From a good bass fisherman to a terrible one...

[Stayinthewoods]

Good afternoon all. I hope all is well with yall tonight. I wanted to take a minute and explain a hard truth I faced this weekend. I now suck at fishing.

Back up 11 years I'm a freshman in college. I'm a full time student with a part time job and a love for fishin. I fished 3-5 times a week... morning, afternoon, all night. It didn't matter. I was on the water and tearing up the bass. There was almost never a time I didn't go out and catch at least a 10-12 lb bag minimum. I never tournament fish. I just go because I love getting out there and seeing what I can do.

Fast forward to now. I'm graduated, full time job, married, have a kid. I don't fish much at all anymore. The truth is, on Saturday morning I'm happier chasing my daughter around the house and listening to her sing into her "Frozen" karaoke machine, than I am on the lake. No fish can make me happier than her laugh.

Now, here comes my question for yall. When I DO go now.... I'm awful. I'll spend 6-8 hours on the water and not catch a fish... on consecutive trips. What has happened? Is fishin like they say golf is, where if you don't practice, you only get worse? When i do go now, it's not as fun as it used to be when I'm constantly skunked. I don't expect to go crush them on every trip, but I can't even catch a fish anymore.

Anybody else go through something similar? I hear guys at work make fun of dads that spend time with their kids on the weekend or show up for their games instead of going to fish or deer camp. I'll never be that guy. If my daughter joins a ballerina thing/group tomorrow, I'll be At every recital she has.


But what would be your advice for somebody to start back at square one to get back in the groove.

 

[Spurhunter]

I believe it is a practice thing. Your instincts get rusty. I used to fish 2 tournaments a month, fished all the time, and was pretty good at catching bass. Now, I spend a lot of time crappie fishing and struggle with the bass. My physical skill hasn't fallen off. I can still cast and flip with excellent accuracy. I just struggle to find fish, and I have electronics now that blow away what I used to have. As they say, "nothing beats time on the water". Keep doing what you are doing. There will be plenty time for fishing later. My babies are 26 and 21. It happens fast.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

Personally I think it is the fish. I can catch 6-7 fish in 4 hours one day. Do the same exact thing the next day and won't get one bite. Fish sometimes just do not cooperate for whatever reason.

 

[Crow Terminator]

Look at the advancements in technology and fishing pressure now, versus what most people had 11+ years ago. That's a big part in it IMO. Used to, by trial and error or prior knowledge, you could find cover and structure that many other anglers didn't know existed. And to mark it, you could use a handheld GPS unit to mark it or the good ole eyeballing it "line up with that crooked tree on the bank and where the mud meets the gravel and you'll be close". Now, even the kayak fishermen have side imaging, live scope tech, GPS marking capabilities, etc. It's easier to find that hidden stuff now and see whether there's fish on it or not, and quickly go on to the next if there's not. Back in the day we could fish one brushpile or dock, catch several fish off it...then they would quit biting for a while. You could wait them out or move to another spot to give those fish time to settle down...then come back and catch some again. Now...as soon as you leave, another boat is pulling up on it...IF they even wait for you to leave. Go to a place that isn't pressured as much and use the same technique and lures you are using on pressured lakes and see how easy it is to catch em. I'm fishing one such place now. I fished it Saturday from 10 o clock a.m. til 3 p.m. and caught over 60 fish. I can go to Watts Bar and do the same pattern and maybe catch 1.

 

[Sniper]

I also think catching is way more difficult now than 10-15 years ago

 

[TN Larry]

Time on the water and keeping your instincts in tune is still one of the best things that you can do in my opinion.

 

[moondawg]

I'll blame it on the fish. It can't be the fisherman's skill!

I'll say it's a combination of things. If you're trying a new lure or setup and don't have confidence in it, it will affect your fishing. It's just a matter of practicing it and getting used to the technique. Same with the waters you're fishing, sometimes it take a while to learn the waters. I'd also say it's the fish. Ever see fish swimming around, and you present a myriad of baits to it, only to have the fish turn it's nose up at it? I have had that happen many times.

As for the kids, spend time with them as much as you can. There will be plenty of time for fishing when they get older. Who knows, they might want to go fishing with you at that point.

 

[RUGER]

Get you some whacky worms and o rings.

 

[Laxxxxxx]

Personally I think it is the fish. I can catch 6-7 fish in 4 hours one day. Do the same exact thing the next day and won't get one bite. Fish sometimes just do not cooperate for whatever reason.

I use this rationale as well.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

Look at the advancements in technology and fishing pressure now, versus what most people had 11+ years ago. That's a big part in it IMO. Used to, by trial and error or prior knowledge, you could find cover and structure that many other anglers didn't know existed. And to mark it, you could use a handheld GPS unit to mark it or the good ole eyeballing it "line up with that crooked tree on the bank and where the mud meets the gravel and you'll be close". Now, even the kayak fishermen have side imaging, live scope tech, GPS marking capabilities, etc. It's easier to find that hidden stuff now and see whether there's fish on it or not, and quickly go on to the next if there's not. Back in the day we could fish one brushpile or dock, catch several fish off it...then they would quit biting for a while. You could wait them out or move to another spot to give those fish time to settle down...then come back and catch some again. Now...as soon as you leave, another boat is pulling up on it...IF they even wait for you to leave. Go to a place that isn't pressured as much and use the same technique and lures you are using on pressured lakes and see how easy it is to catch em. I'm fishing one such place now. I fished it Saturday from 10 o clock a.m. til 3 p.m. and caught over 60 fish. I can go to Watts Bar and do the same pattern and maybe catch 1.

I agree with much of what you posted. The electronics today (I don't have any) definitely are beneficial to find fish. Out of curiosity, what type of fish (60) did you catch? Those are incredible numbers. That's 12 per hour, one every 5 minutes.

 

[Crow Terminator]

I agree with much of what you posted. The electronics today (I don't have any) definitely are beneficial to find fish. Out of curiosity, what type of fish (60) did you catch? Those are incredible numbers. That's 12 per hour, one every 5 minutes.

Shell crackers and bluegill mostly. I stopped at the store and bought 3 containers of worms. The place I stop at has the red wigglers in containers of 24 to a container. I was going to fish that morning to get some for supper that night, then come home and watch the Tn vs Bama football game, and then go to another place that evening. I bought the extra worms for that to keep in my cooler. Instead, I started catching fish in flurries. Some times it was as soon as I could bait a hook and throw back out, I'd get one. I ended up using all 3 containers of worms and filled my 24 quart ice cooler with fish. And I didn't keep any that were under 8 inches. I also had a few small bass, and one yellow perch. I went to a different lake Monday and this morning...fished from around 9 a.m til 1 p.m. each day. I caught a striper and a little bluegill this morning. And that was it. I wish the lake I caught the 60 at, was closer to me to make trips after work. It's a much better fishery. It's an hour there and hour back home...cuts into fishing time when you work all night and have to sleep during the day at some point.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

That is a good haul for sure! Thanks for the information and good luck in the future.

 

[WTM]

a lot of fishing pressure on most lakes. bass can remember which lures to avoid after being caught, some better than others. coming off a long layoff doesnt help either. knowing which pattern is hot at a specific time only comes by being on the water. even then those patterns 10 years ago may be slightly different now on a given lake.

Ponder this: Do bass remember your lures? - Outdoor News

For years, bass anglers have sat in bass boats and pondered bass questions, such as: Can bass identify lures that previously led them to be hooked?

www.outdoornews.com

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

a lot of fishing pressure on most lakes. bass can remember which lures to avoid after being caught, some better than others. coming off a long layoff doesnt help either. knowing which pattern is hot at a specific time only comes by being on the water. even then those patterns 10 years ago may be slightly different now on a given lake.

Ponder this: Do bass remember your lures? - Outdoor News

For years, bass anglers have sat in bass boats and pondered bass questions, such as: Can bass identify lures that previously led them to be hooked?

www.outdoornews.com

From the article: "The results show that under some circumstances, bass can remember lures for at least up to three months and perhaps much, much longer," Jones concluded.

That said, I have spent the last 3 hours painting a full beard and mustache on all of my favorite crankbaits!