My issues with a closed mind while fishing

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

I know that I’ve always had an issue with not being very open minded while bass fishing. Lately I’ve really noticed this more and I’m trying to catch myself doing this. For example yesterday i got to a lake I hadn’t fished in a while and i saw some matted grass, I immediately thought of a heavy t-rig to punch these mats. I fished one for probably about an hour with no luck. At that point I should have probably picked something else up but I was so locked into the idea of punching that I kept going and didn’t have a good day at on the water. I guess struggle because I feel like im supposed fish my gut feeling and fish techniques I  have confidence in, but I’m so focused on these things that I can’t open my mind and realize that I should be doing something different. I’d love to hear you thoughts/ advice on this.
Thank you 

[OmegaDPW]

I stick with my confidence baits way too long just about every time I'm on the water. Sometimes that results in getting skunked. I don't see myself changing, though. 😉

[Zcoker]

Would've could've should've don't beat yourself up over bass fishing. If anything, try to find your rhythm with things that you are comfortable with, even if they are not of the so called "norm". Unless you are tournament fishing, I really wouldn't worry about it. Have fun, enjoy yourself, your surroundings, thanking the almighty for another beautiful day! 

[Fishing_Rod]

Greetings All,

I have to ask what your objectives are? You asked for some perspectives on the matter so I'll toss in $0.02 worth. If you seek to catch fish then it is probably better to base your decisions on evidence, "results".

 

If your initial approach is not producing, even though it may be your preferred way the fish may have a different opinion. Often a slight variation of what you are doing is all that is needed as an adjustment. Example: You are punching the weeds, perhaps a slightly different amount of weight to change the fall rate. I would simply recommend the easy approach first, simply let the bait soak longer and linger in place. Often the fish need time to approach and commit. The equipment remains the same, you've just adjusted your tempo. I've had the too much coffee on the drive to the lake and find it is simply a tempo thing. Till I match the pace of the place I'm at then thing are better.

 

On the other hand there have been times where I'm seeking to develop skills with a particular technique, bait, etc. So I will take a dedicated approach to learn and understand through building experience. In those cases I'm working to achieve the results with a commitment to use what I've got in hand. I'm not changing and I'm going to make it work, right?

 

Yeah, there is a time and place for different approaches. Me, I'm a recreational angler so I'd better be having fun first. I might learn a thing or two along the way. This is the time of the year for big fish in the big weeds, go get'em. Be well and cheers!

[Swamp Girl]

2 hours ago, August said:

I immediately thought of a heavy t-rig to punch these mats. I fished one for probably about an hour with no luck.

 

August, I would never spend an hour fishing one way in one spot to not catch a bass. I skitter. My canoe is always loaded with six to seven rods, each with a different lure, and I rotate through all of them until I crack the code. Usually the answer is in using one of the seven rods at the right place on the pond/bog. 

 

Of course, as @Zcoker wrote, it's important to enjoy the ride. That's why, in nearly every trip report I write, I share a photo or three of the glories I saw and I also often share what animals I was lucky enough to see. 

[thediscochef]

i consistently agonize over whether i should be throwing confidence or searching with the kitchen sink. i have found the results to be similar when there isn't an obvious "this is what you should clearly throw" situation

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

22 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

August, I would never spend an hour fishing one way in one spot to not catch a bass. 

That’s kinda my issue now, a t-rig and a jig have been serious confidence baits for me and it’s hard for me to put it down even after hours of no luck or just a couple fish. 

[thediscochef]

3 minutes ago, August said:

That’s kinda my issue now, a t-rig and a jig have been serious confidence baits for me and it’s hard for me to put it down even after hours of no luck or just a couple fish. 

I have the same issue sometimes if there's a lure that's been getting crushed all week or something. But nothing ever stays the same forever. I used to just look for activity and throw a chatterbait at it, that works well in the spring and fall but gets real boring in the summer and winter. 

the feeling is much akin to playing slot machines - that next big bite on that bait you love is just around the corner...for six hours. Hard to walk away from that anticipation of dopamine.

[Mike L]

Did you move or stay in one spot?

If you didn’t move then yes, you should have packed up and tried something else somewhere else. 
 

Did you change your angle of entry?

If no, next time try that subtle but effective change, sometimes you’ll be shocked that’s all that was needed. 
 

Did you change your plastic with more action to enlist a reaction strike?

If no, see above

 

Did you change your rof?

If no, see above 

 

Having a bait and presentation that you have confidence in is great, we all have them. But consider why.. because they were where we were and we caught em more times than not. 

 

I’m all for having fun as much as the next person, but if I’m on the water my fun doesn’t come from looking around and bird watching for 8 hrs.
 

All these things really need to be considered before I give up on a spot or even an area. 

A wise man once said “confidence is everything”

 

But sometimes they’re just not there

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

[Swamp Girl]

4 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

But nothing ever stays the same forever.

 

So true. In Maine, nothing stays the same from day-to-day. Those bass are always moving. For example, yesterday morning, the bass wanted noisy/flashy lures, but to realize this, I had to cycle through quieter/duller lures. This song should be the anthem for bass anglers:

 

 

13 minutes ago, August said:

That’s kinda my issue now, a t-rig and a jig have been serious confidence baits for me and it’s hard for me to put it down even after hours of no luck or just a couple fish. 

 

Do these two baits let you probe the entire water column? I've found that sometimes bass are looking up and sometimes bass are looking down and sometimes bass are looking straight ahead. 

[gim]

If you want to avoid just tossing your confidence lures/presentations because you can't make yourself deviate, this is what you do.

 

Leave the confidence lures at home and just bring stuff you need to gain more confidence in.  By simply not even having a jig with, you literally can't get stuck in a rut fishing it.  If you want to learn how to wacky rig or fish a tube more, just bring that and learn that for one outing.

 

We all have our tendencies and confidence lures.  I do too.  But I only give mine about 15 minutes and if its not working, I move on.

[Pat Brown]

I think bait matters a lot less than area and mostly we get stuck in areas that look good that have zero fish biting in them in the hopes that will change. 

 

Fact is - with you sitting there in a bass boat hammering the area - things are very unlikely to change for the better!

 

Best to keep moving in bass fishing and work on keeping a good distance/boat positioning/stealth and casting accuracy.

 

If you keep moving and master those elements of bass fishing - you'll always run into a few every time you go out regardless of the bait you use.

[gim]

For years I could not catch a fish on jerkbait.  I pretty much gave on them after 2 full seasons.  The third season I only brought jerkbaits with one outing in the spring and by god wouldn't you know it, I caught some fish.  Then after that I caught some more.  Now they are a regular in my arsenal.

[fin]

It’s not just a “confidence bait” if you consistently catch more fish with it than anything else, is it?

 

I hate throwing the same thing all the time, but I hate not catching fish too. I’m happiest when I can try something new or different each day, and if that doesn’t work, then I fall back to the proven lures. But when fishing is as tough as it is right now, trying something different is mostly just wasting time.

 

54 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Fact is - with you sitting there in a bass boat hammering the area - things are very unlikely to change for the better!

 

Not always true. The pattern I'm seeing right now is bass feeding on shad at a certain location. They come in 15-30 minute intervals and it's totally dead in between. I'm bank fishing and watch boats pass the spot all the time, casting a couple times at the bank as they pass through. If they'd study the structure of the lake and actually look at their sonar instead of just beating the banks, they'd have more success. Or at least that's the way it seems to this landlubber. 😆

[king fisher]

Bass will usually bite a variety of baits, and presentations.  The trick is finding the bass.  Once you find the bass you can fine tune your technique.  Most likely if you find the bass you can get them to bite one of your confidence lures.  The bass were probably not in the matted grass, or the ones that were did not want to feed the on day you described.  Maybe they  were feeding on rocky points that day.  I, find the bass, and then determine what technique works best.  Some days I don't catch anything, but I try to not get stuck in a rut, only fishing my favorite places or techniques.

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Mike L said:

I’m all for having fun as much as the next person, but if I’m on the water my fun doesn’t come from looking around and bird watching for 8 hrs.

 

I'm looking around for bass. There are clues. In the process of looking for bass, I see the birds and am happy. 

 

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Leave the confidence lures at home and just bring stuff you need to gain more confidence in. 

 

I did just ^this^ yesterday with a spinnerbait and jig. They preferred the spinnerbait, so now it's one of my confidence lures. I expect the same thing will happen with a jig one day, when the bass don't want something as flashy as a spinnerbait. 

 

18 minutes ago, fin said:

1 hour ago, Pat Brown said:

Fact is - with you sitting there in a bass boat hammering the area - things are very unlikely to change for the better!

 

Not always true. The pattern I'm seeing right now is bass feeding on shad at a certain location. They come in 15-30 minute intervals and it's totally dead in between. I'm bank fishing and watch boats pass the spot all the time, casting a couple times at the bank as they pass through.

 

I think you're both right, depending upon the moment. Sometimes it's best to scoot. Other times it's best to change your approach/angle/lure. How do we know? We don't, but guessing sure is fun. 

 

1 hour ago, Pat Brown said:

Best to keep moving in bass fishing and work on keeping a good distance/boat positioning/stealth and casting accuracy.

 

^This^ is my approach. Paddling is my best bass fishing skill because good paddling gives me good distance and positions the boat. Casting accuracy is my other top notch skill. I hit the slots and spots and have a good sense as to what the slots and spots are. No lie: There are times when I cast to a spot and because it looks soooooooo similar to other spots where I've caught fish, I ready myself for the coming hit...and I'm usually right. As unpredictable as bass can be, some spots are prime, whatever the weather or time. 

[Bankc]

My thought is, you're taking this entirely too seriously.  The only thing you are "supposed to do" is have a good time. 

 

There will be days where you'll make dumb mistakes and get skunked because of it.  They'll be days where you do everything perfectly, and still get skunked.  And there will be days where you'll make nothing but mistakes and catch a boatload of fish anyway.  You can INFLUENCE how many fish you catch with your choices, but you can't CONTROL it. 

 

Besides, you'll make better decisions when you're relaxed. 

[Mobasser]

Most bass lures are versatile. Try a new or different retrieve. An example, try swimming a plastic worm instead of hopping it. Your using a confidence bait, but in a new way. It can work.

[fin]

59 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I think you're both right, depending upon the moment. Sometimes it's best to scoot.

 

I agree that, in general, it’s best to scoot if an area is not producing and you don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the lake. And I’m happy to see the boats zipping by my favorite spots. 😉

 

I'm not sure I understand the subject of the post, but it's got closed minds in the title and I think it's about following general rules instead of analyzing each situation. There are several visual clues to the situation I described, but most boaters are moving too quickly to pick up on them. That’s why I mentioned the exception to the @Pat Brown rule.

 

From your perspective, waiting for a 15-30 minute interval probably sounds crazy, but on a lake where 95%+ of the people walk away skunked after hours of fishing, it’s not so crazy. Maybe it’s crazy to fish there at all. I can’t argue with that. 😂

[crypt]

all of the above replies are great. Just remember, don't get overwhelmed with trying new or different techniques,you have to find what works for you. Your fishing not doing brain surgery......unless you're a brain surgeon..

[PaulVE64]

6 hours ago, August said:

I know that I’ve always had an issue with not being very open minded while bass fishing. Lately I’ve really noticed this more and I’m trying to catch myself doing this. For example yesterday i got to a lake I hadn’t fished in a while and i saw some matted grass, I immediately thought of a heavy t-rig to punch these mats. I fished one for probably about an hour with no luck. At that point I should have probably picked something else up but I was so locked into the idea of punching that I kept going and didn’t have a good day at on the water. I guess struggle because I feel like im supposed fish my gut feeling and fish techniques I  have confidence in, but I’m so focused on these things that I can’t open my mind and realize that I should be doing something different. I’d love to hear you thoughts/ advice on this.
Thank 

The proper technique isnt the goal, only a tool.

 

[Pat Brown]

2 hours ago, fin said:

 

I agree that, in general, it’s best to scoot if an area is not producing and you don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the lake. And I’m happy to see the boats zipping by my favorite spots. 😉

 

I'm not sure I understand the subject of the post, but it's got closed minds in the title and I think it's about following general rules instead of analyzing each situation. There are several visual clues to the situation I described, but most boaters are moving too quickly to pick up on them. That’s why I mentioned the exception to the @Pat Brown rule.

 

From your perspective, waiting for a 15-30 minute interval probably sounds crazy, but on a lake where 95%+ of the people walk away skunked after hours of fishing, it’s not so crazy. Maybe it’s crazy to fish there at all. I can’t argue with that. 😂

 

 

I don't want to create the impression that by suggesting that you should keep moving that you should move over areas too quickly or past fish that are biting.

 

The purpose of covering water and moving is to find the fish that are biting and sometimes 15 to 30 minutes is not an unreasonable amount of time to fish an area while moving very quickly. I don't understand why people can't reconcile these two things! 

 

😄😄😄♥️♥️♥️ 

 

If anything, I find that while my intention is to cover water and move quickly every time I go out I end up spending 2 hours on a corner of a pocket that's about 30 ft wide LOL. Sometimes it works out but usually it works out better if I just keep moving.

 

I am merely suggesting that the vast majority of people with good intentions and good information about bass fishing still generally fish too slow and don't cover enough water in a day to find fish a lot of the time!

[Swamp Girl]

25 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I am merely suggesting that the vast majority of people with good intentions and good information about bass fishing still generally fish too slow and don't cover enough water in a day to find fish a lot of the time!

 

Pat and I are fast fishers. If we ever fish together, we'll need someone to shout as we launch, "And they're off!"

 

I thought about what I wrote and I think bass boat anglers with Pratt & Whitney jet engines would chuckle at a guy fishing from shore with his kid and an old woman in a canoe considering themselves to be fast anglers. 

[Catt]

It is not uncommon to spend hours punching with no bites & then stick a 25-30# stack in the next 30-45 minutes. 

 

When I decide to go punching I keep only 2 setups on the deck. A punch setup & a frog setup. 

[Pat Brown]

17 minutes ago, Catt said:

It is not uncommon to spend hours punching with no bites & then stick a 25-30# stack in the next 30-45 minutes. 

 

When I decide to go punching I keep only 2 setups on the deck. A punch setup & a frog setup. 

 

 

What are your punch set up and your frog setup?