No Fast Track

[Masaccio]

All of you guys hit major spots ("express or implied") in my OP.  Best takeaway for me are the "Just do it" answers. Overload is a problem though.  

8 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

A guide helps.  But not if you can’t cast accurately. 
 

my friend hired that Bobby guy.  Guy associated with the Bobby’s perfect frog. Early into his fishing life.  Not every cast was perfect.  Bobby would say, “well now you went and S_ the bed”. After every bad casts.  Haha. Pressure!  
 

time on the water is pretty crucial.    

Yep.  I like this.  Casting skill is what I've been practicing to build confidence, and a certain knowledge base, that doesn't depend on fish. Not only how to cast to a spot, but if the retrieve works the way you thought it would, how well or poorly you're doing on your knots, how well the baits hold up, characteristics of your line choice, lots of stuff.  And incidentally catching a fish or two in the meantime feels kind've like a bonus.    

[WRB]

8 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

A guide helps.  But not if you can’t cast accurately. 
 

my friend hired that Bobby guy.  Guy associated with the Bobby’s perfect frog. Early into his fishing life.  Not every cast was perfect.  Bobby would say, “well now you went and S_ the bed”. After every bad casts.  Haha. Pressure!  
 

time on the water is pretty crucial.    

Bobby Barrack is a excellent teaching guide, doesn’t speak well for your friend as a student.

Tom

[fin]

44 minutes ago, Masaccio said:

And incidentally catching a fish or two in the meantime feels kind've like a bonus. 

 

Ha. That's good. I have those moments when I'm so wrapped up in whatever I'm working on at the moment, like trying to get a bait to run a certain way, or just watching how a bait color looks in the water,  and then suddenly catch a fish and it surprises the heck out of me.

[Johnbt]

"Many of us learned on non magnetic reels, glass rods and hooks that weren't chemically sharpened."

 

Some of us learned on metal casting rods with a cork handle. I don't miss them for a minute.

[scaleface]

Just go fishing and if you like it , you will stick with it and get better through the years .  Learn to be stealthy and concentrate on casting . Poor casting is why most beginners fail at first . I witness it on a weekly basis . They see the same cover as  better anglers and use the same lures but catch a fraction of the fish . 

[WRB]

The saying that 90% of the bass live in 10% of the lake is true.

The key to consistently catching bass is knowing the location where active bass are located....location, location, location.

The easiest method to locate bass is knowing what seasonal period the bass are, what depth (life zone) the active catchable are at reduces the lake size to the 10% where 90% of the bass are located.

The right lure at the right time in the right place comes after knowing where the right=place is located.

This all sounds like rocket science to some but it’s simply being observant and fishing the moment.

Bass Fishing 101.

Tom 

[Columbia Craw]

I’m more concerned that young people can read and write upon graduation.

[PourMyOwn]

Tom mentioned overload, which I think is really important.  When it was a month before I'd get a new In-Fisherman or BASS magazine I had time to process and work through a new technique- using critical thinking and patience. 

 

Now with the onslaught of information I would imagine it's a ton to process for new anglers. A former student stopped by my house last month because he's into fishing now and had some questions-plus I told him I would help him get his new reel set up. He asked me questions about fluorocarbon and leaders, if his reel had enough bearings, etc. He was going bank fishing for sunfish....

[MassBass]

I could see how if you were just starting the learning curve now, you would probably suffer from paralysis by analysis. Regional differences in bass waters can only compound the confusion. When I first started reading bassmaster and searching the web, most all of the advice given was about southern reservoirs. So if you are fishing a natural northern pond or lake, you first have to recognize the difference in the water, and then try to adjust the tactics discussed for your own use. 

[Masaccio]

Yeah, I just spent another wonderful day getting familiar with all of the stuff I bought when I was just starting out.  I've got it all catalogued on my computer, and organized so I know what to look for.

So now I am just faced with understanding my fishing conditions at any point, choosing the tackle for that, and getting comfortable with throwing it.  Oh, and having a good time!   

[fin]

13 hours ago, Masaccio said:

Yeah, I just spent another wonderful day getting familiar with all of the stuff I bought when I was just starting out.  I've got it all catalogued on my computer, and organized so I know what to look for.

So now I am just faced with understanding my fishing conditions at any point, choosing the tackle for that, and getting comfortable with throwing it.  Oh, and having a good time!   

 

You make it sound like work. Keep it simple. Sometimes I feel like the more I know, the worse I am at actually fishing.

 

I’ll never forget the day when I was fishing a spot from the bank for a couple hours, trying all kinds of different baits and techniques, getting really frustrated, and this kid walks up next to me with his Zebco with a big purple worm and a big egg sinker on it, and he chunks it right where I’ve been fishing, making a huge splash. I think, Great, he just scared off every fish on the planet, and when he starts to try to retrieve we both think he’s hung up, which doesn’t surprise me with that big sinker, but it turns out he pulls in like a five-pounder. I was irritated when he first intruded in my spot, but I was really happy for that kid when he pulled in that huge fish. He was almost crying he was so happy. Anyway, moral of the story, I thought I knew what I was doing, and I thought he didn’t know what he was doing, but sometimes none of that matters.

[A-Jay]

On 8/31/2022 at 4:09 PM, Masaccio said:

I hate to admit this, but there's no fast track to successful fishing (is there??).  Even with the excruciating amount of experienced knowledge available these days, I'm thinking that the best way to take advantage of it is skimming.  Fishing should be taught as a college course.  Fishing professors would know about the level you're at and what you need to be concerned about to insure quick progression.  This is a great example of why we should treat our teachers A LOT better in this country.  Teachers give us the guidance that we need to take the most direct path to knowledge.  Some of us have built-in teachers (Dads, Moms, whoever in your family who, lucky you, have given you help).  What about the rest of us who have to sort through this incredible morass of knowledge and figure out what is appropriate for us?   I guarantee you that if you are early or even moderately on in your fishing and you follow the sage words of indisputable fishing experts, that you will fall way short of your expectations when you've followed all the "rules."  

 That was the rant.  I feel like that I'm hooking into fishing by reading a ton of stuff, buying every recommended lure and rod that I can afford. And only AFTER doing that do I begin to appreciate how I, personally, might enjoy fishing.  Right now, I just want to take a simple soft hollow-bodied nose-hooked fluke or shad jerkbait out to a lake or stream and just throw the sucker. 

Okay. Yeah.  I wouldn't have been able to say that a year ago.  

I thought about deleting this post because it's really just a personal process.  But maybe it will ring a chime for some other novice followers.  

 

It took a while, but once I learned how to 'use' my time on the water, to help me 'teach myself', success came much more often, was usually repeatable and has been the single best source of confidence in my fishing. 

There's no video about it, few if any articles that cover it, but being able to slow down, think about what I'm doing & why and then make modifications as needed, is the very foundation of every bit of success I may have now.  Over time I've learned to Love this aspect of my 'fishing'.

Fast track has nothing to do with it.  In fact the LONGER any success takes, the more satisfying and truly meaningful it is for me.

 Dare I even use the word passion.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

 

[CrashVector]

Fishing = hunting in the water.

 

Imo, it's the same mindset, and shares a lot of methodology.

[roadwarrior]

5 minutes ago, CrashVector said:

Fishing = hunting in the water.

 

Imo, it's the same mindset, and shares a lot of methodology.

Well, except for the "catch & release" component.

[LrgmouthShad]

8 minutes ago, CrashVector said:

Fishing = hunting in the water.

 

Imo, it's the same mindset, and shares a lot of methodology.

POV: you are CrashVector fishing

[roadwarrior]

Off topic posts have been removed.

 

-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior

[Masaccio]

On 9/4/2022 at 5:58 AM, fin said:

 

You make it sound like work. Keep it simple. Sometimes I feel like the more I know, the worse I am at actually fishing.

 

I’ll never forget the day when I was fishing a spot from the bank for a couple hours, trying all kinds of different baits and techniques, getting really frustrated, and this kid walks up next to me with his Zebco with a big purple worm and a big egg sinker on it, and he chunks it right where I’ve been fishing, making a huge splash. I think, Great, he just scared off every fish on the planet, and when he starts to try to retrieve we both think he’s hung up, which doesn’t surprise me with that big sinker, but it turns out he pulls in like a five-pounder. I was irritated when he first intruded in my spot, but I was really happy for that kid when he pulled in that huge fish. He was almost crying he was so happy. Anyway, moral of the story, I thought I knew what I was doing, and I thought he didn’t know what he was doing, but sometimes none of that matters.

Nah.  I'm pretty happy when I can spend a few hours organizing.  Reminds me of what I have and forgot about, how and where I want to use things, where the tackle "holes" are, what I lost and might want to replace....  

Also, watching the Bass Master Tournament.  These guys aren't pulling in fish after fish either.  Just saw a really cool catch by Beaudrie with a walking frog in thick mat.  

[LrgmouthShad]

On 9/5/2022 at 10:27 AM, roadwarrior said:

Off topic posts have been removed.

 

-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior

 

On 9/4/2022 at 12:03 PM, LrgmouthShad said:

POV: you are CrashVector fishing

 

I ain't complaining ?

[RDB]

On 8/31/2022 at 3:09 PM, Masaccio said:

I hate to admit this, but there's no fast track to successful fishing (is there??).

I guess it depends on what you consider successful fishing.  If you mean the actual catching of fish, there is a fast track but it comes with a price tag.  With todays electronics, fishermen have a massive advantage.  From side imaging to 360 to now live imaging, advances in mapping, spot lock, etc. etc., there are numerous potential shortcuts that weren’t available not that long ago.  We have mapping that will not only collect contours, but also bottom hardness, vegetation, and 3D images.  I wonder what the fishing world would look like today if everyone relied on flashers.  It’s not the advances in reel or rod design that has changed the industry.

 

As far as information, I think having too much information can be a negative.  IMO, people would be better served focusing on the why, where, and when of bass behavior and determine the what and how themselves.  Much of the information available today ends up be limiting.

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, RDB said:

I guess it depends on what you consider successful fishing.  If you mean the actual catching of fish, there is a fast track but it comes with a price tag.  With todays electronics, fishermen have a massive advantage.  From side imaging to 360 to now live imaging, advances in mapping, spot lock, etc. etc., there are numerous potential shortcuts that weren’t available not that long ago.  We have mapping that will not only collect contours, but also bottom hardness, vegetation, and 3D images.  I wonder what the fishing world would look like today if everyone relied on flashers.  It’s not the advances in reel or rod design that has changed the industry.

 

As far as information, I think having too much information can be a negative.  IMO, people would be better served focusing on the why, where, and when of bass behavior and determine the what and how themselves.  Much of the information available today ends up be limiting.

Having too much information from those sonar units can be detrimental as well, ask me how I know 

[RDB]

30 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Having too much information from those sonar units can be detrimental as well, ask me how I know 

Sure it can be…but it beats a flasher.  The high resolution of today’s electronics and being able to see over a football field in a single pass has greatly enhanced the average fisherman’s ability to locate spots.  It wasn’t that many years ago that you could drop a brush pile and have it to yourself for a good while.  Today you can drop a brush pile and have 20 boats sitting on it by the weekend.

[Masaccio]

Too much information is the bane of anyone in any passionate pursuit, especially just starting out.  My experience is that much of the "accepted information" is BS.  I'm in another hobby that requires real knowledge and know-how, and when I read most on-line "advice" sources, they are all so shallow and easily lead a novice more into making more mistakes than having success.  At some point we (including me) have stopped wanting to take the journey.  There isn't time for journeys anymore.  I think maybe that's the truth that I was getting at when I started this thread.  You just have to put in the time like everyone else.  It doesn't matter how old you are, how much time you have yadda yadda.  It is what it is.  I really like the concept of fishing being "hunting underwater."  Thanks CrashVector. I've never been a hunter. But yeah, the mindset is the same. There's one true path, your own dedication.  Either you accept it or you don't. (If reincarnation is an option for this 70 year old, I want to come back as Chris Beaudrie.)  Such a great attitude.  

And his frog technique is a thing of beauty.  

[PhishLI]

5 hours ago, Masaccio said:

Too much information is the bane of anyone in any passionate pursuit, especially just starting out.  My experience is that much of the "accepted information" is BS.  I'm in another hobby that requires real knowledge and know-how, and when I read most on-line "advice" sources, they are all so shallow and easily lead a novice more into making more mistakes than having success.  At some point we (including me) have stopped wanting to take the journey.  There isn't time for journeys anymore.  I think maybe that's the truth that I was getting at when I started this thread.  You just have to put in the time like everyone else.  It doesn't matter how old you are, how much time you have yadda yadda.  It is what it is.  I really like the concept of fishing being "hunting underwater."  Thanks CrashVector. I've never been a hunter. But yeah, the mindset is the same. There's one true path, your own dedication.  Either you accept it or you don't. (If reincarnation is an option for this 70 year old, I want to come back as Chris Beaudrie.)  Such a great attitude.  

And his frog technique is a thing of beauty.  

So you're throwing in towel? Gonna grow tomatoes instead? What? It's true that many of us northerners don't have bass factory honey holes to choose from, and it's usually a grind, but where's the reward in easy? Trust me, every molecule of frustration will evaporate once you've found your groove, and it's only you who can find it. This game isn't painting by numbers, and free advice is just that, so there's lots of work to do, which you've acknowledged, but 70 is just a number. 

[Masaccio]

On 9/12/2022 at 12:50 AM, PhishLI said:

So you're throwing in towel? Gonna grow tomatoes instead? What? It's true that many of us northerners don't have bass factory honey holes to choose from, and it's usually a grind, but where's the reward in easy? Trust me, every molecule of frustration will evaporate once you've found your groove, and it's only you who can find it. This game isn't painting by numbers, and free advice is just that, so there's lots of work to do, which you've acknowledged, but 70 is just a number. 

Nope.  Not at all.  I like your groove statement.  I was sitting here just thinking about that.  There is a certain value in buying into all of the commercial guidance.  It has a way of teaching you really basic stuff, very useful.  But if you really want to become an angler, you pass the point of expecting this sort of instruction to be "the answer."  I passed that point today.  I realized that I have to project my own preferences, likes and dislikes, proclivities and determinations into my own fishing, and make those work.  That is the beginning of becoming a fisherman.
I love reds, browns, purples, golds and watermellons for fishing, for example.  I realized that to judge a plastic, you have to look through it in genuine sunlight.  Only then will their secrets be revealed.  I have way too much green, of a bilious nature. 

And thank you for your comment, PhishLI.  It really helped me actualize what's been going on in my head.  

[Masaccio]

And thank you for your comment, PhishLI.  It really helped me actualize what's been going on in my head.  

A very important aspect of fishing is never mentioned.  That is, what excites your own personal imagination.  Maybe that is a "given", just like looking at your plastics in actual sunlight is a "given." I don't think so. These things are so important, yet in all of my reading and research did I read the importance of looking at plastics in natural light. In a way, it's a "duh" point but when you're trying to figure so much out, it's not a "duh" point at all.  It's a point that can easily be missed. This isn't a phenomenon peculiar to fishing.  It exists in any art form that one is trying to learn. The "duh" points often aren't taught because the teachers themselves have forgotten that they themselves had to learn them (since they have progressed so far as to have forgotten their own basics). 

Fishing is based on inspiration, with a solid background of instruction.  One doesn't exist without the other.  Many of us lack the background of instruction.  When we decide we want to learn to fish, we think it's all about instruction.  That only goes so far.  Hunting is about self-actualization.  That is a step of courage and determination.