How do you slow down?

[PaulVE64]

I set my phone's timer to go off every 5 minutes. 

No reeling it in until the alarm goes off. No hops or pops in the first 10 casts.

 

[geo g]

I am a relatively slow bottom contact fisherman.  It has been successful for me over the years.  I will throw out any plastic bait, let it sit until it settles on the bottom.  Then I will slow pull it and then let it sit again.  I will keep going with this and then change up the movement to a snap jerk off the bottom and then let it sit.  I want to feel everything on the bottom.  Sooner or later I will find a cadence they like.  Slowing down is not a problem, falling asleep is a bigger problem.  Lol

[Hook2Jaw]

I learned to slow down by fishing very pressured public fishing area lakes that aren't larger than 110 acres.  Unless the conditions absolutely line up for bass to get metal and start annihilating shad as a school, you can hardly buy a bite without dragging a finesse technique.  I learned how slow could be effective by having my buddy whip my hiney during a tournament, which he won by dropping a very light shakyhead into thick brush along a shoreline drop-off.  He'd just let it soak, and eventually a 4-6 pounder would pick it up.  He rinsed and repeated.

 

Ever since then, when I can't buy a bite doing other things I find a spot on a spot and start soaking a finesse technique until something picks it up.  Sure, I'll bring it out and cast it again to break up the monotony, but more often than not I could probably soak that tiny worm in that spot and eventually get bit.

 

A lot of it is fishing a likely area.  Slow down to the point you could actually make a sandwich during the time it takes you to retrieve the bait in an area you know fish use and you'll start seeing it pay off.  Slowing way down will then become second nature.

 

I have to fish for these bass so slowly in middle Georgia that it hurts my power fishing ability.

[Bird]

I'm a power fisherman at heart but know that falling water temps require slower techniques.

 

I've said it before, I struggle to catch fish " largemouth "  when water temps drop below 45* but when I do catch one it's always a big fish.

 

The only techniques that I've had success with for winter fishing is jigs and underspins in deep water........ cast and let bait fall all the way to bottom and reel back very slowly.

 

It's also the only time of year that I rely heavily on my FF to locate fish, otherwise I'm throwing to cover.

Something else that attracts me to winter fishing is, I have the lake to myself.

[the reel ess]

I use a jig or T rig and pitch to targets. It's a way of fishing slowly quickly. Drop it in there, bump it a couple times or work it through cover, then yank it and repeat. You really can't burn this presentation.

 

[Bankc]

When you've trained your mind to fish at a certain speed, it's going to require a lot of focus to shift speeds.  And focus, these days, is no easy task.  It's hard in our constantly connected world to quiet our minds and just listen.  We're so used to doing three or fourth things at once, it's hard to do nothing at all.  It's almost impossible anymore to block out all of the unwanted thoughts and just listen to the void.  Meditation is a lost artform that could do us all some good.  As would the art of patience.  But the world we live in doesn't directly reward that anymore.  

 

So, barring a complete teardown and rebuild of your life, singing a song in your head will be a good shortcut to fishing slower.  That will give you a steady tempo to work off of, and keep your mind active, which is a lot easier than clearing it.  For slow fishing, sing a slow song.  If you need to fish even slower, then just react on every 4th, 8th, 16th beat or whatever.  Maybe just the first beat of each new line in a song's verse and chorus.  Whatever you need to do to set the pace you desire.  That way you're fishing slower without having to slow down your mind.    

[killobet]

I bring foldable small aluminum chair with me sometimes. Itvhelps me to slowdown and relax at the same time.

[PaulVE64]

1 hour ago, killobet said:

I bring foldable small aluminum chair with me sometimes. Itvhelps me to slowdown and relax at the same time.

mine has 3 legs.

[Bird]

8 hours ago, Bankc said:

When you've trained your mind to fish at a certain speed, it's going to require a lot of focus to shift speeds.  And focus, these days, is no easy task.  It's hard in our constantly connected world to quiet our minds and just listen.  We're so used to doing three or fourth things at once, it's hard to do nothing at all.  It's almost impossible anymore to block out all of the unwanted thoughts and just listen to the void.  Meditation is a lost artform that could do us all some good.  As would the art of patience.  But the world we live in doesn't directly reward that anymore.  

 

So, barring a complete teardown and rebuild of your life, singing a song in your head will be a good shortcut to fishing slower.  That will give you a steady tempo to work off of, and keep your mind active, which is a lot easier than clearing it.  For slow fishing, sing a slow song.  If you need to fish even slower, then just react on every 4th, 8th, 16th beat or whatever.  Maybe just the first beat of each new line in a song's verse and chorus.  Whatever you need to do to set the pace you desire.  That way you're fishing slower without having to slow down your mind.    

This is pretty deep but I like the way you think ?

[Jonas Staggs]

What does everyone think in regards to a minimum time limit before rod twitches? I typically do about 30-60 seconds, I know longer would probably be better, but at what point do you think we might be waiting too long? 

 

5, 10, 15, etc minutes?

[king fisher]

This will slow me down for at least 10 minuets, maybe more.

 

[Deleted account]

I'm usually fishing fast or slow, seldom in the middle, so for me it's a matter of muscle memory, I will say that I can zone out sometimes if I get bored.

[Kdizzle]

If I'm fishing a jig and im not getting bites, I'll usually count to five and then move my jig 6 inches or so.  If that doesn't get bites I'll count to 10 and move it 3 inches or so.  

 

If that doesn't work I'll usually pout and then go home.

[scaleface]

Fishing s l o w has always been easy for me . So has fishing fast .

[Bluebasser86]

When I'm dragging, I like to "count rocks". I try to pull it slow enough that I could feel each individual rock on the way in on my cast and count each one of them. 

[A-Jay]

A good way for me to help get in the right frame of mind when looking to work a bottom contact bait slow, is to image after that cast and once the bait gets to the bottom,  I am trying hard to sneak the bait back to the boat, without being detected by a bass.  While hardly possible, it still surprises me when she slurps it up.

A-Jay

[Troy85]

13 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

A good way for me to help get in the right frame of mind when looking to work a bottom contact bait slow, is to image after that cast and once the bait gets to the bottom,  I am trying hard to sneak the bait back to the boat, without being detected by a bass.  While hardly possible, it still surprises me when she slurps it up.

A-Jay

I like this.  I'm going to try it out for sure.