Were there any "Good ol' Days" of fishing? 2024

SummertimeCarl reply :

Growing up, my Dad would always say things like "Back before Kentucky froze over in 1986, you could go out rabbit hunting and come home with at least 4 rabbits guaranteed" or "When I was a kid we used to catch 50 keeper bluegill like it was nothing."

The population, pressure, and pollution has almost certainly increased from say the 1960's-70's. I live in Louisville, KY and all the lakes nearby see a TON of pressure. But sometimes I forget that in most lakes there is some type of government wildlife management at work.

Do you all think the fishing was better or worse in the past as it is now?

I'm 28 and always tell myself "If there wasn't so much dang pressure on these lakes I'd be catching 4 pounders all day." Should I stop giving myself that excuse?

sully420 reply :

Yes there definitely was good old days. That's why when you go to Canada you still have 150 fish days of Pike and walleye. And if you go to the some of the less pressured lakes in northern Minnesota and fish for bass it's like they've never seen a lure before and you can catch four Pounders pretty consistently.

I look at pictures my grandparents have and you can see eight 10 inch bluegill giant crappies like it was no big deal.

Scott F reply :

For me, the "good old days", are now. I fish a lot in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Bass populations have never been higher and fishing pressure for bass is low. With the technology in electronics, boats, trolling motors, and gear available, fishing has never been easier.

Besides, even if fishing was better back then, there is nothing you can do about it now. All you can do is arm yourself with the best knowledge you can find and go out and fish.

the reel ess reply :

My dad and his buddy caught 180 crappie once jigging docks and only stopped because the sun went down. That lake has probably 3X as many people living on it now and 5X as many fishing it. It's downstream from a few cities and dirtier than ever. I stopped bass fishing it because I couldn't ever seem to be left alone on it, even on weekdays...even in winter. I'd find myself on secondary or worse spots just trying to get away.

That said, I've had 50+ bass days in a friend's pond and caught more bass over 5 lbs in the last few years in a local reservoir than I did my whole life before. The good ol' days can be looked at different ways. I can't go fishing with my dad ever again and that's sad. And my daughter's not interested in fishing so I can't pass it down. Maybe she'll have a son or sons and I can pass it along to them. But I can keep doing it until I'm too old to enjoy it.

In many ways, these days are the good old days. To quote Iron Maiden:

"So understand, don't waste your time
Always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
And realize you're living in the golden years"

fishballer06 reply :

On 8/25/2017 at 8:26 PM, SummertimeCarl said:

come home with at least 4 rabbits guaranteed" or "When I was a kid we used to catch 50 keeper bluegill like it was nothing."

That right there is half the problem. Old timers killed way more fish and game than was necessary.

But now-a-days, the population has grown immensely and things are more crowded. So places for wild game to live has shrunk, pollution, chemicals, overharvesting have hurt things as well.

the reel ess reply :

On 8/25/2017 at 8:50 PM, fishballer06 said:

That right there is half the problem. Old timers killed way more fish and game than was necessary.

But now-a-days, the population has grown immensely and things are more crowded. So places for wild game to live has shrunk, pollution, chemicals, overharvesting have hurt things as well.

Let's define "necessary". They ate what they killed. And wild game was a nuisance to crops. But where I live, wild game is at it's best numbers in probably 100 years. Fewer and fewer people are hunting and the ones that are have the best lands leased, which doesn't help attract new hunters to take up the tradition.

Fishing seems to be the exact opposite to me. More rude and inconsiderate people everywhere I go.

SummertimeCarl reply :

On 8/25/2017 at 8:50 PM, fishballer06 said:

That right there is half the problem. Old timers killed way more fish and game than was necessary.

Over-harvesting is a good point. I honestly hadn't considered it too much for bass (even though some few keep them), but I guess catching & keeping their food sources has an effect on their size & population also.

On 8/25/2017 at 8:45 PM, Scott F said:

For me, the "good old days", are now. I fish a lot in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Bass populations have never been higher and fishing pressure for bass is low. With the technology in electronics, boats, trolling motors, and gear available, fishing has never been easier.

I don't use graphs but I do love my baitcasters and fancy lures and can't imagine knowing half the stuff I know without the internet.

Does anyone know anything about wildlife management? I see stuff about it all the time on KY Afield, an outdoors TV program here in KY, and I always think to myself "should this stocking and shocking etc really be necessary?" For those lakes with great fish populations and little pressure in Canada, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, do we know if they are managed by the government at all? I used to swim in the lake by our family lake house and look up at the trees and think "this must look just like it did hundreds of years ago" only to realize later in life the lake was "created" in 1969. Kind of took some of the mysterious wonder out of it for me.

the reel ess reply :

On 8/25/2017 at 9:15 PM, SummertimeCarl said:

Does anyone know anything about wildlife management? I see stuff about it all the time on KY Afield, an outdoors TV program here in KY, and I always think to myself "should this stocking and shocking etc really be necessary?" For those lakes with great populations and little pressure in Canada, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, do we know if they are managed by the government at all? I used to swim in the lake by our family lake house and look up at the trees and think "this must look just like it did hundreds of years ago" only to realize later in life the lake was "created" in 1969. Kind of took some of the mysterious wonder out of it for me.

Under harvesting might be the problem as well. You have all these people catching fish and releasing them. Fish aren't bright, but they do know what's not a pleasant experience to them and they will try to not repeat it. Too many fish in an ecosystem equals smaller fish. And smaller ones are uneducated. People want more choices among gamefish, so you introduce stripers, hybrids and blue catfish. Actually, blue catfish have popped up a lot of places they weren't officially stocked. So this has to have an effect on bass and crappie.

roadwarrior reply :

Hmm...

The Tennessee River reservoirs are better today than they have EVER been.

I think that is certainly the case for smallmouth in the Great Lakes, too. Of

special note is the recovery of Lake Erie. Cleaner, clearer and greater numbers

than ever before.

fishballer06 reply :

On 8/25/2017 at 9:15 PM, SummertimeCarl said:

For those lakes with great fish populations and little pressure in Canada, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, do we know if they are managed by the government at all?

I've been going to Canada for almost 20 years for 7-10 days at a time every year (some years multiple trips) and I can say that the lakes we go to receive little to no government involvement. There are lakes literally everywhere in our area and there's hardly anyone that lives up there, so the lakes see very little human activity. Most boat ramps are a path some local farmer cut into the water and there's no docks at all.

Here's an overview of the area I go to. As you can tell, there's so much water that there's no way you could manage it all, even if it needed it.

scaleface reply :

The good old days . There was a smallmouth population explosion at a local stream . This was not your typical clear water Ozark stream but a muddy lowland river . These bass had never seen a lure before . I had big smallmouths following me around like dogs . I had it to myself for most of two years never once seeing another angler then word slowly got out . People who say fishing pressure doesnt effect bass have not had the same experience I've been lucky enough to encounter .

Catt reply :

My great-grandpa told my grandpa that, my grandpa told my dad that, my dad told me that, & I'm telling my kids & grandkids that!

As far hunting the was more land open to the public back then that was until someone couldn't tell a mule from a mule deer!

I lived through the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, the good ole days are what you make of em!

david in va reply :

On 8/25/2017 at 8:50 PM, fishballer06 said:

That right there is half the problem. Old timers killed way more fish and game than was necessary.

I have seen a lot of youngsters blame a lot of todays problems on the older generation, I am not sure this is altogether true

I do think you have to fish a pond to have a good pond

barrycam reply :

The good ole fishing days for me were the 60's and 70's. the difference between my good ole fishing days and now, is we ate everything we caught. today, we release everything we catch. I suspect there is more catch and release today than years ago. How much effect that has on todays population and size is always debatable.

sully420 reply :

On 8/25/2017 at 9:15 PM, SummertimeCarl said:

Over-harvesting is a good point. I honestly hadn't considered it too much for bass (even though some few keep them), but I guess catching & keeping their food sources has an effect on their size & population also.

I don't use graphs but I do love my baitcasters and fancy lures and can't imagine knowing half the stuff I know without the internet.

Does anyone know anything about wildlife management? I see stuff about it all the time on KY Afield, an outdoors TV program here in KY, and I always think to myself "should this stocking and shocking etc really be necessary?" For those lakes with great fish populations and little pressure in Canada, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, do we know if they are managed by the government at all? I used to swim in the lake by our family lake house and look up at the trees and think "this must look just like it did hundreds of years ago" only to realize later in life the lake was "created" in 1969. Kind of took some of the mysterious wonder out of it for me.

Good point and question, in minnesota fishing was great in the 40s and 50s but fell off from then to about the late 70s due to poor management and outdated harvesting habits. The Minnesota dnr started aggressively managing many lakes and fish species and teaching about selective harvest and fishing has really been great. In Minnesota we cant even fish bass from ice out untill the seconed week of may. That rule helped bring bass populations back but it is probably not needed any more. As far as managing fishing and hunting game I think it's overall a good thing through stocking selective harvest and other means hopefully we can enjoy the resource for years to come

padon reply :

yes you should stop giving yourself that excuse.because even though there is that pressure there are still people out there having plenty of success improvise and adapt my friend. now as far as hunting I do believe in .my area at least the glory days have passed. not that the game isn't there but unless you very lucky or have a pocket full of money your chances of having decent land to hunt are pretty slim.population growth moron growth etc have led to fewer lands open to hunting and huge pressure on private lands.as far as harvesting fish I currently live in PA I see a lot more people harvesting fish now than I did in MD. just seems to be a different mentality.the worst part is you see the same people all the time filling buckets. how the hell many fish can these people eat. cracks me up when I hear them complaining about the lack of fish but constantly putting small fish in their buckets.

soflabasser reply :

On 8/25/2017 at 8:26 PM, SummertimeCarl said:

Growing up, my Dad would always say things like "Back before Kentucky froze over in 1986, you could go out rabbit hunting and come home with at least 4 rabbits guaranteed" or "When I was a kid we used to catch 50 keeper bluegill like it was nothing."

The population, pressure, and pollution has almost certainly increased from say the 1960's-70's. I live in Louisville, KY and all the lakes nearby see a TON of pressure. But sometimes I forget that in most lakes there is some type of government wildlife management at work.

Do you all think the fishing was better or worse in the past as it is now?

I'm 28 and always tell myself "If there wasn't so much dang pressure on these lakes I'd be catching 4 pounders all day." Should I stop giving myself that excuse?

Welcome to the forum @SummertimeCarl. I have fished for bass for well over 2 decades now and feel that the ''Good ole' days'' of bass fishing is right now at this time and it will only get better as time passes. There are more strict regulations on bass fishing now in most parts of the country and people tend to release most bass they catch since most bass fishermen see bass more as a sport fish than a food fish. Most states are actively stocking bass in local waters and studying the bass population in order to improve the fishery. And yes you should not use the excuse of fishing pressure to justify less than ideal catches since many of us fish extremely pressured waters but we often catch quality bass( including trophy bass) since we put in our time fishing and do our best improve our ability to be consistent at catching quality sized bass.

soflabasser reply :

On 8/26/2017 at 2:39 AM, padon said:

yes you should stop giving yourself that excuse.because even though there is that pressure there are still people out there having plenty of success improvise and adapt my friend.

Well said @padon. Every bass fisherman needs to adapt to the fishing conditions,there is no way around it! I often fish extremely pressured public waters and I consistently catch big bass from the shore since I put in the time needed to learn the bodies of water I fish. One of my best land based catches was a 10.3 pound bass that I caught from land in a highly pressured park from a body of water that gets hit by hundreds if not thousands of fishermen every year and I caught that bass by studying the body of water, knowing bass biology in my local waters, fishing the right lure at the right time, and a whole lot of patience fishing in conditions that most would not like to fish in. I still fish that park every once in a while and release 100% of the bass I catch and treat each bass with respect. I don't throw the bass in the water like so many bass fishermen do, I squat down to the waters level and gently put the bass in the water to make sure the bass swims away strong and I often get in the water if needed to release the bass I catch.

charliepff reply :

I think yes and know to this question. Yes for when I trout fish in PA. A lot of streams that were gems in the day made it into magazines and Tv shows. This has brought crowds from multiple states to fish them. A lot more property has been posted since I was young and fished with my father. The name of the game seems to be to buy property and post it when it comes to streams in PA.

On the flip side, the state recognizes this and tries to boost the populations of fish and regulate the fishing as best they can. Streams that I never dreamed of having fish are being rehabbed by trout unlimited, liming basins installed, and now have populations of brown trout. They are even trying to buy access for fisherman. With limited budget they do with what they can. My hats off to them for the impossible job they have sometimes.

I can also remember a time when I could go to the boat ramp or river access and not have to worry about fighting with some needle pushing junkie ticked I am telling him to move his car and leave the boat ramp. It gets old. Very old. I pull into our ramps now expecting issues from people.

As far as fishing in itself goes, we have great well equipped kayaks. New top of the line gear available, all kinds of fishing lures and techniques out their, so I guess it does even out. I also know more about fishing now then I ever did from experience and learning off of sources like this forum. We are also able to educate more people on proper catch and release, selective harvest, and able to just get more people involved in the sport which is a huge plus.

Chowderhead reply :

On 8/25/2017 at 8:49 PM, the reel ess said:

To quote Iron Maiden:

"So understand, don't waste your time
Always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand And realize you're living in the golden years"

As always, there is a lot of great insight in these posts. With that said, you can never go wrong quoting iron maiden! #UpTheIrons

WRB reply :

I am the old timer and can tell you from my own experiences the good ol' days are now.

Bass anglers have more knowledge, tackle and opertunity to catch bass than they did a decade ago in most regions of this country.

Not 1 of those bass living over 20 years ago (1997) are alive today. Bass are a renewable resource and it's up to each generation to insure that resource is renewable.

Enjoy and protect what you have and pass on the legacy of bass fishing.

Tom

PS, the peak 10 year period for me was 1985-1995 in SoCal.

A-Jay reply :

Learning from the past may be helpful. Comparing the past & the present has never caught me any more fish. There may be some better and some perhaps worse. But I’d say there are enough better to offset the worse and sort of even it all out.

BTW - the BASS Elite series is on Lake St Clair this week. On the first day the pros weighed in 15 five fish limits over 20 lbs. The second day there were 30 bags OVER 20 lbs ~ ! And we are taking about Smallmouth people – Smallmouth. That’s some big weight. And for a lake that’s so close to metro Detroit, MI – that’s just plain outrageous.

That said, this month has been pretty tough sledding for bass fishing in my world – has nothing to do with the past.

I’m just a hack.

A-Jay

Catt reply :

@A-Jay since we're talking the " Good Ole Days", during the early 70s it was 15 bass sacks!

Most tournament (not Pros) angler today struggle to put 5 in the livewell

A-Jay reply :

On 8/27/2017 at 3:11 AM, Catt said:

@A-Jay since we're talking the " Good Ole Days", during the early 70s it was 15 bass sacks!

Most tournament (not Pros) angler today struggle to put 5 in the livewell

Besides probably not being released back then, I can't imaging hauling a 15 bass sack of 5 lb slobs up on stage these days.

It'd be pushing 75lbs.

A-Jay

bigbill reply :

I been fishing the same places every year. My catch did decrease somewhat. I learned in the smaller places the fish learn our baits and even my scents. What bait was hot this years will reduce the catch next year. This is why I started varying my selection of baits. I switch baits and colors till I get action. One time I had no action at all I changed from a regular bass scent to a garlic scent and I got action. I know the bass are there it's a matter of figuring out what bait will they hit. It's a challenge and we need to think it out. There is more bass as the population is growing.

mother nature controls the population of the fish by a winter kill during the ice over.

Russ E reply :

I have been bass fishing since I was a teenager in the mid 70's.

Catch and release was not very popular at the time.

Needless to say nearly all fish we caught were under the legal limit.

catch and release is much more common now.

The average size bass I catch now is much better than it was back then.

In my opinion the good old days are happening now.

david in va reply :

Daddy and granddaddy had one firm rule put little bass back, now trash fish was another thing throw them back on the bank where they could not get back in the water

UPSmallie reply :

I would have loved to be around when Rapala Originals first hit the market. From everything I have read and heard from those who experienced it, it was non-stop action. Fish every cast at times. Now I tie on a Rapala, but hardly ever the original.

davecon reply :

The good old days are, in my opinion, whenever you find that body of water that has lots of fish and little pressure. These bodies of water change over time and seem to peter out but when they are hot it is great. The time frame may be a few weeks or a few years. In my fishing past I have had bodies of water that on a good day you expected to catch 50 bass a piece, slow day - 25, really good day - 100. I'm talking average size of 3 pounds. Did it last forever ? No! But we rode it as long as it lasted - about 3 years. Hurricane ruined it. Before that - power plant lake. Same kind of numbers - if you didn't get at least 4 that were 5 or better it was a slow day. Lasted for years until power company shut it down. Before that a phosphate pit where you could always catch 15 to 25 with several 5 pounders. They drained it after about 4 years. Another that even though it received tremendous pressure was always good for 15 bass. Caught several double digits in that one too. d**n broke - when refilled it was never the same.Have several bodies of water that were just as good over the last 40 years. For the last 12 years have been fishing a river for Snook. Slow day - 10, good day - 25, exceptional day - 40 or more with some up to 40 inches. Reds and tarpon a bonus. How long will it last - who knows but I will keep going back til it slows then find another spot. Point is, the good old days are now if you know the right spot. If you don't, keep looking and you will have your own good old days. Just keep your mouth shut when you find it.

RPreeb reply :

On 8/27/2017 at 7:23 AM, david in va said:

Daddy and granddaddy had one firm rule put little bass back, now trash fish was another thing throw them back on the bank where they could not get back in the water

We made our own judgement as to what was a keeper and what wasn't. I feel that we made good decisions, and like David above, we also tossed trash fish out for the scavengers. Bag and size limits, where they existed at all, were quite liberal.

We did fish for the table, but we didn't over fish - didn't take what we couldn't eat. Some people did though, and as population increased, it meant more fishermen on the water, and that forced the fish & game commission to start regulating limits. Now, like most here, I practice catch and release, so the limits don't have much impact on me.

Although if I ever figure it out and hook into a decent walleye, it might just become fish 'n chips. That would be a rare exception.

scaleface reply :

Slot limits seem to work real well "if" the fishermen use them . A local lake has had a slot limit for decades but people just would not keep those little bass . I kept a limit every time out . The last few years I have noticed more people keeping those little bass and the population of med sized bass in and over the slot has exploded . The average sized fish is noticeably larger .It appears to me if you want to help a fishery keep the fish under the slot or the smallest legal fish if there is no slot . If theres a min 15 inch limit , I will keep a limit closer to the 15 inch mark . Bass are renewable .

Darren. reply :

For me, "good ol' days" are days of memories catching

fish with my Dad, my boys. Catching my PB was a "good

ol' day", too! That day I slayed several 5 and 6 pounders

under a flooded bridge was one.

Another one was recent when my 2nd son and I were yaking

back to the dock and he says "dad, can I troll a frog?" I said,

"sure, why not! I doubt you'll catch anything, though."

Next thing you know, he's screaming, I caught one!! That was

a good ol day for me. Oh, I was towing him with my e-kayak.

Crestliner2008 reply :

Being 72 has it's advantages. You can reflect on how things "use to be". Problem is you tend to remember the good times and not the not so good times. Back in the 70's, it was an exciting time to be a die hard fisherman. We used hand lines to map lakes and find structure you previously had success on.

Then came the first "Green Box" flasher from Lowrance. Wow! Talk about exciting! You could actually "see" fish on the structure you were fishing. Then came Buck Perry's Spoonplugging. Talk about a mapping process! And it was productive as well.

I remember reading an article in BassMaster Magazine where they talked about the greatest invention of all time - the paper plotting sonar. Every was excited back then as well with this and many other innovations to follow. Was the fishing any better back then? I rather doubt it. However, with each "breakthrough" to hit us, we certainly had more fun doing it.

BuzzHudson19c reply :

Some places I fish have gotten worse, some have gotten better. Often when people complain about a lake or river they forget that they change over time. Silt builds up, erosion, vegetation growth varies. "Grand pappy used to catch them right near that island by the bucket! In the good ole days." Chances are the fish aren't holding in the same spot they were 30 years ago (shocking).

portiabrat reply :

The guys who've been around for a long time say that gobies, which provide an all-you-can-eat buffet for smallies and walleyes, are the best thing to happen to the Great Lakes. Plus, now that I think about it, salmon were introduced to the Great Lakes to eat the invasive alewives. So overall, fishing's really good by me and probably much better than it used to be.

clh121787 reply :

Other than listening to the old timers talk about fork in the 80s and 90s, imo these are the good old days. Tournament sacks are getting bigger. Spotted bass records are getting smashed in norcal smallies up north are thriving. I'm catching more fish and bigger fish than I ever have. Take into account I've been an adult for 11 years always had a boat of some sort. But my experience is diluted compared to alot on here.

RPreeb reply :

My "good old days" were as much about the situation as they were about the actual fishing. I spent my first 16 summers at our cabin on Balsam Lake in western Wisconsin. I clearly remember the billboard sized sign that said "Welcome to Balsam Lake, one of the top ten bass lakes in America. Now, I take that claim with a grain of salt, but it was good fishing none-the-less, and great for a kid trying to learn the ropes without a father to help him out.

We started just digging worms to catch sunfish as soon as we were old enough to hold a cane pole. When someone was nice enough to supply us with a dozen or two minnows, then we could be more adventurous and go for crappies. I was probably 13 or 14 (1959 or 1960) when I first targeted bass with artificial lures and got hooked. (sorry for the pun, but it was unavoidable )

The point was that it was so easy to "go fishing". All it meant was walking down to the water, flipping over the canoe and sliding it into the lake, and we were fishing. Now it's a lot more work, walking the shore and not catching much, or loading the canoe on top of the truck, driving to the lake, then unloading the canoe, putting all the stuff in it, and finally getting out on the water about 2 hours later.

In any case, I'm more than ½ hour from the nearest actual lake (North Sterling Reservoir or Jumbo Reservoir), and I don't know the topography of any local waters so the fishing takes some planning and a little guesswork. It's not as relaxing as it was back in those "good old days". Don't get me wrong, it's still fun, but takes a more concerted effort to get it done.

flyfisher reply :

I honestly feel that people who complain about the good old days are just making an excuse as to why they are not having success now. I have only been on this Earth 40 years and i can say i catch more and bigger fish now than i ever have. Whether that is due to skill or what is of no concern to me because it is happening.

slonezp reply :

Learn when to fish. Learn where to fish. Learn when to fish where.

Only other advice I can give is to learn the habits of all the predominant fish species in any given body of water, not just the ones you are targeting.

I can assure you, if you follow the above advice, you will be on your way to living the good ol days right now.

Columbia Craw reply :

Bass....good old days? Nope. Steelhead? Absolutely.

Tommy Pugh reply :

It's very true. There are places that my grandpa would fish and had pics of stringers full of fish that people don't even fish anymore. The population has grown so much and pollution has done damage as well. Even in my lifetime I can tell a change from when I was a kid, to when I was in my 20s, and to now. Fishing off of the bank is terrible. I moved here to SC in Jan. There were places that i would go in my early 20s and catch fish all day long. Now at those same places I am lucky if I get a bite or two.

perd reply :

Manabu Kurita caught a 22lber on Lake Biwa, one of the most pressured lakes in the world...

lonnie g reply :

On 8/27/2017 at 2:19 AM, A-Jay said:

Learning from the past may be helpful. Comparing the past & the present has never caught me any more fish. There may be some better and some perhaps worse. But I’d say there are enough better to offset the worse and sort of even it all out.

BTW - the BASS Elite series is on Lake St Clair this week. On the first day the pros weighed in 15 five fish limits over 20 lbs. The second day there were 30 bags OVER 20 lbs ~ ! And we are taking about Smallmouth people – Smallmouth. That’s some big weight. And for a lake that’s so close to metro Detroit, MI – that’s just plain outrageous.

That said, this month has been pretty tough sledding for bass fishing in my world – has nothing to do with the past.

I’m just a hack.

A-Jay

I disagree with the hack part , I seen some of those footballs this spring! I bet you can still hang with them. now for me they would say OLD HACK!!

38 Super Fan reply :

I suppose it's different everywhere. As far as bass here in Kentucky, I think it's still good, but the fishing pressure, and tons of recreational traffic out on our lakes sure does suck. People around here are notorious for keeping everything they catch too, that doesn't help.

We've still got some big fish, but I'm not sure there are any state records swimming around these days. The state record largemouth was caught in 1984, spot was in 1970, and smallmouth (also world record) was way back in 1955. Those were all a pretty long time ago, and I really don't think we'll ever see that smallmouth record fall.

gnappi reply :

First post, I hope it's not too controversial.

I'm in my mid 60's and have fished all of my life from age 4 or so. Was fishing better way back? Maybe, maybe not. In Florida there are a LOT of bass, and I don't think that has or will diminish over the coming years.

I think that some lures in areas where there is a lot of pressure fish naturally avoid lures that they see regularly. Varying my lure arsenal a bit and presentation helps a lot. Also I think too much catch and release just makes fish wary. For example... down here Peacock bass are plentiful, well more than plentiful but still most fish get returned to the water. Then the pressure makes them wary of lures.

The rub here is the first cold snap is going to kill off most of them and it will take years to recover the numbers. Some say that the one you eat may have been the one that survived a cold front, maybe but likely not.

So, I take every Peacock within State limits that is of a size large enough to eat. LMB's OTOH inch for inch have less edible meat than Peacocks on them down here, so I release ( I only ate one this year) the vast majority. I notice that the areas I release the most fish get harder and harder to catch later on so that's where my lure arsenal and presentation variation gets them. Also when I see other fishermen fishing and they see me catching fish or I have to pass by them I keep my lure arsenal to myself.

The bottom line for me is that catching a number of fish hasn't changed, only what I use and how I fish has. I still catch a bunch of fish.

10876

Were there any "Good ol' Days" of fishing? 2024

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