Top Three Things You Should Avoid That Turn Off Bass Strikes? 2024

Mr Q reply :

I don't get to talk to many bassers so I'll ask here since its my gateway to others who enjoy the hobby.

What are the 3 most effective things to do (to avoid at all costs) that will suddenly turn off bass strikes? Of coarse there are many but what 3 do you consider the most important?

For me, sudden noise above/along the water, fish blood into the water and human scent getting on lures/bait.

What are the 3 most important things to avoid for you?

flyfisher reply :

Never even thought about it before as i do not believe there is something that you could do that would automatically turn off the bite the than the obvious. As far as fish blood goes, that is a new one for me, i figured that would get them more riled up and ready to eat....i mean do you honestly think they could tell the type of blood in the water?

Choporoz reply :

One of my biggest frustrations is pulling up to beautiful looking cover and getting snagged with first cast. I've been known to lay down the snagged rod and throw something else....only to immediately have two lures hung while I motor in and announce my presence.

Mr Q reply :

On 4/30/2015 at 1:36 AM, flyfisher said:
Never even thought about it before as i do not believe there is something that you could do that would automatically turn off the bite the than the obvious. As far as fish blood goes, that is a new one for me, i figured that would get them more riled up and ready to eat....i mean do you honestly think they could tell the type of blood in the water?

I have seen this in many magazines and books over the years and it does explain my sudden loss of strikes when a bass partially swallows the hook and the blood reaches the water. The bass (its said) sense the blood as a danger signal . from another bass that is being attacked by a predator and sounds the alarm to leave the area at once. This effect has lasted several hours when it happens to me . Also, never gut fish at the shore before leaving for the day - it will ruin new comers to the water for many hours. Since I only fish for bass, I assume this applies to other fish as well but not sure.

J Francho reply :

1. Not packing your gear

2. Not going to the lake

3. Not casting your line out

JeziHogg reply :

Bananas.

geo g reply :

I'll give you a sure one! Fishing too fast. When things get really tough, slow down, and when you think its real slow, go slower. Patience is key when the bite is tough.. Loads of bites occur while the bait is sitting still.

GetJigginWithIt reply :

I highly doubt blood in the water would be a deterrent to bass since bass will eat smaller bass. A blood trail in the water means dinner time. If had to worry about human scent on my bait I wold never be able to tie a bait to my line. Noise on the water depends on what kind of noise I suppose. Every time I cast a bait into he water there is a noise and a splash. Bass are curious and will check out what made that splash and noise.

IndyGlockMan reply :

I bank fish a lot and one big no no is wearing bright clothing.

Bass can see the shore line and can get spooked and move off if you really stand out, so leave the hunter orange at home when fishing.

Also, tread lightly when approaching the bank.

Bass can detect vibration and heavy foot falls near the water especially if they are shallow and near the edges - like now

Often, I will make my first few casts about 10 feet away from shore.

Works

Senko lover reply :

Forgoing a quiet presentation has spooked many a shallow bass for me.

A-Jay reply :

I never like letting a dink go right in the middle of a hot bite.

Because every time I do - I just know that little stinker is going right down to those other bass and telling them all that I'm up there trying to catch them. So I just put him in my pocket until I'm good & ready to let that big fat blabber mouth go.

A-Jay

Mike L reply :

Well I'd have to say in no particular order...

A heavy, splashy entry up close in shallow water while flippin and or pitchin.

Getting impatient during a tough day and working a bottom contact bait too fast.

Letting the trolling motor kick up a cloud of dirt/muck while trying to maneuver in shallow water.

While trying to get into some shallow backwater area, you let the boat bounce off submerged wood or scape the bottom on some rock.

Mike

DrKnew reply :

This is actually for a certain pattern, but when it applies it is the difference between catching fish or no fish at all.....Sometimes you need to fish on the bottom with very small plastics, and very slowly crawl them along......It's amazing how much difference it can make when other things don't catch you any fish.....If you feel that bass are where you are ,but no bites, small can be the ticket.

fishballer06 reply :

Slamming doors on compartments in the boat

Noisy trolling motors, or hitting a piece of structure with said motor

Sunscreen or bug repellent getting on finger/lures

Bright colored clothing (I do think this makes a difference, even in a boat)

TX18_E90 reply :

1) Trolling noise while shallow

2) Dropping a rod on the deck

3) working baits to fast

everythingthatswims reply :

Fishing too close to the bass, or the cover you are targeting. Sure you may still get some bites, but from a further distance you decrease your chances of spooking them, particularly old and wise bass (which are the ones we want to catch!)

*Hank reply :

On 4/30/2015 at 2:40 AM, geo g said:
I'll give you a sure one! Fishing too fast. When things get really tough, slow down, and when you think its real slow, go slower. Patience is key when the bite is tough.. Loads of bites occur while the bait is sitting still.

X2. I have found that out durring slow days sometimes you just have to slow down with light line and wait it out.

basshole8190 reply :

I have seen a study and bug spray containing deet was a definite deterrent

I have 1st hand observations on trolling noise and how it effects the fish in shallow water.on multiple occasions I've quickly worked thru spots with the trolling motor on continuously and seen fish come up and inspect my baits and at a certain point say 10-15' from the boat they stop following and sink back to cover. I come back later and coast into a spot tm off and same bait, same angle presentation etc. and boom! Fish on!

Also another deterent can be lack of confidence. If you're out there just going through the motions half heartedly you're not gonna get many if any bites.

the reel ess reply :

I usually cautiously approach a particular laydown that just looks perfect. I wait until the boat's in position. I cast my bait and get snagged first cast!

Noise, dropping stuff, my daughter throwing things in. My daughter paddling her kayak between mine and the bank. My daughter swimming where I try to fish. I am patient.

For some reason I feel compelled to throw back a fish on the opposite side from where it was caught-like it matters.

Friends getting too drunk to fish.

the reel ess reply :

On 4/30/2015 at 8:18 AM, basshole8190 said:

I have seen a study and bug spray containing deet was a definite deterrent

I have 1st hand observations on trolling noise and how it effects the fish in shallow water.on multiple occasions I've quickly worked thru spots with the trolling motor on continuously and seen fish come up and inspect my baits and at a certain point say 10-15' from the boat they stop following and sink back to cover. I come back later and coast into a spot tm off and same bait, same angle presentation etc. and boom! Fish on!

Also another deterent can be lack of confidence. If you're out there just going through the motions half heartedly you're not gonna get many if any bites.

I recently walked the bank at a pond and saw some nice fat mamas (for this small pond) on the bed close together. I spooked them off. I put my kayak in and went the other direction around the pond. Came back to them about 30 min later and caught both where I saw them. One ate the worm off my hook. I rigged another up and caught it next cast. They have short memories.

+1 on the confidence too. If you don't feel something won't work well, you won't give it a fair shot. I haven't given jigs or swimbaits a fair shot yet. I'd like to fish with someone who is good at them to learn.

CDMeyer reply :

For me the biggest problem is going to a really good spot or any spot for that matter and getting snagged. This could be on your first cast or your 100th. For instance say you are killing fish in a bay on stumps and lay downs, you get hung up make some noise an it is over

RoLo reply :

On 4/30/2015 at 4:03 AM, A-Jay said:

I never like letting a dink go right in the middle of a hot bite.

Because every time I do - I just know that little stinker is going right down to those other bass and telling them all that I'm up there trying to catch them. So I just put him in my pocket until I'm good & ready to let that big fat blabber mouth go.

A-Jay

I used to do that too, but no more.

One day I forgot I had a bass in my pocket

Roger

papajoe222 reply :

Giving up on a spot too soon.

Abandoning my game plan too soon

Fishing recent history and not current conditions

the reel ess reply :

My dad throwing the anchor in from his pontoon boat. My dad casting a lure in the trees after we pulled up to a prime spot. God love him!

Going to the lake, launching the night before so the boat's ready, spending the night, getting up one hour before sunrise, heading to the best spot I can think of, and two boats are already in the cove. I know they've already fished it thouroughly. I just crank up and go elsewhere. Maybe come back midday. This is why I bought the kayak.

RSM789 reply :

Wearing white or loud colored clothing. Hats off to Skeet Reese to catch what he does while wearing dayglow yellow. Maybe the fish think he is a big duck.
Making noise in the boat by dropping something or dragging something, anything that will reverberate thru the hull to the water.
Making a horrible skip cast that goes over the dock (instead of under it), up into the yard & hits the lawn furniture. Ditto for bouncing your T-rig weight off a homeowners boat while he is standing there on the dock.

livemusic reply :

In my youth, on into fishing as a young man, my buddy and I played a portable radio in our boat, on the pop music station. We caught the heck out of them for years, never seemed to matter. I dunno how much sound matters.

I always worry about smearing sunscreen on me that contains DEET, fearing it is not a good thing for handling my lures! I need another solution. I wonder if that stuff you spray in a fine mist needs to be smeared with your hand to get adequate coverage!

gr8outdoorz reply :

1) jet skiers

2) jet skiers

3) jet skiers

Ozark_Basser reply :

1. Lack of confidence/patience in what you're throwing

2. Not throwing tight enough to cover

3. Not paying attention/knowing what's going on around you and underwater

Oregon Native reply :

Biggie for me ... especially when cranking is when the lure is close to the boat to hit the trolling motor. Have seen many fish in clear water following bait and do a 180 when they hear that sudden noise.

Mr Q reply :

On 4/30/2015 at 2:42 AM, GetJigginWithIt said:
I highly doubt blood in the water would be a deterrent to bass since bass will eat smaller bass. A blood trail in the water means dinner time. If had to worry about human scent on my bait I wold never be able to tie a bait to my line. Noise on the water depends on what kind of noise I suppose. Every time I cast a bait into he water there is a noise and a splash. Bass are curious and will check out what made that splash and noise.

I don't mean to prove your idea wrong but many magazines and books on the subject state the need for avoiding fish blood in the water you are fishing. True, what you said does make sense but since all (?) bass swallow their prey whole head first in one great suck-in lunge, there is (I would think) very little , if any, bleeding of the prey. Since bass and other similar species feed this way, blood from the prey/predator is rare, Following this idea, the experts say not to release any fish blood into the area water because it signals other fish that a predator of theirs is in the area and they scatter for safety.

I may be wrong but I think your deductions may come from shark feeding - the blood of their prey attracts other sharks for a long distance. But with bass (and other fresh water fish) , the opposite is true. When I first heard of the blood problem, I too thought it wrong but after years of releasing slightly wounded bass that would easily survive, the strikes in the area stop cold in a matter of minuets. Blood from other fish species in the area? I can't say since I only fish for LM bass.

RyanFishing reply :

Bananas and bug spray. I read a bass biology book for a school project and it said DEET which is the main ingredient in bug spray also repels bass. It's the scent that they have been seen to hate the most and they can detect it up to 1 ppm.

K_Mac reply :

I agree with J Franco that the real mistake is not going. As far as noise is concerned there are times when it may matter, but in my experience it matters more to fishermen than the fish. If fishing behind others ruined my chances of catching fish on many of the lakes I fish I would not catch much. The idea that a little fish blood will stop the bite is not supported by my experience.

My point is don't sweat the small stuff, and it is almost all small stuff.

RoLo reply :

On 5/1/2015 at 12:37 AM, RyanFishing said:
I read a bass biology book for a school project and it said DEET the main ingredient in bug spray also repels bass.

OH NO, I've been using DEET as a fish attractant!

That does it, this weekend it's back to Carolina Lunker Sauce

Roger

CJ reply :

I'll share something that has happened twice during post spawn to a former partner and myself. We were fishing a spot that I nicknamed the dinner table. It is a flat that is 12' on top and drops off into 16-18'. We were fishing that spot during a tournament one day and had been there for about 15 minutes when I broke off a smaller fish (maybe 14-16 in.). That little fish kept coming to the top trying to throw that big crankbait over and over again. All of a sudden, we started catching fish nearly every cast...good fish, while the little fish kept coming to the top jumping and rattling the lure like crazy. Maybe it was a coincidence but it didn't seem to scare any fish off. This happened again a couple years later on a different spot while jig fishing.

I will say one thing I hate to see and that's when I catch a fish on deeper structure and the school follows the caught fish up to the boat. It's neat to see the other fish but for some reason the bite seems to always die once that happens.

scaleface reply :

1 Dont let the trolling motor blow water on the spot you are fishing.

2 No dropping anything on the bottom .

3 Dont let momentum and wind push you on top the fish .

fishfinderct reply :

retrieving to fast (although speed can be the key on occasion)

not pausing (or not pausing long enough)

throwing bait directly at fish (landing baits practically on top of fish, rather than casting beyond the fish and retrieving your bait past the fish)

hope this helps

the reel ess reply :

On 4/30/2015 at 10:08 AM, livemusic said:

In my youth, on into fishing as a young man, my buddy and I played a portable radio in our boat, on the pop music station. We caught the heck out of them for years, never seemed to matter. I dunno how much sound matters.

I always worry about smearing sunscreen on me that contains DEET, fearing it is not a good thing for handling my lures! I need another solution. I wonder if that stuff you spray in a fine mist needs to be smeared with your hand to get adequate coverage!

I guess there are times when noise matters and times when it doesn't. Ever see Ike after he catches a good bass? He goes bananas...screams. I've seen Dean Rojas whispering when he's sight fishing. I think there are times when it wouldn't turn them off if you fell in. But I'm not taking chances.

SirSnookalot reply :

Not worried about bass being turned off, there to relax and enjoy myself.

1. Won't stay home.

2. Won't over complicate having the right rod, reel, line, lure, etc etc, the fish don't care, why should I.

3. Given enough time the odds usually turn in my favor, getting skunked is rarer than catching fish.

Mr Q reply :

Well, it seems what works at one pond does not work at another pond(in different regions). Since I learned most of my tactics from bass fishing books and magazines, I assumed these "turn offs" are present universally throughout the country. Seems they are not! I guess whatever conditions prevail at one pond may not at another, depending how the pond is fished.

With that in mind, my OP question now seems irrelevant from all the responses here. So if the Mods want to shut down the thread, that's OK with me since I think we all learned some things from the thread.

rybobassmaster reply :

On 4/30/2015 at 1:30 AM, Mr Q said:

I don't get to talk to many bassers so I'll ask here since its my gateway to others who enjoy the hobby.

What are the 3 most effective things to do (to avoid at all costs) that will suddenly turn off bass strikes? Of coarse there are many but what 3 do you consider the most important?

For me, sudden noise above/along the water, fish blood into the water and human scent getting on lures/bait.

What are the 3 most important things to avoid for you?

Noise,noise,noise. presentation is huge, and sight .

wuchr20 reply :

1.Not going

2.Not packing your gear

3.Dropping your rod in the water and watch it sink

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