What are your strong points ? 2024

Fish Chris reply :

(not neccessarily speaking about lures)

But as an example, I'll start this here....

I feel like I am really good at playing a fish, once I hook it. I think a lot of this comes from all of my micro-light fishing experience, for Carp, Stripers, Sturgeon, etc, back in my younger days. For me, the whole thing about using the drag, as a clutch, and keeping the pressure constant, no matter what the fish does, feels totally second nature. (pretty amazing too, for a guy who has completely whacked out hand-eye cooridination with most anything else.... In other words, if I have to think about it first, I've already lost :-)

....That, and I have very good eye sight (makes up for my defness.... Loud car stereos as a kid)

Your input please,

Fish

foul hooked reply :

I never get tired of fishing. I just keep at it.

Jig Man reply :

I guess my strongest point would be understanding where the boat needs to be and being able to keep it in position so that my partner and I can have the opportunity to make the very best casts and get the baits presented as well as possible. I keep one eye on the depth finder and a foot on the trolling motor at all times.

razyrsharpe reply :

i feel very confident with using soft plastic lures. not so much w/cranks or spinners and other stuff. soft plastic is where its at for me.

roadwarrior reply :

For me it would be the hook-up and fight on single hooks. Although I'm having some problems with Mattlures Baby Bass, that's probably because I just started fishing them. Otherwise, my hook-up ratio is very higher and my landing ratio once a fish is hooked is even better.

I think Fish_Chris' comments about the fight reflect the confidence that one gains over time. He is used to catching big fish and EXPECTS to land them. There is no particular hurry and the thought of one of these big girls coming unbuttoned never comes into play. I really like the sound of a shotgun shell being chambered, but I like peeling drag even more!

mattm reply :

I would say two things:

1)Keeping a fish on. I rarely have fish come unbuttoned and have no idea why.

2)I haven't been fishing long enough to determine if this is luck(and it probably is)catching the biggest fish of the day. Almost everyone I fish with is a better fisherman than me, but probably 90% of the time I leave with the big fish of the day.

Daniel My Brother reply :

1. I can fish and drink beer at the same time.

2. I don't mind heat, cold, wind, or rain. I've got 4 active daughters and my schedule is often determined by soccer games, softball tournaments, or music recitals. If I can go fishing, I will go fishing, regardless of the weather.

John J. reply :

I say my strongest points are...

1.) Casting a lure into the right spot. I am an accurate caster, I've put lures in spots where some of the people I fish with wouldn't even dream of putting a lure in. For example, I was fishing back in Febuary for the Joseph Thomson Memorial tournament on Lake Anna (one of our fellow anglers passed... :'() and we were fishing a bank with a bunch of brush and bushes. I slung a spinner-bait up under the bush and hit the bank.

2.) Working weightless plastics (dinger, finesse worm, etc.) and spinner-baits.

AlanM85 reply :

I'm pretty good at 'reading' the water and other factors, and determining where the fish will be.

I'm extremely accurate pitching and flipping (long hours of practice in the yard).

Strongest lures - Swim baits, jerk baits, and jigs.

I'm very stubborn, which can be a strength or weakness, rarely will I give up on a 'fishy' spot, or a bad day.

Although not asked, now that I'm thinking about it I want to put it in words, . So hopefully I can work on these weaknesses.

I tend to stick with only 2 or 3 colors, rarely moving out of my 'comfort' colors.

I am very timid when setting hooks with soft plastics, no idea why.

Spinnerbaits, I rarely use them, lack confidence in them.

Sometimes I have a short attention span for slow retrieves. Mostly with plastics.

roadwarrior reply :

Quote
1. I can fish and drink beer at the same time.

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Rattlinrogue reply :

I have a couple of things I do pretty well.I'm a good topwater angler.I also consider myself better than average throwing a spinnerbait.I've always been able to catch my share with plastic worms(T-rig,C-rig).I can play a bass in general and big bass specifically well.I keep their heads down from breaking the surface and throwing the bait.With big bass,I've always just let them swim themselves to the point of exaustion.I'll take up line when needed,but usually just hang on with a well adjusted drag and let them tire out.

Taliesin reply :

I have to say my strong point is patience.

I learned early when my dad said "you can't fish a plastic worm too slow".

I continued to learn patience while hunting large catfish.

I can throw lures for hours without a bite and not become discouraged. I might sit back a moment and rethink where the fish are and what they might bite, but I won't loose heart.

Catt reply :

Locating where fish are holding on structure is my biggest strength; next years of night fishing has taught me to feel bites most people would never see or feel.

Brookie reply :

I think my best skill is keeping a fish on and reeling it in. I have only fished for 2 years but I have never had a fish spit the hook out except on one occasion where i was just being lazy. Another thing I think im good at is keeping a positive additude. My best friend (and fishing and hunting buddy) is a really good fisherman but during the slow times sometimes he just becomes sloppy and gives up. I usually fish until its impossible to fish any more.

Fendercaster reply :

I, too, am very patient (maybe stubborn!) when I'm fishing. I'm not a gun 'n run type, I'll fish an area extensively. I am most confident throwing soft plastics, usually to the exclusion of throwing anything else. I see this as one of my weak points, if I'm not getting bit, I should try something else! My casting accuracy is getting better and I'm learning to set the hook after the first tap. (My fishing buddy says that the second tap is him tapping my shoulder saying "You just missed that fish!) My next challenge is learning to fish big water, I finally have my boat here (I recently moved to Georgia) and I'm looking forward to fishing Lake Sinclair.

Fish Chris reply :

Thank you for all of your replies.

John J, I'm envious, as I'm an inconsistent caster, at best, and a straight up lousy caster at worst. It's that ol' hand eye thing I always talk about.

Hey AlanM85, I wouldn't worry about the colors your using too much. Never been a strong believer in color. Curious though, what type of line do you use ? Because you said > I am very timid when setting hooks with soft plastics, no idea why. < and honestly, you could keep setting the hook just the same as you do, but switch to braid (if you have been using mono) and increase the heck out of the pressure at your hook point, because of the lack of stretch in braid.

For you guys who said > patience < yes ! An excellent thing to have ! I'm not paitient by nature, but I'm pretty good at forcing myself to do whatever it takes.... even if it takes 5 trips in a row, without a bite !

One thing I wanted to add to my thing about playing fish well..... A big part of it, is that I have trained myself to not get overly excited until "after" I have the fish in the boat ! I remember watching two kids in a boat, falling all over each other, screaming and yelling, after one had hooked an 11 lb'er (I know it was 11-4, because I had caught and released that same fish near a bed a few days earlier) and anyway, the fish broke him off. With a little patience, calm nerves, and a properly set drag, that catch would have been a done deal..... But live and learn, right :-)

Thanks again for the replies,

Fish

Fishing Buds reply :

My strong point

Staying at it and not given up, Thats about it.

Well the only other thing is adding something new for me each year. Pole here a pole there, new lure, new sun glasses, Im real good at that! ;D

.dsaavedra. reply :

my strong points would be:

1: accurate casting....i can put a weightless soft plastic right where it needs to be to get hit and remain snag free

2: working weightless soft plastics, especially senkos...give me a senko, hook, rod, and water w/ fish and i can catch one. i always seem to outfish ppl when using soft plastics.

3: fishing really heavy cover....i can pick out the right spots and place my lure there to fish all up in's where the fish are.

bored_inda_ville reply :

I have never ending patience. I fish and fish, and if the fish aren't buying what I'm selling I change presentation or lure and keep on fishing. This strength does however make it hard to find a fishing partner. Most people get frustrated or bored and want to move, move and move again. Not me, I KNOW I can pick the spots with fish. I have the technology telling me the fish are there. The only variable left is convincing the fish to strike, and that is something I CONTROL with lure selection and presentation.

This is of course VERY hard to convince others of on a 100 degree day on KY lake. :-/LMAO

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

I feel like I have 2 strong points and 2 weak points.

weak Points-

1. I noticed, since we started shooting video (HUGE way to learn your faults ) that I tend to over set or double set on the initial swing. I lost a greater % of good fish last yr compared to Dirk. Far too many hogs lost to be acceptable, fish that were definitely hooked. The bait did it's job, and the hook, and the rod,....just not me

2. I tend to touch the line too much when the fish is at the boat. Years of saltwater fishing and "leadering" those heavier lines, it's a tough one to break. It hasn't cost me any fish that I can recall but in this freshwater game, I am often using 6lb test and a 5-7 lb fish will snap that if I handle that line like I have been.

Again, I can't stress enough how much video has helped us study our bad habits. I took Matt5.0 out one day and we discussed, on the way to the lake, the things I noticed in his ergonomics and his style. To eliminate bad habits early, I explained rather simply how you WANT it to be and WHY and left it alone. Then I filmed him unknowingly.

Matt now has a new stance

Ok, My strengths would have to be

1. I can cast. Anywhere, thread the needle, skip it, jump the stump, slide 'er in, you name it. I just love casting. My learner bait was an original floating rapala along the banks (yea,...I was that guy) So learning how to place it just right, not too far yet not too short, really helped me define my casting ability.

2. My second strength would be that I love to teach. Through teaching, I have learned how to be a better student.

MendotaBassMaster reply :

Mine without a doubt would have to be patience. My wife and son always comment on how can you just cast and cast and cast.

I love using soft plastics and I work them very very slowly and it doesn't bother me at all. Fishing is very relaxing to me and it doesn't matter if I catch one or I catch a dozen I keep the same mind set.

guest reply :

When i want to learn something I keep at it, even if i am not catching fish, til i learn it. Baitcasting was last years projet, I did ditch it for a while now most of my water time is baitcasting!

This year it's jigs, the important thing is to ask questions and apply it. I think I have figured out one thing I have been doing wrong, i am putting the boat right over the area I am throwing the Jig, I did the same thing when i was learning Crank Baits.Catt gave me a skirted weight i can fish somewhere between a trig and a Jig, thats a big help, now I am gonna back off the target area and fish it from 20 yards away SOONER OR LATER I AM GONNA GET THIS

guest reply :

I think my main strength is the ability to thoroughly work an area.

I can, and often do pull into a spot just fished by another boat and catch bass. Often times very nice bass.

Amusing story. There's a guy on my home lake who fishes with his nephew. I have pulled into a spot he just left and caught fish within moments of getting there. He has seen me do this a couple of times and it obviously rankles him.

Last time I saw him, he was just starting to pull out of a spot I like. As soon as he saw me, he immediately stopped and went right back into the spot. As I motored past him he was glaring at me like a junk yard dog guarding the gate. I just grinned.

It sorta made my day.

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

Funny Avid ;D

Muddy, long cast gets the bass. Also, let it fall on slack (yet "monitored") line. 2 big factors w/ jigs at my lake.

senko_77 reply :

I have 2 strengths that really stand out in my mind:

1) I can make my lures land in the water incredibly quiet. I watched a KVD video a about a year ago and he was showing how to make the lure land without so much as a ripple. I PRACTICED it like crazy and can now be absolutely stealth when casting to pressured fish.

2) I seem to get better when things get worse. When its noon out, blue bird day, and 110+ degrees, I'll be catching while everyone else is struggling. But it's vice versa, I usually get spanked in the mornings, but that's ok because I feel midday fish are usually bigger because you fish so much slower.

I also have some serious weaknesses that I am always working on:

1) Confidence in myself. It sometimes really holds me back

2) Knot breakage. I know that sounds bad, but it's something that has always been a problem for me. I've pretty much switched to the palomar, and I've definately seen it improve, but I still have no confidence when I'm playing a fish because of the countless times I've broken off. I think it's gonna take awhile for me to reverse my mindset.

Cool post idea FC

guest reply :

Quote
I feel like I have 2 strong points and 2 weak points.
weak Points-

You forgot to mention you have big funny looking ears.

Tucson reply :

I'd have to say a willingness to try new (to me) techniques. I'm fairly new to this game so I'm not hidebound to any specific technique.

rbrick reply :

I think my two strongest points are accurate casting and being able to make a soft presentation.The last couple years I have really worked hard on the latter and I think it has made me a much better fisherman.

My weakness is fishing deep water.Pounding the shallows I'm fine,but if the fish are in deeper water I lose all confidence.

Taliesin reply :

Quote
For you guys who said > patience < yes ! An excellent thing to have ! I'm not paitient by nature, but I'm pretty good at forcing myself to do whatever it takes.... even if it takes 5 trips in a row, without a bite !

5 trips in a row? I'm not entirely sure about going that far with my patience. On the 3rd trip I will be trying for a different species just to break the slump.

I have never gone 3 trips in a row without catching anything, and rarely go 2 trips in a row.

I HAVE had 5 bass trips in a row without a bite, or 5 catfish trips without a bite, etc.; but I mix up my trips so that I don't get down about it.

Senko4life reply :

I have three strong points..

1) Being able to sit back for a minute on a day where the bite is slow and being able to think up a pattern to get fish.

2)Soft plastics, I can get some type soft plastic to work for me under just about any conditions from a buzz frog to a finesse worm or anything in between.

3)Never giving up, I can fish from sun up to sundown without a bite without losing heart.

My major weakness is spinner bait, I have zero confidence in them. gotta work on that

Pond Hopper reply :

My strong points are that I love to learn, I have learned so much from fishing with Darrin (hawghunter) about fishing jigs, worms, slowing down...just so much stuff I never thought of before. The other strong point is I keep it fun...yelling and screaming after landing a big fish. Not quite Ike style but you know when Im having fun...which is alot of the time.

My weakness is similar to anothers strength, beer really makes it hard to be up at 4:30 am although one I am up they go down smooth. ;D

sodaksker reply :

I think my strength is being able to kiss up to my wife enough so she will let me go fishing.

My fault is trying to continue that when I get home from a full day on the lake. ;D

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