Avoiding being "skunked"

[FivePoundBluegill]

Hey guys just wondering how badly you all try to avoid being skunked and what you do to avoid being skunked. Lets say you fish for about 3 hours without a fish touching anything that you throw and its only about 30 minutes till it gets dark. What do you guys do to avoid getting skunked? What I often do is tie a small size bass assassin on my line and just jerk it in. This bait will always catch me fish no matter what unless it is the dead of winter. Thing is most the fish I catch on it will be small probably one pound or less. Still catching a couple dinks is better than being skunked. Yestoday was one of these evenings for me. I went out and started throwing a 5 inch green senko which the day before caught me 4 largemouth bass within 3 hours and two of them were around 15 inches. However the senko didnt catch me anything despite the great success I had with it the day before. Then I tried several other baits without catching anything. It was about 25 minutes till it got dark so I tied on my "skunk buster" bait(The small bass assassin) and caught about a 12-13 inch largemouth and a 8-9 inch largemouth. Just wondering wether you guys will do the same thing and go after smaller fish rather than being skunked and what you guys will do to avoid the skunk if anything?

[Guest ncbass24]

If it's almost time to go home and I havent caught any bass, I go to my number one skunk buster. A roboworm 4.5 inch straight tail worm rigged weightless or with a small split shot. This rig will catch me at least one fish 99% percent of the time.

[Fish Chris]

Hey FivePound, most of you probably already know my stance on getting skunked {It's totally okay, and if you fish specifically for big bass like I do, it's an expected part of the game}

However, if it were my goal "to just catch something... anything.... no matter the size" I'd probably not fish anything but a live night crawler on micro-light gear. Their is hardly a sportfish of any species that won't eat a crawler. Sometimes BIG fish too !

Their is a lot to know about fishing a crawler to its fullest though.

A big, fat, lively crawler, tail-hooked, on micro-light gear, with a 6 lb flourocarbon leader, is the best recipe on the planet, "for not getting skunked" :-)

Now, if it "must be" an artificial lure, I'd say to use medium-light gear, and a little 4" straight tailed worm (back in the day, they called them weenie's). I'd probably Carolina rig it, and work it VERY slowly in areas I already knew had fish.

But again, what's wrong with being skunked ??? ;-)

Peace,

Fish

[bpm2000]

I go home skunked a lot of the days I'm out there.  Just a part of the game for me.  I usually don't try to do some "last minute tactic" or throw on a "skunkbuster" just for the sake of catching something that day, but if I feel that must be done I usually just quit bass fishing and hook up the ultralight for some panfish action.  Bass are often incidental catches during that anyways.

[Siebert Outdoors]

its only about 30 minutes till it gets dark

Heck thats about when I get to the lake.  When it gets tough I've been useing these lately

shakey head with lizard, or robo worm

4" tube

finesse jig

[roadwarrior]

Hey FivePound, most of you probably already know my stance on getting skunked {It's totally okay, and if you fish specifically for big bass like I do, it's an expected part of the game}

...what's wrong with being skunked ??? ;-)

Peace,

Fish

I would never change to another bait or technique to catch little fish.

Just one bite away from a great day!

8-)

[FivePoundBluegill]

Wow I totally forgot to mention the 4 inch roboworm you guys brought up. That happens to be the other lure I use as a skunk buster besides the bass assassin. I use the bass assassin more as a skunk buster because it is more fun to fish with yet that 4 inch roboworm is also a great skunk buster. I almost always catch a fish on them when i use them but usually a small fish. I guess some people try to avoid the skunk more than others....

[FivePoundBluegill]

Hey FivePound, most of you probably already know my stance on getting skunked {It's totally okay, and if you fish specifically for big bass like I do, it's an expected part of the game}

However, if it were my goal "to just catch something... anything.... no matter the size" I'd probably not fish anything but a live night crawler on micro-light gear. Their is hardly a sportfish of any species that won't eat a crawler. Sometimes BIG fish too !

Their is a lot to know about fishing a crawler to its fullest though.

A big, fat, lively crawler, tail-hooked, on micro-light gear, with a 6 lb flourocarbon leader, is the best recipe on the planet, "for not getting skunked" :-)

Now, if it "must be" an artificial lure, I'd say to use medium-light gear, and a little 4" straight tailed worm (back in the day, they called them weenie's). I'd probably Carolina rig it, and work it VERY slowly in areas I already knew had fish.

But again, what's wrong with being skunked ??? ;-)

Peace,

Fish

Yeah crawlers will catch anything. I have never used any live bait besides crawlers and the few times I have used them I have managed to catch fish. They are also great because you never know what will hit a crawler. You can catch anything with them. I do not usually use live bait but crawlers are a great skunk buster.

[Davis]

If I get skunked than I get skunked.

I have been fishing a place with trout and LM as of late.

The trout have been teasing me like crazy so if I'm not catching bass than I throw on the 4lb test and 3" berkley trout worms and try for the brownies and brooks. Last night I brought home a nice 12" brook and had a nice meal.

But usually I will do or die trying to pull that nice LM out. I know there in this lake but I have yet to track them down. Thats the fun of fishing. Find the fish. Catch the fish. With no fish finder it makes it a lot more interesting to try out the different points on this small 60 acre lake.

If I really want a guarentee bass than I will pack up my stuff and head to my dads pond where there all over the place by the brush lines. But I like a challenge.  ;D

[Cajun1977]

skunk  happens to everyone  its just something you gotta live with  

[burleytog]

But again, what's wrong with being skunked ??? ;-)

Exactly.  I used to worry about it.  Wasn't unusual for me to carry crawlers or mealworms so I could bust the skunk.

Now I don't worry about it.  I've been skunked more in the first 6 months of this year than I was all of last year.  Not really a big deal.

[Floridabassking352]

I rarely get skunked anymore, so this isn't really a problem. My "skunk buster" would be the bait I catch the most fish on, the t-rigged Zoom Trickworm in black, which I always have tied on as it is my number one confidence lure. I don't have to worry about being skunked because I just know I will eventually get a fish on it.

[midnight_madness]

Getting skunked, LOL, that happens to me a lot. What I do if i plan to leave at a certain time I usually spend the last 30 minutes to a hour working on something that i'm not good at. Right now, that is currently the drop shot. I have already been skunked. So, why not practice a little.

[blackrose55x]

I usually don't change much to avoid getting skunked. I just change up colors or size a little bit (usually downsize) or i switch to live bait, which always seems to catch something.... Most of the time in these situations though i go for panfish, and just hope a bass sneaks in...

[FatBoy]

It's almost embarrassing to admit it, but the guaranteed skunk buster for me is a rooster tail.  That'll always catch something.

[grimlin]

Last weekend i skunked out for the first time this summer...I was getting hammered by the bluegills and turtles.They wouldn't leave my baits alone.After my baits getting torn off,missing legs and reeling it in to find only half my plastic still intact and the other half missing.No matter which part of the lake i went not one bass was active that weekend.I just flat gave up after 5 hours dealing with those other pesty critters.

[GraseMaster101]

Whenever i use a jointed rapala when I'm on the river, i have never been skunked. I have been before using other lures, but the jointed rap has worked well for me.

[Other.]

If I am going to get skunked I tend to tie on a 6lb mono leader and  downsize to a small 2 inch grub and catch crappies and small large mouth bass (This is only if I brought a long my medium or light tackle fishing rods because catching crappies on a MH rod is no fun at all) I used to tie on a chatter bait but they have not been working all that great for me this year even during when the temperature drops at the end of the day.

[FivePoundBluegill]

It's almost embarrassing to admit it, but the guaranteed skunk buster for me is a rooster tail. That'll always catch something.

I dont get what is so embarressing about that at all. The large yellow or white rooster tails will catch lots of small largemouth bass, crappie, and panfish. I have 3 rooster tails that I take with me often and throw them on a light action rod. Also I once caught a 16 inch largemouth bass on a rooster tail. That was a shocker.

[Raul]

The measurement of success varies from person to person which is determined by his/hers personal view of the sport, if you measure success by how many fish you catch there 's always a way to catch a few, grab a 4 inch grub or a rooster tail and you are in business; if you measure success by how big your fish are then you are in another wagon with different parameters, big fish hunters don 't measure their success with how many but with how big the fish were, for them truckloading the boat with 2-3-4 pounders is getting "skunked".

To me getting skunked is no fishing ( the recreational activity which doesn 't necessarily mean catching fish ) at all for whatever reason you may think about like wind, rain, broken outboard, etc.

[FatBoy]

It's almost embarrassing to admit it, but the guaranteed skunk buster for me is a rooster tail.  That'll always catch something.

I dont get what is so embarressing about that at all. The large yellow or white rooster tails will catch lots of small largemouth bass, crappie, and panfish. I have 3 rooster tails that I take with me often and throw them on a light action rod. Also I once caught a 16 inch largemouth bass on a rooster tail. That was a shocker.

Yeah, I said "almost" embarrassing  ;D  A rooster tail just seems like cheating I guess.  But it's almost the only thing I can get my 11 yo son to throw.  He's even caught several small catfish on his "lucky" sliver rooster tail.  And a friend and I were hammering smallmouth out of a small subdivision pond on rooster tails late last summer.  I only got small ones, but my friend stuck at 17 incher.  Rooster tails was the only thing they would hit.  And they would only hit if we were sitting down on the bank; I think they could see us if we were standing.  Go figure.  

[wvbucketmouth]

Getting skunked doesnt bother me much, but

I'll have to agree on the Rooster Tail.

They ALWAYS work. They used to sell Chrome ones, but I have not seen those for a few years. I still have one, but would buy more if I could find them. Great lure for the kids!

The Chrome ones will pretty much guarantee a "no skunk"

[rbrick]

I learned this from a very early Jimmy Houston TV show.If your getting skunked tie on a roadrunner jig and troll this through likely looking bass spots.When you catch anything (bass,bluegill crappie etc) stop and fish that spot.That is a great way to locate fish if you don't have electronics.

[pondhopper]

I go toss a senko in the "sewer fish hole" below the ingress pipe. He's almost always there and ready to fight.

[BassHunter69]

thats the best skunk buster there is

Hey FivePound, most of you probably already know my stance on getting skunked {It's totally okay, and if you fish specifically for big bass like I do, it's an expected part of the game}

However, if it were my goal "to just catch something... anything.... no matter the size" I'd probably not fish anything but a live night crawler on micro-light gear. Their is hardly a sportfish of any species that won't eat a crawler. Sometimes BIG fish too !

Their is a lot to know about fishing a crawler to its fullest though.

A big, fat, lively crawler, tail-hooked, on micro-light gear, with a 6 lb flourocarbon leader, is the best recipe on the planet, "for not getting skunked" :-)

Now, if it "must be" an artificial lure, I'd say to use medium-light gear, and a little 4" straight tailed worm (back in the day, they called them weenie's). I'd probably Carolina rig it, and work it VERY slowly in areas I already knew had fish.

But again, what's wrong with being skunked ??? ;-)

Peace,

Fish