and put on snaps to replicate the Jackhammer. The snaps make the lure run more true and you can feel it thump. To me the vibration is the deal and if your chatterbait isn't thumping you might as be fishing a swim jig. I like 12# monofilament on my spooks and topwater, I like the stretch. I do believe in buying higher end lures, when warranted. You can't beat Megabass, the S Crank is the best squarebill made and it's not even close. I will buy quality sunglasses with glass lenses!  I'm guilty of liking Googan Soft Plastics. They just work. The Dean Rojas Fighting frog is the most versatile creature bait ever! Firm believer in it! I'm glad that Big Bite Baits is making a huge splash in the soft plastic market, I have used them because of the price, but the public is picking up on it and it's just a matter of time, before my budget friendly go to is priced like Zoom or Yamamoto. Academy hooks are awesome! I will put them against any Owner, Japanese hook, VMC, etc. I wish they carried weedless style #2 Finesse hooks. Those hooks are the deal for wacky rigs. Speaking of stick baits, Yum Dingers and Strike King Ochos are just as good as the Original Senko. In fact, the Ocho skips better than the Senko. Tubes work in Southeast Texas. The stupid tube hooks are so good and should be a staple in tackle boxes everywhere. If you take some scissors and cut an inch of the base, you can use a 3/0 EWG hook and go weightless. EWG hooks are the deal with tubes. Yo-Zuri jerkbaits are underrated. That's about the extent of my fishing experience  

[NavyVet1204]

Lures that are to be used at certain times by far and away is my bias. Bass and fish in general in my experience will take to opportunistic chances on anything that may present itself as a meal especially if it’s something new to them within their environment. I’ve been told my whole life there are times when one or two particular lures will catch more at a certain time than others only to have a completely different type or style of lure end up doing all the catching. I almost feel compelled to use the polar opposite lures at those times and more so than not it has worked just using them out of spite.

[RDB]

15 hours ago, Jaderose said:

I will never understand the incessant need to have cell phone on you at all time.  99% of the time mine stays in the truck.

 

[fin]

17 hours ago, Jaderose said:

I have no need to watch a video of the average joe fishing.  I will never understand the incessant need to have cell phone on you at all time.  99% of the time mine stays in the truck.  Also...music on the water sucks.  I don't wanna hear your crappy "bro-country" or whatever passes for music these days.  I wanna hear nature.

I keep my cellphone with me for the camera and in case I need to call 911, but I agree about the other things. I watched a few videos when they first came out, and I got burned out on that real quick. I don't have the patience to watch those videos, but I will spend all day fishing not even getting a bite. I don't think the problem is with my patience.

 

Music on the water is a big pet peeve. Really any noise-making that drowns out the serenity of the silence and the sounds of nature aggravates me. I keep a whistle in my backpack for extreme situations. When a boater pulls up near me with their music playing, I start playing Smoke On The Water on my whistle. They usually don't hang around long.

[Woody B]

I only use baitcast reels.  I only use mono.  I use 3 rod-reel combos.  One for light stuff, one for heavy stuff and one for worms/spinnerbaits.   The "light stuff" rod is a 30+ year old ugly stick.  (back when they were marketed as unbreakable).   

 

I catch more bass than anyone.  (LOL)

 

 

I hate wake boats.  

[papajoe222]

Mine is against the label finesse fishing. We just called it downsizing your presentation for decades.

[CrashVector]

1.  That gear snobs spend more money trying to catch a fish so they can brag about how much money they spent catching that 5lb PB.

 

2.  People who think that Abu and Lew's are inferior to Shimano and Diawa are dumb.

 

 

9 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

Mine is against the label finesse fishing. We just called it downsizing your presentation for decades.

I kinda think it's silly too to be honest.  We just always called it "fishing with a worm/jig/etc".

 

But I guess its easier to slap a bigger label on a group of lure types so that everyone knows what you're talking about because there's so much variation in it.

[Woody B]

I need to add, it's bad luck to be superstitious.

[A-Jay]

Incurable diseases ~

A-Jay

[NavyVet1204]

8 hours ago, CrashVector said:

1.  That gear snobs spend more money trying to catch a fish so they can brag about how much money they spent catching that 5lb PB.

 

2.  People who think that Abu and Lew's are inferior to Shimano and Diawa are dumb.

 

 

I kinda think it's silly too to be honest.  We just always called it "fishing with a worm/jig/etc".

 

But I guess its easier to slap a bigger label on a group of lure types so that everyone knows what you're talking about because there's so much variation in it.

Well to be fair…my only Negative experiences have been with Abu and Lews. Diawa has held up the best straight out of the box so far with no problems to report and I plan on giving shimano a chance soon too.

[Catt]

I only fish on days that end in y!

 

Berkley Big Game 15# will get r done!

 

Ya ain't thrown a spinnerbait until you've thrown Stanley!

 

Keep a Texas Rig & a Jig-n-Craw tied on 24/7/365!

 

The night time is the right time!