Need To Get Back To Basics...help Please 2024
airborne_angler reply :
So I've gotten into a very overwhelming situation. It's screwing me mentally and I don't know what to do. I buy tackle...Lots and lots of tackle. I wanna try this technique or that technique so I stock up.
I have a 12' Jon boat and I carry at least 12 rod/reel combos with me.
I get on the water and I don't know where to start. I'm always concerned that I'm throwing the wrong stuff. If I'm not getting bit, I'm always changing up. If it just doesn't feel right, I just can't spend much time on it.
How can I get back to basics and start to relearn things so I have confidence again.
Yesterday was the first time out this year because I've been struggling mentally on how to approach things.Fishing isn't so much fun for me anymore, I just lose confidence too quickly.
I spent all day yesterday from 11am to about 6pm trying to figure things out and only boated 3 dink fish with no other bites. 1 was on a Rapala Ultralight Shad, and 2 came on a Rapala DT6 in a Shad pattern (1 of those fish was a Green Sunfish)
To spend that much time and only boat 3 dink fish is very disheartening...however I did what I set out to do...catch "fish"...so I'm ok with that...means I was doing "something" right.
Mccallister25 reply :
12 setups is a little much in that boat for my opinion. Maybe just take 2 or 3 casting setups, and a spinning outfit.
Have one for bottom contact baits, one for moving baits, maybe a topwater setup and your spinning gear for finesse presentations.
Depending on where you are in the country, the conditions could be very different. If your having trouble fishing deep, throw out to the shallows, and work those areas. A jig around shallow structure could really produce. Try maybe banging a squarebill around timber, if available.
I too have a Jon boat that I fish from, from time to time. It's not often I take it out, but when I do, I try to work shallow and go from there. I'm not much of a deep water guy.
BassinLou reply :
In your situation I would use the K.I.S.S. principle. (Keep it simple silly). I would recommend what Bigblock mentioned and really reduce your outfits. Pick the 3 techniques that have been most productive on your home waters and relax and fish. Once you get your confidence back, then try other techniques that are the seasonal patterns for your area. Keep your head up. Good luck. 
Raul reply :
Hmmmmm, the first thing you should remember is that it´s supposed to be fun !!!!! got it ? Catching fish is not a job, it´s not mandatory, you ain´t gonna drop dead right away if you don´t catch a dang thing. got it ?
You wanna try this lure ? ----> try it ! , didn´t work ? ----> who cares ?
You wanna try this technique ? ----> try it !, didn´t work ? -----> who cares ?
I got thousands of lures, I carry them all ..... end up fishing with the same things I´ve fished for more than 3 decades, what I´ve learned is :
Keep it simple !
The more you worry the worse you´ll fish, you fish bad and wrong because you worry too much about fishing bad and wrong.
Grab a handful of lures and learn to fish them right.
HeavyFisher reply :
12 setups feels overwhelming just reading about it lol. I think your giving yourself to many choices it's driving you mental. Like Mr. Block said, try bringing 2 setups with you and focus on using all of 3-4 baits throughout the day. When I go I take 2 setups with me one bait caster rigged with a swimbait, and one spinning rod I use for frogs, top water poppers, and crank baits. On days I'm not feeling swimbaits i'll leave the swimbait rod at home and bring my texas rig setup with me along with the spinning setup. Stick with a small selection of setups and fish the hell out of it, I don't think how many setups really matters vs presenting a single bait using multiple different presentations to the same spot over and over again. Hell i'll fish the same spot around 10 times before I get a fish to bite. For me it's all about trying multiple depths and presentations using the same bait over and over again. Goodluck with your fishing ventures!
WRB reply :
As I recall you fish northern AZ and it's got to be getting hot there for mid day fish.
You goal is catching bass so you need to locate them. I agree you have gone overboard with tackle for the boat you have.
If you can fish at dawn to 10 or late afternoon to 8 or so, your chances increase with more active adult size bass using reaction type lures like crankbaits and spinnerbaits. The mid day bite maybe more finesse with drop shot or slip shot/split shot 4 1/2" to 6" plastic worms.
4 outfits should be more than enough: 2 baitcasting and 2 spinning.
I know you may not want to consider trolling along the break lines with a shad colors crankbait but this is a fast way to locate bass, then fish the areas you catch bass with your presentations.
Good luck,
Tom
Alonerankin2 reply :
Well the Great advisers have said it all.
It is fun? I quit tournament fishing for that reason.
It wasn't fun, anymore.. Reduce you're gear, focus on the joy of the outdoors, relax, take a breath... For me, it's fun, joy first... Catching fish is a goal... But just a part of the whole experience !
airborne_angler reply :
Thanks for the replies. Think I'm gonna narrow it down to throwing a Drop shot(I've always enjoyed this), T-rig/jig, Crankbait and Spinnerbait.Half the combos I took out yesterday with me were untouched so I know those can be left at home.What I'd REALLY like to throw is Senkos, but it's so darned windy at this lake I can't get them to fall appropriately...wind catches my line and makes a huge bow in it...
BassinLou reply :
On 6/6/2014 at 4:38 AM, airborne_angler said:Thanks for the replies. Think I'm gonna narrow it down to throwing a Drop shot(I've always enjoyed this), T-rig/jig, Crankbait and Spinnerbait.Half the combos I took out yesterday with me were untouched so I know those can be left at home.What I'd REALLY like to throw is Senkos, but it's so darned windy at this lake I can't get them to fall appropriately...wind catches my line and makes a huge bow in it...
Weigh them down a little. Insert a nail weight. I use a small weight like a 1/16 sometimes for added weight. Still have great results
stk reply :
I ran into this during my trip to San Diego. Fishing Lake Murray was kind of a struggle but I managed to catch 2 pretty good sized bass (3lbs). They came on a senko rigged on a shakey head (3/32) and on casting gear.
Bladesmith, reply :
I don't know where you are finding fishing water in Cochise Co, but I lived north of San Simone for 6 years and the closest fishing water I could find was the Gila River outside of Cliff, N.M. Also Bill Evans Lake in Cliff. I agree with others; you seem to place too much importance on catching rather than fishing. That being said, try Bill Evans lake. It is a big bass lake (small deep lake big bass). The only thing I found productive there was a black plastic worm fished in the moss beds, especially around the lake's only point. Take sturdy gear and lines as you will have to pull them out of the moss. N.M. state record bass came from there 15 lbs. or so and I caught a 8, and several 6's over a period of 6 weeks. It is an electric only lake so your boat will be just right for it. Relax and enjoy your time on the water.
einscodek reply :
Yer fishin in 100+ degree weather during the hottest parts of the day in a lake with the word canyon in it.. it must be deep.
The bass may be deep and summer mid-day they are probably suspended.
Thats a tough task calling for patient finesse fishin'.
CDMeyer reply :
I understand what you mean when you say you want to learn new techniques..... I do the same, I know I will struggle to catch fish when I do this but here is what I do
- Pick a technique/lure
- Start in a area that you know holds fish.
- Do not use another technique/lure for a set period of time (I usually do a week fishing at least 5 hours each day)
What this allows me to do is hone in on my skills, see how the bait feels.
How the bait feels on a rock, stump, sand, shells, mud..... etc..
This is what I do and it has helped me greatly more than you will ever know
Big thing is to just believe in yourself and have confidence above all put faith in God
Raul reply :
Describe " fall properly ".On 6/6/2014 at 4:38 AM, airborne_angler said:Thanks for the replies. Think I'm gonna narrow it down to throwing a Drop shot(I've always enjoyed this), T-rig/jig, Crankbait and Spinnerbait.Half the combos I took out yesterday with me were untouched so I know those can be left at home.What I'd REALLY like to throw is Senkos, but it's so darned windy at this lake I can't get them to fall appropriately...wind catches my line and makes a huge bow in it...
NathanW reply :
I learned how to deep crank by leaving all other gear at home for a few weeks. This required me to lean on my electronics heavily for finding fish, edges and weedlines instead of just fishing....This has been a tool I will always have in the bag and can recognize when it might be a productive pattern.
I highly recommend doing this with some technique you know has a reputation of working in your area. As stated by WRB, location is key and it is likely not a problem of bait presentation or technique but a problem of location. Simplifing your approach to a limited arsenal will help.
Alonerankin2 reply :
On 6/6/2014 at 4:38 AM, airborne_angler said:Thanks for the replies. Think I'm gonna narrow it down to throwing a Drop shot(I've always enjoyed this), T-rig/jig, Crankbait and Spinnerbait.Half the combos I took out yesterday with me were untouched so I know those can be left at home.What I'd REALLY like to throw is Senkos, but it's so darned windy at this lake I can't get them to fall appropriately...wind catches my line and makes a huge bow in it...
There ya go... You enjoy drop shotting that's one rig... You like spinnerbaits... Try going deep with a one oz spinnerbait slowly along the contours of the lake bottom.. 2 rigs can keep you busy with good chances at some good fish!
airborne_angler reply :
As far as "Falling properly" I have trouble with the Senkos not falling vertically as well as I'd like. Wind catches the line and creates that bow in it, which carries it away from the target. It's also tough being a line watcher in the wind.Ive caught using a Senkos in the wind, but most of the time it's been accidental at best. Never felt the take, and noticed the fish was there on the the retrieve for another cast...swallowed the hook every time.
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 6/6/2014 at 7:08 AM, airborne_angler said:As far as "Falling properly" I have trouble with the Senkos not falling vertically as well as I'd like. Wind catches the line and creates that bow in it, which carries it away from the target. It's also tough being a line watcher in the wind.Ive caught using a Senkos in the wind, but most of the time it's been accidental at best. Never felt the take, and noticed the fish was there on the the retrieve for another cast...swallowed the hook every time.
the thing about senkos, fish will eat them on more than a fall or slack line. ive caught them while swimming my senkos slowly, or reeling them slowly across the bottom where the line is tight in both instances.
BassWhole! reply :
On 6/6/2014 at 3:41 AM, airborne_angler said:So I've gotten into a very overwhelming situation. It's screwing me mentally and I don't know what to do. I buy tackle...Lots and lots of tackle. I wanna try this technique or that technique so I stock up.
I have a 12' Jon boat and I carry at least 12 rod/reel combos with me.
I get on the water and I don't know where to start. I'm always concerned that I'm throwing the wrong stuff. If I'm not getting bit, I'm always changing up. If it just doesn't feel right, I just can't spend much time on it.
How can I get back to basics and start to relearn things so I have confidence again.
Yesterday was the first time out this year because I've been struggling mentally on how to approach things.Fishing isn't so much fun for me anymore, I just lose confidence too quickly.
I spent all day yesterday from 11am to about 6pm trying to figure things out and only boated 3 dink fish with no other bites. 1 was on a Rapala Ultralight Shad, and 2 came on a Rapala DT6 in a Shad pattern (1 of those fish was a Green Sunfish)
To spend that much time and only boat 3 dink fish is very disheartening...however I did what I set out to do...catch "fish"...so I'm ok with that...means I was doing "something" right.
Do you have similar feelings or issues with other aspects of life?
Raul reply :
Here's the problem, your bait doesn't weight enough to contrarest the drag caused by the wind when it blows against the line which causes the line to lift, nowhere is written like if it were the gospels that you can't weight a stickbait, the solution is to weight the bait and there's a bunch of ways to do it and lots of weights available to do so, but if you don't experiment you will never know. Grab a handful of baits and learn to fish them well.On 6/6/2014 at 7:08 AM, airborne_angler said:As far as "Falling properly" I have trouble with the Senkos not falling vertically as well as I'd like. Wind catches the line and creates that bow in it, which carries it away from the target. It's also tough being a line watcher in the wind.Ive caught using a Senkos in the wind, but most of the time it's been accidental at best. Never felt the take, and noticed the fish was there on the the retrieve for another cast...swallowed the hook every time.
airborne_angler reply :
Can't really say I do have the same feelings about other aspects in life.
whitwolf reply :
There is some very good advice here! I'll only add this: Have FUN! If I can't have fun then I won't fish. There are days when I would have liked to have caught more fish but In the end just being on the water Is fine with me. I'll speak for me only but each and everytime out I try to not take that for granted. There are many folks that would dearly love to simply be out on the water. Again, and I can't stress this enough, relax, take stock In what's Important, and have FUN! 
RoLo reply :
Every angler has experienced slumps and battered confidence, which I'm sure gave rise to Iaconelli's motto
"Never Give Up". Most anglers would agree that 'location' is the most critical factor, but not all anglers realize
that the 'depth' of the lure is a vital segment of location. Your boat may be in a good geographic location,
but if your lure is running above or below the active depth window, things are going to be mighty quiet.
Nothing's more bewildering than juggling with lures, retrieves and colors without having a deployment strategy.
As a rule-of-thumb, the more active bass become, the higher they'll rise in the water column.
Oppositely, inactive bass in a neutral or negative disposition tend to fall lower in the water column,
ultimately relating to the bottom. Actively feeding game fish are exponentially easier to catch
than inactive game fish. Action from aggressive bass usually takes place during the first few casts
and is generally short-lived. For this reason, a 'top-down' strategy stands to reason, where surface lures
and subsurface lures are worked first at every new site. That is, strike while the iron is hot & skim the cream.
Next you'd ply the mid-depth zone and finally the lake floor. Working the bottom is the most time-consuming,
but should be done at every holding site before throwing in the towel. I'll use a 'top-down' strategy
at every holding site until I can identify a depth pattern.
Roger
Bassguytom reply :
Try a weighted wacky jig for the senko. Works like a charm in wind and when fishing deep. And also holy crap man relax!!! If you want to catch fish and get back to basics take only 1 or 2 rods like said here. Figure out your lake and what technique works best. Concentrate on every cast and feel what you bait is doing. Enjoy the whole experience of being out on the water. Sounds like you are over thinking the I got to catch a fish thing. Hope this help!
Fishes in trees reply :
A dozen outfits rigged and ready isn't too many. You only have too many rigs when you trip over one or more of them and break them. That's on you.
I routinely carry 15 different rigs ready to go and 20 or 22 isn't out of the question. You ca buy rods & reels & gear. I haven't found a way to buy fishing time yet - I only get so much fishing time each week. Anything I can do gear-wise to maximize fishing time is money well spent. Different rigs allow you to be ready for different fishing conditions without wasting time retying baits.
Don't let your desire to fish different rigs trump your desire to find fish. You don't always use every rig every day. Go back to your seasonal & daily patterns and start with where the fish should be according to time of year and such. Go from there.
If you just randomly switch from rig to rig, you might get better at fishing different rigs, but you are unlikely to catch more fish. Learn to recognize conditions and fish the right rig for the conditions. That is what will make your catch ratio go up. All the different rods & reels are just tools, learn to recognize seasonal patterns and use the right tool for the job.
Most artists own more than one brush, but they don't feel the need to use all of their brushes every time they paint.
Choporoz reply :
I have a very good friend who gets into similar funks. Their weapon of choice: Adderall.
Only half kidding. It doesn't take medication -- just a commitment to focus. It's really all been said above. Take a little time to study the water and conditions. Apply what you've learned here. I've been making a checklist of baits and presentations that I consult before I open the tackle bag or worm binder. Its very easy to overlook/forget the perfect bait and terminal tackle if you wait until after you start digging to think about what to throw.
Felix77 reply :
In my first year I overwhelmed myself with baits and tackle much in the same way that you described. I entered tournaments and found myself lost in the mess in my tacklebag and it cost me time fishing and the worst my confidence.
What I did was begin forcing, and I mean forcing myself to bring 2 rods out with me "fun" fishing. One rod was a power fishing technique. The other was a "go-to" finesse technique.
Examples:
1. Power Fishing - Spinnerbait (several colors) Finesse - Weightless Senko
2. Power Fishing - Topwater - Sexy Dawg Finesse - Mojo Rig with finesse worms
3. Power Fishing - KVD 1.5 Crankbaits Finesse - Small finesse swimbaits (for those I wanna move fast days)
I dedicated time that day to working those baits in every possible way that I could find.
Not only did I improve in those techniques but I slowly regained my confidence.
Depending on my mood I will vary the power and finesse techniques BUT I try to steer away from bringing more than 2 of any given technique, on any given day.
As you regain confidence your 12 rods will reduce down your essentials for given tournaments.
Good luck
Big Fish Rice reply :
You're addicted to the "shiny" new toy. Problem is, while it's fun and exciting, you're constantly fishing with something you have yet to dial in.
First, 3 rods are enough. Take a jig, a senko and one rod that could be considered a wild card. Now, you have two rods that you've probably had good success with and one that you can work on if you're feeling brave so-to-speak. Or change depending on your confidence lures.
Second, go to your favorite lake. Forget new water.
Third, don't fall victim to the bait monkey. You're spending money when you should be spending time - on the water.
Oregon Native reply :
On 6/6/2014 at 4:07 AM, Raul said:Hmmmmm, the first thing you should remember is that it´s supposed to be fun !!!!! got it ? Catching fish is not a job, it´s not mandatory, you ain´t gonna drop dead right away if you don´t catch a dang thing. got it ?
You wanna try this lure ? ----> try it ! , didn´t work ? ----> who cares ?
You wanna try this technique ? ----> try it !, didn´t work ? -----> who cares ?
I got thousands of lures, I carry them all ..... end up fishing with the same things I´ve fished for more than 3 decades, what I´ve learned is :
Keep it simple !
The more you worry the worse you´ll fish, you fish bad and wrong because you worry too much about fishing bad and wrong.
Grab a handful of lures and learn to fish them right.
Sounds good to me too....pick your proven favorites and enjoy
NorthFloBassin reply :
3 rods is all you need. Rig up three rods with your favorite lures and just go out and fish. Don't sorry about anything else and if your not catching fish see of the fish want a moving bait or something like a worm. Let the fish decide what you throw and have three simply rigs that cover those areas. And before you go fishing pick out a few spots and rig a few rods that you'll know you'll use in that spot.
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