Easier To Accept Getting Skunked In The Summer (Opinion Based) 2024
RMcDuffee726 reply :
Today I got skunked, plain and simple. Getting skunked sucks regardless, and nobody ever goes home happy when it happens, but it does happen. It is something that all fishermen have to deal with. Anyway, while I was driving home contemplating about how awful of an angler I was and asking my self the common "what if?" scenarios I realized that it is the "dog days" of summer. I know that I should never have an escape goat for getting skunked, but I do realize that summertime bass fishing is not the easiest season by any stretch of the imagination and being skunked happens a fair amount in the summer. I would be much more disappointed if I got skunked during the Fall or Spring. I'm just curious if you fellow anglers feel the same way I do? Cheers & tight lines! 
papajoe222 reply :
I can't really help because I can't remeber the last time I got skunked. Of course at my age I can't remember..........................What was the question again? Seriously, I get bummed out whatever season it is. The fish just seem to be a little more difficult to locate in the summer as they don't roam as much as in the spring and fall.
Catch and Grease reply :
I've been skunked the past 5 fishing trips in a row... I blame summer or the lake so I feel better haha
CDobber reply :
I normally don't get too disappointed if I get skunked....it happens. There's 2 exceptions to that for me, currently: 1. I just cannot figure out patterns from the boat. I have been doing fine from shore and realize I'm still on a learning curve when using the boat, but this is now the 3rd summer of boat ownership and I'm still very much lacking consistency and quality from it. 2. I am a believer in the full moon and positive effects of success around it, especially one day prior to and one day after. I didn't get to fish much around last month's and haven't caught anything in 2 days this time around. As long as I don't have a long (weeks) stretch of skunk this summer, I'll consider it a win...
geo g reply :
Regardless what anyone says, everyone gets skunked once in a while. When those dog days of summer come around, find an area with some current. Even if its wind blown current, find current to catch fish. Current will get the whole food chain going, and the bass will follow. Also in the summer fish early, or fish late. Take a siesta from 10 until 5. 
gulfcaptain reply :
Getting skunked does suck, but this shows us that our same approaches don't always produce. I try hard each year to pick up a new technique to my arsenal and I have to say, days of getting skunked become fewer and fewer and quality of fish increase as well.
ABW reply :
I rarely get skunked in the summer. If the bite isn't on, then I'll throw on a shakey head, which has always caught me fish, or a 1/4 oz jig
hawgenvy reply :
Here in Palm Beach County, FL, I've been catching just a few, much less than I did in mid June, from the bank in nearby ponds and canals. I don't even try until 6:30 pm. The areas I fish are shallow bank to bank, as is most all the fresh water in S Florida. So, where do the bass go in the summer? Are they there and not eating, or have they gone elsewhere? Do they fill their bellies at 2 am so they're not hungry the rest of the time? Are they more discriminating? Does anyone really know?
nascar2428 reply :
It's certainly not easier as far as I'm concerned. Today was also my first day being skunked this year. Fish were in the area, I just couldn't get them to cooperate. Thankfully tomorrow is just around the corner, and with that comes another opportunity to go fishing.
SirSnookalot reply :
On 7/13/2014 at 10:56 AM, hawgenvy said:Here in Palm Beach County, FL, I've been catching just a few, much less than I did in mid June, from the bank in nearby ponds and canals. I don't even try until 6:30 pm. The areas I fish are shallow bank to bank, as is most all the fresh water in S Florida. So, where do the bass go in the summer? Are they there and not eating, or have they gone elsewhere? Do they fill their bellies at 2 am so they're not hungry the rest of the time? Are they more discriminating? Does anyone really know?
I'm not doing much bass fishing now and when I do go it's in the afternoon. This past week for the first time in ages I've seen bass busting bait, If I'm in the right place at the right time I'll catch a few. The rest of the time is pretty dead.
I've been real aggrevated with the inshore saltwater bite, just hasn't been good tis year. It got to me yesterday, fish were being caught around me using the same lures I was, I got skunked...........lol, walked off and took my wife out for breakfeast.
TNBassin' reply :
On 7/13/2014 at 7:30 AM, RMcDuffee726 said:Today I got skunked, plain and simple. Getting skunked sucks regardless, and nobody ever goes home happy when it happens, but it does happen. It is something that all fishermen have to deal with. Anyway, while I was driving home contemplating about how awful of an angler I was and asking my self the common "what if?" scenarios I realized that it is the "dog days" of summer. I know that I should never have an escape goat for getting skunked, but I do realize that summertime bass fishing is not the easiest season by any stretch of the imagination and being skunked happens a fair amount in the summer. I would be much more disappointed if I got skunked during the Fall or Spring. I'm just curious if you fellow anglers feel the same way I do? Cheers & tight lines!
I'm with you. Summer fishing on Douglas Lake SUUUUUUUUCKS! TVA raises the water levels way past full pool, then drops it down way past normal pool soooo many times during the summer. Insane traffic on the lake, Couple that with all the weird weather we've been having and I've been skunked the past 3 nights throwing everything but the kitchen sink. Talked to a few folks in our local BPS, and it's the same story. No one seems to be catching ANYTHING right now here. Come Fall and Spring though.....man I can't wait. In the past couple years I can count on one hand where I've fished during those times and walked away un-smelly hands.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I night fish during the summer for the most part. Getting skunked doesn't happen at night during the summer time 
Lund Explorer reply :
I must be doing something wrong.
After looking over my records for the last six years, I can only find two days where I failed to put at least one keeper in the boat during a fishing trip even though I did catch a number of short fish. The first time was on a lake known for producing tons of dinks (see the What Its Name thread), and the second trip was to a lake I had never been on before. On both of those days, the person I was fishing with did catch keepers including one 5lb+ fish caught on the first trip. We were on fish, using the same baits, I just failed to put my bait on the nose of a quality bass.
My take on the subject is that the Dog Days of Summer actually starts when the fish move away from a person's comfort zone.
Unless you find their track on the shoreline, the fish are still in the lake. Unless the water is extremely warm with those inherent low oxygen levels, fish feed more during the summer. Even when those conditions do exist, they still have to feed and will take a lure that comes within their strike zone if it seems like an easy meal. The real challenge is to locate where those fish have moved to, and find the presentation or time of day when those fish will bite. Look at any tournament results held during these times and you'll find that there are always people who still figure out how to catch keeper sized fish.
If they can figure it out, so can anyone else!
BassWhole! reply :
On 7/13/2014 at 7:30 AM, RMcDuffee726 said:Today I got skunked, plain and simple. Getting skunked sucks regardless, and nobody ever goes home happy when it happens, but it does happen. It is something that all fishermen have to deal with. Anyway, while I was driving home contemplating about how awful of an angler I was and asking my self the common "what if?" scenarios I realized that it is the "dog days" of summer. I know that I should never have an escape goat for getting skunked, but I do realize that summertime bass fishing is not the easiest season by any stretch of the imagination and being skunked happens a fair amount in the summer. I would be much more disappointed if I got skunked during the Fall or Spring. I'm just curious if you fellow anglers feel the same way I do? Cheers & tight lines!
No.
senile1 reply :
This would have been a good weekend to night fish with the Supermoon.
I think we get skunked more in the summer because we don't find the deeper groups of fish. At least that was the case for me. I get skunked much less now. There are some fish that stay shallow in the dog days of summer, but a large group will congregate in deeper water off the ends of points, around humps, on ledges, in creek channels, etc. Until we discover these groups, it can be hit or miss. With side imaging and down imaging finding these fish has become a bit easier for those who have these tools. Otherwise, you have to spend time with your old sonar learning the lake and learning where these areas are. That can result in some skunks as well. But once you find them, it can lead to some good fishing.
porkleaker reply :
It happens. But you've got to admit, even a bad day on the lake is a hell of a lot better than a good day in an office or at work...Unless you fish for a living...I guess that'd be nice.
TNBassin' reply :
On 7/13/2014 at 4:42 PM, Bluebasser86 said:I night fish during the summer for the most part. Getting skunked doesn't happen at night during the summer time
Come fish Douglas Lake lol.
BigmouthForever23 reply :
On 7/13/2014 at 10:19 AM, geo g said:Regardless what anyone says, everyone gets skunked once in a while. When those dog days of summer come around, find an area with some current. Even if its wind blown current, find current to catch fish. Current will get the whole food chain going, and the bass will follow. Also in the summer fish early, or fish late. Take a siesta from 10 until 5.
Sorry, I have to disagree with this. My dad and I would go out in the summer at noon, bright sunshine, wind, and troll with a 10 inch worm on the bottom near drop-offs and plenty of weeds and catch some of the biggest bass of the year. You just have to find them and throw them something they can't resist like a big slow worm.
jhoffman reply :
Yes, they cant resist those big slow worms. Ill tell ya, today anyone fishing slow on the lake I was at didnt catch much because those fish wanted a jig rocketed off the bottom.
Know how I figured that out, paying attention when I was reeling up to cast again. The people who come to the weigh in week after week with big fish arent fishing the same bait in the same holes every day.
One cant honestly expect to watch a train of bass boats go down a bank and then think fish are gonna just bite whatever they throw in the same old fashion.
I fish deep to shallow on every trip and its rare I cant buy a bite but it does happen. The more time I spend on the water the clearer the picture becomes. It might be 3-4-5 hours till I figure it out. The guy who launched at daylight and is home in the AC at 10am will think the lake sucks. You start hanging your head after 3 hours of no bites and youre done before hour 4 comes because youre missing the minor details.
A buddy of mine went out on my most hated lake the other day at 3pm, hes got a great work schedule. He called me 4 times the following morning till I answered so he could tell me how his afternoon went. Apparently they boated 19 bass with multiples over 3lbs in a really hard to fish lake. He said he left at 6:30 right as a tournament blasted off. His words "All I could do was laugh pulling the boat on the trailer, they completely missed the bite, it shut off at 5pm."
Bankbeater reply :
I tend to get skunked more in the winter. So far this summer I have been pretty lucky. I haven't been skunked yet.
Hubtech reply :
i've been skunked a few times this year. but i've just started back this year after a 15 year hiatus. An i've also just started solo boat fishing, so i'm learning a bit. MUCH BETTER THAN WORKING !
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
I have been getting skunked but today i downsized my lures and got a couple -- went from a 10 in. worm to 7 in. and a smaller 3/16 oz. spinnerbait...both lures got fish today.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 7/14/2014 at 1:27 AM, TNBassin said:Come fish Douglas Lake lol.
I fish a Douglas Lake a few times a year, one of the easiest lakes around to catch fish.
The Douglas Lake you're referring to I've heard is one of the tougher lakes to figure out and sounds very much to me like Truman Lake in Missouri with it's major water fluctuations. If that is the case, I do not *** you having that as your best fishing option.
TNBassin' reply :
A lot of the pros I've talked to don't enjoy fishing tourneys here. TVA messes with the water levels so much in the summer. They will allow it to go way past full pool, then they drop it past normal pool. Rinse and repeat. Really messes with the fishing. Fish here stay deeper for some reason than other lakes with comparable water clarity.On 7/14/2014 at 6:47 PM, Bluebasser86 said:I fish a Douglas Lake a few times a year, one of the easiest lakes around to catch fish.
The Douglas Lake you're referring to I've heard is one of the tougher lakes to figure out and sounds very much to me like Truman Lake in Missouri with it's major water fluctuations. If that is the case, I do not *** you having that as your best fishing option.
skeeter1980 reply :
Last time that I got skunked,was a few years ago.I was driving down a road,hit some dead black animal with a white stripe.Man that thing smelled.LOL
K_Mac reply :
Senile1 pretty much sums up my experience. Most of us tend to fish the same spots with the same baits year round. In the summer deeper, and faster or slower is usually my approach. It's counterintuitive, but shallow heavy cover in the heat of the day sometimes works well. Finding the right location is always key. Hang in there. There is satisfaction in finding fish when most others have gone home.
DogBone_384 reply :
Getting skunked during Summer isn't bad, for me, anyway. I've only gotten back into fishing in the last couple years so it's still a relearning process. Besides, working two jobs and family responsibilities makes me appreciate the time I get to fish, regardless of what I catch.
Felix77 reply :
Getting skunked is tough no matter what season it is. To me it's all about perspective. I would rather be skunked fishing than working at my desk or dealing with something worse.
bradc36 reply :
I don't enjoy getting skunked, but it happens more often than I'd like over the summer months when I'm hitting the water for an hour or two after work, usually to try out a new product, or get ready for a tournament. It doesn't really bother me too much until it it happens in an 8 hour day, then it's a completely different story.
FrogFreak reply :
What I don't like about getting skunked is when I start thinking about why I got skunked and I realize I was in a rut on the water and didn't change. I have a bad habit of staying with the same technique for too long. I will throw top water too long after that bite is done for example. it was happening a couple weekends ago when I said out loud, come on you know what you need to do to catch em. I switched over to a t-rigged plastic, threw it in some deep lily pockets and started hammering them.
DogBone_384 reply :
On 7/14/2014 at 10:57 PM, Felix77 said:Getting skunked is tough no matter what season it is. To me it's all about perspective. I would rather be skunked fishing than working at my desk or dealing with something worse.
Can you work via kayak?
EmersonFish reply :
Some people are better fishermen than others; some people have better summertime fishing locations available than others. Most people have rough days now and then.
As for me, I'm capable of getting skunked any of the 4 seasons, if the conditions are right (or wrong, perhaps). That just motivates me. If it were as easy as catching fish at a well stocked, pay lake, it wouldn't interest me much.
I'm always learning and getting better. When it's tough out there, and people are lined up at the boat ramp, grumbling about the heat, trying to get home; if I can catch a couple decent fish, that makes me feel a lot better than catching those same fish at the crack of dawn, when they are all chasing baitfish right by the loading dock.
NathanW reply :
You will get better. And you will eventually will come to a point where you just straight up, will not get skunked in the middle of summer on your home waters. Actually, you will get to a point where the only time of year you might get skunked is winter. I still get skunked in Dec through March often but can always buy a bite in November and April and am starting to figure our the cooler month as well.
Summer fish are very predictable, I honestly think they are the most predictable fish and I look farward to the dog days every year. I cut my teeth finesse fishing for smallmouth and although its not my favorite way to fish anymore I can always get the deep finesse bite going on slow summer days.
Vaporwave reply :
I have gotten skunked almost every time i have gone out this summer. I have caught a total of 5 bass and have gone atleast 15 times this summer.
I just started fishing though and I am self taught so I guess I sort of expect it.
AK-Jax86 reply :
Man I hate getting skunked in the summer because of the heat!! Lol atleast if I catch a fish it's worth it dealing with the heat it's that much worse when I don't catch fish and always seem like it's hotter than it is when skunked
kms399 reply :
i have been skunked 3 times in a row. my issue is the water level is high and the water temp has gone down 10 degrees. shallow is producing nothing, I back off to deep weed edges, nothing. I honestly don't know what to do. im pretty much blaming the water temp. im open to suggestions. tried everything from frogs, buzz baits, flukes, senkos, shallow cranks, deep cranks, t-rigged plastics (all depths to about 15') (these lakes are pretty shallow), thinking maybe going small perhaps shaky head or drop shot.
Skeeter Dan reply :
If I want to catch fish every time I go fishing. I would go to my buddies house just down the street and fish in his pound. I go to the lakes and Rivers for the Challenge. Poor skills and old electronics make fish hard to catch. So when I catch one big or small I had a great day. If not I still had a great day 
Mainebass1984 reply :
Getting skunked is not allowed.
A-Jay reply :
On 7/20/2014 at 1:42 AM, Mainebass1984 said:Getting skunked is not allowed.
Especially in Your Boat -
You've been Killing it this season ~ ! ! !
A-Jay
(='_'=) reply :
On 7/13/2014 at 7:30 AM, RMcDuffee726 said:Today I got skunked, plain and simple. Getting skunked sucks regardless, and nobody ever goes home happy when it happens, but it does happen. It is something that all fishermen have to deal with. Anyway, while I was driving home contemplating about how awful of an angler I was and asking my self the common "what if?" scenarios I realized that it is the "dog days" of summer. I know that I should never have an escape goat for getting skunked, but I do realize that summertime bass fishing is not the easiest season by any stretch of the imagination and being skunked happens a fair amount in the summer. I would be much more disappointed if I got skunked during the Fall or Spring. I'm just curious if you fellow anglers feel the same way I do? Cheers & tight lines!
actually I do.... at least i went out fishing!!
einscodek reply :
I cant remember the last time I was skunked I think it was sometime last year and certainly not this year and not this summer.
If you get skunked, let it motivate you to take your fishing to another level
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