Trying to not lose my passion for the sport

[Topwaterman]

Good afternoon all! I just found your little corner of the internet while googling the very topic I wanted to ask you about, but we will get back to that in a minute. 

 

I'm from Northern Alabama, and have been bass fishing my whole life up until about five years ago. I'm an avid outdoorsman. I mainly love to deer and turkey hunt,  and fish in between those two.

 

Like I was saying, I haven't hardly fished at all in the last 5 years. I used to go every weekend and sometimes through the week. Then the best thing ever happened to me; I became a dad. Since then, I've been a fully invested dad who has basically put his hobbies to the side because I'd rather spend time with my kids. I would say on average I go fish now 3 times a year. However, my son is getting to the point that I want to start taking him to catch some bream and such. I've got some good honey holes to break him in on.

 

I also am finding more time to get on the water and bass fish again, but I fond myself getting really frustrated because I can't catch them like I used to. The only thing I know to compare it to is someone who loves to golf, quits for 5 years, and decides to start playing again, expecting to be just as good. Not realistic, but I basically can't accept it I guess.

 

I think what's getting me the most is going into work on Monday and telling people I went and caught two or three all day long.  Then hearing them carry on about how they were at the same lake and wore them out. It festers inside me and makes me want to just give it up all together. Like I just don't have "it" anymore. 

 

Has anybody ever experienced something similar? DEFINITELY not looking for a pity party,  but what could it be that I'm all the sudden doing so wrong?? How do I build back confidence in myself? I really want to get back to how I used to be so I can take my son out on the water and show him a good time. It's hard to block out others success on the water when I'm not having any.

 

 

....what a whiny first post. But I'd get absolutely pulled through the mud for asking any of my fishing buddies something like this. At least if I do on here, I won't have to pass yall in the hall at work everyday ?

[Bird]

Honesty is full proof ?

Downsize your baits and line and go Ole school.....bobbers and nightcrawlers and don't forget beetle spins.

 

You'll get that fishing mojo back guarantee but enjoying time with your boy is paramount.

[roadwarrior]

 

[PressuredFishing]

43 minutes ago, Topwaterman said:

 

Has anybody ever experienced something similar?

Yes at this exact point in time too. Wrenching bass in on 12-15lb line and a baitcaster mh rod can get boring real quick, today instead of that I went flipping and pitching with 4lb line, ultralight rod, and a nightcrawler into bullrush and laydowns. Great fun, lots of fish caught, great fights. Caught 2.5lb bass and it was quite the fight. Light line and rods makes it a lot more fun, bass fishing culture is sadly overkill.

[gulfcaptain]

So you can get rusty fishing. 5 years is a long time and bodies of water  change. So go into it with an open mind.  Learn even when you don't catch. Fishing pressure has increased as well so you have to adapt. The great GMan once said fishing is the losingest  sport you will ever play. One day you can't do anything wrong, the next you can't do anything right. Each time we need to learn which fishing only 3 times a year is well......ya ain't gonna learn much. Put time in, ask lots of questions (here is a great place to do that) and don't listen to dock talk. Only thing that does is frustrate  you or possibly lead you in the wrong  direction.  But don't give up. Get out there and learn and then pass that on to your little ones. And kids don't care if it's a 4lb bass or 18 of those 10" bass. If they are  catching fish they are happy. 

[A-Jay]

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

What others do or don't do has Zero bearing on whether you enjoy it or not.

My advice is to purchase you & your son identical beginner rigs and discover the sport together.

Through trial & error, success & failure,  you'll learn what makes bass fishing such a magical pastime.

Best part is you'll have a fishing buddy for life.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

Welcome!

 

I'd get back to the basics, which it sounds like you're doing. Just go fishing and keep it simple instead of trying to jump back into it right where you left off. I've been fishing my whole life but still enjoy catching bluegills on nightcrawlers with my kids a whole lot. 

[GreenPig]

Welcome to the forum. Are you only fishing Topwaterman? ? Sorry I had to. As others have said, don't compare your success to others. Just have fun with your boy and the fish will come.

[GRiver]

Hi from the Sunshine State of Fl.

    I quit fishing for awhile, Dad died.

I just went back to the basics, it’ll all come back.

Good memories fishing with him even on days we didn’t catch anything.

[GaryH]

Welcome aboard. Relax and enjoy your journey with your son. The memories you’ll build for both of you will be more rewarding than any fish you may catch. Keep it fun and enjoy.

[BigAngus752]

11 hours ago, Topwaterman said:

getting really frustrated because I can't catch them like I used to

 

11 hours ago, Topwaterman said:

Then hearing them carry on about how they were at the same lake and wore them out

THIS is why I'm a bass fisherman.  The people who only care about ending up with a bunch of fish are the people spider-rigging for crappie and drinking a 12 pack while they ride in a boat.  Why not just go the the supermarket and buy some fish?  I do this for the challenge.  Trying to catch a predator with eons of genetic knowledge and primal smarts.  I love to study all of the details trying to figure them out.  What's the season? Recently passed weather?  Current weather?  Wind? Sun? Water clarity?  What's different today than the last time I was here?  I love to read about it and practice it. 

 

I get frustrated sometimes too, but that's okay.  If I loaded the boat every time I went fishing I would have quit years ago.  I'm here for the challenge.  Game on.  

[the reel ess]

Welcome! And I feel you. I had a stellar year last year and this one, not so much. And I haven't caught really anything over 2 lb. since December. It beez like that sometimes.

[Boomstick]

This winter, I was in a similar boat. Mainly since I haven't made it out in a while and have been super busy.

Last week, I went to North Carolina and went fishing and refound my love for fishing.

[cyclops2]

Topwaterman

 

Lets DO a practice run with LIVE  BAIT  ONLY.  My area is very low catch & release compared to 5 years ago.  Why ?   Easy  All the NEW   Covid stay at home fishing people.  They use worms & baitfish. Then rip the hook out of the fishes gut.  Hooks cost money !!

 

So the available # of fish can be super low.  Add in sincere people catching fish of all types & sizes to eat.  Gobies and other invasive water life reduce what you had 5 years ago.

My bay has been very much cleaned out by a pontoon boat load of guys very carefully fishing it with bait.  Their war cry is.  " I need more bait. and a beer. "  6 guys steadily tossing fish into buckets. 

I will be forced to motor to more isolated places.

 

It is not you.  It is everyone taking them home and cooking up the fish.   I do it.

 

 

 

 

[WRB]

By your name Topwaterman I assume you like to use top water lures. So tell me what tackle you have; rod, reel, line and lures you use.

I don’t believe 5 year lay off is that big a deal. What has change the past 5 years is everything is more expensive, rods and reels are light in weight. In your area finesse bass fishing is more popular using spinning tackle.

Bass haven’t changed, in fact the dink’s 5 years ago are now grown up.

Tom

[Bankc]

Don't worry about what other people say.  First off, we all know anglers love to lie (or at least embellish).  Not all, mind you.  But it's common enough that I take everything I hear from an angler's mouth with a grain of salt.  Secondly, the good spots on a lake can change from year to year.  So maybe you're relying too heavily on what you remembered were the best spots, instead of relying on the techniques and theories that led you to those spots in the first place.  Thirdly, focus on having fun and growing, not on the results.  If you teach your child one thing about fishing, it should be this: patience.  That's the single most important life lesson to be taken from fishing.  The goal shouldn't be to catch fish.  The goal should be to always get better at catching fish.  Play the long game.  It's far less important that you were good today than it is that you will be better tomorrow, and every tomorrow that follows.  The results will come if you put in the work.  Have the patience to still be there when they do.  

 

I quit fishing for around 20 years.  Three years after I picked it back up, I'm better than I ever was, even before my hiatus.  It took the full three years though.  Eventually everything I had learned came back to me, and I was able to understand in the light of all of the new things I had recently learned.  I think it took me that first entire year to learn how to forget what I thought I knew and instead to listen to what the fish were trying to tell me.  In other words, I was focused on all of the correct answers to all of the wrong questions.  

[whitwolf]

Welcome!

[Brent Christian]

Your not alone, I stopped fishing as often as I did about 6 years ago or so. I have still fished but not like I did, now I am being able to go more I can't catch fish likeni use to be able to. I think it's not so much we can't fish like we could but the fact water's change, we go back to spots we use to fish and do really well. But un reality those places don't hold fish like they did. Try going to different places and use different baits. If your like me it's hard not to use the same technique I always have, but they something different, even if you have to leave all your other stuff at home. You may be just as surprised as I was. Hope this helps, and Welcome.

[BayouSlide]

I can feel the same way at times...then I have to remind myself that's it's the hunt for bass, the learning, not the catching, that is the source of the passion.

 

When you succeed it's the frosting, not the cake itself.

[BrianMDTX]

You like to hunt deer. So do I. I waited seven years until I finally arrowed my first deer. A doe. I heard all the stories from friends, family, coworkers, etc. about seeing scores of deer, big bucks, seeing the trophy photos. Did I get down? Maybe a bit. But it made me hunt harder, and learn more. Then I started seeing bucks and arrowing them for clean kills. 
 

 

Were any of them P&Y or B&C caliber? No. Were they trophies? Absolutely. To me. Fishing is the same. I got away from fishing for 25 years. Just got back into it in 2020. Still learning a lot. But the learning is fun, whether I catch bass or not. Catching is more fun, but without learning the whys and how’s, it’s more luck than skill. I’m looking for skill. 

[Smells like fish]

Welcome 

[The Baron]

Welcome! 

 

Don't listen to other people unless they're a friend - people are full of it.  And fishing is not about catching more than the other guy, it's about enjoying your time on the water and catching enough to make you personally happy.

I understand what you mean about loss of passion for a hobby.  When I was a kid (up to about 16-17yo.) I was fishing crazy.  Then when I was old enough, I became hunting crazy - my Dad had gotten me into fishing, but he was not a hunter so I only started that when I could go on my own.  I pretty much abandoned fishing over hunting for years.  Save the very long story, I've I'm quite enthusiastic about bass fishing again and, if I consider 2020 as my active restart in fishing, that was about a 32 year hiatus for me.  It's been quite a learning curve, since I put down my Ugly Stick and Mitchell 300A.  lol

[Koz]

Welcome.

 

Ask yourself why you want to fish. Think about it.

 

If you're out there fishing for numbers then you're going to most likely fish different techniques and places than a tournament angler.

 

If you're fishing for BIG bass then you'll need an entirely different mindset and you're going to have to take a painstaking approach to different techniques, different areas to fish, and account for a lot more environmental factors.

 

Me? I mostly fish for the Zen while out on my kayak. Well, that and cursing under my breath (and sometimes out loud) at the jet skiers that decide to get too close. But somedays I have a different mindset, especially when tournament fishing.

 

Think about why you fish, then make a plan. Learn. Adapt. 

 

But I will leave you with this story. I used to be a pretty decent golfer, and one year I was playing in a pretty big local tournament on Hilton Head that I had won the year before. And I was brutal out there. I was in last place or close to it. I was never a club thrower, but I was angry and it showed, and I couldn't shake it.

 

My father was caddying for me that day. He kept quiet on the front nine, but when we made the turn he handed me a club and said, "Jack Nicklaus can't run your hotel."

 

That one little phrase put me in my place. I realized I could be good at golf at times, but I was not a pro and I had another calling. I didn't play much better on the back nine, but I was no longer angry or frustrated. I've carried that lesson with me every since. I am still the most competitive person I know, but I learned to temper my expectations.

[Glenn]

Welcome home!  We're glad you're here.

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard!