Your worst fishing habit

[Deephaven]

1 minute ago, Bankc said:

I'm with ya!  I almost never get a good hookset on the first bite of the day.  And if it's been a few hours since the last bite, I usually miss that one as well.  I tend to get focused too deeply on the retrieve and where I'm going to place my next cast, that I go blank when I finally feel a bite and it disrupts my trance.  

Oh, that's another one.  First bite of the day on the frog is usually an exercise in over exuberance and I yank it about 5 miles right out of the fishes mouth.

[ironbjorn]

If the bite isn't good for two consecutive hours I'm going home to do something else.

 

 

[Choporoz]

7 minutes ago, ironbjorn said:

If the bite isn't good for two consecutive hours I'm going home to do something else.

 

 

I don't recall ever fishing and thinking "I'd rather be doing something else"....bites or no bites

[LrgmouthShad]

I have a few

 

Sometimes I will hold the rod too loosely on the hookset and when a fish “sets the hook back”, I lose control of the rod momentarily. 
 

Another is that when I am fishing bottom contact and I come up against a stump, lay down, whatever, I will have a tendency to want to “clear” that obstacle too soon. I’ve been trying to force myself to stop up against the cover and just shake in place and not be nervous about getting hung up. 
 

A final one is that, in spite of my best intentions, I will sometimes still allow too much slack on the hookset. Once again, trying to train myself to do it right every time. 
 

I fish decently clean but I could get better by continuing to work on these three

[gim]

37 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

I can lose focus.  Not unusual to whiff on first bite in a couple hours.  I can find myself going through the motions of casting and retrieving without enough attention to placement, presentation and detection...especially if it has been slow.  

Quite often I muskie fish and this is just how it works.  I'll go days or even weeks on end without a bite or even a follow and then one comes in hot and my figure 8 is terrible.  Its very hard to maintain mental focus.

 

It reminds me of deer season when I'm just sitting there for hours or days on end and there's no sign of deer lol.  Its just rotting away in a tree waiting and waiting...hard to maintain focus when that happens.

[KSanford33]

I have many bad habits already, but here's the one that's been driving me nuts recently. 

 

 Not paying attention to where my line is on the bail of the spinning reel. Occasionally I'll be drift fishing and just dragging my lure along the bottom and when a fish hits it, I go to set the hook only to have my spinning reel make that stupid 'cluck cluck cluck' noise that lets me know my line wasn't at the head of the bail. Needless to say, I miss the majority of those fish.

 

My other bad habit is I don't like power fishing. I just never get bit.

[T-Billy]

I leave fish to find fish. I don't know why... I'm not a smart man... Sigh... ?

[Bassin Bruce]

1 hour ago, padlin said:

My worst is getting up 2 hours before daybreak so I can be on the water 30 min before the sun comes up, just light enough to see where I'm going. I rarely catch anything that early but I keep doing it. I'll be up at 03:45 again Friday.

I’m right there with ya, and I’m probably fishing that same damned cove that someone else already mentioned….I have multiple issues

[NYWayfarer]

Let’s see…

 

Too lazy to re-tie

Not eating or drinking anything before and during a fishing session

Too lazy to go kayak fishing on days I can 

Switching to fishing for panfish too quickly when the Bass bite is slow

Bringing too much stuff with me when I really only use 2 or 3 different baits

Not taking the time to find a few new spots each year

[dodgeguy]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Staying home thinking it’s going to rain because the weather man said it would.

And it doesn't rain only overcast which would have been great fishing. Kick yourself when you do that.

[casts_by_fly]

I have two that I recognize.  1- I'll fish hard at first, eventually figure out what they want, and then after I catch a couple I let up.  I could keep pushing and really catch a few, but once I've solved the puzzle I'm good.  2- Sometimes I know a particular technique will work or is the right thing to catch fish but I'll refuse to do it because I don't like it.  Case in point, slow fishing a dropshot or weightless worm- I don't like either so if that's what the fish are calling for I'm out.

[Woody B]

I change my mind too often.   For several trips I'll fish the same location over and over,  possibly catching the same bass multiple times.  Then....I'll decide I'm not going to fish anywhere I've previously fished.   

[king fisher]

Using the same retrieve speed and cadence, even when it isn't working.  The slower the fishing the more I fall back in to the same old chuck and wind mode.

[Bankbeater]

3 hours ago, T-Billy said:

I leave fish to find fish. I don't know why... I'm not a smart man... Sigh... ?

I do this also.  I'm thinking that if they are biting at this spot then they must be biting at that spot.  I usually end up coming back to the first location after I've wasted an hour or so somewhere non productive.

[MN Fisher]

'Parking' in a spot that looks like it should be productive... then spending way too much time to prove that 'yes, there are fish here'...tossing everything, including the kitchen sink, to try and entice a bite.

[Log Catcher]

When it is tough to get a bite I usually go through the same series of bait changes hoping something will work. I don't try new baits or techniques like I should try to get bit. I always try to stay with what has worked in the past.

[ironbjorn]

5 hours ago, Choporoz said:

I don't recall ever fishing and thinking "I'd rather be doing something else"....bites or no bites

I have a few hobbies almost as important to me as fishing. I have a whole clan of ironbjorns at home too. If the bite is bad for a couple of hours with no signs of improvement I'm definitely going to do something more fun (to me) than bake or freeze for zero reward. Nature is cool, I see it every day. It's like 4th of July fireworks - neat, I've seen this a lot, it's not enough to make me want to go... It's the festivities and activities that go with it. 

[ATA]

need to ask? Buying so many extra tackle is mine, But I loving it :D

[GRiver]

I over fish an area when I’m not catching anything, just because it looks like it should have fish.

I mean if I was a fish I’d be there, why aren’t they there. I want them to be there.

 

[Darth-Baiter]

7 hours ago, Choporoz said:

I don't recall ever fishing and thinking "I'd rather be doing something else"....bites or no bites

I have a friend that says, “I have a cold beer and a hot wife at home.  I’m getting home before either one reaches room temperature “.  
 

[CrashVector]

Fishing the exact same spots despite not catching something in that spot, but because I caught fish there ONE time, I keep trying 

[Catt]

Crankbaits ?

 

I don't know I just have a hard time tying one on. I know they work & I have a good selection. 

 

I know it's weakness ?

[papajoe222]

Not giving tactics a chance to prove themselves.  I've yet to throw a bladded jig (I own a few), I only tried a Ned two weeks ago, I have a box devoted to drop shotting, but have only caught a handful of fish on one. When I do try one, I really don't give it a chance because I have zero confidence in using them vs. something I 'know' will catch fish, but usually doesn't.

[txchaser]

I'll spend way way too long picking apart a spot instead of moving. It's been about a 50/50 payoff, sometimes I can get on them really good because they are picky but I found the deal for that day. But lots of times when I do move I get on fish fast. I think maybe I should move around a bit more and then pick apart of it's clear I can't find active fish.

That, and every month that goes by I carry just a little bit more tackle. It isn't noticeable in the short run, but over the course of a year it has me questioning things. Mostly about buying a full size boat, not carrying less tackle

 

[El jefe]

Mine is reminding myself that I am NOT a pro.... fishing is only for MY enjoyment so stop forcing myself to learn a technique that I think I NEED to learn but don't want to..... stop forcing myself to fish in crappy weather if I'm not feeling it....  reminding myself that it is supposed to be fun and ZERO pressure.... it's OK if the bite sux and I want to go home and do something else. For me, there are no rules except to make myself happy.