What do you suspect you're doing wrong that other BR anglers are doing right?

[Swamp Girl]

There are three things I suspect I'm doing wrong:

 

Laydowns/Wood: Because the shorelines of the water I fish are less developed, they have a lot of laydowns and because I read again and again and again at BR how laydowns are Bass City, I cast and cast at them with various lures. I've caught a few, including a 6+-pounder and a few four-pounders in 2023 from wood, but they are nowhere near as productive as weeds for me. I cast into the thick of the fallen tree, bouncing my lure off the wood, and cast from multiple angles with various lures, but still largely fail.

 

Spinner baits: Again, I catch bass on them, but not enough for them to be my first, second, or even third choice. I've caught hundreds of pike and about a dozen muskies with spinner baits, so I know they work, but not on bass with me.

 

Jigs: I've used jigs a lot for walleyes and white bass and have caught thousands of these species on jigs, so it's not like I'm not versed in using them, but with bass, jigs are like spinnerbaits: I just don't get enough of a return with them to keep using them regularly. 

 

So, if any of you are confident in fishing wood, spinnerbaits, and jigs ever fish with me, that's all we're going to fish and I'm going to watch you more than the water. 

[Pat Brown]

I think I'm guilty of not knowing when to put a bait down/pick a bait up even when the day is screaming an obvious lure at me.

 

I'm guilty of leaving fish to find fish instead of fishing until I figure a tougher group of fish out.

 

I think a lot of days I don't rotate my presentations nearly enough (kinda ties into point 1) ESPECIALLY in areas I know there's a lot of fish.

 

It's hard to be disciplined when you know they've bit X really good before.  History can be more of a hindrance than a help *sometimes*

 

Basically the more fluid and open minded and systematic you can be on the water, the more opportunities to catch fish you're gonna get in a day!

[gim]

13 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

It's hard to be disciplined when you know they've bit X really good before.  History can be more of a hindrance than a help *sometimes*

 

This is no doubt my biggest weakness.  Most of the lakes I fish are not unknown.  I fish them regularly every season.  Quite often, I use what has worked in the past during certain times of the season under similar conditions because its what I'm confident in.  But sometimes, I am guilty of trying to force it for too long.  I need to be more willing to alter my presentation when past experiences aren't working.

[DaubsNU1]

I am right there with you @ol'crickety!

 

My home lake is a 220 acre flood control reservoir in the metro area, opened in 2018.  Nebraska Game and Parks left much of the timber standing, and created some good under water structure, and rip-rap. Not much in terms of "lay downs," although I am seeing more as the trees rot, and fall in to the water.

 

I try to fish spinner-baits and jig-n-plastics as much as possible. Probably my two favorite ways to fish right now. I can cast a spinner-bait in to really tight spots, and bounce off of wood and cover. I love pitching and flipping jig-n-plastic next to trees.

 

Here is a picture of the old creek-channel...it's 13-16' deep between the trees. 3-6' feet deep outside the trees.

 

Should probably stick with SB and Jig presentations longer...when they aren't producing, I am quick to switch to drop shot, wacky Senko, squarebill, or a NED rig.

 

[scaleface]

I didnt know it but evidently I wear the wrong underwear, eat the wrong pizza and drink the wrong beer.

[A-Jay]

Interesting question ~

I'll say that the list of whatever I might be doing right,

is longer than what I'm doing wrong.

Not sure what other bassheads are doing. 

😉

A-Jay

[Jar11591]

I would say similar to @Pat Brown, I don’t always put down a bait when I should. I could catch 5-6 on a popper at sunrise, and then 5 hours later I’m still throwing a popper without having had a bite in the last several. But at the same time, I’ve gotten on midday topwater bites that I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten on if I didn’t keep throwing it long after I should have stopped. 

[Susky River Rat]

What I do right? I have fun. What I do wrong? Im pretty sure I have everyone else beat here. 

[MediumMouthBass]

I am surrounded by many great bass lakes and ponds, even one of the countries best rivers for smallmouth fishing, but yet i keep fishing the same place over and over again with not much success just because how good i did there last year,

so today im going to force myself to go somewhere different on the kayak.

 

I also throw lipless cranks and chatterbaits way to much, even when i know a different lure will outperform them on certain days. Ill just keep throwing them.

 

And other times i will change lures way too often and too quickly without giving them much of a chance.

[Swamp Girl]

24 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

I would say similar to @Pat Brown, I don’t always put down a bait when I should. I could catch 5-6 on a popper at sunrise, and then 5 hours later I’m still throwing a popper without having had a bite in the last several. But at the same time, I’ve gotten on midday topwater bites that I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten on if I didn’t keep throwing it long after I should have stopped. 

 

I err the other way. So, yesterday, in the first 1.5 hours, I caught 11 bass, 10 on my reliable Keitech/Owner underspin and one strolling a Jackall Drift Fry. Both the Keitech and Drift Fry were shad-colored. So, I'm dialed in, right? 

 

Well, my crushing curiosity killed the bite because I was itching to see what else they'd hit. So, I tried a lipless, jointed crankbait, Mepps, and even a Whopper Plopper and proceeded to catch nothing else. 

 

18 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

What I do right? I have fun.

 

You da man, then. 

 

14 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

today im going to force myself to go somewhere different on the kayak.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

@DaubsNU1: Your photo is beyond beautiful. I'd love to fish that water, even though wood bass best me.

[flyfisher]

Using both a length measuring device and a weighing device.

[Bigassbass]

I'm doing nothing wrong, I catch fish on lots of different lures.  Never compare yourself to anyone it's ok to not like certain lures, I hate big crank baits, will never fish them.  Do we really have to be efficient at every lure that's made?

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Pat nailed it for me already.

 

I put way too much of a premium on fishing history and take far too long to abandon ship.     

 

I really hate junk fishing, when I'm dialed, I only use one setup, and tend to burn that pattern into the ground.    Usually takes me a week or two of stubbornness to clear that history and start the process of dialing in another pattern.     

 

The most open-minded angler usually wins the day.   Young folks don't know what they don't know, many times this leads to amazing outcomes.     

 

Trey Mckinney fishing inside the locks at the Harris Chain is a perfect example of this.    All the old hammers on Live were very surprised and impressed by it.  

[IcatchDinks]

@ol'crickety I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my struggles with spinners and jigs. I've felt crazy when I get online and see all these other anglers killing the bass on those two baits. I tend to stay away from them for the most part. 

 

@Pat Brown summed it up for me. T-rig senko not getting bit? By gum, imma stick with it for another hour or two before I switch. 😅

 

Although rather than move locations too readily, I'll fish the same dang lay down for way too long.

 

Also, I'm a far more inaccurate caster than I'd like the rest of you to know.

[Koz]

Everything.

 

I tend to suffer from paralysis of analysis. Tons of options on where to fish and what to throw.

 

Or sometimes it’s the opposite- I just run and gun on spots that look “fishy.”

 

This is where FFS is starting to come in handy and helps me learn more and more.

[scaleface]

I am among the worse at fishing frogs. I even have a dedicated frog rod , it dont matter. I set the hook too soon or too late.

[Pat Brown]

2 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I am among the worse at fishing frogs. I even have a dedicated frog rod , it dont matter. I set the hook too soon or too late.

 

Keep walking it til you feel them.  Ignore the visual.  Set the hook when you feel the tug.  Just lift and pull don't go bananas.  Loosen up your drag just enough for them to pull some if they're enormous.  Most bass spit it when you stop the bait while they are eating it.

 

My biggest bass on a frog I was having a conversation with somebody and didn't even see the bite and sort of set the hook by accident and it was definitely a lightbulb moment for frogs....and my biggest frog fish.

[FishTax]

I fish a spot to death that I'm convinced has fish, even if I haven't seen the fish. This is a good and bad thing, some of my biggest fish have been 5th or 6th cast on a laydown or point, but I don't cover much water because I fish so slow. Also I get impatient with my presentations and get sloppy sometimes I think, reeling too fast or not working it like I should. 

[gim]

47 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Well, my crushing curiosity killed the bite because I was itching to see what else they'd hit. So, I tried a lipless, jointed crankbait, Mepps, and even a Whopper Plopper and proceeded to catch nothing else. 

 

I am the complete opposite.  If I am catching fish, I beat that into a pulp.  For hours on end sometimes.  Strike while the iron is hot.  I can't wrap my head around trying something else when I am on a good bite.  There will be plenty of time to try other lures or presentations when the bite is poor.

 

At some point, the bite is inevitably going cold, so I take advantage of every single one when they're going.

 

[Choporoz]

Pat summed it up nicely for me, also.  Some day I might learn when it is time to just put down the Rage Bug.

 

@ol'crickety, I taught myself to fish laydowns by:

Working on it out of the current and wind; and start by using well-buried hook in any plastic, along with 1/16 oz tungsten.  It takes a bit of time to work on vivid visualization of exactly what your bait is doing.  I find it helpful to close my eyes and 'see' the bait maneuver through limbs.  Working light weight very slowly will teach you to know exactly when that fall off a branch happens so you kill any forward movement (and drop your rod tip).  You can crash them with 5/8 oz jigs, but I think it helps to first work on understanding wood with lighter weights.

[MIbassyaker]

There are a lot of things other people are much better at than me, but some don't matter because I'm not necessarily "doing it wrong" based on where and when I'm fishing.

 

But two that probably fit the bill are (1) leaving easy bites to find better quality fish, and (2) fine-tuning a specific pattern.  I'm sure my failure to do either of these consistently has cost me a PB multiple times.  

[BrianMDTX]

I am NOT guilty of abandoning a bait that’s catching bass. I’ll fish one lure all day long if it’s getting bit. 
 

I am guilty of sticking with a bait (or color) for too long because I’ve normally caught bass on it previously. 

[J._Bricker]

What am I doing wrong?- I haven’t gone fishing due to various reasons and obligations here in early 2024 I’m looking forward to spending more time on the water. *And I do have a tendency to fish a technique I want the fish to respond to as opposed to what the fish want or are doing.

 

What are other BR members doing right?- They’re going fishing and putting a hurtin' on ‘em! One needs to look no further than posts last two months in the “Latest Catch” thread. I suspect the numbers of BR posting there to increase as more of the big girls attend the annual spring dance.

[Mobasser]

I suspect I'm not fishing as good as A-Jay, Catt, WRB, or Bluebasser86.

[Swamp Girl]

16 minutes ago, J._Bricker said:

One needs to look no further than posts last two months in the “Latest Catch” thread.

 

Yeah, huh!