One word of advice that changed your fishing career

[fishballer06]

Hooksets are free.

[J Francho]

7 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

Hooksets are free.

Why is that feeling of a fish spitting your jig more defined than picking it up?  Man that's the worst. 

[DaubsNU1]

Not really one word, or one piece of advice...but one person.

 

Growing up in Nebraska, our family shared a "cabin" on the Platte River with Grandparents, Aunt and Uncle and their family. I spent many days fishing for crappie and bluegill from shore.

 

I moved to Missouri after finishing college and met a co-worker that would become a great friend. He was originally from Alabama, and grew up in Texas, and loved to fish for Bass. We spent many days fishing from his canoe, talking about life, work, and most of all bass-fishing.

 

The lake we fished the most was stocked with Musky, and had a good population of LMB's. I learned so much from my friend...lessons that still impact my fishing to this day! 

[Swamp Girl]

50 minutes ago, Reel said:

Fish where others don't.

 

Yeah, I learned the same lesson, mostly from my dad. Now we're both too old to reach the yonder lakes, but we can both return to them whenever we want with our memories. 

[Bass Rutten]

Follow the wind… 

 

Unless your fishing partner had Taco Bell last night.

[MassBass]

You need to suffer to catch fish. 

 

This may mean; you need to fail, again and again, to figure out a new lake or a new specie. Or, as we come into the cold weather seasons, it may mean quite literally suffering, fishing the cold wind driven rain of November, for a fish few others would ever encounter.

[Catt]

Don't be afraid of the night...be afraid of what hunts in the night ?

 

[JCfishing]

The gentleman I fished with till his passing a few years ago who was a bus driver for the county transit system here in the county I live in always said "patients always" meaning that no matter how difficult the situation always be patient and kind to others 

[J._Bricker]

“Don’t leave fish to go find fish” and “the wind is your friend”. And it’s always been amazing to me how well the second quote played out over the years in catching big fish and my PB when I may have otherwise elected to fish in more favorable conditions.

[bowhunter63]

Find the bait and slow down 

[geo g]

30 years ago I read an article about two Florida Biologists that went out to study the food intake of alligators in the Everglades.  The airboat they were in broke down in the swamp, and they were 8 miles from the closest road, and no cell service back in those days.  The experienced man had to walk out in three feet of water and muck on a hot, sunny, Florida day.  They had limited water supplies.  The man walked out but it took 8 hours to get to the road.  The woman left with the airboat was found unconscious when help finally arrived.  She dehydrated and died after reaching the hospital.

 

I learned a valuable lesson, always take a lot more water than you think you will need in case of mechanical problems when in the boat.  With our modern electronics I always take emergency numbers of Fish and Game and those that have the equipment to help when in the back waters,  especially when in the Everglades.

[Mike L]

Two things that always stuck with me….

1) Never leave fish to find fish 

2) Whenever you think you’re fishing too slow, you’re not 

 

Personal Note

If your boater puts on a Goalie mask and tightens his vest..Hold on tighter

 

 

 

Mike

[Swamp Girl]

3 hours ago, J._Bricker said:

“Don’t leave fish to go find fish” and “the wind is your friend”. And it’s always been amazing to me how well the second quote played out over the years in catching big fish and my PB when I may have otherwise elected to fish in more favorable conditions.

 

I wish the wind were my friend. When I fished from heavier boats, I enjoyed some great fishing in the wind, but in a canoe, the wind is my bully.

[geo g]

I a canoe drag a ten pound weight and let the wind slowly blow you through a productive area.

[J._Bricker]

I can appreciate what you’re saying @Swamp Girl, and I’m thankful I fish out of a glass boat. On those days when it was blowing big time, two R rated words preceded “we’re here, so might as well go fishing”. Dealing with the wind in a bass boat, a canoe or my old Caddis float tube isn’t fun at times, but definitely can be rewarding.

[Catt]

Three Tap Theory as explained to me by Shaw Grigsby 

 

The first tap the bass has inhaled your lure.

 

 The second tap the bass has expelled your lure.

 

The third tap is me tapping you on the shoulder asking why you didn't set hook!

[papajoe222]

I was catching a bite to eat after the first day of a tournament. Another angler, I never got his name, was talking about fishing the entire water column, in an area where he'd located fish during practice, before giving up on a spot. I didn't have the kind of free time to prefish a tourney, but it got me to thinking about structure I had been targeting. Next day out, I began with the top of the water column on a small point that didn't show on any of the maps I'd checked out. I switched to a mid depth crank, caught a limit of nice fish and moved to another, bigger point. I continued to catch and cull from that one and finished in the money.  Now I don't leave a spot I have confidence in until I fish the whole water column.

On 10/10/2024 at 7:25 PM, TnRiver46 said:

And set the hook into a channel cat 

Or a 20lb. flathead. It's happened to me twice this year, but without FFS.

[txchaser]

In general, advice here on BR. 

 

In specifics:

1) @WRB's comment about the idea of 'adult fish' - when they get big they behave differently in some important ways. 

2) @Catt's comment about the intersection of the thermocline and structure holding bigger fish. 

 

[Swamp Girl]

12 hours ago, J._Bricker said:

I can appreciate what you’re saying @Swamp Girl, and I’m thankful I fish out of a glass boat. On those days when it was blowing big time, two R rated words preceded “we’re here, so might as well go fishing”. Dealing with the wind in a bass boat, a canoe or my old Caddis float tube isn’t fun at times, but definitely can be rewarding.

 

It'll be 5 mph when I launch at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. It doesn't sound like much, but when your canoe is 15' 6" long and only weighs 32 pounds, it works like a sail. So, I'm hoping for the reward that you mentioned! 

[F14A-B]

Studying the largemouth bass by reading ANYTHING the Doug Hannon wrote or revealed. I’m a rescue diver and I was in the military in the 80’s and applied to him for a camera operator (underwater) he called me later and told me many things but he said he was humbled by my interest in LMB and being in the military looking to pursue other interests. I didn’t get the job but he is my hero when such topics are brought up. He was an incredible Man. (We both lived in Florida.) RIP Doug Hannon. 

[Spankey]

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

It'll be 5 mph when I launch at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. It doesn't sound like much, but when your canoe is 15' 6" long and only weighs 32 pounds, it works like a sail. So, I'm hoping for the reward that you mentioned! 

I’m fishing in something heavier than your canoe and the wind is not my friend. Pulled of 3 back to back mornings this week but the wind on Thursday forced me off earlier than anticipated. Yesterday was downright cold at 38 deg. @ 6:00am. My first bass caught was the nicest of the week at just over 15”. Was catching mostly 12-14” over the 3 days. No shallow fish. 13-18 feet of water. Not finding bait fish or feeding activity shallow. Bluegill and crappie are at these depths also. Not fishing the weekend, have stuff at home to do. Gonna be a decent weekend for temps. Winds are suppose to pick up again at the beginning of the week but die off at mid week. Good fishing. 

[TOXIC]

What changed my fishing?  The day I tied on a Senko.  It opened the door to finesse and I have never looked back.  That was 30 years ago. 

[bottom_dollar]

Keep your line tight and never get in a hurry, even when fishing fast. 

[Alex from GA]

A friend told me to always ask "how deep are they".  He also taught me how to doodle and said he also taught Iovino.

[Bankbeater]

I read somewhere that "each bite tells you something".