Fishing skill level

[SilverFox]

I grew up fishing shallow water back in SC. I threw a lot of Texas Rigged baits, shallow cranks, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and poppers. If i was fishing over 5 to 8 foot deep, that was out my comfort zone.

When i moved here to East Tennessee, i was lost. If someone would have told me I'd be standing on a boat throwing a 1/2 metal blade bait in 40 foot of water while it's 20 degrees outside I would have called you an idiot. The thought of sitting on a hump in 35 foot of water dragging a 3/4 oz jig never crossed my mind. Now days it's common practice.

I was lucky enough to meet a few good fishermen when i moved here that helped me a lot. I still find myself lost from time to time. This water is so different than what i was use to.

I played a lot of golf growing up. I was pretty good at it myself but never a par golfer. I have played with some great ones... a few PGA professionals. It's amazing. Last year I got to fish with a Bassmaster Elite guy a couple times. It took me back to when i played golf with the professionals. His approach to fishing was so different that what I do. I would hope to hit the outer edges of a tree top and not get hung with my jig... he would flip right into the heart of it in a spot 2 inches wide from 20 feet away. I watched him skip a football jig all the way under a dock... a football jig! When you play a round of golf with a pro, you watch their swing and hear the sound... see the follow through. It's the same with a pro fisherman. They are just on a different level. While i was hoping to hit a draw into a tucked green, the good ones knew exactly what they were gonna do and were making sure they had the spin right. It almost makes you sick sometimes. Seeing a guy hit a 5 iron 2nd shot on a par 5 so he will have a 100 yard sand wedge into a green so he's in his comfort zone... yeah that's more thinking than my mind was ready for. That's the kind of stuff a pro fisherman does... throwing a stickbait to a fish that just blew up and missed his topwater bait.

I guess that's why we call them pros. Ok, done with my rambling. Fish on past me.

 

[pressfit]

same here.. growing up fishing with my dad.. when we came to a cove with a bunch of logs piled up in it he would speed by cause he didnt want to get hung up.. first time I fished with a jig fisherman he headed skraight for the logs and pitched over them all to the very back.. thats how I learned to flip and catch bass.. i didnt know bass would even thing of going into some of the nasty looking places I have caught them from..

 

[4onaside]

I wonder if its actually fun for those guys(pro fishermen). Practice, practice, practice. When it becomes a have to deal, I would imagine that much of the fun has gone out of it.

 

[stik]

I wonder if its actually fun for those guys(pro fishermen). Practice, practice, practice. When it becomes a have to deal, I would imagine that much of the fun has gone out of it.

that's exactly why i quit tournament fishing.

 

[SilverFox]

I worked Fire / EMS for a living... on my days off I ran calls with the rescue squad or volunteer fire department for free. I'd imagine it's the same kind of feeling for them. It's in your blood.

 

[Kirk]

I have fished several times with Rogne Brown. His nephew is FLW Tour Pro Michael Neal. Tom Helton FLW Rayovac Pro lives down the road from me and I fish with him occasionally. These guys do not fish like anyone else I have fished with. They gave me confidence in fishing. Every cast might be the winner.

Rogne taught me how to properly fish a shakey head trick worm. Tom Helton taught me how to "stroke" a jig. Once I learned how to do these two simple techniques I started competing seriously in tournaments. It changed everything for me. I went from catching little bit of nothing beating the banks to contending by fishing drops and humps.

 

[moondawg]

I fished with a guide who was a tournament fisherman. Not a pro, but he did ok. I learned a lot. I caught bass on lures I had never had success with, like topwater, worms, etc. It was fun, but I don't think I'll do it again.

 

[jakeway]

I basically quit bass fishing after the end of May when the bass have gone deep. I can't find or catch anything deeper than 15 feet.

But my trout fishing has been 400% better the past three or four years.

And my golf handicap went down 5 strokes.

 

[SilverFox]

I hate summer fishing here unless its at night. Too much boat traffic and sitting on a hump in 3 and 4 foot waves when some idiot runs within 10 foot of you is no fun. I've only had my boat out 2 times since June... but it's fixin to get good.

 

[Crow Terminator]

I have fished several times with Rogne Brown. His nephew is FLW Tour Pro Michael Neal. Tom Helton FLW Rayovac Pro lives down the road from me and I fish with him occasionally. These guys do not fish like anyone else I have fished with. They gave me confidence in fishing. Every cast might be the winner.

Rogne taught me how to properly fish a shakey head trick worm. Tom Helton taught me how to "stroke" a jig. Once I learned how to do these two simple techniques I started competing seriously in tournaments. It changed everything for me. I went from catching little bit of nothing beating the banks to contending by fishing drops and humps.

I have never met Rogne in person but my dad and I have been talking about booking a fishing trip with him this fall. Dad has mentioned it and has a birthday in November...I think I might see about getting him/us a trip together for them. The frog & lipless crankbait bite ought to be good then and should be fun. A fella I work with tournament fishes a lot and he has fished with Rogne before too and said he highly recommended a trip out on the lake with him.

There are some really good fisherman locally. Dad ran into Wesley Strader a few weeks ago on Watts Bar fishing. I got into bass fishing a few yrs ago and gave the local dog fight tourneys a try but never was any good in them. I just didn't have the knowledge or skill that you guys are talking about. I tried...but ALWAYS came up way short. If I am good at anything...it would be archery. And I guess that's something that has came "natural" to me. There are some times I can lay my bow down and not pick it up at all...then go to a tournament and shoot scores the same as I do when I practice a lot, and still come out in the top 3. I've competed on the national level the last couple yrs and have a couple podium finishes for the effort. Competition in it is tough...a lot of guys try to buy their way into shooting good but I think there is just something there that you just can't buy. You can make yourself better...but some people just make things look easy that others have to work really hard to achieve. When it comes to fishing...I am one of them that would have to work really hard at it and still fall short. lol

 

[SilverFox]

I'm not a tourney guy... I blow up when i fish them... never did good when playing a golf tourney either. I've won a few of each but that was just luck. I can't make the right decisions when I'm fishing or playing golf for money. You would think it would come easy for me... i worked EMS for 20 years and when someone is hurt, you've got to think and act correctly and quickly. I've never had that problem then.

But i do like fishing the smaller tourney with friends.

 

[Kirk]

Crow, A bass trip with Rogne is a very good birthday present for your Dad. Rogne is a very respectful man. When he talks it is meaningful and he won't jabber your ear off with silly stuff. He is a master at reading electronics and will find fish. He will answer questions and help make your future trips a lot more productive.

 

[Pinwheeled]

I used to think I was decent at it when I still lived up north. I fished a lot of little club tournaments and such and did alright. I certainly wasn't just another "donator" like so many guys are. Moving down here humbled me. I fished a few FLW tournaments as a non-boater and never did cash a check. However, I did learn a lot from fishing with guys that really knew the lakes around here. It really is a completely different kind of fishing. I'm just now starting to get comfortable catching deep fish and I'm finally to the point that I could head out on Priest or Old Hickory just about any given day and catch a limit of keeper bass. I've come to the realization though that I'm just not dedicated enough to really be a good tournament angler. The good ones basically live bass fishing and that just isn't me. I've got too many other hobbies to blow money on. I still love bass fishing but nowadays I enjoy catching 40-50 trout in a few hours in my kayak just as well.

Crow, I know how tough it is to be competitive at archery. I'd consider myself a better than average shot (300 51ish x shooter on a 5 spot face) but I wouldn't not even sniff the podium in the level of tournaments you're referring to.

 

[Crow Terminator]

I would love to fish with somebody that could do some teaching on jig and worm fishing. Those are very weak areas for me. Outside of dragging a Carolina rig, soft plastics for bass just take up space in my tackle bag. I am smart enough to have them with me at all times but I really lack the know how in fishing presentations with them. I can rig them and throw them but seldom catch fish on them unless they are REALLY feeding heavy.

My "strength" in bass fishing is in crankbaits. I am more in tune to what those are doing than any other bait I throw. I seldom just throw them out and reel them in though. I've picked up on a few things along the way that increase fish bites on them. My top biggest fish have came on cranks. My wife got me a couple of those new XD10 cranks by Strike King that I am giddy about trying out. A DD14/DD22 and Fat Free Shad are my favorites to throw. Especially the big FFS. In the fall and early spring though, you'll always find at least one of my rods with a Trap on it.

 

[walker]

just thinking of throwing a xd10 gets me tired!! 3/4 oz hotlips or a dd22 is about all i care to throw

 

[sll]

just thinking of throwing a xd10 gets me tired!! 3/4 oz hotlips or a dd22 is about all i care to throw

A 10XD actually has less resistance than a 3/4 ounce Hot Lips.

 

[walker]

just thinking of throwing a xd10 gets me tired!! 3/4 oz hotlips or a dd22 is about all i care to throw

A 10XD actually has less resistance than a 3/4 ounce Hot Lips.

i would have never thought that!! learn something new every day

 

[TN Larry]

just thinking of throwing a xd10 gets me tired!! 3/4 oz hotlips or a dd22 is about all i care to throw

A 10XD actually has less resistance than a 3/4 ounce Hot Lips.

i would have never thought that!! learn something new every day

Yep, the 6XD has more pull than the 10XD.

 

[Winchester]

I have spent a lot of time over the years fishing with several of the pros myself, Ott Defoe, Andy Morgan, Wesley Strader, Craig Powers, Jack Wade, etc etc. I agree these guys go about their fishing much different than the average wknd warrior, and that's what separates them from the pack. Ive found that many of them are really good at one thing or another, like Craig is a master caster, he can reverse roll cast a Pop R in places most cant pitch a jig, Andy can find flippin fish when NOBODY else can, Wesley is a GREAT bed fisherman, etc. Now all these guys are really good well rounded fisherman but most have one thing they are REALLY good at. Versatility is key however and that's where you become consistent in all different conditions. The secret to this kind of success is no secret at all, its simply TIME ON THE WATER, and the heart to want it badly enough! Neither of which the average guy has! Anybody that thinks these guys have it easy is mistaken however as they work as hard at their job as most anybody else. They love it however or they wouldn't make it if they didn't.

 

[Urban_Hunter]

I used to eat sleep and dream competitive fishing. In college I tried for a branch of the collegiate tour that took me to 5 lakes for qualifying. After taking 5 weeks to fish I realized I had something seemingly no one else I was fishing against had... A JOB! Or better yet... A need for income. It was then I realized that I may be able to fish my butt off locally and compete with the best on my local lakes, but I didn't have the time to compete with the "pros". Very humbling experience. For some reason it really burned me out. I bass fish about 5 times a year now, and just for fun

 

[Prowler]

The three main things I see to being more successful are Time on the water, versatility, and just simply 'having' it. I love deer hunting To much to fish September through January but any other month I'm on the hill every chance I get, preferably in a tourney. I am the least versatile competitive fisherman ever, 90% of the time I do the same things. But I think it's because That's what has worked for me so many times. Lucky for me I get to spend a few days/nights on the water a week when I choose. I don't fish on a big level but a few times a year but i fish a lot of Saturday tournaments with several Thursday and Friday nighters thrown in, and from what I see it's the same few people cashing checks every week, with an occasional random person. I got In the money more This year than I have the last 2 combined, and still got smoked over half the time by these same
Few people. I envy these guys for their skill level.

 

[TN Larry]

The three main things I see to being more successful are Time on the water, versatility, and just simply 'having' it. I love deer hunting To much to fish September through January but any other month I'm on the hill every chance I get, preferably in a tourney. I am the least versatile competitive fisherman ever, 90% of the time I do the same things. But I think it's because That's what has worked for me so many times. Lucky for me I get to spend a few days/nights on the water a week when I choose. I don't fish on a big level but a few times a year but i fish a lot of Saturday tournaments with several Thursday and Friday nighters thrown in, and from what I see it's the same few people cashing checks every week, with an occasional random person. I got In the money more This year than I have the last 2 combined, and still got smoked over half the time by these same
Few people. I envy these guys for their skill level.

If you fish the Ragland Fri nighters, etc., we probably know each other.........

 

[Prowler]

I fished a few of the Friday nighters out of Ragland, but was limited by work I mostly fished the sat night 3 fish tourneys and a few other like blakenship and muncy style tourneys. I believe I know who you're by your name but most don't know me. Too young and haven't been around the scene long enough lol .

 

[TN Larry]

I fished a few of the Friday nighters out of Ragland, but was limited by work I mostly fished the sat night 3 fish tourneys and a few other like blakenship and muncy style tourneys. I believe I know who you're by your name but most don't know me. Too young and haven't been around the scene long enough lol .

10-4. May know your face though. Keep at it. Versatility is the key on the Hill.