Lessons You've Learned The Hard Way! 2024
FlipnLimits reply :
Forum members
Share some of your hard earned lessons. You know, forgetting to plug the boat in and the batteries were day on tourney/fishing morning. Forgetting the drain plug, ouch! Maybe not hitting the recirc button until it's too late.
I'll start.
You may know where Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, or Wissota, WI is, just think KVD winning a tournament on Wissots with 12 lbs, in '05. Well, I had a big tournament at the same venue in '06. I arrived 3 days before the start of a 2-day tournament and it was 80F and we were rockin' 14-15 lb bags of smallies, in practice. I was sure that this was my year to win a big tournament with 75 boats (not sure how many, it was a long time ago) because we had a better weight average than KVD did. It was a lock to win, but here comes the Lesson! It was early Fall and it was still very nice warm temps.
Well, each day it dropped a few degrees and by Saturday morning, it was sleeting and plain miserable It felt so cold outside, and it was, but it was worse because it was the first cold snap of the year. Well, the first tournament day was a bust!! We caught just 3 keepers and were devastated, fully deflated. We went from cloud 9 with what we thought were big bags, to having 3 smallies that may have weighed 8 lbs, or so. As we motored back to weigh-in, we decided we had wasted all this time and decided to toss the fish in the water and leave. lol. I laugh now but was crying later that day. We released the fish, loaded the boat, and left for home, in full disgust.
On the way home, we get a phone call from buddies still at the tournament asking what happened to us. We told them our story and one by one, each buddy told us that our 3 fish weighing 8 lbs would have put us in the top ten. The leading bag was big, yes, but we could have easily been in it still. This is about the time I looked at my partner and he at me, and what lesson do you think we just learned?
Never toss your fish back when in a tournament!!!
FL
bigbill reply :
My son purchased an older fiberglass boat. We got the motor running. He purchased the boat so he could take me fishing. He's a good son. We launch the boat in the springtime after the winter. The motor won't start. All of a sudden there's water inside the boat. He tells me there's a crack in the center beam of the boat in the glass. "Great" while still at the launch I got out of the boat. I repaired the crack at home.
The missing plug is another trip.
I realize my tackle boxes filled with hundreds of dollars worth of lures needs insurance and life preservers.
Lessons learned? Fish from shore it's safer.
fadetoblack21 reply :
Treble hooks hurt going in. They hurt more coming out. They hurt the most when being surgically removed in an ER from the side of your neck.
Lesson learned? Hit the deck when a squarebill is flying at you instead of trying to Matrix dodge the 100 mph bait flying at you. . .
On a less painful note, I now check the drain plug every time I launch.
On a humiliating note, never try to pull an anchor from a snag by motoring forward when the anchor is tied to the rear cleat, nearly sunk the boat on that one. . .
Catt reply :
Never leave biting fish!!! 
FlipnLimits reply :
BigBill Funny story, but sad a the same time. And yes, a good son!
Fadetoblack Ouch, the neck has such delicate skin! And love the Rush quite, long time fan. Saw them this Summer again.
Thanks for sharing your lessons, gents!
FL
FlipnLimits reply :
On 3/5/2014 at 11:53 AM, Catt said:Never leave biting fish!!!
How true, how true.
starcraft1 reply :
The plug, well once, and I do check it every time -- NOW!
never leave biting fish - learned that one too!
Always take off your boat / trailer straps- That's my opps! Pulled that one last summer, couldn't figure out why the boat was floating off to one side then the other? The trailer was to! Man was I glad nobody was around then.
flyingmonkie reply :
Actually just discussed this at the office today!
I made the mistake of not buying a bass boat before I got married. Now, I've got a wife and baby at home, and another on the way. I can't justify spending $$$ on a bass boat, even though it's the one THING I want more than anything else. Instead, I fish (sometimes, competitively) out of the world's most modded-out, okie-rigged, goofy looking pontoon boat. 
Lesson learned (for all you young whipper-snappers): Get everything you want while your single, because if you're blessed like me, you'll end up being the least important person in the house. 
tomustang reply :
Always leave the house with a fresh pair of underwear
WIGuide reply :
Never trust the brown fish! If there are good numbers of both in the lake go and catch your limit of LM and try to catch the smallies after. I've fished in two tournaments that I had found really good numbers of quality smallmouth prefishing and went in thinking I was going to catch them only to have them pull a disappearing act that they are so well known for. If that's all that's in the lake or if there's a lot fewer LM then that's different, but if they're roughly equal I suggest you gun for the LM first.
FishinCop646 reply :
If your partner says "yeah, I packed that" or "already done", check anyway. Chances are that they never did! In the same day I made it to the lake without locking my coupler and made my trailer float in the water (still attached to the boat)!
travis23 reply :
I know NOT to tell my girlfriend about the new rod and reel. She's never as excited as I am!
travis23 reply :
Oh and I now always check the brakes and spool tension before lobbing anything into the air!
Catt reply :
As soon as you lay your entry fee on the table all your honey holes will dry up!
FishinCop646 reply :
Travis, you have a valid point. I was allowed to buy 1 new rod this year. For all intensive purposes 1=8. So glad we don't have a joint bank account!
A-Jay reply :
I've fished have a life time and caught some nice fish, always hoped to do better.
I started going to places with bigger fish.
Did better.
I now agree with Woody Allen.
"Eighty percent of success is showing up."
A-Jay
Americanzero reply :
No matter how much you know, you will still make mistakes. I fished a tourney with a guy who had 10+ years of tournament experience under his belt. And he forgot the plug when we launched! Which leads me to the next point, never give up. We were about an hour late to launch all told, and went on to win. I ended up catching my pb smallmouth at 8lbs.
NathanW reply :
good topic, lots of great responses.
I have a couple... Pull your prop to check for fishing line as often as you can. Lower units are expensive, and if you have an older outboard like mine may take the entire spawn a prespawn to find one that fits.
When connecting your batteries, triple check that your hots are on hots and your grounds are on grounds. Made this mistake after owning a boat for three years, very stupid but easier mistake to make when you have many wires and three+ batteries. Boat caught on fire while in the garage, entire electrical system burnt up, took me a month to take apart the boat, rewire and put back together. Very lucky I came out into the garage while it was burning up. A tip on this, if all your wires are black, like mine were, go ahead an put some red shrink tubing on the hots.
Wbeadlescomb reply :
Always use protection
travis23 reply :
On 3/5/2014 at 11:54 PM, Wbeadlescomb said:Always use protection
Yeah you don't want to have 2 baby mommas!! Trust me!!
Dwight Hottle reply :
Don't forget to raise your motor after lowering it to drain. Plays heck on your skeg when backing.
macmichael reply :
Don't forget the coffee can to keep your toilet paper dry. Oh brother!!!
NathanW reply :
On 3/5/2014 at 11:54 PM, Wbeadlescomb said:Always use protection
Absolutely.
Having a young child at home and sick pregnant wife currently... Lets just say I had 110 days on the water in 2012 (no kids), only 44 days on the water last year (1 kid). This year I will be grateful to get 40 days.
grizzgreen18 reply :
double check your knots when lobbing 1/2 ounce rattletraps i had one come loose and smack the back of my head i actually had to sit down to stop the lake from spinning and then had my buddy take the hooks out of my scalp while he busting a gut laughing
Nice_Bass reply :
check the weather for major storm fronts with tornados likely.
roadwarrior reply :
Interpreting weather forecasts: Winds 15 - 20mph really means 15 + 20 = 35mph
FrogFreak reply :
I have several that come to mind from last year.
I don't care what the dealer says, check your battery connections. i was all the way back in a canal with my son when my trolling motor just quit. Had to run back and took an hour or 2 to diagnose the problem. I had the boat for about 2 weeks at that point.
If you don't use your windshield for much, take it off your boat. i was winging a frog when it caught on my windshield and d**n near broke my thumb. That was 7 months ago and it still hurts.
When you're in your kayak, take your Oakley's off of your hat before you lay back to take a break. Or at the very least, use a floating lanyard. Just an FYI, on the same trip, my son dumped a brand new rod and reel into the lake. All in all, that was about a $500 day.
Thought of one more after reading Red Earth's post below. Have the net ready. I had a 5 pounder on last year. Caught it drop shotting and it was at the side of the boat. Went to lip it and she came unbuttoned. The net was right where I left it, back in the battery storage compartment. Dooohhhh!
Hyrule Bass reply :
always be prepared. bank fishing off a dock one night at the lake and the water was kind of low. well i happen to hook into a fish on a bad cast, the fish eats my night crawler on the fall at that. so i set the hook and started reeling in. this thing takes off and starts stripping drag at a rate in which i just stop reeling and let it run. it slows down and i start cranking in again, fish takes off again and goes on another run, in all this fish made three runs like that. i finally get the fish in to see what it is, and its a huge 20+ inch crappie. problem is i dont have the net down at the dock with me, its up in the garage of the house. i debate with myself, run up to the house and get the net leaving the fish hooked up and in the water, it was laying on its side by then it was so worn out. or lay down on my stomach, and pull the line up to me until i could lip the fish. i chose method 2 as its a steep hill back to the house and laziness go the better of me. just got the fishes tail out of the water and a couple inches from lipping it when SPLASH. the fish falls off into the lake and takes off like a bat out of hell. wish i had that net with me and now i never forget it, wouldve been a hell of a picture and i probably wouldve had it mounted. the culprit, my hook bent from the weight of the fish and it fell right off without thrashing or anything...
papajoe222 reply :
If you must take your i-phone with you when fishing, keep it in a plastic bag and store in somewhere other than your pocket. I had to buy two new ones within a year after falling overboard with my phone in my pocket. Yes, I learn from my mistakes. I just need to make the same one more than once.
00 mod reply :
On 3/5/2014 at 10:36 PM, Americanzero said:No matter how much you know, you will still make mistakes. I fished a tourney with a guy who had 10+ years of tournament experience under his belt. And he forgot the plug when we launched! Which leads me to the next point, never give up. We were about an hour late to launch all told, and went on to win. I ended up catching my pb smallmouth at 8lbs.
8lb smallie! Holy smokes! Would love to see a pic of that beast!
Jeff
Catt reply :
Rain at 70 mph hurts!
A-Jay reply :
On 3/5/2014 at 10:36 PM, Americanzero said:No matter how much you know, you will still make mistakes. I fished a tourney with a guy who had 10+ years of tournament experience under his belt. And he forgot the plug when we launched! Which leads me to the next point, never give up. We were about an hour late to launch all told, and went on to win. I ended up catching my pb smallmouth at 8lbs.
Congrats on the tournament win and the Documented 8 Pound Smallie !
That fish should have had it's face splashed on at least a couple of magazine covers . . . . .
Please post up all your pictures of that Beast - ASAP !
A-Jay
mnbassman23 reply :
On 3/6/2014 at 6:53 AM, Catt said:Rain at 70 mph hurts!
Might as well call it hail.
retiredbosn reply :
Seems that everything I learn is the hard way.
FlipnLimits reply :
Goodness! I just typed a long reply and scrolled back to see a post and lost everything I wrote, ugh! The short version........
Thanks for your great replies, some funny, some really informative!
Flyingmonkie, 20 more years and you'll be a free man! Just kidding Kids grow quickly. Save your dollars and you'll have the rig of your dreams soon enuf.
WIGuide, those smallies sure are squirly!
FrogFreak, yup, whacked my windshield slinging a frog several times over the years, luckily didn’t break it.
MacMichael, rest assured, I always have TP in the boat! The coffee can is a great idea, I’m gonna borrow that idea from you, thank you!
Catt, up here, sleet will bruise your face at those speeds. At 70, mosquitos and flys go down smoothly too J. Maybe this year I’ll try a face mask for Spring.
Too many great posts to reply to, sorry if I didn’t reply to your post.
FL
Munkin reply :
Braid needs backing line on a baitcaster, I must have screwed with the drag for 1/2 an hour before giving up and putting the rod in the locker. You carry a net for a reason so use it in the tournament instead of flipping fish over the boat and back into the water.
Allen
Americanzero reply :
Hard to see but the largemouth was actually smaller than the smallie! Caught them both on Pickwick. The tourney was hosted by Southern Fishing News, they hosted a group of us for a wounded warrior outing. Biggest smallmouth I have ever seen!
bartdude186 reply :
even though a used outboard runs great while testing before you buy, DO NOT run 5 miles down stream on the first trip. lesson learned.
reb67 reply :
On 3/5/2014 at 12:55 PM, flyingmonkie said:Actually just discussed this at the office today!
I made the mistake of not buying a bass boat before I got married. Now, I've got a wife and baby at home, and another on the way. I can't justify spending $$$ on a bass boat, even though it's the one THING I want more than anything else. Instead, I fish (sometimes, competitively) out of the world's most modded-out, okie-rigged, goofy looking pontoon boat.
Lesson learned (for all you young whipper-snappers): Get everything you want while your single, because if you're blessed like me, you'll end up being the least important person in the house.
I to have a modified pontoon boat, only been bass fishing a couple of years just put a 400.00 trolling motor on the boat and it rocks.lol
You have to look at the bright side.
Gets to hot pop up the top and cool it in shade
Real bass fishers pay no attention to you
More on topic
I backed the boat into the water got in the boat started the motor when I climbed out to finish backing it down while standing between the truck and boat looked up and noticed the back up lights were on..
After I stop shaking I thought holy crap that was stupid.
Lesson learned SLOW DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
AK-Jax86 reply :
Always be prepared with a scale you never know and don't want to leave it to a guesstimate (happened to me twice where I caught a giant and didn't have my scale 2nd time was last Friday night at around 11:40p) fish always seem bigger when they aren't on a scale and always seem bigger when they are on it too lol
A-Jay reply :
On 3/6/2014 at 9:44 AM, Americanzero said:Hard to see but the largemouth was actually smaller than the smallie! Caught them both on Pickwick. The tourney was hosted by Southern Fishing News, they hosted a group of us for a wounded warrior outing. Biggest smallmouth I have ever seen!
Was that part of Southern Fishing News - Operation HOOAH ?
What year was that? Looks like a great time and very cool event.
A-Jay
Americanzero reply :
On 3/6/2014 at 9:58 AM, A-Jay said:Was that part of Southern Fishing News - Operation HOOAH ?
What year was that? Looks like a great time and very cool event.
A-Jay
Yea, it was just this past year. Ronnie is one heck of a guy! The other anglers were awesome as well, it was something else.
geo g reply :
Don't try to teach someone anything about fishing, when they think they already know everything!!!!! 
MarksHooked reply :
i had read that you should put some backing on a spinning reel when putting on braid last year. I had picked up some Fireline on sale for $12, and put it on a reel that cost even less. Honestly I was intimidated by the idea of tying a line to line knot lol and just tied the fireline directly and filled it. Within a week of fishing it had started to spin around on the reel with no traction when fighting a fish, I lost a decent smallie one day and learned a valuable lesson.
NathanW reply :
I keep a pair of clear safety glasses in your boat for those low light or nighttime runs to keep the bugs out of your eyes.
Also, always wear sun glasses/safety glasses while flipping/pitching heavy tungsten. I have had a very close call. Got the chills just thinking about it.
Fishes in trees reply :
If your reel spool is small and won't hold much backing, a few dabs of super glue, works as well as backing, better actually. I've made all the mistakes mentioned here, and then some.
Once upon a time, I lost my glasses while on a fishing trip at Truman. Looked all over, not to be found. I am real particular about where I put my glasses, so I figured that they were going, fell out of the boat while I was running or something. Anyway, couldn't fish no more, packed up all my stuff, drove home, then drove to KC to buy more glasses. Got some new glasses. I had several more days off, didn't want to drive back down to Truman, so I thought I'd fish more locally. Anyway, while going through my truck, deciding what goes & what stays, happened to look in a bag of soft plastics and at the bottom of the tackle bag, amongst 6 or 7 gallon zip lock bags of soft plastics, there were my glasses, in the case, which was the same color as the bottom of the bag. If I hadn't felt them, I never would have seen them.
I keep my glasses in a colored case that stands out now. $350 lesson learned.
lmbfisherman reply :
On 3/5/2014 at 12:55 PM, flyingmonkie said:Actually just discussed this at the office today!
I made the mistake of not buying a bass boat before I got married. Now, I've got a wife and baby at home, and another on the way. I can't justify spending $$$ on a bass boat, even though it's the one THING I want more than anything else. Instead, I fish (sometimes, competitively) out of the world's most modded-out, okie-rigged, goofy looking pontoon boat.
Lesson learned (for all you young whipper-snappers): Get everything you want while your single, because if you're blessed like me, you'll end up being the least important person in the house.
Amen brother.
Raul reply :
My friend Pedro and I have gone through a lot of stuff throughout the years here are a few ones that had made us miserable:
Forgetting to put in the plug seems a popular choice, we´ve done it at least two times, not only he checks but I check and we always carry an extra plug.
A broken wheel bearing in the trailer made us stay an entire day in the middle of nowhere, as usual, these things happen on Sunday afternoon, now we carry two extra bearings and believe or not, in one ocassion we had to use both.
One spare tire ? heck, carry two ! guess who has needed an extra spare ?
Bilge pump ? two makes you safer.
Tie downs ? an extra aside the ones you already carry won´t hurt you.
A tarp comes in handy and it doesn´t take much room to store it.
.ghoti. reply :
Never take sleeping pills and laxative the same night.
Cast_And_Blast reply :
On 3/7/2014 at 5:27 AM, .ghoti. said:Never take sleeping pills and laxative the same night.
I bet that would make for one fun night!
BassmanDan reply :
Lesson One: Don't remove your lure while holding a big bass over the side of the boat.
Followed by Lesson Two: Never underestimate the strength of a big bass in your hand when she starts to head shake.
DOH!!
fishva reply :
Always make sure your tackle box is latched before you pick it up.
I lifted an un-latched box once in my garage. I had bare feet, and it took a LONG time to get those all those treble hooks out of my foot.
stratoliner92 reply :
Never push on dead trees in lake!! I learned this the hard way a couple of winters ago by taking a cold swim.
Stork reply :
When the bolts holding your seat in place start to rust out, change them. o.O
TheBassinBarber reply :
The biggest lesson i have learned about fishing is to not be lazy. I lost many nice fish by being too lazy to retie, or too lazy to make sure my drag is set correctly resulting in break offs. It only takes a minute to retie and just a few seconds to adjust your drag. Lesson learned!
Ratherbfishing reply :
Before you spend the day freezing your keester off in a cold rain because you forgot your rain parka, check under the boat deck.
Scott F reply :
On 3/6/2014 at 5:59 AM, papajoe222 said:If you must take your i-phone with you when fishing, keep it in a plastic bag and store in somewhere other than your pocket. I had to buy two new ones within a year after falling overboard with my phone in my pocket. Yes, I learn from my mistakes. I just need to make the same one more than once.
If you keep your phone in a plastic zip lock bag and fall overboard, you'll probably learn another lesson. A zip lock bag will not protect your phone very well. Another lesson learned the hard way. Get a REAL waterproof container for your iPhone,
donk reply :
Don't trust the weatherman no matter what ! I don't care if they are calling for bluebird skies my raingear is always with me. I learned that lesson many years ago on an early spring fishing trip. Cold and rain makes for a miserable outing even if they are biting. Actually, if the winds blowing and the lake is rough, I will be suited up anyways do to the spray while running the lake. Now sometimes in the heat of the summer a good soaking is refreshing.
Hooked_On_Bass reply :
Don't leave your cellphone (or worse, your wife's) on the top of your tackle bag/box while in the boat.
livetofish28 reply :
Make sure your trim fluid is topped off all the time so your trim doesn't quit at 50 mph
Tight lines
Andrew
ClackerBuzz reply :
On 3/7/2014 at 8:25 AM, deadadrift89 said:Never push on dead trees in lake!! I learned this the hard way a couple of winters ago by taking a cold swim.
and never step on decayed logs while hiking down a steep bank. you could quite possibly hear the crunch of the log ripping in half, the buzzing swarm of angry bees and the yelling of an angler getting stung over a dozen times
FlipnLimits reply :
On 3/10/2014 at 8:48 AM, ClackerBuzz said:and never step on decayed logs while hiking down a steep bank. you could quite possibly hear the crunch of the log ripping in half, the buzzing swarm of angry bees and the yelling of an angler getting stung over a dozen times
ouch! I stepped on a nest in the ground, ran like heck!!!
On a similar note. It's been a while but I like some small ponds around my area where boat access isn't allowed so a hike is mandatory. One such pond is in a field with tall grass around it and while walking and casting, I found a large Banana Spider staring me in the face at chest height. Being not particularly scared of spiders I continued to fish in the tall grass pond. Saw another spider then another, I look around and realize I'm in a field where they must make their colony a home. One or two spiders, fine, but a field full? I left the pond that day. Haven't walked around a lake or pond in a couple years now but I'll only return to this one in Spring when the grass is short. Incidentally, one can learn aplenty from walking the shore.
Cast_And_Blast reply :
On 3/10/2014 at 9:18 AM, FlipnLimits said:I found a large Banana Spider staring me in the face at chest height.
Let's just pause here. At that point I vacate that area immediately.
On 3/10/2014 at 9:18 AM, FlipnLimits said:Being petrified by the little freaks,
Fixed that for you!
On 3/10/2014 at 9:18 AM, FlipnLimits said:Saw another spider then another
At that point I'm out of there. I'm gone!
On 3/10/2014 at 9:18 AM, FlipnLimits said:realize I'm in a field where they must make their colony a home.
Can we get the gasoline and matches please?
Swampstud reply :
Find a women that doesnt mind all of your hours on a lake, and doesnt get mad when boxes show up with gear.
First g/f of 4+ years got sick of my fishing and hunting. Was like pulling teeth tryin to get her to do something i liked doing. Bye bye she took off
Present g/f grew up with a dad that took off for days up to aweek long fishin trips and spent money like he had a million in the bank.
So she understands when gear shows up or i go buy stuff at wallyworld. This year she didnt complain at all even after finding out we have our 2nd child on the way. Even paid $200 on my layaway for an ice shanty n frabill ice suit. I am thankful to be blessed thats for sure.
FATYAKKER reply :
Here is an oldie but a goood one, Im 27 now but when I was around 7 I was fishing with my dad at a small pond. Classic worm and bobber style. Well as any 7 year old does I lost interest and set the pole on the bank and wondered off playing with weeds,dirt, etc. The next time I looked over at that pole it was being dragged into the pond at a high rate of speed. I learned a valuable lesson that day and have never set my pole down again. We were able to get the pole back from hooking on to the line under the bobber but moby dick was looooong gone.
FlipnLimits reply :
On 3/10/2014 at 12:32 PM, Cast_And_Blast said:
Let's just pause here. At that point I vacate that area immediately.
Fixed that for you!
At that point I'm out of there. I'm gone!
Can we get the gasoline and matches please?
Obviously you like spiders, lol.
daiwaguy reply :
Hard lesson #1 for me is asking an unexperienced fisherman to do anything. Sounds harsh but isnt meant to be. I took a friend fishing one time and hooked into a hawg. I got it to the boat and I know it was beigger than my current PB. It had to be right at or over 10#. When I yelled get the net he looked down, got excited and grabbed the line and pulled. Fish was gone. Needless to say I told him our day was over and headed towards the truck and started loading up gear. On my way back to the boat to grab the tackle bags he shut the tailgate and I heard something rattle. When I turned around I believe there were 5 tips from my rods dangling on the fishing line. Longest ride home over!
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