My Formula For Success

[bassackwards]

its amazing to see where I was when I first came around here compared to now. this very small progress seems more like huge accomplishments after seeing how little I knew then.

[Axis]

its amazing to see where I was when I first came around here compared to now. this very small progress seems more like huge accomplishments after seeing how little I knew then.

right on man, I haven't been here very long, but what has helped me more than ANYTHING on this forum is, I want to fish!!!! Reading all these posts makes me want to hit the water daily. Just three days ago I caught my personal best 8 lbs 5oz. It wasn't because I learned a new trick here, its just the motivation from all there people here, get out and fish!!!!!!! Never know when the next one will be the big one!

[DDbasser]

Great post RW.

I've been trying to make myself stay on fish once I find them, I have a real problem, after i catch a couple from one area, I want to move on to the next area.

[Matt Fly]

I keep a rod next to the door and a milk crate outside to stand on. I practice all casts as much as possible. I keep coffee cans, and differnt types of targets to practice with. I won't quit until I hit the 15' target ten times. Before my cat disappeared, I had a spinning rod and rubber mouse next to my easy chair. A cats attitude is very similar to a basses attitude. I got practice with my drag control as my cat would muscle that rat down the hall. Some days, she just laid there, the less action I imparted the more she wanted to pounce. Just like a bass, somedays they want the same bait hopping(moving), sometimes still, slow drag and pause. Point is : my cat didn't always attack it the same, it depended on her mood, as with a bass also.

You know there is one thing I wish I could do a bunch better. What do you suggest I do to become better at my roll cast and pitch? Please don't say "more time of the water" because the price of gas is a b***h!

The one thing that has helped me learn my baits better. I have a motel pool no more 50 yds away. No one in the pool of course. I will throw every new crank to check its running.(if its tuned).

I watch all plastics fall to see the action.

I learn with different weights the fall rates of line classes. For suspened fish. If I want to hit 24ft. in 40ft of water with 17lb trilene big game. its 14sec. on my curado .200b with a 10in. zoom.

If I can't tune a right running crank, I write tiny on the underbelly r-3, which means for every ten yards it runs 3ft right. I know with the upcoming wind is out of the east, I'll run into the wind and I have 100 boat docks that I can use this r-3 to swim under the dockon the shaded side for a better presentation. would have been parallel to the dock if true, now I go where maybe only 5% of the other anglers could target with the same crank or similar.

I try to rig new ideas in the pool to see how it looks. Like putting a leader of 8in from a rattletrap, I tied an 1/8thoz in-line spinner from the top treble. This idea came from salt water spec rigs. Like two lead head bucktail jigs chasing each other. I have had great success in open water with this gimick, the chaser(spinner) catchs a lot of fish, rarely a keeper over 14" But if you took a kid fishing in open waters, they will catch fish.

I also like to see how my extra long worms that I melt together look like in the pool. Knowing what your bait does, can do and how to impart subtle twitches can be learned in a clear swimming pool. Won't to know what dead sticking looks like. Know how to impart the action the fish wants that day. I can make a plastic dance the waltz on bottom with out seeing it. Last week it was the tango that turned them on, this week it should be a slow dance due to the cold front coming through. I have more on this subject. No time to write it.  I have spent days and hours at that pool practicing skipping in to the 18"x6" bug trap, filter, chlorine dispenser, what ever its called.   I learned that my round weights on a c-rig roll down to the 8ft end.  granted lake bottoms aren't usually that smooth.  I just never thought about my weight moving due to contour change on bottom.  Knowing that feel without seeing it helps me understand the bottom contours better.

[scbassin]

R/W this is a good post but disagree about the reel being more important than the rod. Before you can fight the fish you must hook it & to do that you must feel it. To do this a good line & a good sensitive rod is a must. There are many days where the bite is very, very soft. After the hook set the rod must be powerful enough to turn his head away from the cover. Now you need a good reel with an excellent drag.

[Rattlinrogue]

This may seem like a dumb answer,but I like to put on a power bait that I really have confidence in and then try to make as many casts as I can.I wanna make 1000 casts.Odds are something will react to the bait and hit.That doesn't work all the time.I know sometimes you gotta slow down,but that's my favorite.

[roadwarrior]

scbassin,

I doubt if we disagree very much. I too want the perfect rod matched with the perfect reel, but if I could only have one 10 and the next best piece of equipment had to be a 9, my 10 would be the reel and my 9 would be the rod.

Still, I see your point. Let's get the best of both!