need some help

[jeremyt]

I am starting to think that I just can't catch fish. I started bass fishing in July after saltwater fishing for 8 years. My best day with bass so far has been 9. I come here and read and seek advice from many knowledgable people, but I have been skunked my last 10 outings.  I know you can't catch every time you go, but dang I would love to catch one every now and then. I go out and cast and cast and cast with different lures. I try to let the fish tell me how they want it presented, but that hasn't been working. I get impatient and start to second guess myself. My confidence baits ( senkos, ikas, spinners) are not working for me. I have tried just about everything under the sun.

Well I guess I just needed to get out some frustrations to some people that could maybe understand. I am wanting to quit.

[roadwarrior]

Okay,

Take a deep breath and step away.

Save your money and hire a guide now or next spring. There is ABSOLUTELY no way a fellow from NC can't catch a few bass. Maybe the situation just hasn't been right. Take a break.

[jeremyt]

Thanks,

 I am really thinking about a guide, I just haven't had luck finding one near me ( closest is about 2 hours out). Maybe I just need a break, but it just kills me reading all of the local fishing reports and seeing guys having good luck.  I know I never had this kinda problem with saltwater.

[basscatchr27]

I feel your pain!  > All of us get stuck in that rut from time to time. Well now that we are coming into the fall/early winter, fish are prepairing for winter. Cranks and soft jerks can work well. Look for bait fish. Don't abandon your confidence baits. A tube is mine and I will through it all year long. Confidence is a big part of the battle. Go Git em!!

[Sam]

Hey Jeremy,

Don't fret. With the drought conditions fishing in this part of the east coast has been difficult.

The usual places have been destroyed by the low water and the fish have been staging deep where they can get oxygen.

As soon as the rains arrive and the bodies of water start to fill up you will see the bass and bream start moving around.  With good rains this winter I expect an excellent pre spawn, spawn and post spawn season.

As for what to use, who knows?  Usually Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits and crankbaits work this time of the year but so far I have not had much luck with them.

And try your cranks shallow, medium and deep to see if you can find where the bass are staging.

Have you tried more finesse fishing with the drop shot, shakey head and wacky rigged plastics?

And what about the bulky plastics like the Fat Ikas, beavers and brush hogs?

Any luck with a buzzbait without the skirt and only a fluke on it?  Thrown the Pop-R or Spook?  Sammy?  Suspended baits like the pointers?

Are you still fishing the shoreline or going deeper?  Try deeper and see what happens.

I have just about given up on the ponds around my area and will be fishing the James and Pamunkey Rivers in November and then fish some of the lakes with my bass club members for fun in the winter.

Just experiment. I did not catch anything on any baits other than a small Senko at my local pond and the bites were not agressive.  In fact, I just stood there and watched my line just walk away very slowly, not knowing when the set the hook.

I caught one and missed two due to the "polite" taking of the Senko.  I think they were just holding the bait in their mouths and swimming off very slowly.  It was something to experience.

Let us know how you do.

And as for the advice regarding the guides, take it.  Listen, listen and listen and then go home and make notes.  Ask about baits, places to fish, hidden brush piles and beaver dams and anything else the guide can tell you about that specific body of water.  It is money well spent.

[jeremyt]

Thanks for the responses.

I have been fishing a small pond on base ( its really convienient to me)  I have been fishing  senkos trig weightless,  with a bullet and wacky. I have tried the original rapala floating jerk. Spinners ( from big to inline mepps)  Lizards, flukes and Ikas. I have a few cranks, but I got them in package deals and I have no clue what the running depth is on them. No one seems to know the depth of this pond I fish.  The game warden told me that its 15ft at its deepest, but I have a hard time buying that one. I seem to think that its around maybe 6ft at best.  I have been out fan casting with a shallow running craw crank, but haven't had any thing strike at it.

I guess its just really frustrating knowing I could go out on the river and catch some reds and speckeled trout with out a problem, but the bass are eluding me. I really thought the switch from salt to fresh would be much easier than it has been.

[bass109]

pressured fish, i mean look at how many baits are available nowadays. I would think it would be harder for anyone to keep up. "Really depends on how much fishing pressure is in your area," and "how hard you try to keep up."

[frogtog]

Jeremyt e-mail me after I get back from FL. and we can meet up at Plymouth and I will take you fishing and help you build you confidence up.

[jeremyt]

Jimmy,

Thanks for the offer I will definately take you up. Good luck.

[Catt]

Slumps are something we all deal with; I've found through the years the best way to handle them is to get back to basics. I know what my strengths are and fish towards them; I suggest you should do the same. If you are good at Flipping/Pitching, Texas Rigs, Cranks, Spinners, or what ever concentrate on those techniques. If you are good at shallow water, deep water, or grass concentrate on those areas.

I've learned to down size my tackle to just the basics, it is extremely hard to be a master of all the available techniques. I'm very good at Jig-N-Craws, Texas Rigs, & Spinner baits so I fish where I can maximize these strengths.

[FivePoundBluegill]

The water is getting colder and fish are preparing for winter. The fish are usually deeper and I have noticed they have been harder to catch recently for me as well. I usually fish small lakes just like yours and it is harder for me to catch the numbers of fish I used to catch in the summer. Try throwing lures that run deeper in the water. If the water is cloudy I would suggest throwing lures that make noise such as rattle traps. I have noticed I have not been catching as much on the senko recnetly as well. However I am still catching decent numbers of fish on finess worms that I work realy slowly. I have been haveing the best luck with weightless finess worms. The thing I would suggest most to you is to try some rattletrap type baits right now. They have been by far the most productive lure for me in the last few weeks and I fish small lakes and ponds most of the time just like you.

[jeremyt]

Thanks for all of the advice, I went out today and picked up some rat traps and shad raps. I am going to give it a go at 0 dark 30 in the morning. Hopefully I can snag one or two, or atleast learn something new.

[FivePoundBluegill]

What kind of rattletraps did you end up getting? Also what colors?

[jeremyt]

I ended up going with the Bill Lewis rat l trap in the bleeding shad and crawfish, I also got the shad rap in the sr-5 in the shad and bluegill. I am hoping that they will work out ok.

[Crestliner2008]

Everyone gets into a slump from time to time. When that happens to me, I go panfishing with an UL rod and tiny jigs. Just catching a bunch of any kind of fish re-builds your confidence and gets your mind back to working. This time of the year, here in the N.E., fish are in transition from their summer haunts to wintering locations. Usually the deeper water is where you need to be targetting. Remember what Buck Perry said, "The fish have to be either shallow, deep or somewhere inbetween!" All I can guarantee you is that they are not up in the trees!  ;D Although my partner catches me looking up there every once in a while! The fall/early winter scenario is all about location, location, location. Your presentations are fine. You just need to find some fish. Trolling might be an option that I hope you are not discounting?