Learning to fish on your own

[Paul Roberts]

I learned on my own, then took my Dad fishing!

But, I had lots of help on the way, mostly from Al and Ron Lindner, Dave Csanda, Rich Zaleski, Spence Petros, Rex Grady, KVD, etc...

[boomdigity]

I think it's the only way to do it. Sometimes I wish I had not read all the articles I have because those voices all come running when I'm not caughting fish. I have been lucky through I do fish every day for atleast and hour. Most days I skip lunch and fish at the lake. I will say the hardest thing now is listening to my gut and not second guessing it.

[shimanoguy]

I had to teach myself because my mom and dad work late hours and alot of them :'(

[wowyo]

Learned how to on my own...helps to ask a lot of questions.

[bassfisher1]

My dad fishes but he just does the whole worm and bobber technique so I basically have to teach myself.  I am quite good with the tube bait when I get out on the river.  I have also taught myself how to use a spinner bait(big accomplishment there:)  I am attempting to learn how to fish a senko but its rough.  But on the bright side I'm not on my  couch doing nothing, and I'm having fun. It is frustrating sometimes though.

[Sweetwater creek]

Just as important as reading up on fishing technique is reading and learning lm bass biology.

What kind of habitat do they prefer? Water temp? Food? What time of year is the spawn? Learn what the bass likes and you can catch him.

[backpain...]

My dad loves fishing, but he has always been a "bait and bobber" kind of guy. I never took to that kind of fishing and from a young age soaked up all I could via magazines, books, and later the internet and videos. I agree that the learning curve on your own is rough, but it is worth it. Only these past few years have I really been able to dedicate much time to fishing and even that is limited. I like to think I am still learning something every time I am out.

[Nitrofreak]

Like most of you I am a loner too but THANK GOD for the internet and this site rite here!!!!!!!

Your not alone any more its like a big ole blanket !!!

[Shamster]

I'd never really freshwater fished until two weeks ago.  Id been surf fishing a few times.  A few weeks ago I bought some rod/reel combos that said "bass fishing" and came with a small bit of tackle.  It took me over 20 hours on the lake here to catch a fish but I got one!  That was last Sunday.  Today I caught 3 bass!  Ive  caught 6 total so far, but nothing too far over a pound yet.  2 on senkos and 4 on one of the french fry worms that came with my rod! I hope to get something over 2 pounds this week.

[cart7t]

My Dad knew how to fish, he just didn't like to.  He considered it a waste of time.

There was Bassmaster magazine, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life and maybe one other as far as written literature.  The only TV show available for me to learn from was Virgil Ward.

There was no internet.  There was no satellite TV or cable TV or VCR's or DVD's. 

I joined BASS in 1974 at age 16.  I joined my first club at age 18.  I probably advanced my fishing abilities the quickest by joining the club and learning from others.

With what's available on just this site alone it's completely doable to teach yourself to fish and in a relatively short time span. 

[JaxBasser]

When I was really young my grandfather taught me the basics of fishing. When it came to bass fishing all we ever used was live shiners and red shad Culprit worms on spinning gear. We did a lot of saltwater fishing as well for reds. He died when I was about 10 years old and up until I was around 18 I never did much fishing because he was the only father figure I ever had in my life and there was really nobody to take me fishing or teach me.

I've always loved fishing so much though so as soon as I had the funds to buy all of my own equipment I bought some new tackle and a baitcasting setup and pretty much taught myself. Then after that I found these forums and I really started to learn some things. I still have a TON to learn though.

[6pointbuck2003]

I was introduced to it by my dad with a hook and bobber. i had a few friends that showed me the basic rigs. the rest i have taught myself. location what colors to use, what lures to use, however it took me fishing a summer 5-6 days a week to get a good start (not like im complaining) the best thing is just getting out there and fish

[OnTheHunt]

I taught myself, and I was a lousy bass fisherman for quite a few years only have things like, Bill Dance, Roland Martin, ect to watch on "TNN" to learn from. The internet as near as full of information then. Up until abut 5 years ago All I really ever caught was small dinks, nothing really bigger than 1-1 1/2 pounds (with the exception of the 5 3/4 pound i caught when I was 12 I'm now 28). What I am getting at is read everything you can, and find what works best. For me, When I really started catching bigger fish, it was when I learned what patience was. I started fishing my worms slower and taking more time to work on the action. Same with spinner baits and buzzbaits, They work well, you just have to take the time to learn them at variable speeds. Good luck out there!!!

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

Welp being here on this website helps alot,

Read all the articles you can

and be out on the water as much as possible

[KYntucky Warmouth]

My dad taught me how to fish, he does very little bass fishing, mostly catfish and crappie.  I remember him taking me bass fishing once at night when I was in grade school, he had me throw a big spinnerbait all night.  I started really bass fishing in college with a buddy, we found this site and went from there.  I didn't really try at first but then my girlfriend bought me the BPS 100 pc. Bucket-o-Baits and that's when I learned about the soft stick bait and wacky rigging.  Thats where I was first hooked, all it took was a 5'' Stick-o and an Eagle Claw baitholer hook.  Thanks to this site and youtube videos I slowly taught myself new techniques.

[Fishohio]

I too had to learn on my own. Most good fisherman have! That's what's so great about Bassin. There's so many ways to catch them. My advise is to keep it simple. Go with proven baits. Don't think you have to have 200$ rod to catch fish. Althow when your ready a good rod will increase your hook ups! Stay with it and Welcome to the greatest sport on earth!! ;D ;D

[trevor]

I am 15 ( almost 16) and in the process of teaching myself to bass fish. Its a fun challenge away from saltwater.

[BassThumb]

I learned to fish pretty much by myself by wading the Mississippi River in town for smallies, walleye, northerns, channel cats, and even rough fish sometimes. I had a couple buddies that fished with me but they were strictly flyfishermen, and even when we did fish together we were still 50 to 300 yards apart.

I began at about age 14 and got serious about it at 15/16. I learned a lot out there by myself. I was lucky to have such a nice fishing resource that didn't cost any money to fish and was within biking distance of home. I don't really fish the river much anymore though, but it was fun while it lasted.

You don't need any mentors to learn how to fish, and you certainly don't need the internet, although they both will help. You need to pay very close attention as you fish, and remember what you see. You'll learn as you go from trial and error, and thousands of repetitions will create muscle memory. It won't take as long as you think. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself, or to be aggressive, try new things, or lose a lure once in a while to a snag. A good attitude will go a long way with staying motivated. Remember, even the best fishermen can get skunked. Try not to let any trip be a failure, even if you do get skunked. Try to pick something up from every trip.

[ggfishing]

I have the same problem here.

I have been fishing for like 10times now, only caught around 5 keepers.

Thanks for all the advise as well

[FutureSoldier]

What Roadwarrior said.However if you are like me and not patient enough to fish that slowly,get yourself some zoom superflukes in baby bass color.Cast them and steady twitch them back.If they dart back and forth your fishing it right and will catch fish.

God, I lovvveeeeeeeeee flukes  ;D

[Deeg]

My father is an avid fisherman, but his perfect fishing day is having a tight line for catfish while fishing with a bobber pole or two for bluegill and carp while waiting for the catfish to become active. I enjoy fishing that way with him (time with dad is precious - he's past 70 now). However, when I fish with my sons I can't do that kind of fishing. If I have a tight line then I am jigging and grubbing for bluegill and crappie while waiting for the catfish. Now my sons and I are more likely to be lure fishing for bass and other sport fish. I guess you might say that we are hooked on the constant motion and of cast, jig, and reel fishing. With my father not being into bass fishing I have pretty much taught myself everything that I know about bass fishing and my sons are picking it up from me. I am working on adding the soft lure talent to my tool set as the summer is heating up and the fish are going deeper.

I plan to go out tomorrow morning on our boat before sunrise and use my buzz baits and jitterbugs. Then switch over to my Mepps and spoons as the sun is coming up over the trees and then finally to the soft plastics in some deeper water. Planning on having simply a marvelous time on the water with my son(s) (the older one will probably not want to get up that early).

[RoLo]

In reality, we all teach ourselves everything that we do in life.

Input is only the beginning, that is, data gathered from books, the Internet, our family, our friends and so on.

Regardless of the source though, information gleaned only represents what someone else found useful

in their exposure. How we process that information is what ultimately determines our own level of expertise.

For example, let's pretend that KVD had a mentor; today Kevin would blow the doors off his mentor, who ever that might be.

That's exactly as it should be, first gather all the data possible, then restructure and improve upon that information.

Roger

[Hellbenderman]

Look around for a bass fishing club in your area. Many clubs will accept minors, but you will soon be 18 so that may not be an issue. You don't always have to have a big bass boat to join a club. Just being around people who have been there will help, and you will be surprised how helpful people can be. Being a non-boater, co-angler, whatever, and just sitting in the back of the boat, you will learn a lot. All this info get's passed on eventually. Look right here in the "Local Fishing Forums" for people in your area or state. They can give you immediate help with how to approach bass in your area, right now.

[Bluebasser86]

My dad taught me some basics, how to cast a spinning reel, tie a knot, unhook a fish, really basic stuff. Wasn't much bass fishing opportunities for me until we moved to the KC area. Taught myself how to cast a baitcaster, fish a worm,jig,carolina rig, spook, whatever. It helped a lot to have magazines to read about everything and tv shows to help speed up the learning process, but watching it and doing it are two different things completely! Started in a bass club when I was 16 and won two tournaments my first year and ended up with non-boater of the year, rookie of the year, and 3rd place overall. Felt really good to know that all that practicing I'd been doing wasn't for nothing!

[Jim_M]

Great advice already, but I know you NEED to catch a bass.

So...

Buy a pack of 5" Senko (not knock offs) and some 4/0 EWG Gamakatsu Offset Worm Hooks. Rig them weightless and weedless (look it up). Make a long cast parallel to the bank, out from the shoreline 5-15 yards. Let the bait settle to the bottom and sit for 1 minute. Move the bait 6-12" and let it settle again for another 10 seconds. Continue moving the bait EXACTLY as I have described until you are out of the "zone." Move up ten steps and repeat. If the water you are fishing holds any bass in the general area (around the shoreline) you will catch a fish...GUARANTEED!

If the store you shop has Fat Ika, buy a bag of them, too. AFTER you have lost 5 Senkos, fish the Fat Ika on the same hooks EXACTLY the same way. After you fish 5 of the Fat Ika switch back to the Senko, but do NOT change lures in between. I want you to FOCUS on the bait you are fishing.

YOU WILL CATCH FISH if you follow my instructions explicitly...GUARANTEED!

I know this is an oldie but...I MUST LEARN THIS...I am new and I fish like I am on crack or something. I make ten, twenty fast casts change lures, repeat...getting nowhere fast too. What the heck?

Jim