What did you learn on the water this week? 2025
Choporoz reply :
I read nearly everything on BR...I've been fishing for some 50 years....and yet...I'm still learning new (to me) important things.
What was your big lesson in recent days?
I've got a few, but one that smacked me around a bit was that the split shot rig is the real deal....and adapt or get owned. I'd never used it. But my wife and I fished a tournament two weeks ago and got schooled. We prefished the day before and killed them by working the bottom under heavy grass. It was a challenge, but extremely effective. The next day, we tried forcing that same bite for way too long....while the winners were playing on the top of the same grass with 1/16 oz split shot and cleaned up. I tried light slider heads and owner ultrahead finesse briefly, but kept going back to the bottom with little luck....fishing memories, I guess
ratherbfishin1 reply :
I learn something new every time get on here, but just as often I get a good laugh
Choporoz reply :
good point...I changed the subject....I, too, learn something every time I get on here....I just don't do a great job of remembering or applying all the time
DINK WHISPERER reply :
Mine is something that I already knew but maybe needed a reminder on it. Don't let those storms get too close before you decide to call it.
the reel ess reply :
If you're going to use treble lures (1/8 oz. Rooster Tail) for bluegill, bring your pliers. They somehow get all three hooks inside the mouth every time.
A week old dead snapping turtle smells awful.
ratherbfishin1 reply :
On 9/25/2018 at 4:48 AM, the reel ess said:A week old dead snapping turtle smells awful.
I’ll second that????
gnappi reply :
At going on 67 I learn one thing every time I go out...
1. Read my prefloat checklist
Numbers 2,3,4,5 on up... Read my prefloat checklist
Oh, I have to add to the list, to put the TM on the boat. I forgot that at zero dark thirty a few days ago, and had to go home to get it.
soflabasser reply :
I have learned in the past year that it is best to bring my better half with me on my fishing trips. She seems to bring me lots of good luck when we fish and I tend to catch lots of big fish with her.
Big Rick reply :
I learned hi-vis braid is amazing when fishing weightless Senkos. No matter how subtle the bite, if you're watching, the line will jump and twitch to let you know it's show time!! Of course, I was using a 5 ft mono leader and the fall rate was spot on! First time fishing with hi-vis braid. Very pleased with the outcome.
Bankbeater reply :
A long time ago I learned that it's a good idea to carry a paddle in the boat, whether its used or not.
Always carry about 30' of rope in the boat.
Catt reply :
What did you learn on the water this week?
I was actually reminded rain at 60 mph stings! ????
the reel ess reply :
On 9/25/2018 at 5:01 AM, soflabasser said:I have learned in the past year that it is best to bring my better half with me on my fishing trips. She seems to bring me lots of good luck when we fish and I tend to catch lots of big fish with her.
When mine has gone with me she catches all the intended species and I catch channel cats. But she quit going with me right after we got married. She said "I don't mind if you go or how long you stay, but I won't be going with you anymore." I said OK, deal. I really like going alone.
gnappi reply :
On 9/25/2018 at 6:28 AM, Catt said:What did you learn on the water this week?
I was actually reminded rain at 60 mph stings! ????
Down here the squalls don't worry me about getting wet, and we can get several inches of rain in an hour. A rain suit with hood fixes that but the d**n winds blow my tinny all over the place and into the shoreline brush. If the bilge pump fails, then I guess the brush isn't as bad an option? ????
Note to self: Put the rain suit into the carry on sea bag AND put the sea bag on the pre-float list!
OCdockskipper reply :
I learned that just because the bass have been keying on bluegill fry for the past month doesn't mean they will be this week. An early crankbait bite that slowed considerably as the sun rose didn't clue me in. It wasn't until a bass shot out from under a retaining wall in 12 inches of water to grab a fluke that I began to figure it out. I took a brown Senko, colored the tips Orange and began skipping it to gaps in the wall. The next bass confirmed what was happening by revealing a small crawdad in his throat when I caught him.
The bass had changed their menu from bluegill to crawfish and it changed where they were & the best way to present a bait to them. It only took me 4 hours to figure it out...
TnRiver46 reply :
On 9/25/2018 at 4:48 AM, the reel ess said:If you're going to use treble lures (1/8 oz. Rooster Tail) for bluegill, bring your pliers. They somehow get all three hooks inside the mouth every time.
A week old dead snapping turtle smells awful.
Oh goodness......... found an old soft shell on a trot line that I hooked with a shad rap once.....bluuuhhh.......
@Choporoz, strange coincidence I also used a split shot rig to catch a few suspended fish a couple days ago, they had already quit hitting other baits so I was trying different things to get down to them. I guess all that I “learned” this week was from idling around watching the graph and remembering key spots. Well that and Reiterated that September is one of the best months for smallmouth Fishing here locally (google photos from past years helped remind me )
Eric J reply :
Trees give life to so much but sometimes if you release too early, they. are. not. your. friend.
BuzzHudson19c reply :
I hunted this past week instead of fish and I learned that 3 dead Canada geese is the maximum amount I can stuff in my kayak.
A-Jay reply :
I learned that there are three (previously uncharted) gorgeous piles of bowling ball size rocks about this size of my boat just south of one of my favorite pre-spawn jerkbait flats in a 8-10 FOT.
They are 'charted' now though. WP 877.
Thank you SI.
A-Jay
flyfisher reply :
Nothing this week but i am looking forward to learning something this next weekend for sure 
Bluebasser86 reply :
I learned that Georgia cubes actually do hold fish. I'd never caught a fish out of one before but I caught several including all 3 of my biggest fish of the day.
soflabasser reply :
On 9/25/2018 at 6:45 AM, the reel ess said:When mine has gone with me she catches all the intended species and I catch channel cats. But she quit going with me right after we got married. She said "I don't mind if you go or how long you stay, but I won't be going with you anymore." I said OK, deal. I really like going alone.
Mines still fishes with me and does it more to make me happy since she knows I do not like fishing by myself. I join her in her hobbies as well. Good relationships are about making compromises and it is better to fish with your wife,girlfriend,significant other, etc than fishing with somebody else. On a recent trip she beat me in fishing for Bartram's bass and she caught a bigger hybrid Bartram's bass than I did. She does seem to enjoy fishing as long as she is catching nice fish which is often for her since I make sure to take her to good fishing spots.
TOXIC reply :
I learned that the proportional degree to which you will get wet is directly related to the amount of $$ you spent on your rain gear. Took my lightweight cheap rainsuit out and got caught in a very heavy downpour. Had the river Nile running down my buttcrack. I was not comfortable. 
Troy85 reply :
I learned that tidal Bass love to eat shrimp as they migrate from the interior marsh back offshore.
Choporoz reply :
On 9/25/2018 at 8:55 PM, Troy1985s said:I learned that tidal Bass love to eat shrimp as they migrate from the interior marsh back offshore.
Interesting. Thank you. I would have imagined that salinity tolerance of bass and shrimp didn't overlap. I fish tidal waters, but rarely those with much if any salinity. I used to hit some more brackish spots in Hampton Roads, but never did very well.
Troy85 reply :
On 9/25/2018 at 9:16 PM, Choporoz said:Interesting. Thank you. I would have imagined that salinity tolerance of bass and shrimp didn't overlap. I fish tidal waters, but rarely those with much if any salinity. I used to hit some more brackish spots in Hampton Roads, but never did very well.
I generally thought the same thing, but the last couple weeks have taught me otherwise. Two weeks ago I fished all morning and had only 2 small bass. Found a spot around mid day with some water moving, and shrimp were jumping all over the place, I could see fish hitting them on top. At first I thought it may be speckled trout(as they are starting to move inshore again). I threw what I had tied on, swimbait, spinnerbait, frog, and crankbait and got nothing. Then I remembered that I had a plastic shrimp in my rod locker from the last time I went salt water fishing. I tied it one and it was like night and day. My next 3 casts I caught 3 bass, in the following 30 minutes I caught 25-30 bass. Many times as soon as my bait hit the water, they were crushing it. A few times, I would see them coming up to grab it, before it even hit the water, it was pretty awesome. I kind of got to excited and forgot to retie, and ended up losing my shrimp. I retied with a baby brushhog, which was the closest shrimp imitation I had, but they didn't want it. In the next 10 minutes I only caught 1 fish.
I brought about 5 home to cook up, and when I cut their stomachs open, they were just FULL of shrimp.
Choporoz reply :
I know nothing about the source, nor the information contained, but this article is interesting regarding tidal LMB and shrimp:
http://unionsportsmen.org/shrimp-tidewater-largemouth/
BassNJake reply :
I relearned that when they are pulling a lot of water; the shallow topwater bite gets tougher but you will still find them if you cover enough water
scaleface reply :
I learned why my Lowrance hasnt been working well . If you scroll through the menu, there under settings, select this item , then scroll some more and push more buttons there are settings for shallow , deep , salt , fresh and trolling . Mine was set on shallow . Switched it to fresh and it worked perfectly .????
fishwizzard reply :
1) I can't make a topater bit happen on demand just because I left everything else at home. Even if it's just two extra lures, always have something on hand for the entire water column.
2) That little patch of skin above my shoes but below the bottom hem of my tights really really sucks to get sunburned.
Harold Scoggins reply :
Today's sunrise and sunset is always better than yesterday's....yep, that's what I learned.
the reel ess reply :
On 9/25/2018 at 8:55 PM, Troy1985s said:I learned that tidal Bass love to eat shrimp as they migrate from the interior marsh back offshore.
This reminds me of another current thread about favorite plastic craws. Someone said it seems bass are just as/more likely to bite a plastic that resembles a craw as they are one that looks exactly like a craw. Well, I have a couple Vudu Shrimp baits I bought for redfish and never used that I think I could probably catch a bass on even if it has never seen a shrimp.
Troy85 reply :
On 9/26/2018 at 12:10 AM, the reel ess said:-Well, I have a couple Vudu Shrimp baits I bought for redfish
This is exactly what I caught them on.
Choporoz reply :
Small sample size, but I'm going to be comfortable extrapolating for now.....
Recently was able to observe a decent size bass (2#+) swimming alongside the boat while trolling steady at about 1/3 speed. Didn't seem to have a care in the world. After more than a dozen yards, I cut the speed....just a hair...and he bolted.
As I said, small sample, but it confirmed for me what I've read about how steady troll speed is much better than speed changes. I sort of suspected that cutting speed would have been an ok thing for him....not so much, apparently.
Topwaterdude reply :
Don't post a fishing report about a spot that's holding alot of fish,everybody in his brother will be there next weekend...????
Log Catcher reply :
I learned fishing with jigs is a joke. I used one the other day and made 5 or 6 casts with it before I caught one on it. LOL
DogBone_384 reply :
This week I learned that soft baits aren’t working but top water and square bills are.
I also learned I can still find bass without electronics.
TnRiver46 reply :
I learned that I am still, after hundreds of casts, unable to effectively use a chatterbait
Russ E reply :
my 55 year old knees don't like bouncing in rough water all day, while standing on the deck.
I am not a sit down fisherman, but I may have to re evaluate that decision on rough water.
first time my knees ever ached after fishing.
Oregon Native reply :
I may be going back to the ol basics on some rods/reels. Seems fluro if you get even a small backlash weaken's the line to the extent I can't trust it. Everything has it's applications and I think on my jerk and cranking rods I'm going back to good ol mono......just saying......to be continued.
Fishingintheweeds reply :
I learned that I can throw a jig in a pit, and with patience, catch an awful lot of good sized fish there if you can figure out what's going on at the bottom. As the legend goes, in any weather conditions...from calm, sunny and 85, to very windy, cloudy and 50. Even at noon.
Oh, and I learned today, that my feeling that I should NOT be sharing my spots and tricks was probably correct. Thanks, @Topwaterdude for the confirmation.
My favorite things to do are:
1. Fish places that look like they would never have fish and are extremely inconvenient.
2. At those tough places, deny ever seeing fish there and just say I'm seeing how my lure works in the water or practicing casting.
3. Say that I've heard they're there and I've seen a couple but it's tough! I may also say I saw fish jump but I'm not sure what they are.
I'm torn between that and being a really good guy and giving away everything I've learned. But...I hate fishing in a crowd. And I already fish from the banks.
Topwaterdude reply :
On 10/13/2018 at 4:06 AM, Fishingintheweeds said:I learned that I can throw a jig in a pit, and with patience, catch an awful lot of good sized fish there if you can figure out what's going on at the bottom. As the legend goes, in any weather conditions...from calm, sunny and 85, to very windy, cloudy and 50. Even at noon.
Oh, and I learned today, that my feeling that I should NOT be sharing my spots and tricks was probably correct. Thanks, @Topwaterdude for the confirmation.
My favorite things to do are:
1. Fish places that look like they would never have fish and are extremely inconvenient.
2. At those tough places, deny ever seeing fish there and just say I'm seeing how my lure works in the water or practicing casting.
3. Say that I've heard they're there and I've seen a couple but it's tough! I may also say I saw fish jump but I'm not sure what they are.
I'm torn between that and being a really good guy and giving away everything I've learned. But...I hate fishing in a crowd. And I already fish from the banks.
My feeling on it is just like anything in life when you work hard for something and figure it out it's more rewarding,if someone tells you where to go ,what bait to use,what depth,what type of presentation,you wont ever learn anything and what's the point of fishing, that's the fun part is trying to figure it out, other wise if it was just about catching I'd probably focus on shark fishing.
senile1 reply :
The only water I was on this week was the water standing in my mushy yard. I learned that constant rain mixed with lightning and no sunshine is very depressing. But then again, I have to count my blessings as I haven't had to deal with anything like hurricanes Florence and Michael.
Somd Fx4 reply :
Today I learned heavy winds aren't kayak friendly. But still managed to catch a dink on a squarebill. I love fall crankbait fishing.
Up until last weekend I had no faith in crankbaits. I threw them a lot this summer and nothing. Last weekend, I tied on a silent Grizzard shad KVD squarebill. After my third cast along rip rap I caught my first crankbait fish. It was no trophy but a fish nonetheless. Today, I went right back down to the same spot with a chart black back rattling squarebill and caught my second crankbait fish.
sfpalatka reply :
Thinking that your drag is locked down and it is not. I was flipping in some water hyacinths and hung into a GIANT bass. Needles to say that my drag wasn't tighten down all the way not allowing me to pull the bass clear of the water hyacinths before it got rid of the hook. I had pulled bass out of the slop before with it. But apparently not as big as this one.
tander reply :
The bite was off. What I learned is sometimes it is better to go golfing than fishing, well maybe. ????
Choporoz reply :
On 10/14/2018 at 8:24 PM, sfpalatka said:Thinking that your drag is locked down and it is not. .
Right....what's with the gremlins that loosen drag in middle of the night??....I miss a couple every year because I didn't check/adjust my drag at start of the day.
ApacheGuns515 reply :
I learned that Coho Salmon are the most A hole fish on the entire planet who will literally jump all around you like dolphins yet decide to eat absolutely nothing that you toss near them.
Seriously, 30+ anglers standing side by side tossing everything from live bait to egg sacks to spoons and the Salmon just jump on by giving everyone the middle finger. Even had one jump on the boat ramp then just jump back in the water lol.
That was my first Salmon fishing experience...I guess now I can understand why just scooping them out with a net is illegal. I could have just waded out there and grabbed one by hand.
scaleface reply :
On 10/12/2018 at 9:42 AM, Russ E said:my 55 year old knees don't like bouncing in rough water all day, while standing on the deck.
I am not a sit down fisherman, but I may have to re evaluate that decision on rough water.
first time my knees ever ached after fishing.
I'm not a sit down angler either , not even in small crafts . This year I have been forced to sit down because of back pain . I need to shorten all my rod handles down two to four inches .They are too long and I dont like having to hold the rod out away from my body that far . It is contributing to the back issues .
flyfisher reply :
I learned that even though baitfish are schooling it doesn't mean the fish are keying in on them with the water temps still in the mid 70's.
YaknBassn reply :
I learned to start fishing with my gut feeling. Fished a small tourney yesterday. Winner caught his stringer and big bass in the exact area I started the day fishing.
Could've been me. But no, I just HAD to go fish deep. And I hate fishing deep.
HeyCoach reply :
A cold front will produce a bluebird sky day. Topwater wouldn’t work at 8:30, especially after you figure out your Whopper Plopper was broken by a previous bass.
Also, make sure that you don’t miss a guide when you put a different reel on a rod.
Choporoz reply :
On 10/14/2018 at 11:27 PM, flyfisher said:I learned that even though baitfish are schooling it doesn't mean the fish are keying in on them with the water temps still in the mid 70's.
I experienced the same thing today. Once I quit chasing shad and went to my strengths in wood and grass, my day turned around remarkably (68-70° surface temps even with highs in 50s last couple days)
flyfisher reply :
On 10/15/2018 at 7:49 AM, Choporoz said:I experienced the same thing today. Once I quit chasing shad and went to my strengths in wood and grass, my day turned around remarkably
It was ridiculously windy out there for me so i stayed in the protected creeks as much as i could. I am looking forward to catching the schooling spots at the lake i was at yesterday once the water drops about another 10 degrees or so.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 10/15/2018 at 7:49 AM, Choporoz said:I experienced the same thing today. Once I quit chasing shad and went to my strengths in wood and grass, my day turned around remarkably (68-70° surface temps even with highs in 50s last couple days)
“Find the bait” is a great strategy but not always best. Largemouth bass sometimes behave like a grouper buried in cover. And you can catch a resting bass if he just so happens to see your worm
geo g reply :
Almost every week, every trip is different. It's up to you to figure something out for that day. Don't get stuck with just one bait, one technique. Think and adjust, that's the fun in Fishing!
stratoliner92 reply :
3 days in a row bass schooling like crazy, weather stable no changes on 4th day except I brought wife to catch some and it was like the dead sea out there???? not a bass in sight
lo n slo reply :
fish still bite in muddy water
haggard reply :
Follow the birds.
Heard about it for a year now, but last Sunday actually witnessed it. Gulls were dive bombing a school on the lake, and I could see the fish jumping. Moved in with the boat and cast in but no luck. Repeated this scene 5 mins later. No luck yet but slowly learning.
A-Jay reply :
I learned that a vibrating jig can be an effective option for October smallmouth when they are in shallow colored water that's 48 - 52 degrees.
A-Jay
teabag259 reply :
I learned a ton. Firstly I learned that it’s a bad idea to have a spinning reel on a baitcaster rod I fixed that problem quickly.
I learned that the lake where I normally fish the water is stained and that bright colored lures generally work best this time of year.
I learned to cast with more accuracy. Not great or perfect by any stretch but I at least learned how to get my line out to the general area where I want to be.
I learned that snapping turtles are a pain in the ass when you are fishing live minnows.
Not that I necessarily needed to learn this again but I had it reinforced that I stink at fishing.
BoatSquirrel reply :
I am still trying to learn to not be too sure of what the fish are going to be doing before I get to the lake. Preconceived notions on what rods and tackle I bring continues to negatively impact my catch. A few more rods on the deck will not hurt anything!
lo n slo reply :
rapidly falling water level is the devil
Ksam1234 reply :
When I went fish Friday it was blowing 15-20 mph and somewhat stained water 2-4 ft visibility ..in that case most would throw a chatterbaits or spinnerbaits or something with noise. I threw a swimjig and hammered them! Shows that sometimes different works
RyneB reply :
I learned that I will never ever ever again forget to pull my trolling motor up before getting on pad.
burrows reply :
I suck at bass fishing
teabag259 reply :
I learned today that wind sucks.
soflabasser reply :
Earlier this month I had a very talented local fisherman teach me his techniques on how to catch catfish in a flooded river.I plan on using the techniques he taught me the next time I fish for river catfish.
ohboyitsrobby reply :
I learned that fish will congregate in 35 foot of water on nothing. No structure whatsoever. And I mean a lot of fish. Which makes this thing we love even more complicated to me. Because I offshore fish structure quite a bit. And this was nothing. Did manage to catch a mixed bag of largies, spots, and yellow bass there.
Sam reply :
I learned a few new places to fish on the Chickahominy River in Virginia.
Also had good results in some places that always seem to hold fish on the Chick.
And last, it was reinforced that even if the weather conditions favor topwater, the bass may not hit any topwater.
scaleface reply :
On 10/24/2018 at 8:42 AM, ohboyitsrobby said:I learned that fish will congregate in 35 foot of water on nothing. No structure whatsoever. And I mean a lot of fish. Which makes this thing we love even more complicated to me. Because I offshore fish structure quite a bit. And this was nothing. Did manage to catch a mixed bag of largies, spots, and yellow bass there.
I have found schools like that before but only half that deep . Absolutely nothing there and catch bass by the dozens . I return to the spot several more times and nothing .
Russ E reply :
this week I learned that you can catch too many white bass.
found a school of hungry white bass, and caught them nonstop for 2 hours.
fingers and palms were bleeding from unhooking fish. toward the end I would try to shake them off at the boat, so I didn't have to unhook them.
ohboyitsrobby reply :
On 10/24/2018 at 9:38 PM, scaleface said:I have found schools like that before but only half that deep . Absolutely nothing there and catch bass by the dozens . I return to the spot several more times and nothing .
The part that really got me is they've been there for a couple weeks. I saw em a while back and thought they were just chasing shad. Went Sunday and they were still there.
Ratherbfishing reply :
I learned that with my ever increasing arthritis, if I don't take regularly scheduled rest breaks, my body (especially my shoulders) will take them for me. I fear that these will become longer in duration and occur more often. C'est la vie.
Choporoz reply :
@Ratherbfishing, getting older sux, don't it? I got home on Saturday after about ten hours on the lake and thought...."Man....fishing didn't use to be work"..lol...got to wondering how pros can do it 4-6 days straight, week in and week out
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 10/25/2018 at 3:59 AM, Choporoz said:@Ratherbfishing, getting older sux, don't it? I got home on Saturday after about ten hours on the lake and thought...."Man....fishing didn't use to be work"..lol...got to wondering how pros can do it 4-6 days straight, week in and week out
I remember a time when I could fish all day too. Didn't catch much then but I could fish all day. The jury is still out on which I prefer.
the reel ess reply :
On 10/25/2018 at 4:08 AM, Ratherbfishing said:I remember a time when I could fish all day too. Didn't catch much then but I could fish all day. The jury is still out on which I prefer.
5 Hour Energy helps. I never drink the whole thing at once. There are at least 3 servings in a bottle. I'll just sip a little when I start dragging. I only use them when I crash after fishing early but I still have things to do. But a nap is even better.
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 10/25/2018 at 5:03 AM, the reel ess said:5 Hour Energy helps. I never drink the whole thing at once. There are at least 3 servings in a bottle. I'll just sip a little when I start dragging. I only use them when I crash after fishing early but I still have things to do. But a nap is even better.
I'm afeared it isn't so much energy (though there's that too) but the pain that slows me down. : (
Log Catcher reply :
On 10/25/2018 at 5:12 AM, Ratherbfishing said:I'm afeared it isn't so much energy (though there's that too) but the pain that slows me down. : (
I have to agree with you 100% on that one.
JLindsey reply :
- The plant I’ve been calling “that Christmas tree-lookin’ stuff” is hydrilla. And based on how much time I spend shaking it off of my lures, I’m now qualified to be an aquatic botanist.
- Do not tie lures near the end of a dock. Do not put your coffee near the end of a dock. Do not bend over near the end of a dock while wearing sunglasses.
- When I’m catching dinks or getting skunked, it’s very clear that I’ll never be KVD. But when I split my pants or get a treble hook stuck in my thumb...I start thinking maybe I’ve got a shot at being Bill Dance.
CrankFate reply :
I learned that no matter how bad at fishing I might be, if you don’t go fishing you catch even less.
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