Torn between the simple, ol' days and today

[J Francho]

Mud Bugs are still a killer bait to fish. 

[Way north bass guy]

I’m like most people on this particular thread, that will try some newer stuff sometimes, but often stick with the tried and true confidence baits. It seems that many people I’ve seen that know every single make, model, colour, size, scent, flavour, etc. of every single new bait, rod, reel, line etc. etc. usually don’t catch squat. They spend so much darn time researching all the “latest, greatest” things that they don’t actually spend time learning about the FISH, and that’s what’s most important in my opinion. 
Several times I’ve come up behind a couple young guys in a brand new fully loaded rig with 4000lbs of tackle in it, and the finest fishing apparel, and proceeded to pound on the fish that they didn’t even touch, because even though they had all the latest gear, they didn’t have a clue what they were actually doing. 

[Swamp Girl]

7 minutes ago, Way north bass guy said:

I’m like most people on this particular thread, that will try some newer stuff sometimes, but often stick with the tried and true confidence baits. It seems that many people I’ve seen that know every single make, model, colour, size, scent, flavour, etc. of every single new bait, rod, reel, line etc. etc. usually don’t catch squat. They spend so much darn time researching all the “latest, greatest” things that they don’t actually spend time learning about the FISH, and that’s what’s most important in my opinion. 
Several times I’ve come up behind a couple young guys in a brand new fully loaded rig with 4000lbs of tackle in it, and the finest fishing apparel, and proceeded to pound on the fish that they didn’t even touch, because even though they had all the latest gear, they didn’t have a clue what they were actually doing. 

 

In a similar vein, I was fishing in the rain below some rapids northeast of Kenora when two Canadian women in a canoe came hurtling down. They didn't have dry bags. They had trash bags. They didn't have Gore-Tex parkas. Again, more garbage bags.

 

They asked me about the portage at the other end of the lake.

 

"To the right of the waterfall, but it's a tough one. A billy goat portage with a narrow path teetering on a gorge."

 

"Sounds fun!" they said, smiling.

 

Then I think about the kayakers I used to see with $5,000 sea kayaks on city ponds, who will never see anything like what those two, tough Canadians saw. 

 

[PhishLI]

6 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

So, I'm both excited by the choices and overwhelmed by them

The good thing about this hobby is that you can play it however you like. For several reasons, with some of those being high-minded, certain people like keeping things simple. Whatever works... For me, fishing isn't just about catching fish, because a fish catch typically lasts mere seconds. It's partly about the gadgets too, and lots of them, but I've always been this way regardless of which hobby I was into. However, in my mind this really isn't about excess and quantity, but nuance, like a Goldilocks thing, and the process of winnowing choices down to what might work best where and when I'm fishing. It's somewhat inefficient at first, but serves the cause of efficiency in the end. More importantly, playing it this way makes me happy and keeps things interesting, and isn't that the entire point? If the apocalypse comes I'll wipe out my local lakes with night crawlers from my garden, and sustain myself and mine on bass sandwiches for as long as possible. In the meantime, I'll try every new, shiny object that makes sense to me and catches my eye.

 

There's a lot I miss about the old days, but not where fishing toys are concerned, even where they're just variations of an old timey theme. Line 'em up...

[bowhunter63]

I have been bass fishing since the 70 s. You never stop learning Thats whats great about it. I remember when the Wacky worm was coming on. We all laughed, Man were we wrong. When all fails t rigged craw. 

[WRB]

I am enough (older then dirt my wife tells me) that crankbaits were plugs made of wood. Having saved my hard earned money as a young teen buying plugs was a major purchase.

My bass fishing mentor was Jason Lucas my pen pal and 2 local bass fisherman Boots Prior and Red Cowan. 

Jay has a big impact on my bass to this day. 

Boots used 1 lure a Creek Chub Injured Minnow and Red a Hawaiian Wiggler #3 weedless spoon. Boots or Red always won the biggest bass caught at Big Bear lake.

So my plugs were the #3 Weedless soon, my 1st lure followed by the Injured Minnow imitating Boots and Red.

Jay was a jointed Heddon Pike, both joint and standard model plugs. Jay also suggested Daredevil IMP 2/5 oz chrome spoon with white chicken feather treble hook.

My tackle started growing in size by the time I was 17 the box grew to a Philipson 16 tray holding close to 200 plugs and spoons. 

Until 2020 never sold any of my lures gathered over 65 years. I was saving the tackle for my son to inherit but he passed from cancer. 

Sold everything mostly to BR members to share.

The oldest lure I still fish every trip is my hair jigs w/pork rind trailer. Made the jig mold in 1971, about 50 years and counting.

The only current lures are soft plastics.

Kinda old you know!

Tom

[Big Hands]

The simplicity factor in my fishing . . . . 'program' . . . . seems to ebb and flow and it is something I think about regularly when ruminating about all things fishing. The more we have dialed in, the more we should be able to take a single rod/reel and only the amount of baits that could fit into our pockets and have everything we need to have a great session.

 

When I started bass fishing, I could only catch them using crankbaits and thought catching them on plastic (rubber) worms was largely fiction. Times have definitely changed, and I have come to the point that I can usually catch at least some fish with plastic baits pretty reliably. Not necessarily the most or biggest, but reliably. I have also been trying to pare down the number of plastic baits I need to be able to figure out what is needed on a particular day and have something with me that will get the job done without having to keep a ridiculous amount of tackle on board. I am basically only competing with myself, and trying to have fun in the process.

 

If I was fishing to put food on the table for my family, things might be different, but most anglers are not doing that. This is for fun and recreation. Serious fun and recreation, but fun and recreation none the less and above all else.

 

But, what is old often becomes new again and I have also been trying to see if I can get similar confidence in moving/reaction baits. Right now, I carry a single 3700 box (out of five total) that has all of the crankbaits I take with me on a given day. We will see what pressure comes to bear on that situation.

 

I am in the process of constructing a thread that examines how we get from owning just a single 'fishing pole' to having a very complex 'quiver' of rods and reels that to the casual observer looks ridiculously redundant and overly complex. I think it's possible for us to live somewhat in both worlds, sometimes even concurrently. The graphics I have chosen are taking some time to construct so I am not sure when I will be able to post it. Maybe I will wait until we are a little further into 'silly season' (winter).

[T-Billy]

4 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

*I know five tricks shouldn't be a point of pride, but it's all I've got.

Umm... Those five tricks catch you more bass than the rest of us soo...... ?  ?

 

 

[Columbia Craw]

There was a time when simplicity was not necessarily by choice but by availability or accessibility.

[Woody B]

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Fred Arbogast Mud Bug

A-Jay

 

 

Learning the name has sent my down the vintage lure rabbit hole.   I've got a few mud bugs and 1 Bomber Crawdad.  (like a wooden mud bug but didn't know the name of either)   I've got to look around for more of my old stuff.  I got a tackle box somewhere with some more mud bugs.  I've also got a couple Bomber Water Dogs somewhere.   Does anyone remember, or have in "Fish Finder" worms?   The company was founded by a friend of mines Uncle when we were in School.   They were basically stick worms with 2 hooks in them.   The founder passed away a few decades ago.  I don't know if the company still exist or not.   The address on the pictured package is not the original company address.  

[N Florida Mike]

11 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I try new things, but would rather just fish a plastic worm 

This was what I was fixing to say ^^^

[Mobasser]

I had an experienced fisherman tell me when I started that certain lures are better than others that look identical.                                              If you see some plugs that are more scratched up and rough looking from years of use it could have been a favourite lure, or one that worked especially well. These seem to catch more fish than perfect looking new ones. After all this time, I've got some myself now.

[Catt]

If you do what you’ve always done you’ll get what you’ve always got.

 

Tom Mann was once asked why he made so many lures in so many colors?

His answer, " To catch the fisherman, bass have never spent a penny on my lures".

 

I spend more time learning my bodies of water than I do chasing secret lures & techniques.

[scaleface]

17 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Fred Arbogast Mud Bug

I still have a few Mudbugs , havent used them in a long time . The time and place was very specific for me . I like them when and where a lot of folks throw Warts . Early Spring along steep rocky banks. 

[Bankc]

I enjoy a bit of both.  Some days, I'll take my kayak out with the depth finder, half my rods, and just about every bait I own.  Some days, I'll fish from the bank with just one rod and whatever I have tied on the end.  And when I lose my lure, I know I'm done for the day.  Both are equally fun, but just in different ways.  

 

Whether you're trying to learn something new or trying to refine an old technique, either way you're getting better.  It's the journey, right?  

[Spankey]

On 11/13/2022 at 10:18 AM, ol'crickety said:

Spanky, do you fish with your old lures that can't be replaced? I don't. I'd be afraid of losing one. 

 

An old timer lure that isn't mentioned much at bassresource.com is the Mepps spinner. I know some of you use it, but giving the preponderance of newer lures that are thrown, today's bass might not see Mepps as much as they once did. I catch good numbers and good-sized fish with my most basic Mepps, the one with the brass blade and plain hook.

Most of my old Bomber screw tails I won’t throw anymore. But a few I still do. Some patterns you just can’t get anymore. Maybe eBay has some but I’m not an eBayer. Bomber is on its way down the toilet. I have a lot of great patterns that that are not screw tail and long out of production. 
 

My old Wiggle Warts I put up and don’t fish anymore but in my opinion the newer Rapala Warts are better anyway, better pattern options. Fish as good. Maybe better. 
 

The Mepps spinner is a fantastic lure for sure. I’ve had some forever. They (Mepps) continues to put out a million versions. I think I stopped using the old Mepps when I started using the old Manns Baby 1- more and more. Only to use Bandit Footlooses and 100’s. 
 

I have some old Cottons but I never put any of them up. Just keep fishing them. Vintage for sure. I have no idea were Cotton is today as far as being a lure maker. 
 

But I’m not totally old school. I’ve had success with SPRO, 6th Sense, Zman, Googan, Rage and others. There is a lot of quality lures out there today. 

[Zcoker]

The majority of freshwater lures I purchased over they years I don't even use any more. I have them around for that "just in case" moment lol. I have narrowed down my lure selection to just a few, some of which I make myself. Confidence, location and conditions not to mention catch history favor them. It's also frustrating how lures fizzle out almost completely, lures like the whopper plopper. I don't get nearly as many hits on them like I used to. In fact, the hits that I do get now are the smaller fish. Used to be only big girls slamming them. Heck, I even won a national tournament off them one time. In the end, seems like lure selection is always going to be up to the bass!   

[Darth-Baiter]

it Taiwan.  they have a saying (it sounds way more eloquent in Taiwanese), "the best life is a simple life"

 

basically, they dont fish much in Taiwan.  

[Swamp Girl]

2 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

it Taiwan.  they have a saying (it sounds way more eloquent in Taiwanese), "the best life is a simple life"

 

basically, they dont fish much in Taiwan.  

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

The more I watch Matt from Tactical Bassin, the more I realize how important reaction/feed response baits are if you fish anywhere that other anglers do. 

 

Bass are incredibly quick to adapt to realism approaches and won't even bat an eye at them when they aren't in feeding mode, however, force their hand into a reaction situation.....50/50 that fish at least bites your bait.   

 

I imagine it would blow our minds if we could see underwater all the fish that follow or acknowledge our bait's presence yet never commit.  

 

These are the baits that I'm focusing on learning currently, big hard swimbaits, chatterbaits, A-rigs, and my next is speed cranking.   All four of these baits trigger a reaction many times regardless of if the fish is hungry, they simply can't help themselves from lashing out at it.     

 

This reaction/feed response is a nuanced subject.  I imagine many anglers believe all lures are reaction/feed response ones, and in some ways they'd be correct.   

[Swamp Girl]

13 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I imagine it would blow our minds if we could see underwater all the fish that follow or acknowledge our bait's presence yet never commit.  

 

It's not just the follows. I often reflect on these two moments:

 

1. I was fishing a bass pond in southern Ohio, casting parallel to the shore. The water was gin clear. Twice I saw a bass dart of out of the weeds, totally take my lure into its mouth, and eject it AND I FELT NOTHING. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have known it had happened. My point is that there's much happening under the water that we don't realize.

 

2. The other incident happened in a quarry pond that was 20' deep, but was ridiculously clear. I could see every fish. They could see me. There was a pair of bass that kept circling the pond and every time they passed me, I'd toss a different lure at them. Not even a nightcrawler hooked in the head with a tiny split shot tempted them. However, a nightcrawler hooked in the head on 6 lb. test line with NO WEIGHT had them sprinting to reach my bait first. My point here is that bass really pay attention to details. Heck, I'd be fishing with 6 lb. test for Maine bass if it weren't for the weeds. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

5 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

It's not just the follows. I often reflect on these two moments:

 

1. I was fishing a bass pond in southern Ohio, casting parallel to the shore. The water was gin clear. Twice I saw a bass dart of out of the weeds, totally take my lure into its mouth, and eject it AND I FELT NOTHING. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have known it had happened. My point is that there's much happening under the water that we don't realize.

 

2. The other incident happened in a quarry pond that was 20' deep, but was ridiculously clear. I could see every fish. They could see me. There was a pair of bass that kept circling the pond and every time they passed me, I'd toss a different lure at them. Not even a nightcrawler hooked in the head with a tiny split shot tempted them. However, a nightcrawler hooked in the head on 6 lb. test line with NO WEIGHT had them sprinting to reach my bait first. My point here is that bass really pay attention to details. Heck, I'd be fishing with 6 lb. test for Maine bass if it weren't for the weeds. 

Great points, and especially point number 1.     Matt from Tactical Bassin talks specifically about how the really big fish we all want to catch inhale a bait with a huge suction of water and many times the only clue you ever get is a small "tick" when the big fish closes her mouth on the line.     

 

I'm going to get one of those underwater cameras that connects to your line and trolls in front of your lure.    Since I've found how to catch lots of 1-2lb Bass trolling, I think I can get them on film and see what is happening.   

 

The mystery and magic below the surface is one of the first things that drew me to fishing.  

[WRB]

Watch Glen Lau’s “Bigmouth Forever” video for eye opening strikes that go undetected.

Tom

[Blue Raider Bob]

On 11/13/2022 at 9:18 AM, ol'crickety said:

Spanky, do you fish with your old lures that can't be replaced? I don't. I'd be afraid of losing one. 

 

An old timer lure that isn't mentioned much at bassresource.com is the Mepps spinner. I know some of you use it, but giving the preponderance of newer lures that are thrown, today's bass might not see Mepps as much as they once did. I catch good numbers and good-sized fish with my most basic Mepps, the one with the brass blade and plain hook.

I'm the only person I know around here that uses a Mepps Spinner. I like the dressed Aglia in #2 and #3. Everything bites it! I have found that lake fish for some reason, don't like it as much as river fish. Sometimes, when things are slow, the Aglia is unbeatable fished in current. I turned on my work/fishing buddy to it and now it's his go to! I fish it slowly, just enough to keep it above the bottom (It is a hang up machine), as you know. If it swims in the river, it will eat the Aglia. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

7 minutes ago, WRB said:

Watch Glen Lau’s “Bigmouth Forever” video for eye opening strikes that go undetected.

Tom

Heck yeah, 45 min video is on youtube.   Watching now, how they got those scenes in 1996, let alone 2022 is crazy.   Wonder where it was filmed