I am the worst fisherman in the history of bass fishing!

[Red Bear]

If your problem is finding fish then you may need to change the places where you fish as others have suggested. sometimes you have to throw technique out the window as well. what works great one day may not work so well the next even in similar/same conditions. for example, ive been fishing my uncles farm pond a lot lately because its close by, i get good practice in there, and havent had a lot of time to go elsewhere to fish. ive had good luck there in past years just throwing out a berkley red shad worm and reeling it in, the fish would chase it down and bite. this year not so much the same. ive had to trick the fish or just get plain lucky.

one day i had great luck on a tiny rebel crick hopper, even hooked a small blue gill that day that got gobbled up by a huge bass while i was bringing him in, instead i brung in a bass with a full belly of blue gill. yesterday there was a huge bass swimming along the bank, appeared to me he was hungry looking for food. so i walk up ahead of him, he swims under an algae patch and i drop a rebel crawdad right in the next clear spot in front of the algae and the bass annihilated it, yet when i casted the crawdad out nothing would hit it. it was one of the easiest fish youll ever catch(had i got the hook set, instead i was dodging a lure flying out of the water right at me). so after that i went to my beloved red shad worm, and nothing would bite it either. so i changed tactics, threw it out and let it sit on the bottom a few minutes(patience is key, you sound like you could use some). eventually i would bump the lure a bit to draw fishes attention. then i would let it sit again, leaving my line slack. all of a sudden i would sense something grabbing the worm and then i would see my slack tightening up and set the hook, caught two that way before i had to pack it up and go home. bass dont always like to chase things, sometimes they like an easy meal thats sitting right there for them with minimal movement. ive seen a lot of bass in that pond chase my lures and then just veer off no matter how i adjusted. ive also seen them chase a lure i threw into an algae patch on accident and reeled in really fast across the top of the water to clean it up and try again. happened the other day, this bass was flying so i stopped my algae covered lure right before the bank and he nailed it. my point being is, conventional methods and techniques dont always work, and sometimes when you least expect it you will catch fish in weird ways. never be afraid to try something new, sometimes people get too caught up in the technical aspect of fishing that they forget to actually fish and enjoy themselves.

[islandbass]

The real problem is not being addressed. I have done all that is recommended. I know how to t-rig and work all my baits. I appreciate all the support. I'm pretty sure you are all accomplished fisherman and have the experience to catch any fish you wanted. the guide would be a great help, but the places where I fish simply do not have access to guides. There is something missing like a piece to a puzzle. I am part of NAFC and have multiple books and always watch their shows as well as the entire versus channel. I think that I have all the knowledge I just cant pull the trigger when I am at the lake. I kill myself to fish slow and still do not get any bites. I would be happy with one fish per outing, I just wish I could be consistent.

I hear you and "feel" your pain and I am not certain if you are stuck on the shore or not, but all of the knowledge in your head and the advice given here isn't going to do much if you are fishing where the fish are not.

The only thing I can recommend is not giving up. Good luck.

[tyrius.]

Where in Chicago do you live?  I'm in the southwestern suburbs and if you're anywhere close I can show you a couple of spots that I usually have good luck.

If you're averaging less than one fish per outing then you're missing a big piece of the puzzle.  It's difficult to know what that piece is but something is missing.

[YaHoo]

i have had a bad year so far this year!

i have thought about quitting so many times!

get a partner it helps!

im only 17, a recent graduate with no boat shore fishing and i just got back from a 7+ hour trip on the bank in 99 degree weather with not ONE fish lol

but it was great it beats being home.

my problem is i fish a lake once and if i catch nothing i give up on it and never come back.

just fish slow.

nothings wrong with live bait.

ps-i havent caught a bass in my last 5 outings:(

but tomorrow morning you can bet ill be out there as that suns rising