best tip ever?

[ConwayChain]

The one thing I will always remember was from my grandfather. He was in a bass club for years in Macon Georgia. He told me there was a guy in his club that would either win or at least be in the top five in every tournament he fished for the three years he was in the club. Of course I had to ask what in the world he did. My grandfather said the guy had a small tackle box. In the tackle box were ten lures. Five, four inch silver Rapala minnows and five, four inch gold Rapala minnows. Thats all he ever used. I couldnt believe this. I even said I couldnt believe the guy would only throw these two lures. My grandfather said "so many new lures come out and so many people are always throwing the lures that they feel the fish havent seen. After a while the new lures that people feel the fish never see are the only lures the fish ever see". He then told me, dont ever forget about the lures that have always been good. Sometimes you will be the only person using them and also the only person ever catching fish. I still to this day always end up throwing a Rapala or a Rattle Trap just about every time I fish. I do try most of the new stuff, but these two seem to always catch something.

[Nick_Barr]

Hooksets are free

Fish Slow, But fast

Pay attention to nature

[Redtail]

Fish as often as you can with people who are more experienced and just plain better fisherman than you are.  That is how I was able to become a better golfer.  You'll be amazed at what you can learn from them.

[paparock]

As a bass fisherman returned from saltwater structure fishing I am most comfortable fishing structure and depth. An old Salt once told me the more I fished the lighter tackle I would use. Well I didn't start out that way. I started off fishing offshore using Heavy Tackle that weighed in the pounds not ounces but years later I was fishing the same fish with what most anglers would consider ultralight tackle for the size of fish I was after just like the old man had said. He was way ahead of his time as the saltwater finesse guru.

RW has been a great help in converting me back to bass fishing since his style compliments my experience so well.

A good example of fishing out of the box was really made by an incident that happened at my old canoe/kayak fishing resort with a newlywed couple. The groom and several other smallmouth addicts all went on a eleven mile fishing trip downriver. The bride had never fished for smallmouth on a river before. Of course you know what happened. The lady caught a solid five pound smallie beating all the men. I believe the reason was that being a novice her presentation was more erratic than the others so the big smallie smacked her lure instead of the others.

The single best advise I was ever given is to be flexible and adaptable. Fish have to eat so if they are not eating your offerings try something else till you find what they want and how they want it.

[slappy]

This is all great stuff, thanx for the tips!

[Rattlinrogue]

When setting the hook on  a bass with a jig and pig,"cross his eyes" !

[TheNextMikeIke]

"Never Give Up" thats from Mike Ike himself and this year it helped me a lot as I won two tournys in the last 20 min. in both tornys I hadnt caught anything and then in the last 20 min. I caught a limit including the lunkers in both tornys.

[Guest avid]

Fish with confidence. Take the time to really master a lure.  Most lures can be fished in a wide variety of ways yet most people have one or maybe two ways of fishing most lures.  I love feeding the baitmonkey, but when I get a new lure, I won't take it off one of my rods for at least 5-10 trips.  I want to develop confidence in that lure.  I'll fish it every way I ever heard of then try to make up a few of my own.  I usually have three or four productive methods for each lure in my box.  If I can't get a good bite on a new lure after 5-10 outings, I'll wait for a different season and try again.  After awhile your tackle box is full of lures that you KNOW will catch fish.  Nice feeling.

[.ghoti.]

SLOW DOWN !!!!!!!

[slappy]

Slow down seems to be very popular!

[roadwarrior]

Check your line constantly. A burr, abrasion or thin spot is NOT "probably okay."

Retie after catching a big fish or being hung up if it takes a lot of pressure to get undone.

If your knot is not perfect, it's not good enough.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

About 5 years ago I was beatin the shoreline to death, the only way I used to fish My friend Ray said turn around their behind you. Well now I fish as deep as 8 to 10 feet I dont like to go much deeper but it has helped me a great deal Since I fish for fun I have no pressure to put fish in the boat and still spend most of my time fishin early in AM and late in the day on the shoreline b/c I find it so much fun

[squid]

Don't be afraid to lose your lure.  If you think it's a stump or a rock.....SET THE HOOK!!   It just might be the biggest fish you've ever caught.

Watch your line all the time, that tells you if a fish is on your bait before you even feel it.

Always put sunscreen on right after your morning shower.  If you forget, then rub your hands with garlic scent and wipe off the residue on your buddies sandwich...lol...he wont mind the garlic flavor...lmao ;D

[ConwayChain]

About 5 years ago I was beatin the shoreline to death, the only way I used to fish My friend Ray said turn around their behind you. Well now I fish as deep as 8 to 10 feet I dont like to go much deeper but it has helped me a great deal Since I fish for fun I have no pressure to put fish in the boat and still spend most of my time fishin early in AM and late in the day on the shoreline b/c I find it so much fun

It is strange if you think about it. People in a boat want to fish the shoreline, people on the shoreline want to fish the middle of the lake.

[Whopper Stopper]

It looks like you guys took all of the good ones, but I've got one that is still important.

Wear sunglasses when fishing topwater. I once set the hook too soon on a bass after he hit my popper, The force of my hookset sent the lure back at me and hit the lens of my new $50 pair of sunglasses. It left a big ugly scratch right in front of my eye; but ruining a lens is better than trying to fish with only one eye.

[Gatorbassman]

Never leave fish to find more fish.

[MyKeyBe]

Don't be afraid to lose your lure. If you think it's a stump or a rock.....SET THE HOOK!! It just might be the biggest fish you've ever caught.

Hey, I thought hooksets were free! Besides if it isn't a bass, I've already caught all the big stumps and rocks I could ever want. ;D

This is my tip.

Bass fishing is fun.

You do not need a $400.00 rod, $350.00 reel, and a $22.00 crank bait to catch a nice bass. I caught my PB (which really is not that great. 3.5-4.5#) on about $46.00 worth of equipment. Rod, reel, line, and lure on less than $46.00. If you can afford the higher end stuff then by all means use it but you do not have to have it to have fun fishing.

The best tip ever? Catch and release.

[Captain]

Amen - CATCH AND RELEASE!!

I grew as many did keeping everything. Now the notion makes me sick. Just the other day, I was loading my boat and a guy on the bank was bragging what all he'd caught. One of the fish was a smallmouth and that really got my attention since I rarely see them anymore on many of the local waters. I said "You caught a smallmouth here?". He said sure did, I'll show it to you. He proceeded to pull it out of a bucket that he was throwing ALL of his fish in. I let him know exactly how I fealt about it and he just stood there with his jaw hanging down. There are few things that I am more passionate about than fishing and sometimes it comes through. We could all do better without the attitudes of a lot of people - who cares about the fish population, etc. "I'll just fish somewhere else and leave my trash there too". It just makes me sick. Enough ranting, just had to share my thoughts!

[SA_Mountaineer]

To expand on the sunglasses post...polarized sunglasses can help reduce the glare while fishing topwater.  (they can also help you see into tinted windows, but that's another story  ;D)

[Zel]

An old pro once told me:

"The harder you work at your skills, the more luck you seem to have."

[Chris]

Hey Zel welcome to the forum

[roadwarrior]

Go big or go home.

BTW,  Zel, Welcome aboard!

[slappy]

I'll third that, welcome!

[GobbleDog]

When I first started getting into bass fishing, I remember reading in a fishing book that said "The number one thing  nearly all people do wrong with topwater lures.... they work them too quickly". It talked about using more patience and waiting for the ripples go away and not just reeling it in, but making it sputter here and there and really try to imitate a dying baitfish.

For some reason that stuck with me and I've since gotten pretty good with topwater lures.

[bixbybasspro]

Have confidence in what your doing...Because it starts with yourself! 8-)

And Obviously again Never Give Up! 8-) I dont' care for Iaconelli but i love his saying..