Bass Fishing Rules to live by

[scaleface]

The muddier the water the shallower the bass .

[king fisher]

     

     xxxx happens.

[Choporoz]

Wear sunscreen

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it

 

Keep your head in the game.  Every bite, every rock, log, weed, is a piece of that day's puzzle. 

The bites, especially....one bite tells you a lot; 2 or 3 in similar 'circumstances' can put you on course for a successful day....IF you are paying enough attention 

[gim]

10 hours ago, GreenPig said:

- The boat ramp is for launching and loading of the boat. Not for prepping to launch.

- Turn your headlights off while backing down the ramp, to keep from blinding others backing down.

- Start fishing fast and slow down until you find the speed the bass want.

- Be observant of wind, mudlines, clouds, birds, baitfish, etc. 

- Learn to analyze each catch, it'll improve your #'s.

- Lure retrievers save money.

- Don't be afraid to fish much smaller or much larger lures than fishermen in your area.

- Have fun and be safe.

 

Well played.  Couldn't have put it better myself.

[gim]

2 hours ago, Hook2Jaw said:

there's more than one way to skin a cat

 

Here's one to skin for ya!  Something to keep in mind is that this forum has people all over the country and in Mexico/Canada so what one poster is saying works under conditions where they are may not be what is working or not working based on another person.  Because of this, you might find more localized advice in the section of the forum that is geared towards the region you are fishing.

 

 

[fin]

When it comes to catching fish, they aren’t really rules - they are more like guidelines. There are very few hard, fast rules. Thinking outside the box is part of the fun.

 

When it comes to getting along with other fishermen, the Golden Rule is a good start, unless you were raised by wolves, which I think applies to a lot of people who fish around me.

[the reel ess]

14 hours ago, Cbump said:

Not absolutes, and I’ve never targeted smallmouth in my life so may not apply to them:
Don’t fish shallower than you can see the bottom. 
Big girls ambush 

Senkos work

 

As you said, no absolutes. I caught a previous PB in about 18" of water in July. Then, there's the spawn where you can see most of them.

[LrgmouthShad]

I have no set rules for how I go about fishing, only theories, and those are often disproven 

[the reel ess]

-Big bass are solitary creatures and usually won't inhabit the same territory.

-Don't give bass too much credit. Fish are neither smart nor dumb. They're just running on pure instinct and have no idea why they do the things they do. If you could ask one and he could answer, the answer would be "I don't know".

-Topwater bites from largemouth in open water, in direct high sunlight are very rare.

-You don't need more than a few colors of each soft plastic, only 1 if you choose black/blue, junebug or purple.

-Braid on spinning reels eliminates a whole lot of line twist issues. 

-When you can present a jig and craw to a big bass in cover, they'll usually bite it and they won't want to let it go.

-If big bass are what you're targeting, expect the occasional skunk.

-When they get used to your arsenal, show them something new.

-When you get your buddy's fishing report that they aren't biting, don't believe it. Tournaments show that someone always catches some.

 

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

The muddier the water the shallower the bass .

If the water is high, fish the new habitat (with a spinnerbait)

[Cbump]

22 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

As you said, no absolutes. I caught a previous PB in about 18" of water in July. Then, there's the spawn where you can see most of them.

yes sight fishing is different but you are throwing at fish you can see. And I fish shallow all the time. The point is, and I see buddies do this often, is if I can see bottom and there’s no fish, why am I throwing the bait there over and over? 

[Hook2Jaw]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

 

 I'm currently at 0/0 maximum cat capacity.  You can have him. 

[the reel ess]

-It's more fun to catch two 2 lb bass on top than four 3 lb bass off the bottom.

-If you want to improve at a technique, leave all the other combos at home, in the truck or in the rod locker. Also, go somewhere that receives little pressure to try new techniques.

-Cloud cover and light rain is your friend.

-Bass in heavy cover have a false sense of security. If you fish all around it but not in it you're selling yourself short.

[Bluebasser86]

The best rule is, there are no rules, mostly opinions. 

[Mike L]

3 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The best rule is, there are no rules, mostly opinions. 

Ain’t it the truth!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[LrgmouthShad]

49 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

It's more fun to catch two 2 lb bass on top than four 3 lb bass off the bottom.

Might just be me but nah, I like catching bigger fish and more of them. Don’t care how I catch them. The trouble is I need to get better at it ?. 
 

I find myself fishing on the bottom a lot more than I used to

Have enjoyed reading your thoughts on this post

 

[Bluebasser86]

4 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Might just be me but nah, I like catching bigger fish and more of them. Don’t care how I catch them. The trouble is I need to get better at it ?. 
 

I find myself fishing on the bottom a lot more than I used to

Have enjoyed reading your thoughts on this post

 

I prefer catching fish off the bottom than off the top ?‍♂️

[LrgmouthShad]

3 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I prefer catching fish off the bottom than off the top ?‍♂️

Yeah, I think there’s a different appeal to it. The subtleness of the bite, the relaxation of slowing fishing on the bottom, the excitement of something living pulling on the end of your line that you can’t see. 

[the reel ess]

32 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Might just be me but nah, I like catching bigger fish and more of them. Don’t care how I catch them. The trouble is I need to get better at it ?. 
 

I find myself fishing on the bottom a lot more than I used to

Have enjoyed reading your thoughts on this post

 

I fish all of the water column. It's just more fun to me when they'll bite topwaters. I'll fish however I have to to get BIG bass. 

[the reel ess]

One more rule to live by: The best way to get the best bite of the day is to cast someplace fishy and get a backlash you have to pick out.

[T-Billy]

[Jeffrey Walker]

18 hours ago, Cbump said:

Not absolutes, and I’ve never targeted smallmouth in my life so may not apply to them:
Don’t fish shallower than you can see the bottom. 
Big girls ambush 

Senkos work

 

What do you mean by shallower, can you elaborate?

[Jeffrey Walker]

18 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Perhaps having some understanding of The Natural Progression of a Basshead

could be of some value . . . . .

A-Jay

This was incredible, thank you for sharing!!

[ironbjorn]

My number one rule is to not follow the rules (not counting legal rules obviously).

[fin]

4 hours ago, the reel ess said:

-Don't give bass too much credit. Fish are neither smart nor dumb. They're just running on pure instinct and have no idea why they do the things they do. If you could ask one and he could answer, the answer would be "I don't know".

 

I love this one.

[T-Billy]

5 hours ago, the reel ess said:

Don't give bass too much credit. Fish are neither smart nor dumb. They're just running on pure instinct and have no idea why they do the things they do. If you could ask one and he could answer, the answer would be "I don't know".

Apparently, I work with some bass. ?