What are you giving up on? 2024
billmac reply :
Normally I would ask what lures or techniques you want to master for the next season. But I'm wondering something different.
Any lures or techniques that you've just had it with? You gave them a shot and they just don't work for you?
I'm just getting back into fishing after a long hiatus, so I don't have anything really on my list. The Tokyo Rig just doesn't interest me but I've honestly never tried it.
jimmyjoe reply :
No more soft plastics for me. From now on, it's spinnerbaits, spoons, inline spinners, crankbaits and blade lures. If they don't do it, then I go home and try another day. jj
billmac reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 8:19 AM, jimmyjoe said:No more soft plastics for me.
Interesting. That's one I didn't expect.
Hammer 4 reply :
I would never give up on a lure, as that would possibly limit my chances to catch fish. There are lures I don't use as much as others, but give up on them...No way.
A-Jay reply :
A-Jay
Grim_Reaver reply :
Fed up with bottom bouncing jigs, can't get bites and would rather fish a worm or standalone craw.
Log Catcher reply :
Never had any luck on topwater frogs or toads. Very little luck with tubes. Don't use any of them anymore.
Scott F reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 8:19 AM, jimmyjoe said:No more soft plastics for me. From now on, it's spinnerbaits, spoons, inline spinners, crankbaits and blade lures. If they don't do it, then I go home and try another day. jj
It’s funny. I fish with a guy who’d rather go to the dentist than throw soft plastics. Next season, I’m giving up on him.
fishwizzard reply :
Jerkbaits.
Or at least fishing jerkbaits slowly. It's dull and half the time I get a hit it's a pickerel who steals my lure/bites me/bleeds on me. I have like six LC Pointers left in my box and I am going to lose them all throwing them for creek smallies.
jimmyjoe reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 9:14 AM, Scott F said:It’s funny. I fish with a guy who’d rather go to the dentist than throw soft plastics. Next season, I’m giving up on him.
Sounds like a guy I'd like to fish with. ???? jj
On 12/30/2019 at 9:14 AM, Scott F said:It’s funny. I fish with a guy who’d rather go to the dentist than throw soft plastics. Next season, I’m giving up on him.
This is one small part of my decision. https://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/skinny-fish.html There's definitely more to it, though. jj
NorthernBasser reply :
I did have a reply ready. Then I read someone is giving up on plastics. Then someone says they're giving up on frog fishing. Now, I forgot what I was even gonna type.
Scuba Steve reply :
I surrender to the ned rig. I know, I know. I haven't caught anything on it when I'm not losing it to snags. It's pretty much useless for me.
Catt reply :
What are you giving up on?
Getting skunked ????
Manly Studson reply :
I’m going to fish paddle tail swimbaits on jig heads and no longer on weighted t-rigs.
Boomstick reply :
Similar to @A-Jay ...
As for "normal" lures in my rotation currently? Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna...
A-Jay reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 8:26 AM, A-Jay said:
A-Jay
On 12/30/2019 at 9:52 AM, Boomstick said:Similar to @A-Jay ...
As for "normal" lures in my rotation currently? Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna...
@Boomstick
I think I like Blinky better !
A-Jay
FishTank reply :
I fish with a guy that likes to fish 5-10 feet from the bank. I would like to give that up.
Lure wise...... Buzz baits. The whopper plopper has taken its' place.
diehardbassfishing reply :
Woooww, blown away seeing soft plastics being "turned down". Like "billmac", didn't see that coming!
The only lure CURRENTLY not a big go-to for me, and was once a BIG go-to, is lipless cranks. But still on my tool belt!
Karl
5/0 reply :
Not lure or technique, but line. No more FC as main line. Thinking about going braid on everything. Maybe FC leaders until it’s gone. Tired of the slinky effect.
Mike L reply :
Not that I’m giving up on them, I just have no interest and have no need to throw any of that light finesse stuff....Ned, Wacky, Shaky, Drop shot etc.
Mike
Grim_Reaver reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 10:26 AM, FishTank said:Buzz baits. The whopper plopper has taken its' place.
Blasphemy
JediAmoeba reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 8:19 AM, jimmyjoe said:No more soft plastics for me.
This accounts for at least 50% of my fishing.
On 12/30/2019 at 10:26 AM, FishTank said:Buzz baits. The whopper plopper has taken its' place.
I am more the opposite - the buzzbait is way more useful and doesn't get snagged all the time.
On 12/30/2019 at 9:08 AM, Log Catcher said:Never had any luck on topwater frogs or toads.
But they are so much fun!
The lure I have the absolute least luck with are boot tail and paddeltail swimbaits. They are almost useless if not on a jig, spinnerbait or chatterbait. I am not giving up on them, but it's getting close.
slonezp reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 9:56 AM, A-Jay said:
@Boomstick
I think I like Blinky better !
A-Jay
If you like Blinky then....
hoosierbass07 reply :
Think I'm giving up on big jigs. Hardly caught any bass on jigs. Going to replace that with crankbaits and jerkbaits to go along with my Texas Rigged soft plastics. I can't believe I'm going to give jerkbaits a good try but I got thinking, I have caught a few bass on jerkbaits, at least more than big jigs, and jerkbaits are long and narrow, just like my all time favorite lure - the Yum-Dinger. Me thinks if a bass loves long and slender stick baits like the Yum-Dinger and Senko, maybe they will like a jerkbait when they are in the mood for a hard bait.
jimmyjoe reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 11:50 AM, JediAmoeba said:absolute least luck with
Whoa ..... I apologize if I gave the impression that I didn't catch some (or any) fish on soft plastics. I did. But they're a no-go in the river, too many gill-hooked fish, too hard to get the particular action I want, not as snagless as I expected and I only had 2 days this last year when some other lure didn't get me equal numbers of fish, or even more. The "best" was wacky-rigged, and I lost plastic left and right on that. Did I mention that I hate bluegills?
The OP did ask about lures that "just didn't work for you." I interpreted that a little differently, so that's my bad. jj
The Bassman reply :
I don't give up on anything. Baits just go into hibernation then I "rediscover" them. Seems everything has its moment. It's all in my head, not the bass's.
Mike L reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 6:42 PM, The Bassman said:It's all in my head, not the bass's.
When we all remember that statement on the water, we’ll all be the better for it.
Mike
Oregon Native reply :
No more fluro main line....and this one drives me crazy.....A Carolina rig....yes it works....just not me. Don't use it.
roadwarrior reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 9:35 AM, NorthernBasser said:I did have a reply ready. Then I read someone is giving up on plastics. Then someone says they're giving up on frog fishing. Now, I forgot what I was even gonna type.
cgolf reply :
Ned rig! This started last year and will continue this year. In the past few years I threw it so much that I forgot to toss baits that could have caught them better. Now I will start with the other baits and only if I have to will I go to the ultra finesse ned. Last year it rarely happened.
Dirtyeggroll reply :
Braid as mainline for bottom contact techniques. I’ve read and read that it’s more sensitive and it’s the way to go, but after trying it for a year I have not found that to be true. I can feel way more with straight 20-lb Tatsu than I can with braid plus a 10-12 ft Tatsu leader.
Fishing_FF reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 11:17 AM, Mike L said:Not that I’m giving up on them, I just have no interest and have no need to throw any of that light finesse stuff....Ned, Wacky, Shaky, Drop shot etc.
Interesting that you don't like finesse rigs. I still have not caught a fish on the Ned rig, but I saw it work this year several times on the Central Florida lakes. As for the wacky rig and the drop shot, they saved me from the skunk on multiple occasions this year. The drop shot works well on the deeper, clear lakes, and the wacky/Neko rig for darker water where the grass fouls up a normal finesse presentation like a drop shot or shaky head. During the middle of summer on one of the Fab Five lakes, we went from zero to a 26 fish in a 3 hour period with the wacky rig.
As for what I'm giving up on, fishing an unproductive area for too long. I need to focus more on the 10% of the lake where the fish are. Something about 90% of the lake holding no fish is stuck in my mind. LOL
senile1 reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 6:42 PM, The Bassman said:I don't give up on anything. Baits just go into hibernation then I "rediscover" them. Seems everything has its moment. It's all in my head, not the bass's.
This perfectly encapsulates my thoughts as well.
@A-Jay
Funny but this was my top producer this year. You just need to give it a little time. ????
bagofdonuts reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 10:26 AM, FishTank said:I fish with a guy that likes to fish 5-10 feet from the bank. I would like to give that up.
Lure wise...... Buzz baits. The whopper plopper has taken its' place.
send all your buzz baits to me, I'll put them to use for you, and even send you pics if you like.
Mike L reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 9:54 PM, Fishing_FF said:
Interesting that you don't like finesse rigs. I still have not caught a fish on the Ned rig, but I saw it work this year several times on the Central Florida lakes. As for the wacky rig and the drop shot, they saved me from the skunk on multiple occasions this year. The drop shot works well on the deeper, clear lakes, and the wacky/Neko rig for darker water where the grass fouls up a normal finesse presentation like a drop shot or shaky head. During the middle of summer on one of the Fab Five lakes, we went from zero to a 26 fish in a 3 hour period with the wacky rig.
As for what I'm giving up on, fishing an unproductive area for too long. I need to focus more on the 10% of the lake where the fish are. Something about 90% of the lake holding no fish is stuck in my mind. LOL
It’s just my preference because I’ve had much more success on the waters I fish the most...(Okeechobee, Stick Marsh and the St Johns River) using other presentations.
None of them are what I would classify as the clear deep lakes you reference.
Do they work? Sure, you’re proof of that, but I just don’t fish those type of lakes.
However, I agree lakes in the Kissimmee or Harris Chain where there are deeper areas, a light line finesse set up can be a good option at times in certain areas.
I look for and prefer shallow, stained, grassy areas in all stages of growth.
(the heavier the better) Shell beds, humps or small depressions are a close 2nd.
A wacky, ned or shaky type presentation are the least productive for me given the way I like to fish.
I’d much rather get up close and personal with a mid range to heavy flouro or braid setup and go to work. But that’s just me.
Mike
FryDog62 reply :
I think I’ll most likely stop using a Toadrunner and Tokyo-Rig this coming year.
The Toadrunner goes through slop where the Whopper Plopper can’t, but to spin/plop optimally I think it just goes “too fast in traffic” to either get strikes or a good hookup percentage. I have better luck moving a Cavitron Buzzbait at slower speeds in weeds or I’ll even throw a Cover Pop if there’s a small area of open water between the weed beds.
As far as the Tokyo-Rig goes, I think it’s a good concept but gets hung up more than a traditional jig or Texas Rig when flipping. And as far as bottom-dragging it long distances across the flats, I think other lures do a better job of this without all the dangling hardware below. I’ll stick with a Jointed Structure Head jig, Biffle Bug or Dark Sleeper for grinding long distances on the bottom..
Bird reply :
I throw a BUNCH of Zman but won't throw a Chatterbait when I can throw a spinnerbait.
J Francho reply :
I will continue my road to recovery through the pain and wreckage fishing a Carolina rig causes.
Pickle_Power reply :
Done with hollow bodied frogs. Countless blowups through super thick slop and probably 3-4 fish last year to show for it. Too much frustration. I'll commit fully to a buzz toad.
NorthernBasser reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 8:16 PM, roadwarrior said:
You and your gifs. Lol.
galyonj reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 9:18 AM, jimmyjoe said:This is one small part of my decision. https://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/skinny-fish.html There's definitely more to it, though. jj
I really wish the industry would move towards biodegradable soft plastics. For a hobby that, by and large, embraces conservation as heavily as bass fishing does, we sure leave a lot of garbage in the water (and inside the fish).
plawren53202 reply :
I'm throwing in the towel on the drop shot. I have tried many times and don't know that I've caught a single fish on it. Yesterday was a perfect example; cold Missouri farm pond, I forced myself to throw a drop shot for quite a while with no success. Finally gave in and switched to a shakey head and thereafter a Ned rig, both of which I am much more comfortable with, and caught fish on both. YMMV, I know many people have great success on a drop shot.
5/0 reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 12:04 PM, slonezp said:If you like Blinky then....
Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Oklahoma Mike reply :
For me it will be finesse jigs. I am dragging along a dedicated rig just for them, and the returns are not worth the hassle.
stratoliner92 reply :
Carolina rig is my nemesis ???? I won't even get near one anymore!!
MickD reply :
On 12/30/2019 at 9:30 PM, cgolf said:Ned rig! This started last year and will continue this year. In the past few years I threw it so much that I forgot to toss baits that could have caught them better. Now I will start with the other baits and only if I have to will I go to the ultra finesse ned. Last year it rarely happened.
Keep a few, especially green ones, then when your regular stuff strikes out, put on the ned. A guide friend of mine was skeptical until one day he and his clients caught nothing on everything else. Only the ned produced. (northern SMB).
billmac reply :
On 12/31/2019 at 5:59 AM, stratoliner92 said:Carolina rig is my nemesis ???? I won't even get near one anymore!!
I gave up on the Carolina rig before I ever got started.
Mobasser reply :
At this point, I'm not giving up on anything. I already gave up on the baits that don't work for me a long time ago.
cgolf reply :
On 12/31/2019 at 6:06 AM, MickD said:Keep a few, especially green ones, then when your regular stuff strikes out, put on the ned. A guide friend of mine was skeptical until one day he and his clients caught nothing on everything else. Only the ned produced. (northern SMB).
I always have a few, I just never ended up pulling them out much last year. I got like 200 Producto tourney grubs for christmas, caught a few fish on them on a ned head and then went the Menace ugly otter route never tossing them again. The menace was amazing, I was even catching brown trout on them this year. I just need to remember to be more versatile and not key in on one or two soft baits when I have many I have confidence in.
Yakalong reply :
spinner baits, just don't seem to catch much on them, could be that I have great success with bladed jigs so I throw them in place of spinners
Grim_Reaver reply :
On 12/31/2019 at 1:06 AM, plawren53202 said:switched to a shakey head and thereafter a Ned rig, both of which I am much more comfortable with, and caught fish on both
All the fish in that pond most likely have their bellies in the mud. Doubt they'd come unglued for a dropshot which is more suited for suspended fish.
GreenPig reply :
The bait monkey gave me a beating the last time I just considered giving up on a lure.
ike8120 reply :
Noisy Flapper Frog
hoosierbass07 reply :
Oh, giving up on braid on my spinning reels. I've had two reels with braid the last couple of years and hate using them. Braid feels like I'm fishing blue bluejean material. It's like - this stuff is not fishing line, it feels like I'm fishing with a wire. So braid is off and new copolymer is going on.
LonnieP reply :
Chatterbaits. Fished them every type of way and can't catch a cold with one. After I lost my last one I told myself no more.
Koz reply :
I am seriously considering giving up fishing for a while. Don't get me wrong, I have had a passion for bass fishing. But since I moved from the great fishing in the SC Lowcountry to Upstate SC the fishing here has been awful.
First off, I bank fish and up here not only are there very little bank fishing spots available they are overcrowded and usually teeming with kids an adults with zero fishing etiquette. Second, I've fished for a total of about 20 hours here at a bunch of lakes and not one single bite. Not. One. Bite.
It's not just me, either. I talk to plenty of bank and boat anglers around here and nobody is really catching any bass. If they are catching anything it's a few dinks. No quality and no quantity. Of all the times I've been out fishing I've only seen two crappies caught. That's it. And that includes the times I'm not fishing and just hiking or biking around the lakes.
I know 20 hours doesn't seem like a lot - that's two days of fishing for some of you out there. But I've grown accustomed to fishing in the Lowcountry and picking any one of thousands of lagoons and if the fish aren't biting in one lagoon they're bound to be biting in another.
In fact, the only time I caught anything since I moved here in July are when I make a trip to the Lowcountry. Heck, when I was down there last month to pick up my son's hospital records there was a lagoon right next to the hospital and I decided to make a few casts. I caught 5 in less than an hour.
Maybe in the spring I'll get the urge and rent a kayak and give it another try. But quite frankly, it's just no fun anymore.
Manly Studson reply :
On 1/1/2020 at 5:32 AM, Koz said:I am seriously considering giving up fishing for a while.
I had similar challenges. But I’ll frequently drive an hour in any direction if I have to. Maybe even 2 hours.
billmac reply :
Koz: I've done plenty of bank fishing so this is no knock on bank fishing or bank fisherman, but a whole new fishing world opens up once you can move away from the bank. In some cases you can do this by wading but I think if I were in your case I'd even settle for a rubber raft if it got me away from the bank.
Manly Studson reply :
On 1/1/2020 at 7:52 AM, billmac said:but a whole new fishing world opens up once you can move away from the bank.
Very true. My cheap kayak was worth the price. Koz, maybe it will help you get to the fish.
Sam reply :
Alabama Rig.
Not very productive for me and it wears me out.
Koz reply :
On 1/1/2020 at 8:16 AM, Manly Studson said:Very true. My cheap kayak was worth the price. Koz, maybe it will help you get to the fish.
The best I can do is rent a kayak every now and then. There are no rack systems available for my car and I'm not inclined to sell a perfectly good and paid for vehicle. I really enjoy having no car payments.
The thing I enjoy about bank fishing where I used to fish is not only how good the fishing was, but also being able to walk or bike to dozens of different lagoons and enjoy the diversity of the wildlife (well, except the nuisance alligators). It was easy to relax and fish.
When I fish from a kayak or a boat I don't get that relaxation because you also have to deal with maneuvering the watercraft, loading, unloading, and transporting. I just want to grab a rod and bad and go fish and walk. Part of why I fish is to relax and exercise and free myself from any of life's frustrations. That hasn't happened up here.
Anyway, I appreciate all of the advice from everyone. I may rent a kayak and try it again in the spring or may limit my fishiung to when I go visit my parents back in the Lowcountry.
Columbia Craw reply :
What am I giving up on? The hope of lower gas prices.
Grim_Reaver reply :
Koz, I feel your pain and have been in the same boat. I've come to the decision that I will never live far from a coastline. I've tried living in the interior with little access for bank fisherman and I hate it. I was lucky enough to befriend someone with a boat and finally started enjoying fishing again. You honestly need to try kayak fishing or get a car topper jon boat. You can't catch fish if you can't get near them. Also, try fishing for something other than bass. There should be plenty of other fish around that you can catch.
cgolf reply :
On 1/1/2020 at 10:23 AM, Koz said:The best I can do is rent a kayak every now and then. There are no rack systems available for my car and I'm not inclined to sell a perfectly good and paid for vehicle. I really enjoy having no car payments.
The thing I enjoy about bank fishing where I used to fish is not only how good the fishing was, but also being able to walk or bike to dozens of different lagoons and enjoy the diversity of the wildlife (well, except the nuisance alligators). It was easy to relax and fish.
When I fish from a kayak or a boat I don't get that relaxation because you also have to deal with maneuvering the watercraft, loading, unloading, and transporting. I just want to grab a rod and bad and go fish and walk. Part of why I fish is to relax and exercise and free myself from any of life's frustrations. That hasn't happened up here.
Anyway, I appreciate all of the advice from everyone. I may rent a kayak and try it again in the spring or may limit my fishiung to when I go visit my parents back in the Lowcountry.
You could look at a float tube and waders to stay dry. A lot of fly fishers use them out west.
Elkins45 reply :
I’m giving up on fluorocarbon line. I just don’t see the benefit vs the coat. I think I’m going to spool one casting reel with 65 pound braid for the thick stuff and one spinning reel with 20 for Ned/ floating worms and all the rest with regular mono.
ww2farmer reply :
I am not giving up on any techniques....but on several bait/tackle companies.
#1 Keitech....expensive and fragile. I get better results and have more money in my pocket using other brands. It was not without A TON of trial and error though....it took a while to find a swing impact/fat impact replacement that wasn't a total dud, but I have found one....and it's cheaper....and it's better....and I'm not talking much more about it LOL.
#2 VMC hooks....I have a love/hate relationship with them. Several of their products are go-to's for me, like the spinshot dropshot hooks....but I randomly get batches of them that for some reason are made of glass. Hooks that break, swivel wires that break/bend, or cut my line. It's to the point that I can't trust them, and if I can't trust them, their gone. Back to the slightly more expensive, but more reliable Gamakatsu Drop shot/split shot hooks for me.
#3 Any bladed jig that's not a Jackhammer, or chatterbait "custom" TW exclusive. I have tried them all...from different brands, and even other Z-man offerings. Those two out fish the rest for me by a wide margin. A buddy of mine is a big fan of the SK Thunder Cricket, and it's comical that SK charges a premium for them, when after a day of fishing AND CATCHING my jackhammers that only cost a little more, still look and perform great, while his Thunder Turds are all but whipped and falling apart with no more, and often less fish to show for it.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 12/31/2019 at 5:59 AM, stratoliner92 said:Carolina rig is my nemesis ???? I won't even get near one anymore!!
I learned how to fish it in lake Toho in 4-6 feet of water. I thought it was the silliest idea ever but we sacked em!
On 1/1/2020 at 11:19 PM, Elkins45 said:I’m giving up on fluorocarbon line. I just don’t see the benefit vs the coat. I think I’m going to spool one casting reel with 65 pound braid for the thick stuff and one spinning reel with 20 for Ned/ floating worms and all the rest with regular mono.
That’s what I do and I’m about done with the 20 lb on the spinner. It’s almost to short and it’s back to 6 lb mono after a few more break offs
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