Lessons Learned From Others Mistakes 2025
tomustang reply :
At times you read about hard lessons learned, although unfortunate you can learn from others mistakes. One that I've seen a lot has been guys snapping rod tips in car/house doors.
After reading about it many times I make it a point to go rod tip first every time through a door, that way if the door closes accidentally it won't be as bad.
What have you learned from others mistakes?
Dwight Hottle reply :
Warm up the motor before taking off. Was in another guys boat when his 300hp Mercury blew. Lesson learned.
Senko lover reply :
Looking around before you cast.....
A-Jay reply :
Wear a Life Jacket ~
A-Jay
nascar2428 reply :
Always buy and carry your fishing license.
senile1 reply :
On 1/27/2015 at 1:19 AM, Dwight Hottle said:Warm up the motor before taking off. Was in another guys boat when his 300hp Mercury blew. Lesson learned.
That would be one expensive lesson.
mrmacwvu1 reply :
Put the trolling moter up before you take off full steam ahead
ClackerBuzz reply :
On 1/27/2015 at 1:48 AM, A-Jay said:Wear a Life Jacket ~
A-Jay
x2. after reading snakehead whisperer's experience I bought a life jacket that feels/fits nice so I can live to fish another day
A-Jay reply :
On 1/27/2015 at 3:01 AM, ClackerBuzz said:x2. after reading snakehead whisperer's experience I bought a life jacket that feels/fits nice so I can live to fish another day
Good - and that story had a happy ending which is very desirable but not always the case.
A-Jay
atcoha reply :
Back in high school, we would drive from south miami to the keys all the time, hang out, get ripped, chase girls...and whatever other mayhem...
One time on the way back, we got to tavernier, the car was smoking from the front, smelled burnt...we pulled over, not knowing what was going on...
It was my buddies pos buick regal, which he loved dearly...We made it home, regardless, next day, I went to his house, we were looking at his car wondering what happened, his much older brother came over, after a few minutes, and several colorful words in spanish to my friend, he gets out of the car, and says,
"don't leave the parking brake on"
That was 30+ years ago, I still never get tired of reminding him of that.
geo g reply :
1). Put the plug in at home before leaving for the water. Over the years I have I have forgot to do it several times.
2). When fishing with treble hooks don't try to power the lure out of weeds or brush. Several trips to the hospital to cut out a deep buried hook, I learned that lesson twice.
3). With a rear drive truck don't put the back wheels in the water on a steep concrete ramp. I sat for a half hour with my foot on the brakes, until a group of guys came along, and helped push it out.
4). Don't shut down a boat on plane in shallow water. I watched two guys in their underwear, pushing a boat 100 yards off a mud flat, in 40* February weather, on Lake Okeechobee.
A few lessons learned!
riverbasser13 reply :
Never step on a saltwater catfish while trying to unhook it.
Bassguytom reply :
Don't lower jaw a pickerel. I had a buddy out kayak fishng and we were catching bass all day. He hooks into his first pickerel and before I saw him he lower jawed it. Ouch.
atcoha reply :
Put your poles in the bed of your truck "tip first towards the cab"
the butt end is harder to snap off in your tailgate... 
at least that's what I hear....
Catch 22 reply :
Other guy==don`t forget to hook up the winch line to the boat before leaving ramp. Your boat might[did] slide off the trailer.
Me= secure anything that might blow out of the boat while trailering on road==like life jackets coats,coolers,t boxes ect
OK Bass Hunter reply :
Learned to retie every once in awhile after my buddy lost a good fish at Pond X due to line failure.
Oregon Native reply :
If you go to a physical therapist and he/she tells you to do something.....DO IT.
Always do a walk around or two before leaving the boat ramp.
OntarioFishingGuy reply :
Pick up anchor before moving the boat. I killed a prop on a rental boat by forgetting to do this.
A-Jay reply :
On 1/27/2015 at 7:46 PM, Oregon Native said:
Always do a walk around or two before leaving the boat ramp.
^^^^^^^
X2
Especially at night.
A-Jay
bassinbrady03 reply :
Ive learned a big one that cost me a couple places in a tournament. Me an my partner were fishing this tournament on Lake Murray in Nov. and the day before when we pre fished it was beautiful weather the fish were super shallow and we had caught a lot of them and seen a couple of big fished holed up. The next day the temp dropped from 60 to 20 degrees and the wind was blowing 30mph it was also snowing. I told my partner that the fish would have gone deep and we need to slow down a little and no fishing shallow. But he was older and more experienced so he said we were doing what he wanted to do. We caught one keeper. At weigh in we asked the people who finished ahead of us what they did. They said they went deep with spinnerbaits and cranks and finesse fished.
If I learned anything it is what works the day before may not work the next day no matter how much success you had with it.
HoosierHawgs reply :
I think this is the difference between pros and joes. They are able to have a game plan, but change on the fly and adapt to the fish.On 1/28/2015 at 1:36 AM, bassinbrady03 said:Ive learned a big one that cost me a couple places in a tournament. Me an my partner were fishing this tournament on Lake Murray in Nov. and the day before when we pre fished it was beautiful weather the fish were super shallow and we had caught a lot of them and seen a couple of big fished holed up. The next day the temp dropped from 60 to 20 degrees and the wind was blowing 30mph it was also snowing. I told my partner that the fish would have gone deep and we need to slow down a little and no fishing shallow. But he was older and more experienced so he said we were doing what he wanted to do. We caught one keeper. At weigh in we asked the people who finished ahead of us what they did. They said they went deep with spinnerbaits and cranks and finesse fished.
If I learned anything it is what works the day before may not work the next day no matter how much success you had with it.
bassinbrady03 reply :
I believe you are correct Jakob. To me the ability to adapt to any situation is what defines a good angler from a great angler.
tatertester reply :
I am laughing to myself when reading this thread.....I have good quality rods, Denali Rosewood, Shimano Cumaras, Kistler Z-bones, and reels, Curados, Calcuttas, Chronarchs, Calais, along with the lastest and greatest lures, and line.....I fish the best when I'm alone, and usually not as well when with my adult son or even my wife....My son is a good angler, however, my wifes idea of fishing is dragging a nose hooked senko behind the boat....Saddly all my savvy approachs and upscale equipment is all for naught.....I always tell wifey
I let her catch more, but I don't......Very embarrassing to say the least....Gotta say tho, I still have a great time on the water even if my production isn't always so hot.....Maybe if I got a new casting outfit, might help, NAWWWW!
corn-on-the-rob reply :
When I started tournament fishing last year in small club tournaments I got so excited/anxious that I would change the way I fish. I would be working baits way too fast or throwing a bait for too long before switching. The worse was losing fish when the lakes we were fishing, 2 to 3 small fish would be a high finish (top 3). I normally play my fish and am careful and methodical when landing with great success but in the tournament the instant I hooked up I would go into panic mode and try to get the fish in too fast which resulted in lost fish which was devastating when you got between 0 to 3 bites in the tournament.
I got much better after getting a few tournaments under my belt but it taught me, be patient, do what you know, and trust your instincts.
In one of the tournaments it was late in the day and I had one fish in the live-well. I hooked once but the fish jumped and threw it (not my fault this time). Then with about 20 minutes to go to my surprise I got another bite, I set the hook and start horsing it in, it is only about 1.75lb but good for the tournament. It happened so fast that my co-angler had no chance to be ready to net so I start swinging the fish in the boat... then in my head I tell myself, "NO THIS IS A TOURNAMENT DON'T SWING FISH", so I didn't... but it was too late... WHAM. I already started swinging the fish and in trying to tell myself not to swing I did a half-swing, which resulted in the fish smacking the side of the boat not even close to being in and away she goes. With that small fish I would have been in the top 3 easy.
There is obviously a lesson in there but I have a good laugh about all the things I have been not so intelligent about and there was a ton of those this year.
a1712 reply :
Watch those ceiling fans!!!! Brian.
scaleface reply :
When your whitewater guide says over and over to secure your life jacket as tight as possible , then you better pay attention. My guide , son and I had to rescue a man out of the worst part of the river, he was drowning and his life jacket had slipped up over his head. We dragged him in the raft and he laid in the bottom puking .
PS I'll never go white water rafting again.
ClackerBuzz reply :
On 1/28/2015 at 10:54 PM, scaleface said:When your whitewater guide says over and over to secure your life jacket as tight as possible , then you better pay attention. My guide , son and I had to rescue a man out of the worst part of the river, he was drowning and his life jacket had slipped up over his head. We dragged him in the raft and he laid in the bottom puking .
PS I'll never go white water rafting again.
is that the same as listening to ur skydiving instructor?
scaleface reply :
^^^ yeah , something like that .
Slefler reply :
When I was a wee-lad Bill Dance taught me to watch out for trailer hitches.
Catt reply :
Wear your kill switch!
Pulled a guy from the water who had been thrown out of his boat & run over twice.
No a pretty sight 
OK Bass Hunter reply :
On 1/29/2015 at 12:31 PM, Catt said:Wear your kill switch!
Pulled a guy from the water who had been thrown out of his boat & run over twice.
No a pretty sight
Bet he was glad you happened to be there.
Matthew2000 reply :
. I can vouch for that I was there.On 1/28/2015 at 1:36 AM, bassinbrady03 said:Ive learned a big one that cost me a couple places in a tournament. Me an my partner were fishing this tournament on Lake Murray in Nov. and the day before when we pre fished it was beautiful weather the fish were super shallow and we had caught a lot of them and seen a couple of big fished holed up. The next day the temp dropped from 60 to 20 degrees and the wind was blowing 30mph it was also snowing. I told my partner that the fish would have gone deep and we need to slow down a little and no fishing shallow. But he was older and more experienced so he said we were doing what he wanted to do. We caught one keeper. At weigh in we asked the people who finished ahead of us what they did. They said they went deep with spinnerbaits and cranks and finesse fished.
If I learned anything it is what works the day before may not work the next day no matter how much success you had with it.
bassinbrady03 reply :
Hey Matthew. Yeah that tournament was pretty crazy.
Matthew2000 reply :
I regreted not bring boots pretty bad. Never again will I underestimate the cold and wet in a tourny.On 1/30/2015 at 9:09 AM, bassinbrady03 said:Hey Matthew. Yeah that tournament was pretty crazy.
Catch 22 reply :
On 1/28/2015 at 11:17 PM, ClackerBuzz said:is that the same as listening to ur skydiving instructor?
I`ve sky dived three times now and my instructor had my harness so tight ,it changed the pitch of my voice.
I see why people jump,its a real rush.
This thread is like reading my biography.
C22
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