How do you differ and why?

[Jar11591]

I rarely work soft plastics all the way back to the boat. I’ll pitch/cast them, let them fall, lift and repeat a couple times, then I reel up and make my next pitch. To me it’s a waste of time working a bait back to the boat when 99% of my strikes occur during the initial descent or shortly thereafter. 

[Catt]

Everyone has their own personal repertoire of confusion!

 

Some call it ol school, I say if it ain't broke why ya trying to fix it?

 

I fish a Texas Rig ol school, unpegged weight, straight shank hooks, & Berkley Big Game. I cast out let settle on the bottom & short stroke it back to the boat, pausing along the way.

 

I fish a Jig-n-Craw the same way!

 

I don't specifically target wood or grass, I target structure, & fish the available cover.

 

Had an old guide on Toledo Bend tell me for every bass you catch on the bank, there's 5 behind you waiting to be caught. 

 

Early morning bite?

 

I night fish 😉

[FishTank]

After fishing with a guy for years that mainly uses the same 3 or 4 baits (he might literally have the same crankbait tied on for the past three years),  I feel like everything I do when I'm out by myself on a kayak is different. 

 

I like trying new baits, gear and line. I don't feel like I need to stay in one lane to catch fish. There are so many good baits and techniques that I always feel like I'm trying something new. Of course, I have favorites but I will never be able to fish all of it. So I just concentrate on having fun most of the time.

 

 

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

I rise to fish earlier than most anglers. If the Sun is rising when I launch, I've likely missed the best fishing. I like to launch at four in the morning, but 3:30 is even better. I do this because it's when big ones hit with abandon. When I see the first, slight light in the eastern sky, I'm sad.

 

I'm with you on this one.  Maybe not in the early season, but in the summer I try to get 2 hours in before the sun comes up.  That's tough when it rises at 5 AM but worth it when you're catching big ones on the surface.  I prefer fishing moving baits and especially topwaters and for the lakes I fish those bites turn off most days within an hour after sunup.

[Gera]

3 hours ago, WaskaCrank12 said:

holding the rod/reel correctly !

That's step #1!! good luck

[Bankc]

I differ in that I like to try weird things.  I'm a "why not" kind of guy by nature.  

 

Like I've tied a crappie jig with a Palomar knot, like you would a drop shot, about a foot ahead of a crankbait.  The idea being that my bigger crankbait looks like it's chasing food and too distracted to notice that bass, making him an easy target.  It hasn't really worked for me though.  Or I've tied a 3-way swivel with a jigging spoon and a crankbait to get the crankbait to dive deeper.  That worked to get the crankbait deeper, but didn't really catch anything.  I've also tried sliding a worm all the way up a hook, so that when bedding bass nip at the tails they'll still get hooked.  And I didn't have much luck with that either. 

 

I've also made a bunch of molds out of Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty for pouring soft plastics.  So far, my best, and probably only real success, is a mold I made from a masonry bit that basically is just a fat, spiraling senko.  But I've got a plan to make one look like a trilobite.  The idea being that there's something like 300 million years of evolution baked into fish's DNA where trilobites were probably their main food source, so maybe they'd still like to eat one.  And I have an idea for a paddle tail-like curled up worm that when you drag it, the paddle tail (more of a parachute, really) drags the back end to straighten the worm out so it can curl back up into a ball again at rest.  Watching worms underwater, they tend to curl up and squirm, so I'd like to replicate that action if possible.  

 

So I guess I differ in that I think I'm smarter than the fish, but am determined to prove otherwise.  

[Swamp Girl]

You are impressively creative, Bankc.

[casts_by_fly]

24 minutes ago, Bankc said:

I've also made a bunch of molds out of Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty for pouring soft plastics.  So far, my best, and probably only real success, is a mold I made from a masonry bit that basically is just a fat, spiraling senko.  But I've got a plan to make one look like a trilobite.  The idea being that there's something like 300 million years of evolution baked into fish's DNA where trilobites were probably their main food source, so maybe they'd still like to eat one.  And I have an idea for a paddle tail-like curled up worm that when you drag it, the paddle tail (more of a parachute, really) drags the back end to straighten the worm out so it can curl back up into a ball again at rest.  Watching worms underwater, they tend to curl up and squirm, so I'd like to replicate that action if possible.  

 

I think you might want to rethink the trilobite logic.  Trilobites became extinct around 250M years ago while Perciform fishes started to exist around 60M years ago.  I think there's a mild gap there.

[OmegaDPW]

3 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Whoa! That is quirky!

Thanks! 😄  That day, I was catching some dinks on the regular split tail grub and wanted a bigger presentation. I bank fish and carry minimal tackle so my best option for a larger "spinner" was the trick worm. I cannot tell you what the catfish sees in this, but this one particular pond catches catfish regularly with Beetle Spins. They're all decent sized, too. 2-4 pounds. 

 

 I'm under the impression that bass will bite just about anything if it's thrown in their face enough. There was a video on YT where some dude put a bunch of hooks on his waterproof Go-Pro camera the other day and eventually caught a fish. 

[JediAmoeba]

I will push the wrong technique (big swimbaits) way past the point of intelligence looking for that huge fish.

 

I will say poppers can be fished many different ways - in the right circumstances they can be fished as fast as possible in a walk the dog motion. Literally ripping it like you are trying to get the bait back to you as fast as possible. Other times it will be a methodical pop, pop, pause. The pause mat be a.few seconds or up to 30 seconds. I love fishing yellow magics and usually have one with me.

[king fisher]

My fishing style differs from most in a few ways.                                                                                   Most people Walk the dog with a spook.  I usually spook a dog making it run, when my inaccurate casts lands on it's back.  Most people will tell you that 10 pounds of drag is by far more than an angler will ever need, may be true for bass, but is way to light for dogs.

 

Many people fish swimbaits, I prefer to go swimming for my baits.

 

Instead of slow rolling a spinnerbait along the bottom, I slow roll my kayak, sending multiple spinnerbaits along with the box to the bottom.

 

Some people fish at night to escape the heat and catch big bass, I fish at night to escape ridicule, and catch big bushes.

 

Many people barely tick the top of submerged vegetation with a lipless crankbait, I prefer to make casting lanes in the vegetation by dragging all of the vegetation back to the boat.

 

The standard way to fish a crankbait is to deflect off of cover.  I have to deflect and cover when my wife askes me why I need to buy dozens of new crankbaits.

 

I have read over and over how important it is cast so your lure enters the water quietly with very little splash.  The theory being a stealthy presentation will not scare the bass.  I prefer to make lots of noise on entry, and don't want to catch a bunch of scaredy cat bass anyway.  I am after brave bass.

 

Most anglers skip their lures under overhanging trees, and under boat docks showing respect to the dock owner by never hitting a dock.  I throw my lures in the middle of overhanging trees, and loose all respect by casting high and hooking the dock owner.

 

A good angler changes line when the line shows signs of getting old and weak.  I change my line much more often.  I change it every time I get a backlash that I have to remove with the help of a sharp knife.

 

Most anglers skillfully work their lures through many types of cover such as a submerged brush pile.  I prefer to loose my lures on the brush pile.  After awhile the bass will get used to their home being decorated with my lures.  When I come back and retrieve a lure by the brush pile, a bass may think someone is steeling one of his decorations and attack my lure.

 

Most anglers retrieve buzz baits on the surface for the entire retrieve.  I let mine sink while picking out a backlash, then retrieve it back to the boat only splashing on the surface next to the boat.

 

Many old time anglers wait until the rings disappear before working a top water bait.  I go one step further.  By the time I pick the backlash out of my reel the split rings have rusted off the bait.

 

It takes skill to slowly drag a football jig through rocks, and hop it off the bottom when it starts to get snagged many time triggering a strike. I prefer to snag the jig and drag my kayak until I am on top of the jig, and then hop in the water to try and retrieve it triggering much laughter by both fellow anglers and bass.

 

To most people a drop shot is a finesse presentation, to me it is what happens at the end of the day when I don't even have enough finesse to keep from dropping a shot in the water, while at the same time spilling the whole bottle.

 

Some anglers reel a chatterbot straight back, and some stop and go like a jig.  I simply snag them on a log like all the rest of my baits.

 

Most people fish and catch their bass in the water.  I like to attempt to catch the elusive walking bass on shore first, before getting my lure in the water.

 

Most anglers avoid loosing lures, I like to leave most of my lures at the lake that way other less fortunate anglers can find them and catch bass with them.  I feel it is my way of giving back to the community.  The other day my wife put a stop to this practice by pointing out that we are the les fortunate, and the other anglers will buy their own lures long before I will be allowed to replace mine, while staying home and doing some work around the house would be a great way to give back to my community.

 

To some a Texas rig is a snaggles presentation that can be fished almost anywhere.  To me a Texas rig is simply a challenge to prove not only the soft plastic but the whole rig can be lost anywhere anytime.

 

Most anglers skillfully, gently, work their lures around cover and snags, while setting the hook strongly into bass.  I like to make strong hooks sets on snags, and skillfully, work my lures right out of a bass's mouth.

 

Most good bass anglers, make short accurate casts that catch bass, I make long inaccurate casts that catch a variety of objects that don't even remotely resemble bass.

 

Most angler use a variety of rods, reels, and lures because of the numerous techniques the have perfected to catch bass.  I use a variety of rods, reels, and lures based on what is left over from my last fishing trip. Many times what I call a variety is more than one but less than three.

 

Most anglers bring the bass they hook all the way to the boat, land them, accurately weight them, and take pictures of them.  I prefer to release the bass I hook when they are about half way back to the boat, (which is much better for their survival of the bass )estimate the weight then double the estimate, and at the end of the day borrow a fish from a friend for a picture. 

 

Game wardens ask most people for their fishing license, and if they caught any bass  They only laugh, and ask me if I am OK.  

 

Some people Junk Fish,  My fishing gear and fishing skill is Junk so maybe I am not so different.

 

When most anglers arrive back home after a day's fishing, their family asks them how many fish they hooked and caught.  My family asks me how many times I got hooked, and if I was caught.

 

Many Kayak anglers stand while they fish,  I go one better.  I stand, and do an awesome belly flop while I fish.

 

Some anglers are experts with electronics.  I am not bad myself.  I would bet their isn't anyone out there that can drop their phone in the water and get it in a bag of rice as fast as me.

 

Some anglers fish from shore, I fish on shore.

 

Some anglers use a plug knocker to get crankbaits that are hung on the bottom back.  I use a plug knocker so I can not only loose the crankbait, but loose the knocker, break a rod tip, and flip my kayak, kind of a multi purpose tool.

 

Some people exaggerate the success of their day on the water, this is usually not considered outright lying it is simply and anglers prerogative.  I always tell the 100% truth about my day on the water, because there are times the truth is greater than fiction, and some things are impossible to make up.

 

Most fisherman quit fishing at the end of the day, I quit fishing when I run out of tackle, which on a good day is closer to the end of the day than it is the start of the day.

 

Yes I do things different than a majority of anglers, but like most anglers, I always have a good time while fishing for bass.

 

 

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

30 minutes ago, king fisher said:

When I come back and retrieve a lure by the brush pile, a bass may think someone is steeling one of his decorations and attack my lure.

 

Brilliant! And so funny!!!

 

30 minutes ago, king fisher said:

I use a plug knocker so I can not only loose the crankbait, but loose the knocker, break a rod tip, and flip my kayak, kind of a multi purpose tool.

 

More literal LOLing.

 

What makes your sense of humor even better is the fact that you catch such. huge. bass. 

[steve carpenter]

Still have  Jason Lucas book and recently read it. Still can learn a lot from it after 50 years.

[RRocket]

7 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

Old school rules.

 

 

As with all things, old school rules until it doesn't. 

 

Have had times where the fish absolutely wanted the poppers ripped across the surface as if they were Peacock bass and wouldn't touch a slow, still presentation.

 

And if you go out bass fishing here at 3am....you're just wasting your time until the sun comes up. I thoroughly tested this year and not only did I not catch anything, I didn't have a single bite. I documented that here.

 

But more to the point of the title? I just do what I do without regard for what others prefer to do. I just try to be true to myself and how I fish.

 

I already know based on gear and tactics that I'm different than most bass fisherman.

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

17 minutes ago, RRocket said:

I already know based on gear and tactics that I'm different than most bass fisherman.

 

This reminds me of my BIG difference: I power fish with spinning gear. However, I hope to use casting gear more in 2024. It's not that I can't cast a baitcaster. I used them when I was a musky maniac. 

 

19 minutes ago, RRocket said:

And if you go out bass fishing here at 3am....you're just wasting your time until the sun comes up.

 

Wow. We fish for the same bass, but it's as if they're different species. 

[RRocket]

17 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

This reminds me of my BIG difference: I power fish with spinning gear. However, I hope to use casting gear more in 2024. It's not that I can't cast a baitcaster. I used them when I was a musky maniac. 

 

 

Wow. We fish for the same bass, but it's as if they're different species. 

In the gear department, we are opposites. Total finesse and ultralight spinning for me.

 

And yes, while we are fishing for the same species, my travels have taught me that bait colors, techniques, presentations, etc can have some pretty significant regional differences. And not just for bass.

 

If you're REALLY bored, you can skim though my night fishing posts here:

 
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/254763-the-free-rig-i-think-i-understand/?do=findComment&comment=3005662

[Swamp Girl]

@RRocket: I used to fish for Ontario smallies with ML rods, 1000 reels, and 6 lb. test, which was plenty of muscle to land four and five-pounders in Canadian Shield lakes, but the way local largemouths dive head-first into weeds, if I can't brake them, I can't boat them. Thanks for the link! 

[Woody B]

I suppose I differ in a few ways.   I catch my own bass, I don't follow others around to see where and how they're fishing.  If I see a BUNCH of people using certain techniques I'll do something different.   I've often caught bass right behind other people by being different.   

[RRocket]

11 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

@RRocket: I used to fish for Ontario smallies with ML rods, 1000 reels, and 6 lb. test, which was plenty of muscle to land four and five-pounders in Canadian Shield lakes, but the way local largemouths dive head-first into weeds, if I can't brake them, I can't boat them. Thanks for the link! 

4.25 Smally on 4lb test

 

Biggest fish of any species on this rod/reel up was a 20lb-er this year. 

8 minutes ago, Woody B said:

I suppose I differ in a few ways.   I catch my own bass, I don't follow others around to see where and how they're fishing.  

That's kinda what I do.

 

I try to be "me".

[Swamp Girl]

@RRocket: Here's a 43" pike on 6-lb. test. I'd usually catch one or two this size each week in northwest Ontario, but because I was fishing from a canoe with a small net, I left them in the water. For this fish, I borrowed an abandoned, leaky boat and had a musky net to land it.:

 

 

I used 4-lb. test on the Mississippi and caught thousands with that light line. 

[Columbia Craw]

Like my style, evaluate and adjust.  I’m a believer that bass will tell us things.  The first bite or reaction is a hint. The second is you’re getting warmer and the third is for me to replicate what I did and maybe expand. 
 

Never under estimate where fish might be.  For many years deep was ten feet.  Now it’s fifty.  I’m an advocate of dragging and dead sticking.  I guess that might be off the norm but it works. Sharing experience can help create experience.👍

[PhishLI]

8 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

There are established ways of working various baits, but for various reasons, we might go our own way, like Robert Frost when "two roads in a yellow wood." Do you take "the one less traveled by" and if so, why?

Regardless of how it's thought a MB Dark Sleeper should be fished, I fish it with a fast, steady retrieve, like 8 spd reel fast. Tried fishing it like a jig, etc. Meh. IMO, and around here, nothing comes close to fast rolling it while letting it ride bottom contours and deflect. This is in clear, cold water from 45*-60*. Caught so many fish working it this way everywhere I fished that I got bored using it.

 

That's where I might be a little different than most. I get bored with baits. Bored might be the wrong term actually. I enjoy learning how to use a bait, but once I do, it's on to the next. In '22 the chatterbait was my #1 big fish bait. Last year I barely threw it. Not because I don't like catching fish, but because I wanted to master other baits, especially the ones I'd previously given short shrift to for whatever reason. At best I'll have figured them out. At worst I'll have eliminated baits that simply don't play here. Some, like the buzzbait, just don't. I can tell you exactly where they kick azz in a lake 40 miles away, but I'm satisfied having concluded that they don't get bit here in any season, and it 'aint just me.

 

Eliminating baits that don't work here for me is admittedly a bit painful in the short term but saves time in the long haul. Figuring out even a small body of water is a very long game. Getting a real grip on them takes quite a bit of time. On the flipside, coming to understand which new baits and techniques work consistently or even just seasonally is a pleasure for me. Ultimately, I want a bunch of confidence baits and the understanding of how to correctly present them at the ready for wherever I go, not only a few.

[Koz]

10 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

That's a good point. However, if you launched one time with me at three in the morning in Maine and you heard the hogs walloping on the surface, you too would rise and shine at three with me. 

 

10 hours ago, gimruis said:

 

You've obviously had enough experience on the bodies of water you regularly fish to realize now what is quite often the most aggressive feeding period.  What I might say is that its not the case everywhere else.  I don't remember the last time I got up at 3:30am to go fishing because there is no need to. 

But you have to remember, he lives in Maine and there's only a two week period during the year when it isn't freezing out there 😀

 

I'm kidding. Years ago I ran a hotel in Portland and I loved it up there. I never fished, but I would bike from Portland up to Freeport in that wide bike lane, grab an ice cream at Ben & Jerry's, refill my water bottle, and then ride back.

[papajoe222]

I would say that the one thing I do differently is fish early afternoon during the summer.  Two of my biggest bass were caught between 12:30 and 1:30 in July and both on topwater.  I still fish a plastic worm differently than most and much slower.

[Swamp Girl]

5 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

I would say that the one thing I do differently is fish early afternoon during the summer.  Two of my biggest bass were caught between 12:30 and 1:30 in July and both on topwater.  I still fish a plastic worm differently than most and much slower.

 

PapaJoe, when do you set the hook? Do you reel down and set or wait as we did 50 years ago?