How often do you guys get skunked? 2024
StrikePrince reply :
Whenever I seem to be gaining confidence the fishing gods like to smite me down with a skunk day. Not sure what happened-seemed to be good conditions, overcast day, not much wind. Lost one frog bite early in the morning, and the rest of the day only had a follow on a bubblegum fluke. No bites on the jig around docks. Small bites (probably bream) on a shaky head around docks.
Just wondering how often the greater-than-me fisherman of bass resource experience a skunk?
I think I'm mostly looking for some reassurance that it's all gonna be OK. Or maybe- what I could have tried differently that day instead of banging my head against the wall (or throwing the same jig/trailer to docks with the same frequency/monotony as headbanging).
BubbaBassin’ reply :
Well if it makes you feel better, I’ve been fishing for 6 months now for bass. Never caught one. Keep up the good fight and just enjoy your time on the water man. If your in the game to catch fish. Go to a charter. It called fishing for a reason brother. Tight lines.
Bassin' Brad reply :
What's a skunk? I catch at least a couple little 4 lbers every trip....
????J/K Some days It just happens....
Wildbillb reply :
Days like this are learning days. Days where they bite a bear hook not so much.
NHBull reply :
It happens, but not as much when you work on the space between your ears.
I tend to see more of it when I am consciously are targeting bigger fish.
jbmaine reply :
You are not alone, it happens.
Todd2 reply :
Between April and November, it's rare that I get skunked but has happened.
Jan and Feb are my skunk months, I catch very few fish in this time.
MikeInWyandotte reply :
More likely to happen if you are fishing mid day with high sun, less likely to happen if you are fishing in the morning or the evening. But like everyone else says in this thread, it happens. The pros struggle also... ever read "Day on the Lake" series in Bassmaster? Where they have a pro go to and un-named random lake? Many of these "Days on The Lake" aren't what I would call stellar by any means.
DINK WHISPERER reply :
NEVER . . . . . . ????
flyfisher reply :
On 6/1/2018 at 9:52 AM, MikeInWyandotte said:More likely to happen if you are fishing mid day with high sun, less likely to happen if you are fishing in the morning or the evening. But like everyone else says in this thread, it happens. The pros struggle also... ever read "Day on the Lake" series in Bassmaster? Where they have a pro go to and un-named random lake? Many of these "Days on The Lake" aren't what I would call stellar by any means.
I'll disagree with the midday high sun piece myself. I have caught a lot of my biggest fish during that time of day. It seems to actually condense them for me as long as i am willing to make the changes needed to catch them.
As far as being skunked goes, not very often. I don't think it has happened in probably 3-4 years and that was in winter. Now i don't always catch bass though as the lakes i frequent do have a good population of chain pickerel and i will target them in the colder months because, well nothing beats topwater on a 40 degree water temp day 
LCG reply :
It does happen from time to time. One thing I try to do is learn from every outing. What did I do right, what did I do wrong, was there a better spot to try, did I follow the cues of mother nature's (wind, birds, etc), right type of bait for the conditions, etc. The list goes on. I think thats what makes the greats of fishing so great. They studied, practiced and learned. Failure is just part of the learning process. Don't be too hard on yourself.
Lead Head reply :
An actual skunk is rare but definitely happens. Days with only 1 or 2 dinks are more common and usually come when I insist on trying to force-feed the bass what I want them to eat. Some days I just want to fish what I want to fish... and if it's a poor day because of that, so be it.
MichaelCopeland reply :
I'm not gonna lie, I get skunked alot. However, I consistently fish for big bass. Most of the time, when I do catch one, it's a pound or better in weight. I do catch a few real dinks at times, but sometimes I do catch that big un I'm after. Maybe next time you're at that lake try a different color jig and different trailer. Sometimes that's all it takes to get em to bite. There's times I want so bad to catch one on just a different chatterbait than the one I usually catch them on. They don't seem to want it and I'll put my 1/2oz breaking bream Project Z on and it gets smashed. Occasionally I'll have to try different trailers with it, but for the most part either a Rage Swimmer or a Rage Craw seem to always do the trick. Don't beat yourself up though, getting skunked happens to all of us at times. Some more than others, but none the less it happens. Even to the pros! ????
FishDewd reply :
Last 5 outings, not a catch! I had bites, but no successful strikes! But... just enjoy the outdoors and the time for peacefulness. Half the time I drift off and daydream while fishing lol. As long as you have fun, the fish are secondary. 
Is what it is.
scaleface reply :
The only time I get skunked on a lake that has a good population is under extreme conditions like , flooded muddy water , cold muddy water .... Keep in mind that I'm usually out there for 8 hours . I got skunked last Monday but it was so hot that I quit after ten minutes .
CroakHunter reply :
I rarely get skunked, but I fish a lot less than a lot of these guys. If I fished a few times a week it would happen more. But i only get a few hours a week. I don't catch a lot of fish, but the ones I do are nice ones. My last tourney we only caught may be 20 fish in 12 hrs. But 6 of the 20 we're over 4lbs. And 3 of them were over 5
ohboyitsrobby reply :
Like actually 0??? Not very often. Catch very few or no fish that'd measure? More often than I'd like lol
geo g reply :
Don't worry about it, it happen to everyone once in a while. If they tell you no, they are full of it. It happens to big time pros on the tour. I will tell you one thing, if its tough, go with your confidence plastic and slow way down. Let it fall through the entire water column, then slowly move it and let it sit. It usually works for me on those painfully slow days.
Darren. reply :
A zero fish outing happens to all of us. Just keep at it
and don't let it mess with your confidence. Try new
techniques, colors, etc.
Angry John reply :
The peak of the summer and dead of winter gets me a lot. Funny that I am sure it's the same deep pattern and it just kicks my butt. My skunk comes the most often in a tournament when I can control none of the factors like time of day, lake and stuff like that. It happens. Try and find people who know things you don't and learn from them. Fish with as many people as possible.
WCWV reply :
It happens to all.
Winter months are my hard time with water temps in the 30's, then I'll usually target Walleye.
Me personally, if I just go after any bass, I usually will catch a few from April through November, but I like to target bigger bass and do my best off shore structure, generally less bites, but better quality. ????
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
Went twice this pass week, caught 1 dink... It happens
Glaucus reply :
Rarely. Days where I only catch 1 or 2 are more common, but those are few and far between as well. I usually fish ponds and will hop around until I find one where they're biting.
Scott F reply :
When I get the skunk, it is usually in the early spring when the water is still cold. Once the water gets above 50, I can’t remember the last time I got nothing. I have to say that I plan my fishing trips to give myself the best chance for success. During the warm, summer months, I only fish rivers where bass are always shallow, not hard to locate and get little fishing pressure. If I was bank fishing on random ponds, or lake fished pressured waters, I’d probably come up empty a lot more often. Planning and traveling longer distances to better waters always ups my chances of a good day.
clh121787 reply :
More than i care to admit.a few years ago I went over 100 hours of getting skunked Swimbait fishing. Probably 15 or 20 consecutive outings.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On actual multiple our fishing trips, maybe once a year. If you count my little 15-30 minute after work stops, couple times a month.
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
Choice of location has a huge impact. The Lake I went to see's contsant heavy pressure and weather both days was the worst.
Big fish there but extremely hard to catch. Like glaucous said I could a went to different lake or pond and probably caught more fish. Sometimes I like trying to catch big fish in hard to catch places.
To me that's what makes you a better fisherman, when you can't get a bite. It makes you have to work harder and try to figure the fish out. My 0.02 cents worth
Troy85 reply :
Its rare that its a true skunk, usually a tough day is catching a few dinks. It did happen 2 weeks ago though, I was out for about 7 hours and I had to show for it was 1 bite, and fish didn't even get hooked up, just swiped at it.
NYWayfarer reply :
Rarely.
I follow a personal rule of take what the water gives you. Meaning, I might have gone fishing for Bass but if they are not biting I will go after whatever will (Pickerel, Catfish or Sunfish)
Rarely getting skunked takes some work. Get to know the bodies of water you fish. Water temps, time of day that are productive, what fish are present. Don't be stubborn with your baits. Change them if nothing is biting them. Get a few confidence baits under your belt. Mine is a freefalling wacky rigged Yum Dinger (smaller the better) I can usually get a bite on that.
When all else fails, dig up a worm and use a piece of it on a small hook. Bluegills love that. It can turn a skunk into a very productive fishing session.
Angry John reply :
On 6/1/2018 at 7:59 PM, clh121787 said:More than i care to admit.a few years ago I went over 100 hours of getting skunked Swimbait fishing. Probably 15 or 20 consecutive outings.
I'm also in the big bait game and I have to let go sometimes and just fish to catch. The strength mentally to sb only escapes me.
Koz reply :
It happens enough to get me peeved but not enough to get me to stop fishing.
If I do get skunked then it's most assuredly my fault:
- I don't fish for dinks. I'm lucky enough to live in an area where there are plenty of 2-4 pounders as well as a good population of 7+ pound bass. Knowing that, I don't downsize my gear to go for quantity.
- I power fish. Rarely do I have the patience to slow it way down. But I think that's also because I bank fish in areas with hundreds of lagoons. So if the bite isn't there I move onto the next one. Some day I'll need to bring a chair with me, sit down, and slow fish. But on my feet I gotta move move move!
- Almost all of our lagoons are featureless, residential, man made lagoons with no structure and very little vegetation. I probably need to take the time to use my iBobber and map out the bottom of some of these lagoons to look for dropoffs and unseen vegetation or structure.
- Another factor is that these lagoons are interconnected stormwater lagoons and the fish do move through the pipes from lagoon to lagoon (verified by tagged fish). So that feeds into my impatience that if they aren't biting to move on to the next lagoon.
My guess is that if I slowed it down and didn't hop from lagoon to lagoon on those slow days I'd get skunked less.
I'm planning on fishing this evening and as of this moment I plan to pick one lagoon, bring a chair, and slow it down if needed. We'll see how that goes.
LionHeart reply :
I'd say 1 out of every 5 trips I get skunked (depending on conditions and time I have to fish). Oddly enough, it only discourages me for the drive home. After being back for and hour or so, I Can't wait to get out and try it again.
I have had days that I've fished for 5-6 hours and caught nothing. That does sting a little.
burrows reply :
All the time bass fishing can be a tuff gig.
scaleface reply :
Now are we talking zilch ? Not even a 10 incher ? If were talking 15 inch keepers it happens . If were talking any bass , give me eight hours on the lakes I frequent and 99 per cent of the time i'll catch at least one .
OCdockskipper reply :
Let me preface my answer by saying that 98% of my fishing is done on my home lake, that most of my trips are over 4 hours and that I began bass fishing in 1977.
The last skunk I had was in March of 2017 while fishing a small pond in Georgia. It is one of 3 lakes on my sisters property, the other 2 produced lots of fish. This one I fished for about 2 hours without a sniff. Later in the year, she needed to let this pond nearly dry up and when she did, she found out there were no fish in it, just turtles & snakes. Turns out it was originally used as a watering hole for cattle & wasn't a true pond like her other two lakes.
Other than that, my last skunk (no keepers) was in January of 2012. I know my home lake too well, it is designed so that there are never extreme adverse conditions (flooding, mud, etc) and it is in Southern California, so there are never extreme weather issues. If I traveled around to different lakes all the time or threw nothing but giant swimbaits, the answer would be different.
Age & experience (time on the water) are a huge factor in my opinion. While older tournament fishermen don't experience the same level of success as the 30 & 40 year olds, I seem to notice older fishermen who fish for fun have a high level of consistent success. I'm not sure if it is all of the experience causing certain good decisions or if age is helpful in slowing one down & making them more focused. I know my years of fishing and success on my home waters have given me the confidence & ability to always catch bass on new waters the few times I do venture out of state. However, it wasn't that way the first decade or so that I fished for bass specifically, I often had trips that resulted in nothing but dragging water.
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
Skunked? More than I would like to share but I forget all about that the next time I catch fish.
Burke reply :
Spend three hours at the local lake. Was about to call it until I decided to go spend another 20 mins there. Next thing I knew is that I caught four dinks. so it's all about timing.
Wurming67 reply :
It happens, here in South Florida during the spring the fishing is insane the numbers and size,than comes summer alot of rain (high water) and hot temperatures than you really gotta work for them.
Eric J reply :
I get skunked... but I am usually out for big bass and I avg 2 pounders with so.e 4 and 5 hawgs in there.
The tough days are when I start jumping from one lure to the next or stubbornly stick to the same area. As primarily a bank angler it can. Be tough.
Recently I landed a PB simply by moving to a back pond near the end of my day.
Graham reply :
It’s for sure something that happens to most people time to time. For me, a total skunking has happened with less frequency the more serious I’ve gotten about fishing. The important thing is to try and learn from your experiences and let them motivate you. The people that get skunked and immediately assume “there’s no fish in this water” aren’t gonna have the same success as the ones who are eager to figure out why the fish weren’t cooperating.
Further North reply :
On 6/1/2018 at 9:24 AM, StrikePrince said:I think I'm mostly looking for some reassurance that it's all gonna be OK.
The short answer to how often do I get skunked, without reading all the other responses, is: Enough to be reminded it's called "fishing", not "catching".
Further North reply :
Stuff I do to change the odds:
- Change tactics. Shallow to deep. Aggressive to finesse...
- Change where on the lake I'm fishing. Weed beds to rock piles to docks...
- Change baits. Senkos to spinners to crank baits...
- Completely change how you fish. I learned to fly fish so I'd have an arrow in my quiver that was completely unlike everything else I was doing. I couple weeks back it paid off really well. Couldn't get a bite on any kind of gear. Other fisherman I talked to were in the same boat (pun intended)...so I started chucking flies. Surface, mid depth...some bites, but not much...bright green and black with steel eyes on a depth-bomb of a sinking head line (8 IPS for you fly guys)...BINGO! Over 20 fish in the boat in the two and a half hours I had left....to the point where other fishermen...who still weren't catching...started asking, "What are you using?" I sorta felt bad when I showed them...I've seen this happen a couple times, and sometimes it's the other way around, gear works and flies suck.
- Change bodies of water. Where I am, I've got lots of choices. If lakes are DOA, really not producing, I can switch to rivers...if the rivers are off...I can switch to streams...which brings me to my next choice:
- Switch species. This time of year here is a perfect example: Pike are well past spawn and ready to eat, musky are getting there, bass are coming off the beds here, so they'll be blah for a while, but they are just getting on them an hour north, and they are well post spawn an hour south...which brings me to my next choice:
- Drive somewhere else. Completely change conditions. Get out of a weather system. Not always an option, not always practical...
Mosster47 reply :
I fish about 250 days a year between ponds and the rivers and it happens maybe 7 times a year. It's pretty hard to go fishless with the amount of finesse gear out there.
gimruis reply :
Completely skunked? Very rarely. An outing without a bass? On rare occasion. An outing without a pike? Almost never. There are some days I literally can't keep the pike from biting so aggressively to give a bass the opportunity to bite.
Muskie fishing? Skunks are a common occurrence. Zero fish is the norm. A good day is when you get a follow or two and once or twice a season you will land one.
Catt reply :
Stuff I do to change the odds:
Fish whenever I can
Fish wherever I can
This year I've was given the opportunity to fish some private big bass marshes & private big bass lakes.
One of those lakes is stocked with Tiger, Gorilla, F1 or whatever adjectives ya wanna use.
Two separate trips, 8 hrs total, for 0 bass!
My grandson son loves it!
BrackishBassin reply :
I used to worry about getting skunked until I started watching MLF all of the time. Once you’ve seen a few pros go all day without a bite, it makes me two or three hour fish-free sessions seem like nothing.
new2BC4bass reply :
Getting skunked in my area is a very common occurrence. Catching a fish locally is always noteworthy.
ww2farmer reply :
Even on a lake I have fished almost daily for 30 years it happens a couple times a year.
Usually during bizzaro transition periods. In a barren lake that depends on grass growth, and shallow water boat docks for cover, when these fish get out and roam or suspend in the deep basin of the lake, there's not much I, or anyone I know can do to catch them.
I did have a nice almost decade long streak of not being skunked EVER going, but that went out the window last year. So far this year, there's been A LOT of tuff days, but I have always managed to put a few in the boat.
Raul reply :
On 6/1/2018 at 11:07 PM, OCdockskipper said:Let me preface my answer by saying that 98% of my fishing is done on my home lake, that most of my trips are over 4 hours and that I began bass fishing in 1977.
The last skunk I had was in March of 2017 while fishing a small pond in Georgia. It is one of 3 lakes on my sisters property, the other 2 produced lots of fish. This one I fished for about 2 hours without a sniff. Later in the year, she needed to let this pond nearly dry up and when she did, she found out there were no fish in it, just turtles & snakes. Turns out it was originally used as a watering hole for cattle & wasn't a true pond like her other two lakes.
Other than that, my last skunk (no keepers) was in January of 2012. I know my home lake too well, it is designed so that there are never extreme adverse conditions (flooding, mud, etc) and it is in Southern California, so there are never extreme weather issues. If I traveled around to different lakes all the time or threw nothing but giant swimbaits, the answer would be different.
Age & experience (time on the water) are a huge factor in my opinion. While older tournament fishermen don't experience the same level of success as the 30 & 40 year olds, I seem to notice older fishermen who fish for fun have a high level of consistent success. I'm not sure if it is all of the experience causing certain good decisions or if age is helpful in slowing one down & making them more focused. I know my years of fishing and success on my home waters have given me the confidence & ability to always catch bass on new waters the few times I do venture out of state. However, it wasn't that way the first decade or so that I fished for bass specifically, I often had trips that resulted in nothing but dragging water.
Fishing a fishless pond doesn’t count as being skunked.
Bankbeater reply :
Hardly ever this time of year. From the start of November until say the end of February almost every time. It all balances out in the end.
fishwizzard reply :
Most of my short outings are to fish a specific presentation that I am hot and bothered for at the moment. A lot of the time the fish are not into what I am trying to feed them, so I skunk out pretty often. If I am going out with the intention to just catch bass, then it's a rare trip where I can't grind out a fish or two on longer trips where I bring a wider range of tackle.
This winter was very rough and I was at maybe 12-16 trips before I managed to catch one. I do a lot more hiking and cigar smoking in the winter months.
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
Got skunked again yesterday, fished 30-40ft clear water.
Drug a Carolina rig, deep crankbaits, chatterbaits, t-rigs, flukes in the shallows. Had 2 hits on the fluke.
Hard fishing, I'm use to shallow muddy rivers, not crystal clear deep ponds
OCdockskipper reply :
On 6/3/2018 at 11:36 AM, Raul said:Fishing a fishless pond doesn’t count as being skunked.
But I didn't even get either a snake or turtle to bite!!
kenmitch reply :
On 6/3/2018 at 9:18 AM, BrackishBassin said:I used to worry about getting skunked until I started watching MLF all of the time. Once you’ve seen a few pros go all day without a bite, it makes me two or three hour fish-free sessions seem like nothing.
Yep....I always watch a episode the night before I plan on going fishing. Makes my time on the water less stressful knowing that even the best have no luck at times.
Joshua van Wyk reply :
A better question is how often do you not get skunked.
bhoff reply :
During this time of the year not all that often, however, the same can't be said for the colder months...
BankBasser reply :
This morning. Not even the trusty ned rig could save the day. Same place that was giving it up in a big way just a couple days ago. It happens.
EGbassing reply :
Pretty often. At least I tend to catch bigger bass though...
HeyCoach reply :
I’m not able to I wet a line as often as I want, but I’ve been skunked once this year. Nothing off of my go-to Senko color, nothing from a jig, nothing from a spinner bait or lipless crankbait.
It happens, just gotta learn from it.
Russ E reply :
it depends on what you consider getting skunked. there are times the bass just will not bite, but there are so many catfish, white bass and drum in our lakes that I usually catch a few of them while pursuing bass.
I don't recall the last time I went without catching a fish. there were a couple times this spring that I did not catch a bass.
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