Is it better?

[AlabamaSpothunter]

What makes Bass fishing special to a large degree is the ability, and really need to use so many different baits to catch them.

 

I get a great enjoyment out of learning new baits, so much that I think it actually hurts my overall numbers sometimes.   I often switch baits in the middle of a hot bite only to waste time throwing a bait they won't eat meanwhile a bait they will is laying on the deck.   

 

Most of the pros I try to learn from have a million rods on their decks, Milliken is likely the biggest influencer on my game, and he's got every dang bait under the sun on the deck, and he does so for a reason.   He wants to present scoped fish with as many baits as it takes to get them to fire.   

[king fisher]

Mastering a few lures and techniques will help you catch more bass, but for me there is nothing more fun than buying and fishing a new lure.  Unless you are a tournament angler, bass fishing is about having fun, so the Bait Monkey and I will continue to search for that magic lure even though I know it doesn't exist.  I know this is not logical behavior, but is spending all my free time chasing a fish I rarely eat logical?

[gim]

28 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 I often switch baits in the middle of a hot bite only to waste time throwing a bait they won't eat meanwhile a bait they will is laying on the deck.

Haha.  I am the complete opposite.  If they're eating something, I continue to throw it until I'm blue in the face.  Strike while the iron is hot, I say.

[TnRiver46]

I like trying new stuff, the fish can get wary. But a fluke will always make them attack……..

[the reel ess]

I'm not one who can be good at a lot of things. That's why I settled into bass fishing. That said I like to keep it simple as possible. I usually take 6-7 rods with me and almost never change baits. 

 

It is a thrill when you try something new and succeed.

[volzfan59]

I got caught up with trying to learn every technique. Being versatile is great, especially if you're a tournament angler, but for me it just became to much. I took the Henry David Thoreau approach, "simplify, simplify, simplify". Stopped fishing tournaments. Still own all of the various tackle items, but they rarely see the light of day. 

 

Next year my plan is to simplify even more. All light tackle, all of the time. Spinning rods only, no line over 10 lb test. 

 

As always, to each his or her own.

[Mobasser]

I have a large tackle box at home full of all sorts of bass lures. Every type and color. I used to think I needed to learn all these different baits. Some of them worked for me, but many didn't work, and got put into this big box.          Now, I probably fish four different things, and, can cover the water column from top to bottom. I won't waste money on hot new things. I will spend money on sacks of plastic worms, because IMO the plastic worm rules, and is the best bait overall.

[Team9nine]

31 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

I got caught up with trying to learn every technique. Being versatile is great, especially if you're a tournament angler, but for me it just became to much. I took the Henry David Thoreau approach, "simplify, simplify, simplify". Stopped fishing tournaments. Still own all of the various tackle items, but they rarely see the light of day.

 

As always, to each his or her own.

This ^^
 

If you’re a tournament angler, unless you just fish a single lake or two all the time, versatility has become much more important than it used to be. Otherwise, pick a few basics and become great/versatile with them, and you’ll be just fine - maybe better than most.

[Darth-Baiter]

it is universally a good thing if you can do more with less.  100%.  

 

 

[J._Bricker]

@RHuff the only thing missing in your stated lineup was a topwater offering and maybe a bladed jig. I personally start with the same setups you mentioned and expand from there during the calendar year. In my case due to where I live and being able to fish year round I adjust as weather, conditions and what I believe the fish are doing. My goal is to have one rod in my hand at the end of the day fishing one technique.

[gim]

Just now, J._Bricker said:

the only thing missing in your stated lineup was a topwater offering

I've essentially completely stopped using topwater for years now because it didn't work anymore.  The fish have seen too many topwater presentations.  I say scrap the topwaters and focuse elsewhere.

[A-Jay]

8 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I've essentially completely stopped using topwater for years now because it didn't work anymore.  

That just makes me so sad - for you I mean.

A-Jay

https://youtu.be/Vsl5A_YmHzs?feature=shared&t=42

 

[gim]

Just now, A-Jay said:

That just makes me so sad - for you I mean.

I know.  Its unfortunate because topwater fishing is arguably the most exciting way to fish there is.  It used to be effective until about 5-6 seasons ago.  Mostly frogs and buzz baits.

 

I don't do what isn't effective though.  No point in trying to force it.

[Catt]

I've known a few Pros in my day, couple have won the Classic. They all have techniques & lures in topwater, mid-depth, & bottom contact. These are their strengths, when pre-fishing they look for areas that fit those. This is where they start, may not be where they finish.

 

Anglers often respond to failure and frustration by over-complicating theory and technique.

Edited November 14, 2023 by Catt
Fingers faster than the brain

[J._Bricker]

5 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I've essentially completely stopped using topwater for years now because it didn't work anymore.  The fish have seen too many topwater presentations.  I say scrap the topwaters and focuse elsewhere.

Sorry to hear that @gimruis, a frog, buzzbait, popper, walking bait and the much loved plopper all are too much fun to not throw. 

[Pat Brown]

7 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I've essentially completely stopped using topwater for years now because it didn't work anymore.  The fish have seen too many topwater presentations.  I say scrap the topwaters and focuse elsewhere.

 

 

I thought this until I learned how to dingle the dangle.  I literally couldn't buy a bite with topwater ever and it IS all anyone fishes here in NC....but when I fully committed to the nuance of the frog and the buzzbait, two topwaters that for some odd reason are fished all over the country every day for pressured fish to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and have been for decades.....I got some spectacular results out of fisheries people swear are dead and most of the time do seem impossible to catch fish at.

 

I taught my son this:

 

Location is everything and learning where and when to throw topwater baits to efficiently catch large pressured fish is an art form and it's all about super skinny water IMHO.  2-3 feet is ideal and less is often ideal and super heavy cover.

 

Learn to fish slow baits fast.  And learn to fish fast baits slow. 

 

This applies here and it really seems like the secret to the frog and the buzzbait is learning to fish them (fast baits) as slow as they can be fished *efficiently* based on what I've learned this fall and summer fishing both with lots of success.  The adrenaline rush you feel when an 8 lber loads up on your frog on a slick calm afternoon in 1 foot of water after toilet bowl flushing it in the middle of open water on a do nothing bank near a little hidden stump or rock is hard to put into words!  🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

[gim]

Alright @Pat Brown you sold me on a topwater attempt again next season.  I will at least try it.

 

Don't try to sell me on the drop shot though...

 

 

[Bass Rutten]

For fun fishing I prefer keeping a small core of confidence techniques/lures, then a secondary "plan B" set of techniques. There is a LOT of room for creativity and adoption to different conditions within most any given technique or lure type.

 

One of the best years I ever had (2019, which also produced my two biggest fish) was a year where over the previous winter, when I lived in Illinois, I formulated a plan to only use 3 types/categories of lures for an entire season; worms, jigs, and swimbaits. Even within this limitation there are a myriad of options and found it was still surprisingly easy to get spun out as you say.

 

Due to work all my fishing this year has been Florida tournament fishing as a back seater which has required me to adopt a different approach but I still find myself trying to find ways to simplify.

[J._Bricker]

Throw the dropshot @gimruis at targets. Some know this technique by another name, “bubba shot”.  

[gim]

5 minutes ago, J._Bricker said:

Throw the dropshot @gimruis at targets. Some know this technique by another name, “bubba shot”.  

I don't care what you wanna call it.  There is no force on this earth that will make me do it anymore.  I'd rather bobber fish.

[Bass Rutten]

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I don't care what you wanna call it.  There is no force on this earth that will make me do it anymore.  I'd rather bobber fish.

Hey man, I know a good therapist, she specializes in trauma.

[J._Bricker]

14 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I don't care what you wanna call it.  There is no force on this earth that will make me do it anymore.  I'd rather bobber fish.

I just call it dropshoting and it’s very effective on my water. As for bobber fish you really need to try shiner fishing on Okeechobee.

[Bass Rutten]

Just now, J._Bricker said:

You need to shiner fish Okeechobee

I take gimruis's stance on that one; No. Force. On. Earth. Will. Make. Me. Shiner. Fish. Period.

[Bankc]

If you're just starting off, it's better to learn one technique at a time, and get good at that rather than try to get good at everything at once.  The subtle nuances you learn while really focusing on a single technique will translate over to other techniques.  If you never dive deep enough into learning a single technique, you'll never allow yourself time to pick up on those subtleties.  So each technique you learn provides a foundation for each new technique you take on.  

 

Most of the pros are pretty good at lots of stuff, even if they're best known for just one or two things.  So ideally, you want to be great at everything.  But it's far easier to learn to be great at just one thing.  And far more useful.  

[WRB]

You will never discover what lure works best for you where you fish unless you try different lures and presentations.

7 decades of bass fishing and trying a wide variety lures from tiny Turner Jones Micro 1/64 oz micro jigs to 16” 12 oz Worm King Dinosaur swimbaits taught me bass will strike nearly anything when you take the time to fish lures effectively.

The worn out phrase Time on the Water should be Productive time on the water. 

Trying baits new to you should be done when you know the bass are active and willing to strike. It’s hard to put down old reliable when the bass are biting but that is the time to learn a new lure or presentation.

I can’t think of a lure type top to bottom that I haven’t tried. By type I mean a lure category not every brand. The only way to get skilled at using different lure types is putting time fishing them. I have enjoyed a lifetime fishing all types and becoming skilled with them.

Today no longer have a wide variety of lures, rods and reels needed to present several lure types and try to select a few lures I have confidence using where or when a opportunity to fish is offered.

Tom