How many techniques did you start with? 2024
Wizzlebiz reply :
How many techniques did you learn when you 1st began bass fishing? I mean really get into the nitty gritty of it all and feel quite proficient before moving on to new techniques.
What techniques were the ones you learned?
jbsoonerfan reply :
For me, I started seriously fishing for bass at 12-13 years old. Started with beetlespin, spinnerbait, ribbon tail worm, and a buzzbait. I didn't throw a treble hook bait till I was probably 20. I used those lures for that entire time.
Hammer 4 reply :
beetlespin, kastmasters, spinnerbaits , then t rigged worms, cranks for quiet awhile. This was back in the 60's..thru the 70's.
The Bassman reply :
Mostly fished smallmouth in creeks as a teenager. Inline spinners, Rapalas, and live bait. Looking back, the level of proficiency I achieved left a lot to be desired. Still it left fond memories.
Catt reply :
Mike L reply :
T Rig plastics of all kinds.
I concentrated on the different techniques involved from just dragging a small worm to flippin, pitching and punching.
Mike
Todd2 reply :
As a young country boy in the 80's, I either used worms that I dug up or shiners/craw dads that I seined with a homemade seine made with two tobacco sticks.
Somewhere in there I was throwing a Roostertail a lot too. In the late 80's, I was shown the Texas rig and it's still going strong in 2019 for me...lol.
Jaderose reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 6:43 PM, Catt said:
To this day if I'm throwing a spinner bait, chances are pretty good it's an H&H.
Mobasser reply :
Mid to latter 1960s. Started with smaller topwater lures and farm.ponds
A-Jay reply :
Fishing from shore as a youngster in mostly shallow often weedy lakes, my first 'technique' was live bait; crawlers, crayfish & any type of minnow. This helped me learn about bass location & feeding times.
From there I moved to 'techniques' I could fish effectively in the conditions; plastics fit the bill.
Swimming a worm worked OK, and in open water a Daredevil spoon and a Rebel minnow were the deal.
I used spinning gear exclusively back them, so line twist was a major problem right there.
Once I got off the bank (Coleman Crawdad) my opportunities, techniques & experience virtually exploded.
Been trying to keep that rolling for the last 50 years or so.
#iamold
A-Jay
Dirtyeggroll reply :
For the first 15 years of my life, I was certain that throwing a spinnerbait on a rod with an "open face" (spinning reel), was the pinnacle of bass fishing. I had occasionally seen my dad throw a "jig and pig" in the cooler months, but never saw him catch a fish with it.
Ironically, I caught a ton of fish growing up throwing a spinnerbait and I probably haven't made 10 casts with one in the last 5 years...
scaleface reply :
I use to throw spinnerbaits , crankbaits and buzzbaits with limited success . it wasnt until I learned how to fish a texas rigged plastic worm that I started catching fish consistently . It was a game changer . After that I became a better angler with the other lures as well .
Log Catcher reply :
I started moistly throwing crankbaits and inline spinners like Shyster and Toni. Lot of members on here that never heard of them. Caught a lot of fish on them but can't get a fish to look at a Rooster Tail. It was along time before I finally started fishing soft plastics. Soft plastics helped me start catching more fish.
keagbassr reply :
If I remember correctly the 1st lure I bought was a fleck weed wader spinnerbait. Then one day a co-worker gave me a bps catalog and it melted my brain.
FishTank reply :
When I started bass fishing I had only one technique > Catch Fish ????.
Probably the first technique or bait I learned was a spoon. I had two Red Devils and would catch just about everything on them.
Happybeerbuzz reply :
I soaked bait for catfish and stripped bass as a kid, but I didn't start fishing for black bass until I was an adult with a steady income. Technically, I started fishing for black bass with a pack of EWG hooks, a pack of black and blue Senkos, and a pack of green pumpkin Yum Dingers with chartreuse tails. I remember thinking to myself how ingenious it was that Yum Dingers had a built in slot to texpose your hook. Immediately after about a 1.5 pounder stretched my line for the first time, the Bait Monkey had his way with me. I started buying some of everything.
WRB reply :
My first bass lure was a Hawaiian Wiggler #3 weedless spoon and fished it the summer of '55. Weedless spoons are versitile, cast 50 yards and could work the surface or swim deeper, catch lots of bass on that lure.
Tom
The Bassman reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 6:43 PM, Catt said:
Remember how those flat rubber skirts used to stick together after they dried?
Fried Lemons reply :
When I was first learning how to target bass I threw a weightless Texas rigged worm exclusively for about a year. From just that bait I learned about picking apart cover and proper hooksetting. It took me a long time to gain any confidence in reaction style baits.
greentrout reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 6:43 PM, Catt said:
that's an h&h spinnerbait ... i still use 'em ... they are big on the coast and la. ... and catch fish ...
good fishing ...
senile1 reply :
I started out with the common earthworm as bait. Then I quickly graduated to Rapala minnows and countdown minnows. Within the next couple of years I added plastic worms and jitterbugs. That pretty much covers me from around 7 or 8 years old through high school (1968 - 1979). I started using a jon boat around age 15 using a minn kota trolling motor.
BassWhole! reply :
As illustrated by the answers above, there is a lot of confusion with what is a "technique". I don't buy into it. To me there is only one way to fish, get your lure in front of a fish by whatever means necessary. So to answer the OP's question, one, and still there.
fishwizzard reply :
I stated with Trout Magnets as I just wanted to catch "something", then once I got a 15-16" smallie on them I started to look more into bass fishing and fortunately found some of the MWF stuff on InFisherman and that is what got me catching bass with regularity.
Pickle_Power reply :
I started with one technique, cast out and reel in. I remember using some of my grandpa's rattle traps in old abandoned gravel pits a 1/4 mile from my hometown. I also remember being deathly afraid of losing them. I don't think I tried any bottom hopping stuff until I was 18-19.
riverat reply :
I used an H&H, Johnson Silver Minnow, and an Arbogast #2 Hawaiian Wiggler. I later added a Devils Horse and Snagless Sally.
Bankbeater reply :
I started out with a bobber and either night crawlers or red wigglers. Later on I started fishing with crankbaits. Probably Heddon or Cordell baits.
haggard reply :
Just one. 4 inch worm, TX rigged with 1/4 oz bullet.
Sphynx reply :
One, the Texas rig, still one of my favorite ones too
Sam reply :
One. Texas rigged finesse worm with a lead bullet weight on a spinning rig.
stratoliner92 reply :
On 8/18/2019 at 9:19 AM, Sphynx said:One, the Texas rig, still one of my favorite ones too
Texas Rig was and is the most important and fun way for me to catch them.
GReb reply :
Started with crickets and minnows. First artificial lure was H&H spinnerbaits.
dumfish reply :
Great nostalgic question, a Strike King 3/8 oz. white, short arm spinner bait with a Crome Colorado blade. A friend took me to the Patuxent River in Maryland and introduced me to slow rolling a spinner bait in fallen timber. I still have the Berkley 5 1/2 ft. Pistol grip Lightning rod, but lost the ambassador 4600 reel. I was hooked for ever after that trip. Still use the spinner bait regularly in different configurations, and still my favorite bait.
Walkerhuntfish reply :
I was H&H beginner also. In the mid to late 90’s after the Florida strains stocked in the Atchafalaya basin after hurricane Andrew exploded that was the ticket along with some Toledo Tackle tequila sunrise curl tail worms on Texas rig. A kid could learn a lot in 100 bass and 50 goggle eyes. Especially how to feel a Texas rig. But I still don’t see how we hooked a single fish with a 5’6” medium pistol grip rod.
Sphynx reply :
On 8/19/2019 at 11:16 AM, stratoliner92 said:Texas Rig was and is the most important and fun way for me to catch them.
It is among the more versatile presentations for the amount of money involved, soft plastics are fairly affordable, nearly any rod/reel can handle it, and it is effective enough to keep newer anglers interested, I certainly don't think the one trick pony wins many tournaments but it's a great place to start for broke college/high school kids, or people who haven't got much disposable income.
j bab reply :
My first bass came on a wacky rigged Zoom Centipede in Watermelon Red out of Toledo Bend.
I'm pretty sure it was an offset worm hook too, not one of the modern "wacky hooks."
Call me crazy but I still prefer to wacky rig stick baits with EWG hooks 
LadiMopar reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 12:19 PM, Wizzlebiz said:How many techniques did you learn when you 1st began bass fishing? I mean really get into the nitty gritty of it all and feel quite proficient before moving on to new techniques.
What techniques were the ones you learned?
Spinnerbait, spinnerbait and oh yah, spinnerbait! Threw them everywhere and anywhere just to see what they would produce..slow rolling, steady retrieve, burning them, crank/pause etc., and then started swapping out different blades: willow, Colorado, Indiana, gold/silver; combinations of colors, hammered, smooth..yup! It was all about the spinnerbait...then graduated to buzzbait, crankbait, and reluctantly gave in to plastics.
I still love spinnerbait, but find that I don't use them very often now...and many of the ones I own are "antiques" and I'd sure hate to lose any of them. 
slonezp reply :
2
Spinnerbait
Worm
Bluebasser86 reply :
A red 1/8oz Roostertail and 2" crappie tube in Firecracker color on a 1/16oz ball head with a safety pin spinner were what I started out really trying to catch bass with.
As I progressed, with each new technique I learned, I became focused on that bait/technique until I felt I'd effectively learned it before moving onto the next one. Some took much longer than others and some I still don't feel I've come to fully grasp yet.
Wizzlebiz reply :
On 8/21/2019 at 11:53 AM, Bluebasser86 said:A red 1/8oz Roostertail and 2" crappie tube in Firecracker color on a 1/16oz ball head with a safety pin spinner were what I started out really trying to catch bass with.
As I progressed, with each new technique I learned, I became focused on that bait/technique until I felt I'd effectively learned it before moving onto the next one. Some took much longer than others and some I still don't feel I've come to fully grasp yet.
This is how I am going about this as well. I am picking 3. I just began fishing this summer. I will become comfortable with those and then once I fell confident I will learn 3 more.
Hook2Jaw reply :
Red wigglers on the bottom or under a bobber were what I started with for bream and catfish with my grandmother in 1991. I was four. My older cousin set me up with a Zebco spinning reel with a 1/4oz bullet, 3/0 straight shank, and the legendary(around here, anyway) Culprit 7.5" Ribbontail in Red Shad. I was probably 7 when I started using artificial lures for bass, after that he introduced me to the Spinnerbait.
billmac reply :
My experience was like Bassman's. Inline spinners (Shysters and Mepps), Rapalas and live bait in the river behind my house. Gradually expanded to jig and spinner combos (Meeney Spin). If we were in pike territory, we were fishing red and white Dardevles.
BassNJake reply :
I started with live bait and a slip bobber
(the slip bobber was accidental as I didn't know I was missing the lead insert that went inside the bobber. lol)
My dad fished a purple w/firetail mister twister all the time.
Slow and steady - slow and steady ....zzz..zzz.. zzz , not really the style for me
As I got into fishing more seriously, I started using crankbaits.
Since I was a hyper kid most of the time I'd cast it out and burn it back.
I remember him telling me I wasn't going to catch fish reeling that fast ... just as I had a 3 lber about rip the rod out of my hands.
I didn't understand the different bill shapes and sizes so i stumbled into one with a larger bill.
Now when I burned it back it would dig into the bottom.
I then learned that when doing this if it hit something solid, a lot of times I'd get a bite.
I then started reading every bassmaster or in-fisherman article on crankbaits I could get.
That knowledge added to my real life experiences with the crankbaits allowed me to become a better skilled crankbait fisherman(IMO) and gave me the building blocks to locating fish.
Personality matters too.
My dad now fishes a jig the majority of his trips and I fish a toad.
He's still slow and steady and I'm still hyper
We both still catch fish and I am so grateful he was my guide in those early years and my partner in the later years
wzzyfzzy reply :
T-rigged Culprit plastic ribbon tail worm in motor oil color, gremlin bullet weight and a red tru-turn hook. I swear, I fished that one setup for years! Now I can't catch anything on them!
bigbill reply :
I was spending about $50 on livebait, mostly minnows. One night I tossed a 12” culprit worm black Shad with a glass rattle in the head. I was reeling it in and caught a 13” chain pickerel. Being alert to what’s going on that fish told me they wanted something moving. I put on a mepps #3 inline spinner and tossed one to my son we caught doubles till it got dark.
i saved my money on livebait and got crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater, shallow running baits. I read everything here and bought fishing videos from the pros too. My health put the brakes on me fishing.
i been here since the beginning of this site, Glenn and the guys here give good tips listen to what they say and how they work the rod.
my tip, don’t get hung up using one brand or flavor of scent. If nothing is happening with one scent my go to scent is garlic if the bass attractant isn’t working.
BuzzHudson19c reply :
Rapala original floater was the go to in my childhood. Spoons and inline spinners were big too.
Dens228 reply :
When I just got back into bass fishing after my semi-retirement I bet that first summer I caught 95% of my bass on either wacky rigged or weightless t-rigged Senko's.
Now I bet 10% are caught t-rigged weightless or with a weight, but that 10% includes Senko's, Rage craws, and Rage bugs. I don't think I've caught any wacky style, and don't think I've even tried it more than once this year.
Tony johnson reply :
when i got serious about bass fishing it was calico bass with my day on 1/2 day boats.... i got really into throwing surface irons and still my favorite way to fish calicos/yellowtail... growing up in san diego we have some of if not the best saltwater sportfishing charter fleet
RB 77 reply :
Two. Back in the "day" when my pops was teaching me how to Bass fishing with lures it was a plastic worm and a crank bait. One for a slow bottom presentation and one for a mid-top reaction presentation. Mostly T-rigged local handpours and Rapala Shad Raps. Still throw both to this day, but while the T-Rig is my all time number one confidence technique, crankin' is a very bite specific technique for me.
Eric Hug reply :
I've been reading threads and never responded to any but here goes, as in all of these responses my first "technique" isn't listed. What got me into bass fishing was actually catching the bait before fishing. Live frogs was the main bait my dad and I would use. You would have to sneak up behind the frog in your waders and grab him up. Every time I caught a leopard frog with bright green color I knew for sure he was going to turn into a good fight of a largemouth. I caught my own nightcrawlers and trapped minnows too but the live frogs was where it was at, hooked through the lips and let them do the work. Every now and then you'd have to squeeze the air out of them to get them to swimming right again. Anyone else ever do this?
Wizzlebiz reply :
On 9/14/2019 at 6:02 AM, Eric Hug said:I've been reading threads and never responded to any but here goes, as in all of these responses my first "technique" isn't listed. What got me into bass fishing was actually catching the bait before fishing. Live frogs was the main bait my dad and I would use. You would have to sneak up behind the frog in your waders and grab him up. Every time I caught a leopard frog with bright green color I knew for sure he was going to turn into a good fight of a largemouth. I caught my own nightcrawlers and trapped minnows too but the live frogs was where it was at, hooked through the lips and let them do the work. Every now and then you'd have to squeeze the air out of them to get them to swimming right again. Anyone else ever do this?
Cant say that I have. Closest to this for me is bloodworms on a hook as a kid. But that was 35 years ago.
SC53 reply :
Purple Creme worm on a 1/0 hook, Silver Rapala and a Nipididee topwater. 12# mono on a Mitchell 300.
I’d also live bait with live chubs I caught by pulling up the floating vegetation along the banks.
bigbill reply :
For you youngsters don’t get hung up on one bait, one color and one presentation, just switch baits and try different presentations, colors too.
what you learn at your favorite fishing hole applies to any new place you fish.
TriStateBassin106 reply :
Believe it or not I am a hardcore chatterbait fisherman, I only got into real bass fishing last year and the zman original and elite series of chatterbaits is a killer up here in NJ when the fish are biting. Also love the texas rig, it's probably the most effective year round.
Growing up I loved whacky rigging senkos but they just don't catch fish for me as much as the baits I mentioned.
jmz313 reply :
I have only been into freshwater fishing the last year. Spinnerbaits and swim jigs (regular and chatters) got me hooked (as hold overs from inshore fishing) but, it wasn't until i really figured out and committed to the Texas Rig til could always catch fish on every pond trip.
the reel ess reply :
One: Texas rigged 6" worm, purple. But I was really bad at setting the hook because I had only caught bream and crappie before that. I mean, I'm sure I used an inline spinner like a Mepp's Comet and caught bass, but it was more of a catch-all-species lure for me.
A little later, I got a second combo and used the Rebel Deep Wee R with some success because fish would hook themselves.
Alex from GA reply :
I started with a t/r nightcrawler and graduated to a plastic worm.
AstroFishingTV reply :
I was taught on a T-rig when I first learned how to cast a rod. I'm really thankful for the patience and confidence that I have from fishing with it since day one.
Fishes in trees reply :
I genuinely sucked at bass fishing until the mid 70's when I came across Fishing Facts magazine. An article about Brewer Sliders piqued my interest and I got into a light/finesse style of fishing. Then I tried to adapt everything I read in Fishing Facts to my particular situation. That became easier once I gained access to a boat. Then I bought another spinning rig, so I cold throw Rapalas & light cranks parallel to weedlines. Then I bought a bait caster and other techniques became accessible to me. Now I have dozens of different bait casting & spinning rigs, not to mention trout & catfish and tail race gear. I've found that collecting gear can get very addictive, but it doesn't weird me out or anything - seems like everyone is addicted to something.
LCG reply :
When I first started fishing about 7 years ago I made the mistake of trying to learn way too much way too soon. Read a lot of info on here and even more on YouTube. Bought so much stuff the I have never used to this day. Caught my fist bass on a jig head with a curly tail worm. Took me all year 
Second year I focused on one technique for soft plastics and one type of Lure (drop shot and inline spinners), then my catch rate dramatically improved. Next year same thing (Texas rig and crank bait). Been doing it this way each year and have learned and retained much more than I imagined.
That's part of the fun for me. Learning the equipment, techniques, bass behaviors and seasonal patterns,etc.
Wizzlebiz reply :
On 10/5/2019 at 9:18 AM, LCG said:When I first started fishing about 7 years ago I made the mistake of trying to learn way too much way too soon. Read a lot of info on here and even more on YouTube. Bought so much stuff the I have never used to this day. Caught my fist bass on a jig head with a curly tail worm. Took me all year
Second year I focused on one technique for soft plastics and one type of Lure (drop shot and inline spinners), then my catch rate dramatically improved. Next year same thing (Texas rig and crank bait). Been doing it this way each year and have learned and retained much more than I imagined.
That's part of the fun for me. Learning the equipment, techniques, bass behaviors and seasonal patterns,etc.
What you have stated was exactly why I asked the question. I was attempting to slow myself down a bit but get some direction to head in.
Being new to this is not easy especially when you are going at it alone. It becomes to easy to want to try everything and end up learning nothing.
LCG reply :
On 10/5/2019 at 9:27 AM, Wizzlebiz said:What you have stated was exactly why I asked the question. I was attempting to slow myself down a bit but get some direction to head in.
Being new to this is not easy especially when you are going at it alone. It becomes to easy to want to try everything and end up learning nothing.
Keep it simple and fun. My personal advice to you is try two techniques only. One soft plastic technique and one reaction Lure.
Specifically weightless texas rigged 5“ senko on a 4/0 EWG hook and a 1/2oz spinnerbait white/chartreuse and/or bluegill/sunfish colors. YouTube these techniques then fish them.
You will catch fish and have a blast.
Wizzlebiz reply :
On 10/5/2019 at 9:34 AM, LCG said:Keep it simple and fun. My personal advice to you is try two techniques only. One soft plastic technique and one reaction Lure.
Specifically weightless texas rigged 5“ senko on a 4/0 EWG hook and a 1/2oz spinnerbait white/chartreuse and/or bluegill/sunfish colors. YouTube these techniques then fish them.
You will catch fish and have a blast.
Funny enough those 2 are exactly what I ended up falling in love with. The 3/8 spinner is a bit nicer to my wrist I have found.
MassYak85 reply :
My dad introduced me to fishing VERY young, he's got stories of me that I don't even remember. But it was bobber and worm fishing for a while. When I really started getting into bass fishing specifically I started out using rubber worms and my dad almost exclusively fished spinnerbaits and johnson silver minnows. I fished wacky rigged worms on an EWG hook and a 4'6" UL ugly stick for a few years before starting to learn there was more out there than just that. I slowly started getting new tackle....then not so slowly lol. I bought a lot of tackle in high school and college, learned a lot and caught a lot of fish but in the end the techniques I feel most comfortable with are the ones I have spent the most time with. Still a weightless worm, T-rig, Jig, Spinnerbaits are my go-to's when I can't buy a bite.
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 6:16 PM, The Bassman said:Mostly fished smallmouth in creeks as a teenager. Inline spinners, Rapalas, and live bait. Looking back, the level of proficiency I achieved left a lot to be desired. Still it left fond memories.
Me almost to a tee ("t"?)
geo g reply :
I too started as a topwater Rapala stick bait guy, and also in-line spinners. Caught tons of fish this way. Now I seldom use these techniques. I switched to plastics, and throwing in and around heavy cover, and catching a lot more fish, and bigger fish.
CrankFate reply :
Low quality spinner baits. Every 500 casts I’d get a bite and miss.
HKBasser reply :
First lure I ever started using when I was learning to bass fish was a weightless 3 inch senko,
J Francho reply :
Crankbaits, several depths. Then moved to Texas Rigged ribbon tail worms. Then jigs. Somewhere early on I learned spinnerbaits as well. Been drop shotting as long as I can remember, long before it had a name.
Peddiesake reply :
Shiners and a float in cover.
Johnbt reply :
Worms from the backyard. If it's dry out, you pour some water in a shady spot under a bush and go back later. This was back in the mid-50s. Then I learned how to find nightcrawlers.
FishinBuck07 reply :
As a kid there was a farm pond that I fished owned by a family friend. Fished this pond from age 5 till I graduated high school, there were two baits that I needed for that pond no matter when I was there. An inline spinner in the purple color, and a tequila sunrise powerbait worm. That was what I started with, and pretty much all I used growing up.
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