Skills and Strengths? 2024
N Florida Mike reply :
What are yours?
My strength is fishing soft plastics, mostly in shallow, weedy lakes.
My best skill is skipping.I love to fish under docks this way,and skip up into brush piles,etc.Certain baits are better than others.Stick baits in 4 inch are my favorite.Skipping gets baits back where more fish are,and where they feel secure.Also the lack of a big splash doesn't spook the fish either.I sometimes do it for this reason even in clearer areas.
I know it's not PC, but I occasionally do some shiner and bream fishing for bass.I consider that a strength as well.
I'm getting better at froggin but got aways to go before I consider that a strength.
CTBassin860 reply :
I'd say jigs #1 and frogging #2
Catt reply :
Understanding what structure is, how to truly identify it, interpret it, and then fish it effective.
Understanding what the predominate prey species in my lakes and how that species relates to structure with each season...morning, noon, and night.
Total understanding of why a Texas Rig is the #1 technique
I understand why the night time is the right time!
scaleface reply :
I fish sinking lures off the bottom well . I consider it my best strength .
On 1/9/2017 at 7:21 AM, N Florida Mike said:What are yours?
My strength is fishing soft plastics, mostly in shallow, weedy lakes.
My best skill is skipping.I love to fish under docks this way,and skip up into brush piles,etc.Certain baits are better than others.Stick baits in 4 inch are my favorite.Skipping gets baits back where more fish are,and where they feel secure.Also the lack of a big splash doesn't spook the fish either.I sometimes do it for this reason even in clearer areas.
I know it's not PC, but I occasionally do some shiner and bream fishing for bass.I consider that a strength as well.
I'm getting better at froggin but got aways to go before I consider that a strength.
I suck at skipping .
N Florida Mike reply :
I do it with spinning only.To me , the motion is similar to skipping rocks.
The island in my home lake is great for this.It has a lot of downed limbs,trees,bushes etc around it.
I like doing one side of the island with a backhand skip, and next time doing the other side with the forehand.
And skipping under docks... man it's fun and productive!?The key is making your first skip within 5-10 feet of the boat and keeping on a plane nearly parallel to the water.Too much downward motion,and no skip.Too much upward motion,and you're fishing in trees.
Pontoon boats are really good.They always seem to hold fish.You can sit at one end and skip all the way to the other end with a flip of the wrist.
soflabasser reply :
My biggest skill in bass fishing is my ability to consistently catch big bass in highly pressured waters. My biggest strength in bass fishing is topwaters.
MIbassyaker reply :
My #1 strength is jig-worming a weedline.
Slipknot_Fan666 reply :
T-rig for me, and fishing rocks. I combine the two and UI can usually kill it. Then again, that could be because where I fish rocks is where they release all the bass after tourneys.
A-Jay reply :
The desire to learn and with that, the willingness & determination to put in the time to do so.
Boat Handling.
A-Jay
slonezp reply :
Having an open mind
ww2farmer reply :
This is just my opinion, but my biggest strength is catching fish in used water. When your the smallest slowest boat in the tournament field, you better get good at it, because I am usually just about the last one to get a bait in the water most tournament days.
I also pride myself on being very versatile........if it's a deep cranking bite, I can do that. If it's a shallow flipping bite, I can do that. If it's a grind for a few bites on finesse gear type of day, I can do that. If it's an offshore, deep water bite, I can do that. I can catch green ones on any given day, or brown ones on any given day.
About the only two things I am poor at are running and gunning all over the lake.............I just don't have the boat for it.............and I am also very poor at baby sitting and milking a spot all day for all it's worth. I like to pick off the active, catchable fish and keep putting along.
VolFan reply :
My biggest strength is feeding the bait monkey.
scaleface reply :
On 1/9/2017 at 8:32 AM, Slipknot_Fan666 said:T-rig for me, and fishing rocks. I combine the two and UI can usually kill it. Then again, that could be because where I fish rocks is where they release all the bass after tourneys.
The old fish close to the first structure by the boat ramp pattern . I think that works on every lake in the country .
TnRiver46 reply :
Hmmm. My strength is keeping the lure in the water longer than most people. Sure does increase the odds
geo g reply :
My biggest strength would be concentration, knowing what the bait is doing when I change cadence. Like the previous post, I believe I keep my bait wet more often, and longer, then most that fish with me. You can't get bit, unless your bait is wet! I don't run and gun, and I don't keep changing baits. I throw what I have confidence in, and keep working it!
Columbia Craw reply :
Love for the stuff and then working hard at learning how to use it.
IndianaFinesse reply :
My strength is probably finesse fishing with some type of small plastic on a small mushroom jighead. Usually i use half of a green pumpkin zinkerz on a 1/16 ounce mushroom head, but also a number of other plastics. I'm pretty decent with a frog to, which is about the opposite. One is using a medium lite rod to make shorter casts in weed free areas with a tiny piece of plastic tied onto eight pound line, the other often bombing frogs tied onto fifty pound braid long distances with a heavy powered rod into surface vegetation. Go figure.
slonezp reply :
On 1/9/2017 at 8:42 AM, ww2farmer said:This is just my opinion, but my biggest strength is catching fish in used water. When your the smallest slowest boat in the tournament field, you better get good at it, because I am usually just about the last one to get a bait in the water most tournament days.
I also pride myself on being very versatile........if it's a deep cranking bite, I can do that. If it's a shallow flipping bite, I can do that. If it's a grind for a few bites on finesse gear type of day, I can do that. If it's an offshore, deep water bite, I can do that. I can catch green ones on any given day, or brown ones on any given day.
About the only two things I am poor at are running and gunning all over the lake.............I just don't have the boat for it.............and I am also very poor at baby sitting and milking a spot all day for all it's worth. I like to pick off the active, catchable fish and keep putting along.
Used water...I like that.
I fished a buddy trail for 9 years out of a 17ft tin with a 90 Merc. Top speed of 40 under perfect conditions. Anywhere from 45-60 boats on 9000 acres. The very first tournament we fished in my brand new boat, my son makes comment, "Dad, you've got the sh!++!est boat here. He was my partner and was always excited when we drew a low number. Didn't matter though, we always got passed up. Can't say I ever pulled a first place finish, but I always made enough money to pay my season entry fees, ramp fees, fuel fees and buy a beer or two. My problem always has been a 4 fish bag. I couldn't count the number of times on both hands, I could have won with a 14" squeeker. I'm often good for a kicker, but it doesn't do much good when I bring 4 fish to the scales.
I bought the Predator and tore up my shoulder all at the same time. I tourney fished 1/2 a season in it cashing 1 big bass check. Much easier to manage time when I can go a tad more than 40 BUT it doesn't discount the fact that it's the fisherman that catches the fish and not the boat.
3 surgeries later, and I will be fishing tourneys again this spring.
flyingmonkie reply :
My strength is working over shallow cover with t-rigs, spinnerbaits, and jigs.
My skill? Stubbornness.
MassYak85 reply :
I'd have to say shallow cover as well. If I have a visible piece of cover to target I'm a happy.
kickerfish1 reply :
Jigs and plastics would be mine and that was how I cut my teeth bass fishing.
Spider reply :
I can follow a group fishing a spot I think are holding fish, go to that spot they just fished, and pull fish out roughly 50% of the time, using plastics.
Have an uncanny ability to know where the fish are and approach quietly, and fish systematically.
Some people make way to much noise.
roadwarrior reply :
On 1/9/2017 at 8:34 AM, A-Jay said:Boat Handling.
Often underrated by many.
Dypsis reply :
On 1/9/2017 at 8:34 AM, A-Jay said:
Boat Handling.
A-Jay
That as a co-angler I used to take that for granted. Alot of times my boater will let me go upfront while they re-tie, eat or whatever and man thats not as easy as it looks. Keeping the boat not too close or too far away from where we are fishing takes effort! It's not easy to position the boat, especially since I fish alot of tidal water, which can make things even harder at times (or help).
I certainly appreciate the days its windy ALL day and all I have to worry about is fixing my backlashes!!! 
smallieking reply :
Skills- casting, skipping and spending money
strengths- pattern fishing, flipping, jigs
weakness- committing to a spot/ spot fishing
"hamma" reply :
Skills?,..Hmmm. I put so much effort forth many years ago, to be a consistent and versitile angler. I feel I have done so, but could that be a skill? or strength?. Now that Im starting to wake up,...Im thinking strength. Oh yeah, I tried starting with skill,.. such a tough question for me as I feel confident in just about any. I can fish just about anything, but, maybe a dropshot as I finally got a rod for it last year.
I guess a skill?,... i'd say,,,, the ability to determine fish activity levels quickly. I can at home, consider the current and past weather conditions, get to a lake, and at the ramp, touch the water for a feel of its temp, consider its position on said water, with all else thought of, and get a idea of how the fish are reacting. When I finally look at a finders screen and get the actual surface temp, and see if the first fish located is on bottom, just off it, or suspeneded. Make and assumption then and there, and usually be dead on target. Yeah, just 1 fish. Be it a bluegill or whatever, doesnt matter.
I did so with JE1946 at Quabbin both trips last year and unfortunately they were tough days to fish. Each trip, first thing I said when we slowly backed up from the dock and were leaving the ramp,.. "Gunna be a tough day".First trip? ended as,.a tough day,.. The second trip? we both hooked up quickly,... but both fish were a false account, the day did indeed be ,...another tough day. John had the same assumption as well though,.. I must say.
Good guy, and accomplished angler,...
buzzed bait reply :
while both are easy to fish in my opinion, i feel like the spinnerbait and the senko are my most effective strengths. any time the wind is picking up the spinnerbait is my "confidence bait" and same for the senko when the conditions are clear and calm.
A-Jay reply :
On 1/9/2017 at 8:08 PM, roadwarrior said:
Often underrated by many.
Not By me Kent.
On 1/9/2017 at 8:21 PM, Dypsis said:
That as a co-angler I used to take that for granted. Alot of times my boater will let me go upfront while they re-tie, eat or whatever and man thats not as easy as it looks. Keeping the boat not too close or too far away from where we are fishing takes effort! It's not easy to position the boat, especially since I fish alot of tidal water, which can make things even harder at times (or help).
I certainly appreciate the days its windy ALL day and all I have to worry about is fixing my backlashes!!!
Tell me about it.
A-Jay
Bluebasser86 reply :
I think my determination is my best strengths. I would say fishing a Bladed jig is probably Mt best skill.
slonezp reply :
On 1/9/2017 at 8:34 AM, A-Jay said:
Boat Handling.
A-Jay
Ya think
A-Jay reply :
On 1/10/2017 at 12:38 AM, slonezp said:Ya think
I know - I couldn't help it though.
A-Jay
Mike L reply :
I guess my best skill is "reading" the area surrounding a surface mat for the most advantageous spots to punch.
My strength is still being somewhat successful fishing from the back of the boat when my boater is fishing his strengths which aren't necessarily mine.
Mike
.ghoti. reply :
I can BS with the best of em.
Jacob Phelps reply :
I'd say my biggest strength is finesse fishing. Specifically T-rigs and the good ole wacky worm. I think I've caught my three or four biggest bass on the wacky worm.
THE FOSSIL reply :
Skill, strength ? Strength may fit due to perseverance. After a bass boat for 16 years and lures that caught me and not a single dink, I developed tactics in a little pond 200 ft behind my house. I carry hooks, weights, white spinner baits (3) and 2 colors of 5" worms that I fish barbless Texas rigged, sometimes tearing the worm shorter. I vary the retrieve constantly to see how they want it. This clip shows the 2 worms and some pics in the season of 17" to pushing 20 + ". All released. I don't carry a scale. For northern Bigmouths, the girth is not that bad and weight is a guess----Some goodies here for a little pond.-----For LMs, fishing from shore (the bank) I really learned to drag that worm all the way in and the explosions at my feet can be awesome, but can really startle you. It happens.
I am soooooo Lucky, but really fortunate
N Florida Mike reply :
Nice! I need to do one on my little lake.
lo n slo reply :
has to be texas rigged worms and lizards for me as i cant do anything else worth a flip ; /
BassWhole! reply :
Strength? Fishing. Skill? Fishing.
were I ever to cast an umbrella, I'm sure I'd ace it.
CrustyMono reply :
On 1/9/2017 at 8:34 AM, A-Jay said:The desire to learn and with that, the willingness & determination to put in the time to do so.
A-Jay
^ this ^
also,
drop shot
swimbait
swimjig
senko
wacky rig
topwater
organization
willingness to learn
gimruis reply :
My accuracy when casting. I really noticed it this past season floating a river for smallmouth that had lots of trees, stumps, and logs along the shoreline. The larger fish would be almost right up against this cover and precision accuracy was required as you slowly floated past. If you missed, you wouldn't get bit or you'd get hung up. I hit my target more than the people I was fishing with and my catch rates for bigger smallmouth was much higher as a result of this.
Scarborough817 reply :
chatterbaits i feel like i have them dialed in pretty well. i'm getting better at skipping too that could be because the water is frozen though
TnRiver46 reply :
I think I'm pretty lousy, thus I don't fish tournaments.
Steveo-1969 reply :
Though I'm not a newbie I wouldn't call myself a skilled fisherman. Yet. I'd say my strength is my persistence, and my persistence comes from truly believing I'm going to get bit on every cast.
RoLo reply :
Skills and Strengths?? Hmmm, that's a tough one!
Now, if you were asking for 'weaknesses', I could fill the page.
Roger
fishwizzard reply :
The only thing I am especially good at is being willing to suffer ticks, thorns, sore feet and ruined clothing getting to places that most other people don't fish at. Even living in a super built up area, I swear I never see other fishermen more than a half mile from parking spots. I have started carrying a small pair of pruning clippers and they are becoming as indispensable as my rod on some outings. I am going to catch a fine from DNR some day over it, but so long as I only cut invasive plants/fast growing thorns I will claim the moral high ground.
Now if I can get better at catching once I get there, then I will be onto something.
flyfisher reply :
having a good time every time out and the ability and desire to continue learning each trip out.
Cheetahsneverprosper reply :
My greatest strength is catching bass that measure 13-78" in tournaments with a 14" minimum.
RoLo reply :
Skills and strengths are measures of our lack of weakness.
Consequently, our focus should really be placed on monitoring our "weaknesses"
Roger
Jaderose reply :
Frogging would be my strongest skill. I am VERY accurate with my casts and just have a feel for where the fish are and how to haul them out. Doesn't hurt that I LOVE it and really just do everything else until I can do some froggin. I'm getting better with spinnerbaits and have lipless cranks dialed in. I'm decent with my T-rig game. Where I need work is on my cranking,and finesse. Where I have NO skill is with jigs. I Have ZERO confidence in jigs. I know they catch fish and I have a whole box full of quality jigs but just no confidence n them. My Ned rig game is nonexistent, too.
BronzeChaser reply :
Strengths: Fishing in clear water, topwater and any finesse tactics.
Weakness: Deep cranking
TnRiver46 reply :
On 1/23/2017 at 8:35 AM, Jaderose said:Frogging would be my strongest skill. I am VERY accurate with my casts and just have a feel for where the fish are and how to haul them out. Doesn't hurt that I LOVE it and really just do everything else until I can do some froggin. I'm getting better with spinnerbaits and have lipless cranks dialed in. I'm decent with my T-rig game. Where I need work is on my cranking,and finesse. Where I have NO skill is with jigs. I Have ZERO confidence in jigs. I know they catch fish and I have a whole box full of quality jigs but just no confidence n them. My Ned rig game is nonexistent, too.
You will absolutely love it once you start catching fish on jigs. All you have to do is keep throwing them and you will start catching. I know how hard that is though, I make myself throw a spinnerbait all the time and still don't have much confidence with it
Hawkeye21 reply :
My strengths would be with spinner baits, crank baits, chatter baits, frogs and wacky rigs.
What I really need to work on are jigs, the Ned rig and some other finesse techniques.
clh121787 reply :
Casting with both hands.
scaleface reply :
My weakness is casting . I am not even close to the pros . Overhand I rock , pitching I'm OK but those little fore-hand loop cast they make look so easy , I dont do that if pinpoint accuracy is needed and I never have figured out how to backhand a cast .
RoweBoatRVA reply :
A good skill of mine would be pitching. Nothing feelings as good as that perfect on target pitch and your lure enters the water with zero splash. That and retrieving lures from trees. Not even my own. I have a skill of leaving a lake with more tackle than I brought.
Hawkeye21 reply :
I've always been very good at getting knots out, especially rat nests. It has to be one monster rat nest in my reel for me to have to cut it out.
Ratherbfishing reply :
Nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills... I'm training to become a cage fighter.
JLWoodman reply :
I have a handful of best skills! My number 1 is complaining to the employees at our local Gander Mountain that they sell mostly lures and colors of forage that we don't even have around here. And that they never have the gear I'm looking for. My number 2 is ordering from Tackle Warehouse, I'm a pro at that!
My honest strengths are finesse and top water fishing, but it seems most people are good at those.
What I am working on this coming season the most will be ledge and deep water fishing. Also crankbaits in medium and deep water. The other thing I want to work on is finding bass without electronics, just by sight and an updated topo map. Reason for the last one is I have older electronics and don't want to spend the money to update, and I think it will make me a better fisherman.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 1/11/2017 at 6:29 AM, Bunnielab said:The only thing I am especially good at is being willing to suffer ticks, thorns, sore feet and ruined clothing getting to places that most other people don't fish at. Even living in a super built up area, I swear I never see other fishermen more than a half mile from parking spots. I have started carrying a small pair of pruning clippers and they are becoming as indispensable as my rod on some outings. I am going to catch a fine from DNR some day over it, but so long as I only cut invasive plants/fast growing thorns I will claim the moral high ground.
Now if I can get better at catching once I get there, then I will be onto something.
LOL, I'm with you there. My brother used to say, "Never follow Paul in the woods. You'll come home all scratched up at days end and have no idea why." 
On 1/9/2017 at 8:42 AM, ww2farmer said:This is just my opinion, but my biggest strength is catching fish in used water.
...
I like to pick off the active, catchable fish and keep putting along.
Might seem like a direct contradiction here. But it's not. It says a lot about another strength -the ability to read water and dissect a spot. A lot of anglers run and gun right past a lot of biters. Doesn't mean you have to sit and soak, instead it means you have to know what you're looking at. I think that's been touted as one of KVD's strengths (Zona I think talked about this) -his ability to dissect a spot and be on "biters". Add versatility and you've got... KVD.
I too have a slow boat, a very slow boat -a float tube. So I better know where I'm at and how to make best use of it, or I'm in for a "slow" day in another way. For me, it's about understanding conditions & circumstances, what they mean to the fish, being versatile, and packing smart.
Darren. reply :
I think my strengths on the water would be:
1) Patience (fishing slow)
2) Wacky rigging
3) Drop Shotting
4) Soft plastics, in general
Skills:
1) Skipping (spinning gear, yet to master, and likely
never will, skipping with casting gear, though I can, I
don't prefer it)
2) Kayak control (trolling motor sure helps )
3) DIY stuff with the yak, though I wish I had machining
skills.
Weaknesses:
Power fishing...
Cranking
Spinnerbaits
Jerkbaits
etc....
Done all the above, caught on most, just ain't stuff I
enjoy so much, hence don't spend much time at.
RB 77 reply :
Well, my greatest strength can also be my greatest weakness depending if I'm clicking or not, but I feel its my ability to pattern fish. When the fish are on the chew, it seems like anyone can catch fish. Where I feel my greatest strength lies is during those super finicky bites breaking down feeding patterns, identifying fish holding structure, figuring out what they actually bite on, etc. As far a just a plain old technique is concerned, with out a doubt, draggin' a worm. Preferably a scenario that calls for the good ol' T-Rig!
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