Versatility - what makes one versatile?

[SENKOSAM]

Apart from fishing with others, how does one go about becoming versatile and what makes an angler versatile?

Though I've used different lures and presentations when easy patterns dictated, I'm not nearly as versatile as I'd like.

[J Francho]

Forcing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

Simple answer...practice.

[Intrepid]

Forcing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

i think this sums a lot of it up right here...

[WanderLust]

Great points.

A solid understanding of what your good at and what your not. From there its about striving for continous improvement and learning how to adapt your style for the given scenario.

[SENKOSAM]

Forcing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Easier said than done. Aren't lure versatility and fish pattern versatility two sides of the same coin? Which comes first? Isn't using sonar a big part of being versatile? To be versatile on a large body of water, doesn't that dicate using a larger boat and engine vs. a using a row boat?

The answer goes to the core of what makes an angler good or better. Newbies or those less experienced would benefit from opinions from those more experienced.

[J Francho]

Anytime a noewb tries anything new, they are out of their comfort zone.  You can go ahead and fish whatever baits worked that first spring you fished for bass, and wonder where the fish are in summer, or try something new.

[Lund Explorer]

Forcing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

i think this sums a lot of it up right here...

Nope!  My choice...

Forcing yourself to open your abilties, and thereby expanding your comfort zone.

[ww2farmer]

I can be a jerk on 3 or 4 different forums at once.........it really takes little to no skill, just a little versatility. ;D

As for fishing, you have to roll with what you have been delt with for the day, even if it means getting outside your own little set way of doing things. Yeah they bit jigs under docks well the day before yesterday, today they are not, can you adapt and find the best way? You might have to go crank a weedline, or run a frog through the slop. I see SOOOOO many guys who can NOT catch them unless they are biting the way they want to catch them. They usually do what they do very well , for this example I 'll use senkos as the crutch as they seem to be the bait alot of people lean on way to much. Put a jig or a crank, or take them to deep water and DS and you might as well take them to the moon.........they are lost. Well I guess that explains how to NOT be versatile........kind of the same thing.

[Missouribassman95]

Maybe trying different lures no matter how many times you get skunked, so you get better!

[brushhoggin]

being able to adjust to all the changing variables when fishing different lakes all over the place.

[CJ]

First and foremost it takes dedication, time on the water, more dedication, and more time on the water. What helps is going to different lakes across the country. Many fisheries, if not most, have techniques that work best most of the time due to the features involved with that fishery. Toho, for example, really favors plastics and topwaters. Your not going to learn much about deep diving crankbaits there. Fisheries that have more features like those on the Tennessee chain of lakes will allow an angler to gain confidence in more techniques.

Then there's conditions for any given day. Be it a bluebird day that may cause bass to suspend or a post cold front day that buries them in the brush. You can't go fishing only on favorable days and become very versatile. Then learning what adjustments will render best results if you find that the fishing changed. Examples, their feeding status, depth in the water column related to the bottom, have completely relocated, or a combination of these. If they have become negative to a presentation that previously worked, learning to decide on finesse or reaction techniques.

When you talk "versatile" it's a deep realm.

[MFBAB]

Knowledge, willingness to leave a marginal bite to search for something better, keeping your mind open to other possibilities, experimenting on how to react to changing fishing conditions.  I think you can make this about as complicated as you choose to

[TimJ]

I think that most of you have it covered.

IMO, versatility is made by continuous learning and practicing of all things new or different from your arsenal...tackle, techniques, technology.

TJ

[5bass]

Being versatile to me means that in a situation where the bite has died because of conditions and variables, you are able to draw from your knowledge and experience to make the right decisions to get bit again. Applying what you know and making things work out is versatility.

[Gatorbassman]

Versatility to me means several different things.

It's pulling up to a piece of cover or structure and having knowledge and confidence in a few different ways to successfully fish it.

It's the ability to recognize and adjust quickly to environmental changes.

It's arriving to a lake expecting one thing and finding something totally different and being able to adjust to the differences.

It's being able to fish both lakes and rivers with success.

To me it's not being a pro at every lure and technique. It's being proficient in a few that will cover most situations and having a general knowledge of several others just in case.

[K_Mac]

Versatility to me means several different things.

It's pulling up to a piece of cover or structure and having knowledge and confidence in a few different ways to successfully fish it.

It's the ability to recognize and adjust quickly to environmental changes.

It's arriving to a lake expecting one thing and finding something totally different and being able to adjust to the differences.

It's being able to fish both lakes and rivers with success.

To me it's not being a pro at every lure and technique. It's being proficient in a few that will cover most situations and having a general knowledge of several others just in case.

Great answer. That knowledge and confidence only comes from experience. I can read and watch everything available on bass fishing (a good idea IMO), but until I figure out what works for me it is all theory.

Preparation is also a big part of versatility IMO. You do not need high end sonar, gear, or boat to be a versatile and successful fisherman. A good topo map can eliminate a huge amount of water, and allow you to put together a basic plan even if you've never seen the lake before the day you fish it. Once again experience gives you the confidence to change gears if plan A isn't working. Good luck. 8-)

[Catt]

Versatility - what makes one versatile?

The ability to read the ever changing conditions & make the proper adjustments

[SENKOSAM]

To answer the question, I chose to take baby steps and remember how I became somewhat more versatile.

Lure versatility starts with reading posts on this site about favorite lures and uses, going out and buying a few and then see how they react in the water.

The first time I tried to walk-the-dog with a Zara Spook, there was ice on the water. I didn't expect to catch anything, but I'd read about it and couldn't wait to master the cadence or see what this ugly sucka could do on the surface. I was thrilled and my high confidence level was immediate!

My first use of a jig and pork frog was in shallow water, dropping down steep ledges. That led to me seeing a spinnerbait as nothing more than a jig with a blade and using it the same way. The primary difference I noticed was the difference in drop rate, but the hit was the same. (I cut off the long arm and made it a short arm.)

The point I'm trying to make is that unless you've seen with your own eyes and felt the lure on your line, you can't know its capabilities or versatility or lack of versatility. (ie. Salted lizards or Senkos are no good for C-rigs in 2' weeds IMO.)

I agree with Franco about fishing beyond your comfort zone, but that involves finding new patterns to learn and using lures with presentation capabilities you've discovered have the highest potential. Shallow water patterns (especially in spring) and school fish make it easy to learn new lures, obviously, but it's the heat of the summer that separates the versatile from the why-didn't-I-take-up-knitting? angler.

BassResource allows one to tweek one's understanding of what specific lures can or cannot do or do better. But as was mentioned, time on the water and on different waters is the only way to know what to adjust (lures, presentations, time on different structure, etc.).

Sonar in my opinion is essential to knowing the bottom. Maybe not so much for shallow ponds, but most definitely for deeper water lakes and rivers. How would one know changes in bottom composition (hard/soft) or where to drop buoy markers? For the newb, it's a time saver discovering what's down there; for the versatile anlger it's a must. Maps can only provide general information, but sonar also alerts me to depth changes and the presence of bait fish - in real time.

The larger the body of water, the greater the necessity of a bigger boat, larger engine and and gas tank. No way can you learn a big river or lake without them, plus the fact that various patterns and structure can be miles apart.

It seems to me that everything we use and do as anglers is connected. ie. sonar-water depth-lure choice/ line choice. ie. weed type and density-tackle choices-lure presentation (sonar not important)

To me, being versatile means connecting those dots, overcoming your beginner frustrations by knowing all the basic associations so luck is on your side. As we are all well aware, luck can be the deciding factor.

[senile1]

First and foremost it takes dedication, time on the water, more dedication, and more time on the water. What helps is going to different lakes across the country. Many fisheries, if not most, have techniques that work best most of the time due to the features involved with that fishery. Toho, for example, really favors plastics and topwaters. Your not going to learn much about deep diving crankbaits there. Fisheries that have more features like those on the Tennessee chain of lakes will allow an angler to gain confidence in more techniques.

Then there's conditions for any given day. Be it a bluebird day that may cause bass to suspend or a post cold front day that buries them in the brush. You can't go fishing only on favorable days and become very versatile. Then learning what adjustments will render best results if you find that the fishing changed. Examples, their feeding status, depth in the water column related to the bottom, have completely relocated, or a combination of these. If they have become negative to a presentation that previously worked, learning to decide on finesse or reaction techniques.

When you talk "versatile" it's a deep realm.

Very nice post, CJ.  To be versatile you have to acquire the knowledge to know why one presentation gets bit under specific conditions while a completely different presentation works under another set of circumstances.  And you have to acquire skill in at least enough presentations to cover all conditions. 

[roadwarrior]

The simple answer and greatest challenge is fishing

offshore and deep. If you master fishing structure,

the next steps are easy: depth, speed, action and

profile. The objective, I think, is being able to fish

the entire water column when the situation arises.

8-)

[WRB]

Different type of natural lakes, rivers and man made reservoirs located in different regions dictate how you can present a lure effectively. If you fish primarily on the same type of water, you can make adjustments seasonally and fish a few presentations.

For example show up on a deep clear canyon reservoir with your favorite flipping or pitching tackle, regardless of your skill, you will catch very few bass.

You soon learn what works and adjust to the local successful presentations and tackle required. Same is true for a deep structure finesse angler, they need to learn how to flip or pitch or fish frogs in the heavy grass cover of the Delta or other low land waterways.

Versatility is learned as needed to consistently catch bass wherever and how you fish.

During most days on the water where I fish it's common to use; swim baits, crank baits, spinner baits, buzzers, top water, jigs, worms, structure spoons, finesse and power presentations to determine what is working that day. It's rare for me to flip or pitch unless I travel north to the delta, then long rods are needed.

I prefer to cast jigs and worms and fish deep structure, sometimes the bass want something else so you adjust or have a long day.

Tom

[farmpond1]

Two factors are necessary. First, you must believe that there are fish that can be caught somewhere and somehow. Second, as J Francho put it so concisely and eloquently, you have to be willing to step outside your comfort zone. Get off your butt and try new things.