Lessons Learned 2025
papajoe222 reply :
Every year around this time, I reflect on previous seasons. What did I learn and more importantly, what did I forget. Prior to last season, I kept a fishing log. It was a good reference, not only for this yearly review, but also for checking prior to an outing. Last season I stopped doing that, both keeping a log and checking previous years logs. Big mistake.
Although I did change my focus and goals, I am without reference to my success and more importantly my failures. The one big lesson I had driven home last year was; If you plan on targeting big fish, you need to fish waters that consistently produce them. My home lake is just over sixty acres and although there are plenty of quality sized fish (18in.+), there are very few lunkers.
That was one thing I 'learned' or should I say finnaly accepted. The one thing I forgot and one that has always been the backbone of reaching my goals was; slow down and listen to what the fish are telling you. Oh yea.......and keep a log, STUPID!
So what did you learn or forget last year?
HoosierHawgs reply :
I had that fact that confidence is a huge part of fishing driven home for me this year. There were many times where a sheer lack of confidence (and focus) let a bad day get even worse. Another theme that goes along with this is my hardheaded stubborn nature is going to have to change for this coming season. There were times where Dad was just wacking em, and I wasn't getting a bite, and yet I refused to change what I was doing due to fishing history, what I'd been told by others, ect. I just need to learn to focus on what I'm doing and be versatile. It will help my be a much more productive angler in the future.
gardnerjigman reply :
Fishing history can destroy you more times than not. That was a tough one to break for me on lakes I only get to fish 1-2 times a year
lectricbassman reply :
I learned that no matter how easy it looks on youtube, catching bass can be frustratingly challenging.
Catch and Grease reply :
Don't get frustrated, just chillax and enjoy the day...
ColdSVT reply :
2 things
1 always wet your knot before cinching down...always
2 do what you do...fish your strengths
CDMeyer reply :
The biggest thing that I learned this passed season was, that you have to let the fish tell you what they want. I feel like I am very good with a swim jig. Going into my final tournament of the year ( a high school end of the year classic ) I had pre-fished a spot and had a SOLIED pattern on a swim jig. The day of the tournament the would not hit a swim jig to save my life. Until my partner whacked a giant fishing slow. It was like something changed in me and I said if you want to win you must listen to the fish. SO I switched to a shaky head and that was it a win by 5 pounds.
I learned that I need to let the fish tell me what they want. I usually just try to make the fish bight my swim jigs but know I have learned a valuable lesson in lettin' the fish tell you what they want.
Catt reply :
On 1/4/2015 at 9:30 AM, gardnerjigman said:Fishing history can destroy you more times than not. That was a tough one to break for me on lakes I only get to fish 1-2 times a year
Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Without history we have no experience 
Jd_Phillips_Fishin reply :
When fishing from the back of the boat, Always take down the light pole (when the the sun is up of course). Screwed up a real in a tournament once because I didn't take it down.
Scott F reply :
I learned, again, that I don't like musky fishing. I had some time off and hooked up with a friend who likes musky fishing. He said we'd do both, bass and musky fishing but fishing out of his boat instead of mine, we spent a lot more time chasing muskies than I wanted. I thought I'd be OK with it and if I'd caught a fish or two I might have been. But I won't fish with him again in any place that has muskies unless we're in my boat.
ward131 reply :
It's OK to change lures...often
gardnerjigman reply :
On 1/4/2015 at 10:59 AM, Catt said:Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Without history we have no experience
Totally agree, just doesn't mean history will repeat itself to your advantage. It's all about the where, when and why and establishing that rather than "last year they were eating this at this depth"
Jason Christie from Grand Lake Oklahoma said fishing history almost destroyed him on his home waters.
Catt reply :
The key to that quote is not repeat...it's learn!
Structure on the bottom of a lake does not change without a catastrophic event. If it was prime structure 20 years ago it is prime structure today.
Some of the cover like grass beds will change it's shape & density. Even wood given time will change proportional.
The food source on that structure may even change from one predominate species to another.
I'm fishing the same structure I fished 40+ years ago, not the exact GPS location but still on the same structure.
I will agree that if I caught em last year on a purple worm I may have to change to a blue worm.
Eliminate your history you've eliminated your experience!
tomustang reply :
Always store a spare motor key onboard when on a trolling lake. You never know when you'll leave you keys in the car
gardnerjigman reply :
On 1/4/2015 at 12:26 PM, Catt said:The key to that quote is not repeat...it's learn
Touché my friend! Lol
Angry John reply :
1. never keep fishing the same bait that worked yesterday or last week. Determine a good time period and shift tactics or baits if what your doing is not working.
2. Never leave your tackle in the back of the yak with your 3 year old daughter and expect a few things not to be float tested while your fishing. She will entertain herself one way or another.
3. Verify the type of fish your chasing is actualy in the lake your at. This happend twice.
Senko lover reply :
Try new techniques. Big one for me this year.
ClackerBuzz reply :
75% of the things you read online and watch on youtube won't apply to your fishery.
if you want to learn about bass, study baitfish (I think others put it "in order to learn about the owl you must study the mouse").
don't be afraid of 4lb line. set ur drag properly and let the rod/reel/line system do it's job. even if a bass goes into cover it's fairly easy to guide them out
skip buying ur next 3 combos and/or tackle for ur next 4 techniques and buy a sonar unit. never fish blind again.
don't get cold feet and get all cheap when buying a sonar unit. don't spend 75% of ur money on a down imaging unit for a microscope view of the bottom when you should ante up and spend the extra 25% for 180 degree panoramic view of the lake bottom for hundreds of feet each direction
when getting skunked while learning how to structure fishing or if ur getting skunked in general: head for the weeds. that's how good weeds are
Paul Roberts reply :
Well... I can't answer that question bc I didn't fish this year, being overseas. But I'll ditto the value in keeping records. I can't be everywhere and my memory is not what it used to be. Or, it never was all that great and I just didn't know it, until l started keeping records. Reviewing my logs of previous trips saves me time and stupid mistakes.
Also ditto to not fooling yourself as to whether your water has big fish to offer or not. If enough anglers visit a water body, they'll find some of those big fish. They are rarely a big secret. More likely, they are rare, or non-existent. Start ahead of the game and target waters that grow big fish.
Bankbeater reply :
Just because a bait is old doesn't mean that it won't catch fish.
strvmmer reply :
That I need to be a better deep water fisherman.
Felix77 reply :
On 1/5/2015 at 8:07 PM, strvmmer said:That I need to be a better deep water fisherman.
x2 on this one ... I plain suck at it!
scaleface reply :
I learned that if a fish looks unhealthy dont fillet it. Bass can be full of pus like fluids , yukk.
I fish a few lakes with slot limit's and keeping fish is encouraged.
Also take stealth to as high a level as possible. Sure we all catch fish after dropping pliers... but I rarely catch a big fish after I make a loud noise. It appears to me that even waves slapping on the side of an aluminum boat has negative effects on quiet waters. Noisy waters are a different story but still stealth is preferred.
Preytorien reply :
On 1/5/2015 at 12:57 PM, ClackerBuzz said:75% of the things you read online and watch on youtube won't apply to your fishery.
^^ THIS
Seems like every video of technique fishing on YouTube doesn't apply as much where I'm at. Maybe it's my region (central Indiana). I'm not naive, I know southern states produce fishing all year long, but I'd like to see more fishing videos that address northern waters, and not just smallmouth bass. Some techniques and tips for fishing up here would be nice. Either way, it's fun to watch Glenn whack em'.
Last year I had no confidence in cranks until late fall, I had good success with shallow squarebills, this year I'm hoping to get more familiar and confident with cranks.
Angry John reply :
On 1/5/2015 at 11:52 PM, Preytorien said:^^ THIS
Seems like every video of technique fishing on YouTube doesn't apply as much where I'm at. Maybe it's my region (central Indiana). I'm not naive, I know southern states produce fishing all year long, but I'd like to see more fishing videos that address northern waters, and not just smallmouth bass. Some techniques and tips for fishing up here would be nice. Either way, it's fun to watch Glenn whack em'.
Last year I had no confidence in cranks until late fall, I had good success with shallow squarebills, this year I'm hoping to get more familiar and confident with cranks.
Amen. How about some advice that does not include shad!
RoLo reply :
When Bill Dance was asked, "Which is more important: Structure or Cover?", Bill said 'Structure', and for good reason.
For every holding site I generally end up with 2 or more waypoints. Only ONE waypoint however
will be founded on bottom contour (structure), a fixed location I refer to as a 'static waypoint' for my own edification.
In sharp contrast, plant coverage, weedline configurations and plant specie junctions are in constant transition.
For instance, the weed pocket or plant merger that was a waypoint last year, may be a little different, extremely different
or completely absent this year (Mother Nature doing her job). Changeable waypoints based on weed fingers, weed alleys
and plant mergers, I refer to as 'dynamic waypoints'. Although the structural nucleus will remain essentially fixed,
the dynamic waypoints tend to waltz around the static waypoints.
Here's the nice thing about differentiating between the two (between static & dynamic).
If the DNR (fish & game commission) kills the vegetation down to the ground, or if the lake undergoes
a severe and prolonged drawdown, you are still in business. All your static waypoints (structure numbers)
will serve as jump-off points for establishing your new dynamic waypoints (cover numbers).
Roger
Catt reply :
Quite eloquent there Roger
That explaination is what I'm talking about when I say "I fish the same STRUCTURE I did 50 years ago."
It is also why I would bet 90% of anglers on this site do not really understand what structure is or how to fish it effectently.
roadwarrior reply :
On 1/6/2015 at 12:58 PM, RoLo said:When Bill Dance was asked, "Which is more important: Structure or Cover?", Bill said 'Structure', and for good reason.
For every holding site I generally end up with 2 or more waypoints. Only ONE waypoint however
will be founded on bottom contour (structure), a fixed location I refer to as a 'static waypoint' for my own edification.
In sharp contrast, plant coverage, weedline configurations and plant specie junctions are in constant transition.
For instance, the weed pocket or plant merger that was a waypoint last year, may be a little different, extremely different
or completely absent this year (Mother Nature doing her job). Changeable waypoints based on weed fingers, weed alleys
and plant mergers, I refer to as 'dynamic waypoints'. Although the structural nucleus will remain essentially fixed,
the dynamic waypoints tend to waltz around the static waypoints.
Here's the nice thing about differentiating between the two (between static & dynamic).
If the DNR (fish & game commission) kills the vegetation down to the ground, or if the lake undergoes
a severe and prolonged drawdown, you are still in business. All your static waypoints (structure numbers)
will serve as jump-off points for establishing your new dynamic waypoints (cover numbers).
Roger
WOW!
deep reply :
Thank you for sharing that Roger. One of my pet peeves is confusing cover with structure. The other is saying action, when you really mean power.
Structure is the bottom of the reservoir itself. More precisely, it's a discernible part of the bottom. Anything that's settled on it, or grows on it, etc etc, is cover.
Now, there's a reason that aquatic grass stops growing at a certain depth, or creates points and pockets, or one type of vegetation gives way to another type; and these often correspond with what I refer to as soft structure (soil type breaks for example).
deep reply :
On 1/6/2015 at 11:00 PM, Catt said:Quite eloquent there Roger
That explaination is what I'm talking about when I say "I fish the same STRUCTURE I did 50 years ago."
It is also why I would bet 90% of anglers on this site do not really understand what structure is or how to fish it effectently.
I know you have a toledo bend thread. But do a thread on fishing structure Catt, please, if you have the time. We can all learn from you if you begin from the beginning. Your posts are sometimes a little too hard to follow, since most of us do not have the time on water that folks like you have had.
Team9nine reply :
Catt reply :
On 1/6/2015 at 11:16 PM, deep said:I know you have a toledo bend thread. But do a thread on fishing structure Catt, please, if you have the time. We can all learn from you if you begin from the beginning. Your posts are sometimes a little too hard to follow, since most of us do not have the time on water that folks like you have had.
I have several around here, 2-3 under "the best of section".
Yea I could write you a story book
corn-on-the-rob reply :
1. Keep focus at all times during a tournament. (more than half my club tournaments it's a struggle to catch one fish the entire day so you better be ready for that one bite you might get) I had some bad hook sets because I was not paying 100% attention and lost potential tournament winning fish...
2. Trust your instincts.
3. as uncomfortable and unfun it may seem, get out of your comfort zone to become better. Force yourself to utilize techniques and lures you don't have confidence in.
deep reply :
On 1/7/2015 at 6:50 PM, Catt said:I have several around here, 2-3 under "the best of section".
Yea I could write you a story book
Thanks, found them. Time to study.
A-Jay reply :
The 2014 fishing season was very different than recent years past for 2 reasons. First, the ice went out almost three weeks late, and second, the water temps warmed very quickly in the spring and then cooled just as fast in the fall. - Looking back at it, I'd say every thing happened like most seasons, it just happen faster or earlier.
My spring bite came late & ended quickly. Seemed like the spawn for both lmb & smb happened simultaneously. My summer bite started and ended a little sooner than I expected. During mid summer historically speaking, most of my smallmouth come from deep water on a drop shot. The largemouth can be targeted with jigs on shallow and mid depth cover. This summer both big smallies and largemouth stayed shallow and I caught more good fish on shallow crank baits this year than most recent years. Can't really account for it but I did enjoy it. Square bills and lipless baits worked all year, jigs not so much.
The fall bite here started the first week of August and was done by the second week of September. Traditionally that's two or three weeks early and the same time frame short.
I had a hard time putting anything together. What is usually a great tine to find fat bass chewing jigs - never really materialized.
I had what seemed like a late fall / winter type bite in early October that was mostly a blade bait deal. That turned out to be something that did last a while. I was able to hop from lake to lake depending on the weather / wind and get onto a few very respectable bags of smallies.
So what I learned may really be more of a reinforcement than an actual lesson. And that is each & every year is different in some ways and yet quite similar at the same time.
A-Jay
Paul Roberts reply :
On 1/7/2015 at 11:48 PM, A-Jay said:So what I learned may really be more of a reinforcement than an actual lesson. And that is each & every year is different in some ways and yet quite similar at the same time.
A-Jay
"Reinforcement" is the holy grail in fishing! Each year and day can certainly throw us curves however.
MassBass reply :
A log of noteworthy catches is key. "Either do something worth writing or write something worth reading".
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