What did you learn or where did you improve at in 2016 . 2024
scaleface reply :
For me it was deep water crankbaits . Ive always had them and caught a few fish here and there but this year it was my number 1 technique . I got on fish and stayed on fish . One day I took my cousin to a spot . The very first thing I did was strategically toss a buoy and told him where the dropoff was , where the little jut on the point was and where the fish should be . We both hooked up first cast on Strike King 6 x's . Thats the kind of year it was with cranks.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I learned how to run and gun better. I fish a lot of small lakes and have a bad habit of putting the trolling motor down and just fishing, even when I know it might not be the most productive area. I feel like I caught a lot better quality fish this year because I only fished the areas I felt gave me the best chances to catch fish and skipped the marginal areas.
"hamma" reply :
One thing sticks out like a sore thumb for me that I learned this year is,... being off the water for a long period of time throws you off alot more than one would think. Yeah, of course casting accuracy fades abit, but more important is reaction timing, feel, concentration, confidence, and lure choices, all swirl around in your head. And while these important aspects of the game are doing so. Your actually much more behind in the game as you think, because these things are hindering your attention as to whats really going on at that moment. Putting 2 and 2 together now is difficult
Your thinking, and doing what you think may be right, and they actually may be the right thing to do, But with your train of thought swirling around in your head, your subconscious is plagued with decisions that are deterring correct actions. Concentration is off, and the rest just follows, your sense of timing and feel are just a hair off as you try to battle the lack of concentration, with all of this going on, even your lure choices get a second guess, therefore confidence fades, and so on. It rolls like a snowball down a hill,,gaining speed, and getting larger. Before you know it, your lost, catching nothing, and totally baffled
How did I combat this?,..I relegated to go back to the basics.,First.. I sat for a moment, cleared my mind, ate a sandwich and took all fishing thoughts out of my head. replacing them with positive thoughts, and good memories of my kids. I enjoying the days weather and watched the wildlife, as I wolfed down my roast beef sub.. Secondly, before I even picked up a rod to continue fishing. I considered the basics. Referring to the six basic lures to use, how to work them, where they can be applied, present conditions, seasonal movements, and prevailing available forage. then I re-tied a bit with all of this new info, and back to fishing I went.
Did it work?,..like a wonder. That short "hiatus" is exactly what I needed to get back in the battle, I was back to my old self in a jiffy. And although it took awhile for the fish to agree, when I finally did get a hit, I was on it like a fly on poop. Although I didnt catch any pigs this year in the 6 outings I did get.,..I learned that when the chips are down,...follow your roots, go back to the beginning, rethink everything with a clear mind to start with. almost like your rebooting your computer,...Shut down, clear your memory, then start all over again.
When you have almost 50 years of bass fishing knowledge packed into memory. Its a daunting task, but if done right, you will catch up. It takes that moment of absence, the serenity of no distractions, and absolute level playing field, before you can dial everything into perspective. I needed a absolute clean slate,...and for me it worked. Its possible that, all of those years of memory actually helped in the end. Progressing my calculations expedientially.
I used to use this tactic when I was tourney angling, and when I came to a day I was struggling, this would get me back on track and put some fish in the livewell. Im just glad it applied this year as well. As I stated above, my injuries hindered outings to only 6 this year, but I made the most of them as I could, and enjoyed each day the good lord gave me to the best of my abilities.
hopefully this post will help someone else thats struggling, to get back in the game as well
Catt reply :
I learned it's getting more difficult to keep my grandson at bay!
Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance!
Mumbly reply :
I learned several things: 1) that I have just as much fun fishing alone. 2) Squid fishing is a ton of fun. 3) Don't get mad when Dad (86) says he doesn't think he can go fishing due to knee issues. 4) Bought a Gopro and discovered I talk to myself waaaay too much.
Bassguytom reply :
I learned how to fish the scrounger jig with much success. (Thanks AJ). Also not to fish from past experiences on the water or memory. Each time fishing to use my electronics more along with what seasonal pattern we were in. More time spent doing this equated to more and better quality fish in the boat.
Scarborough817 reply :
i improved on my lure selection, i didn't re-tie as much before i got to the lake and saw the conditions. i inproved on my use of baitcasters, not backlashing as much, i also improved on finsing new spots and not fishing history as much while moving around the lake
Red Bear reply :
On 12/15/2016 at 12:49 AM, Bassguytom said:Also not to fish from past experiences on the water or memory.
Whatever works for you, but i disagree with this statement. how does one even begin to learn to better themselves at something without past experiences to draw from? and if my memory tells me a spot was productive, then to me its worth going back and fishing again.
-------
i honestly dont know that i learned or got better at anything this year lol
i didnt really get to go fishing as much as usual, between attending my neices wedding and some of my cousins VW Drag Races i didnt have as much time
SJex reply :
Put alot of work into using spinning gear. Also spent the latter part of the season learning to fish a ned rig.
A-Jay reply :
As I added a new fishing platform in 2016 that included an big step up in electronics, I've been learning how to decipher it's display and how to apply it effectively. Still plenty to learn on that front.
Along with that, and this may sound like a simple thing but I learned (again) just how much I like to drive a boat 
especially when it's a little sloppy.
I learned (or perhaps was reminded) how effective a triggering factor speed can be; not to mention how much fun the strikes are.
And finally I've learned that I get just as much happiness & satisfaction reading the post below - as I do having some success myself.
On 12/15/2016 at 12:49 AM, Bassguytom said:I learned how to fish the scrounger jig with much success. (Thanks AJ). Also not to fish from past experiences on the water or memory. Each time fishing to use my electronics more along with what seasonal pattern we were in. More time spent doing this equated to more and better quality fish in the boat.
A-Jay
fishballer06 reply :
I went into 2016 wanting to improve on jigs and dropshotting, and to get into throwing large swimbaits.
I ended up getting into fish head spins and learning all the different ways to use them, and I caught fish on them during the spawn, throughout the summer, and onto the fall.
So for 2017, I still need to improve on my finesse presentations like dropshotting and shakeyheads. I'd also like to catch some big swimbait fish since I made the investment into it. I'm also looking to improve my frog fishing as well.
panfish12 reply :
I learned to use a baitcaster this year. I am glad I finally took the leap and bought one, I have enjoyed using it.
Mastermarsh reply :
This year I spent most of the season throwing different styles of jerkbaits (hard, soft, suspending, floating, different sizes & color patterns) I set out to be able to recognize which jerkbaits & retrieves are most effective at different water temperatures, water clarities, and learning high percentage areas where I can go on a new lake and always catch a few jerkbait fish.
I also spent a lot of time on learning the art flipping and pitching into heavy cover and how to recognize potential areas that bass may be lurking among cover to maximize my time on the water.
JustinJ reply :
Giving the fish what they want, not what I want to use
gulfcaptain reply :
I learned how to fish for salmon motor mooching, learned how to rig a cut plug herring, and how to identify which ones I was catching.....lol As for bass fishing, moved from the shore to a boat, learned to trust my gut, be confident in deep cranking, and learned that dropshot fishing in 50ft of water deadsticking that 3-4" worm all day is like watching paint dry......but it did work and caught a lot of fish. So I have a new found confedence in that I didn't have before.
Ratherbfishing reply :
Hmmmm.... I found that on several occasions, shifting to a smaller bait made a huge difference-although NEXT year, larger baits might be the trick. You just never know. I guess I'll say being flexible in SIZE has been a great learning experience for me.
MassYak85 reply :
I was a lot more patient. If I was fishing a presentation that I thought was optimal for the conditions I didn't tie on a new lure as quickly as I would have in the past. I tried being more methodical about what the fish were doing instead of looking for that "magic bullet" in the tackle box. I also feel I made a lot of progress in applying some of the stuff I've read and heard the past few years on here and other places. I was able to catch six fish over 4lbs this year, and two of them were over 5. Now up until this year I had only ever caught one fish over 4, which was my PB of 5.4 which I tied again this year. Out of those six fish I can attribute five of them to applying something new I learned. Two of them were pre-spawn fish that I caught while applying some of the knowledge of where fish locate during the pre-spawn I had learned. Two of them were on a Whopper Plopper on cloudy super windy days, conditions I had loathed until recently but remembered hearing that buzzbaits and similar lures could be successful during those conditions. One was on a Spro rat in a spot that just looked too good to not have a fish. I casted in twice with no luck, but my gut told me there had to be a fish there. So I slowed down, twitching a couple times and letting it sit for like 20 seconds in between. About a minute of doing that and the lure only moving maybe a couple feet....SLAM! I would have never gone that slow in the past but it payed off.
And one was just stupid blind luck 
I backlashed a crankbait and it was sitting there for like 30 seconds before I got the backlash out and as soon as I got tension back on the crankbait and it began to dive I saw a fish grab...not the most rewarding way to catch a 5lber but I'll take it haha.
stk44 reply :
I improved my jig fishing this year. I now have one tied on all year long. Pitching a jig in a laydown, weeds, or lily pads is so much fun. I've caught more 3+ pound fish this year than I ever have before. It's so rewarding to notice something "different" about your line,reel up the slack, set the hook and have a bass on the end of your line.
In 2017 I plan on honing my skills with football jigs. Still haven't had much luck with them, although I haven't used them much either.
hunterPRO1 reply :
jigs, went from 0 confidence in them to catching two 7lber in one day once.
Mike L reply :
On 12/15/2016 at 2:22 AM, JustinJ said:Giving the fish what they want, not what I want to use
Sometimes... more times than I'd care to admit..This is me
Mike
everythingthatswims reply :
I learned how to fish an Alabama rig and have a lot of confidence in them now. There is a lot more to understanding that bait than people think.
Also getting better at fishing with electronics.
scaleface reply :
On 12/15/2016 at 4:14 AM, MassYak85 said:
And one was just stupid blind luck
I backlashed a crankbait and it was sitting there for like 30 seconds before I got the backlash out and as soon as I got tension back on the crankbait and it began to dive I saw a fish grab...not the most rewarding way to catch a 5lber but I'll take it haha.
One of these days you will probably have to pull one in by hand. LOL A lot of us has done that at one point .
MassYak85 reply :
On 12/15/2016 at 7:13 AM, scaleface said:One of these days you will probably have to pull one in by hand. LOL A lot of us has done that at one point .
I've had a couple hit before on a backlash. I always just reel in anyways and deal with the backlash after unless it's so bad I have large loops coming out of the reel but I rarely backlash that bad anymore.
TnRiver46 reply :
Trolling crankbaits for smallmouth and using down imaging. My girlfriend got me a lowrance elite 4HDI for Christmas last year and I have been staring at it ever since
Columbia Craw reply :
Using a plug knocker. It's being a Marine. No crankbait gets left behind.
IndianaFinesse reply :
On 12/15/2016 at 7:13 AM, scaleface said:One of these days you will probably have to pull one in by hand. LOL A lot of us has done that at one point .
Done that a couple times. Got a wind knot while throwing a ned rig, a few minutes into untangling it I felt a bass tugging on the end of my line. I had to bring it in hand over hand, which was actually kind of fun.
Spankey reply :
My biggest obstacle I had to overcome was the head game I had rolling around between my shoulder blades with topwater fishing. 2014 and 2015 seasons i could not get it together don't know what it was, what i was or was not doing but my confidence was shot fishing a way that i enjoy so much. I by no means am a topwater master but I pulled it together for this past season got that confidence back like that problem never existed. Over thinking it did not help. Putting an unnecessary stress to fishing didn't help. It was something that just came together for me on its own. Hope I don't run into this again and if I do I'll take it in stride.
I did not jerkbait fish as much as I like to, fish salamanders and jig & pig fish the amount as I normally would. Got hung up on fishing a few new colors of good baits patterns and wormed fish a bit more then in the past few years. Nothing all that new just just a different cycle.
shimmy reply :
Great question. Was fun to think about. I learned that reeling a crankbait at lightning speed can trigger some GIANT bass. Always thought that was a smaller fish/northern pike type presentation. Also learned the importance of fishing seemingly less productive water slowly and meticulously. This is more for smaller bodies of water. Basically, if you choose to fish a spot that seems "seemingly less important," fish it the right way with the best approach you got. This spring, summer, and fall, most of my big bass came from spots that usually aren't productive. Was another reminder to fish your best at every spot and not to speed through if you CHOOSE to fish it. I know it is good to generally focus on more productive waters, but there is something about the 300 acre type lakes where there can be some interesting surprises if you are strategic with your explorations.
dwh4784 reply :
I learned to use a leader on my T-rigs instead of tying direct to braid. Also learned to seek out waters that can't be touched by a bass boat. A couple of my best fish came when pulled up to the shore way back in the thick stuff and parallel casting along the bank.
Jagg reply :
Learned to fish the swim jig. 2017: Ned Rig. Seems pretty similar to Slider fishing so it shouldn't be a huge learning curve.
frogflogger reply :
Float n fly - yahoo
DoDFire reply :
On 12/15/2016 at 8:03 PM, frogflogger said:Float n fly - yahoo
http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/new-hot-weather-technique
http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/float-n-fly-when-its-hot
Onvacation reply :
After watching my kids grow to adults, it took raising my five year old nephew to teach me this. When young kids are involved, unless you want to ruin the day for everyone, fishing with young kids means you are there to help them fish, not act like they are your co-angler.
the reel ess reply :
I learned to downsize to catch fish when it's really hot in the middle of the Dog Days. I reverted to the ol' Do-Nothing split shot rig. Later I changed it to a light weight C-rig with a T-rigged Zoom finesse worm. I learned that the loud colors like bubble gum and lime don't work as well as pumpkin and watermelon when the bite gets tough.
On 12/15/2016 at 9:28 PM, Onvacation said:After watching my kids grow to adults, it took raising my five year old nephew to teach me this. When young kids are involved, unless you want to ruin the day for everyone, fishing with young kids means you are there to help them fish, not act like they are your co-angler.
This is really hard for me because I LOVE to fish and don't get to nearly enough by my estimation. My 12 YO daughter has a kayak as well and I like for her to go with me. But she bumps into me, slaps the water and makes a general racket. She's just not into fishing and she told me she was just about done kayaking with me because all I do is fish and it makes me sad. She was so excited when I first bought the kayak for her in the late winter that she would go outside and sit in it. I asked her if we could do one more trip when it warms and leave the fishing rods at home.
Scarborough817 reply :
On 12/15/2016 at 9:06 AM, IndianaFinesse said:Done that a couple times.
sticking to your name on that one eh? 
WIGuide reply :
2016 was the year of the jig. It took me a while to to gain confidence in it, but when all was said and done, the majority of my bigger fish I caught this year came on the jig. Since I improved using jigs, I started experimenting more with other baits that I don't use as often and even though I didn't devote a huge amount of time to them, I was far more willing to step out of my comfort zone and experiment. I worked to get better using my electronics and put in quite a bit of time mapping uncharted lakes that I fish on a regular basis. It's definitely a nice feature for me and has paid off.
During the summer months I worked on my deeper water structure game and it improved some. It's not where I want it to be yet, but it's improving. Overall, even though 2016 was different, I think it was a pretty darn good year.
crypt reply :
fly fishing for bass more. best year yet for it.
reerok reply :
Great topic.
1) learned to effectively utilize drop-shotting horizontally in shallow water. This became one of my favorite techniques.
2) I spent a lot of time using crank baits and learned a lot through that process
3) mostly I learned that I have a ton to learn. Especially in understanding reservoirs, the importance of studying maps and sonar charts, and how to spend time identifying high percentage areas before getting to the water instead of wasting time fishing unproductive areas once on it.
Onvacation reply :
On 12/15/2016 at 9:52 PM, the reel ess said:I learned to downsize to catch fish when it's really hot in the middle of the Dog Days. I reverted to the ol' Do-Nothing split shot rig. Later I changed it to a light weight C-rig with a T-rigged Zoom finesse worm. I learned that the loud colors like bubble gum and lime don't work as well as pumpkin and watermelon when the bite gets tough.
This is really hard for me because I LOVE to fish and don't get to nearly enough by my estimation. My 12 YO daughter has a kayak as well and I like for her to go with me. But she bumps into me, slaps the water and makes a general racket. She's just not into fishing and she told me she was just about done kayaking with me because all I do is fish and it makes me sad. She was so excited when I first bought the kayak for her in the late winter that she would go outside and sit in it. I asked her if we could do one more trip when it warms and leave the fishing rods at home.
My son is 23, my daughter is 21, and my nephew is 5. My daughter in particular, since she lives nearby, always reminds me about events in our past together that she sees that are similar to events with my nephew. My daughter and nephew are the fishermen in the family. Kids don't have bad days fishing, they have bad experiences with us as parents. Yea it sucks when they aren't as into it as we are, but I can tell you now, it's pretty cool when that 12 year old turns 21 and calls you up and asks to go fishing. Hang in there.
Luna2406 reply :
Worms! I had a heck of a year focusing on my worm game haha wacky rigging a 4" worm was my go to bait for the year. I really had to slow down and that was my hardest challenge. After seeing how productive wacky was, I tried shakey heads, and I caught some of the biggest bass of the year that way. I still have trouble figuring out what to use when, but I know how to use certain baits to make them work for me. This year I definitely used more baits that I have in the previous three. The only one I have no confidence in but I know I need to work on is jigs. That's my goal for this next year, is catch more than 1 fish on a jig. Gotta start small!
Will Wetline reply :
I'm back in from shoveling as much snow as I care to, and will now turn my attention to observations from the 2016 season.
Don't know that I learned anything new but rather reaffirmed, gained more confidence in baits that I had previously shown to smallies and refined my presentation of them.
Let's start early season with small hair jigs when the water temp was in the mid to high 40ºs. In an earlier post I used the term "dawdle" because that describes the speed of the retrieve in water this cold. Save the hoppin' and boppin' for warmer water and a different type of jig.
Vibrating blade baits showed me some decent cold water smallies too. If you missed it, check out the recent post about this extremely effective cold water bait:
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/183746-a-difference-between-blade-baits/
Still early on a bright June morning, the topwater bite died. I was sitting on a favorite rock hump and noticed a hatch had started. Opportunists that they are, smallies eat just-hatched bugs that are making their way to the surface. Opportunist that I am, I wacky rigged a 4" Senko on a #1 Gamakatsu circle hook, cast, let it sink for a two or three count and twitched it back to the boat. The smallies ate it as long as the hatch lasted. Here's one of six:
Can't say enough about Duo Realis' Spin Bait 80 which worked for me consistently in water that ranged from 55º - 75º.
This June day had been very slow overall and at 3:00 I was hot and bored. Why not amuse myself with a popper? I was working the edge of a steep breaking flat thinking maybe, maybe a hungry cruiser would take notice.
The boat you see in these photos is one from the rental fleet that the Massachusetts Division of Conservation and Recreation maintains at Quabbin Reservoir. One morning, when I was in the middle of this sizable body of water, I spotted a stowaway!
If I were fishing a pad field for largemouth this creature would have been in big trouble but, being a smallie guy, I had no use for it and deposited it on shore at the end of the trip.
This season I used 6 lb. line, both Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon and Silver Thread AN 40 copolymer more often than the 8 or 10 lb. lines that I also use. That's because I often used light, subtle presentations. (1/8 oz. hair jigs, 4" Senko, Duo Realis Spin Bait.) Even used it toward the end of my season in late June for T-rigging a a small bait on a 1/0 EWG hook. And I'm thinking through this recap of the season's memorable events that 6 lb. works fine to properly balance an outfit/presentation and may make a difference on a "tough bite" day. Here's the biggest surprise of the season. On 6 lb. Tatsu:
Got my jig back!
Hope you enjoyed this ramble through my 2016 smallie season.
Oklahoma Mike reply :
Back in the hottest days of the summer, I was targeting big bass in some highly pressured bodies of water. Sometimes covering water right behind other anglers who'd power fished right through it without landing a thing, even though I knew they were there. I learned to find my patience again, and to really slow down - way, way down - pretty much "stitching" my bait back along the bottom excruciatingly slow. There were some tough days when this was the only way I could find success in some of these places.
Not a new technique to me, but I think over the last couple of years I've often been too impatient and would cover an area too fast, then move on to another spot, etc., and at the end of the day I'd have little to show for it. This year I forced myself to slow down, and it was very rewarding.
Dreadhead47 reply :
This year I learned a lot about crankbait and jerkbait presentation. For soft plastics, I learned to slow down and adjust bait size till I find what work that day, rather than throwing the same bait all day and basically burning it back. I Have always resisted fishing deep and I feel I made good progress this year. On to equipment. I learned spooling my spinning reel with braid and using a leader is a whole lot easier to work with. Micro guides are terrible when faced with cottonwood(I think it's called), and during winter. Most important thing I've learned is to periodically check my line for any abrasion. I Learned that the hard way, several times this year.
JT Bagwell reply :
I started doing some Spybaiting this year. I had never done it before but I got some of the Lucky Craft Screw Pointers and was told that was the technique they were designed for.
It was actually kind of fun. Normally I don't pick up a spinning rod unless I have no choice but I caught some good fish on this technique.
slonezp reply :
What did I learn????......
I learned how precious spending time with the ones you love really means. I learned how I miss fishing with my son. He has decided to become a grown up. He's in a serious relationship and now has to find time to fish rather than just show up at the ramp. With any luck, I'll be well enough to fish tournaments next year, because it's the only time I fish with him anymore. I learned my dad is getting old. Losing his memory old. Can't remember which lid is for the livewell old. Needing to hold onto him as he gets in and out of the boat old. Having "accidents" on the boat old. Gotta hand it to him. That old man will fish from sun up to sun down and then some if he could. I learned how important it is to my mother, that I take my dad fishing. She thanks me every time, because he always comes home happy. I learned that even though I don't want to filet dozens of crappies or bluegills, to just suck it up and do it because my folks love eating them. I learned that even buying my ol' lady a set of Carhartt bibs, she still won't join me on the boat when it's below 50* out. I learned the ol' lady no longer loves me. I bought a second boat and she never said a word about it. Had she loved me, I surely would have never heard the end of it.
and I learned that Senkos flat out catch fish. I already knew this but I haven't fished them for years. They were my goto bait this year.
RLP reply :
I learned that sometimes you just need to take time off and to go fishing. Many times all you need is a half day and you can enjoy what feels like a whole day around or on the water! 2017 will be filled with many more weeks searching for tight lines. Can't wait but until then mods on the boat and time spent organizing my tackle will have to do.
Really nice post above by slonezp! Especially the part about sucking it up. Sometimes fishing is more about others than ourselves.
Mike L reply :
On 12/19/2016 at 11:52 AM, slonezp said:What did I learn????......
I learned how precious spending time with the ones you love really means. I learned how I miss fishing with my son. He has decided to become a grown up. He's in a serious relationship and now has to find time to fish rather than just show up at the ramp. With any luck, I'll be well enough to fish tournaments next year, because it's the only time I fish with him anymore. I learned my dad is getting old. Losing his memory old. Can't remember which lid is for the livewell old. Needing to hold onto him as he gets in and out of the boat old. Having "accidents" on the boat old. Gotta hand it to him. That old man will fish from sun up to sun down and then some if he could. I learned how important it is to my mother, that I take my dad fishing. She thanks me every time, because he always comes home happy. I learned that even though I don't want to filet dozens of crappies or bluegills, to just suck it up and do it because my folks love eating them. I learned that even buying my ol' lady a set of Carhartt bibs, she still won't join me on the boat when it's below 50* out. I learned the ol' lady no longer loves me. I bought a second boat and she never said a word about it. Had she loved me, I surely would have never heard the end of it.
and I learned that Senkos flat out catch fish. I already knew this but I haven't fished them for years. They were my goto bait this year.
What did I REALLY learn??...
That tho we are all different people from all over the country who may never meet, one mans life experience is not unlike others, and that there is more in our lives that we may have in common than just fishing.
Thanks Slone
Mike
Bait Runner reply :
Being rather new to bass fishing, I would say that I learned I have a lot to learn. Road Warrior had posted on my introductory thread about some things to try if you're not catching fish and I decided that this was the best place for me to pick up during Spring 2017.
I also learned to really appreciate the beauty of the local lakes and surrounding areas. I think that is sometimes overlooked.
fishingfan25 reply :
I got good with something that I've been wanting to do for awhile, i got good at fishing big baits. The key for me was being able to put down the smaller stuff that "catches" a ton of fish and focus on only getting a few bites a day. i pulled fish of size out of places i had no idea had them. i rarely picked up conventional gear this year and I'm more than happy that i made this choice. it resulted in a lot of big fish and some great memories
Alan Reed reply :
Well this list is pretty long. I started the year not having seriously fished in my life. So I started with the basics in the winter. Wife got me a nice pole and a baitcasting reel which was my preference.
I got out on the water in the spring and it was a struggle. I was trying different things and different locations but just couldn't put it all together to catch fish. If I did catch one then I might get 4 fish in entire time we were out.
When I started fishing it was with Texas rigged worm. Then I started to venture out to RAT-L-Traps and spinner baits but never really had much success.
In the midspring I got medium light rod with spinning reel. That opened up the option of the Ned Rig and that really started to get things clicking. Went out my first time with the Ned and caught 7. Now that I was catching fish I could start developing patterns. Once I new where the fish where I started going back to the TX rigged worm and was catching bigger fish consistently
Several of the lakes around me have a large amounts of Pads and Hydrilla so to cover water I started using a white fluke. First time out I was fishing the edges of the channels in the hydrilla and caught 17 LMB. Now I was dangerous I could catch fish on a moving bait and could finesse around cover and structure.
As things progressed I starting catching fish on Spinner baits, buzz baits, and different types of soft plastic worms.
I did my first fishing tournament and got 9th out of 63 which I was proud of but then I learned all the top performers caught the big ones on frogs. So I made a point. To go out and catch a fish on a frog. Let me tell you it was a struggle. I would have fish blowing up on it. Either they pulled it under slightly and I reacted and pulled it out before they really had it or many many times the fish just knocked the frog but didn't take it under. It took me a good 3-4 times going out focusing on the frog until I caught my first one and it was about a 3lber.
Late summer I started fishing a chatterbait. That turned out to be a big fish bait for me and I was regularly catching fish 2.5 to 3.5 lbs with it. As fall started to set in I started working a square bill crankbait. I loved fishing it around wood and it was amazing how I could almost always tell when the bait was reacting in a way a fish wasn't going to be able to turn it down. It would bang into some wood and pop around or over and would stop for a second while I either paused or had to get get the line caught up. And as soon as it was start to move again a fish would wack it.
I also got a fish finder on my Kayak and started to figure out how the fish relate to the underwater features.
The combination of everything coming together and cementing the fact that I feel I moved from being someone that fishes to an angler occurred on the Friday before Thanksgiving. That's when I fished a new body of water and found an underwater creek channel with my depth finder. I then swam a chatterbait on the edge of the drop off into the channel and hookuped with my 4.75 PB. Which in Indiana is a really good fish.
It's been a really good experience and learned so many things throughout the year.
The Bassman reply :
On 12/21/2016 at 3:48 AM, Alan Reed said:Well this list is pretty long. I started the year not having seriously fished in my life. So I started with the basics in the winter. Wife got me a nice pole and a baitcasting reel which was my preference.
I got out on the water in the spring and it was a struggle. I was trying different things and different locations but just couldn't put it all together to catch fish. If I did catch one then I might get 4 fish in entire time we were out.
When I started fishing it was with Texas rigged worm. Then I started to venture out to RAT-L-Traps and spinner baits but never really had much success.
In the midspring I got medium light rod with spinning reel. That opened up the option of the Ned Rig and that really started to get things clicking. Went out my first time with the Ned and caught 7. Now that I was catching fish I could start developing patterns. Once I new where the fish where I started going back to the TX rigged worm and was catching bigger fish consistently
Several of the lakes around me have a large amounts of Pads and Hydrilla so to cover water I started using a white fluke. First time out I was fishing the edges of the channels in the hydrilla and caught 17 LMB. Now I was dangerous I could catch fish on a moving bait and could finesse around cover and structure.
As things progressed I starting catching fish on Spinner baits, buzz baits, and different types of soft plastic worms.
I did my first fishing tournament and got 9th out of 63 which I was proud of but then I learned all the top performers caught the big ones on frogs. So I made a point. To go out and catch a fish on a frog. Let me tell you it was a struggle. I would have fish blowing up on it. Either they pulled it under slightly and I reacted and pulled it out before they really had it or many many times the fish just knocked the frog but didn't take it under. It took me a good 3-4 times going out focusing on the frog until I caught my first one and it was about a 3lber.
Late summer I started fishing a chatterbait. That turned out to be a big fish bait for me and I was regularly catching fish 2.5 to 3.5 lbs with it. As fall started to set in I started working a square bill crankbait. I loved fishing it around wood and it was amazing how I could almost always tell when the bait was reacting in a way a fish wasn't going to be able to turn it down. It would bang into some wood and pop around or over and would stop for a second while I either paused or had to get get the line caught up. And as soon as it was start to move again a fish would wack it.
I also got a fish finder on my Kayak and started to figure out how the fish relate to the underwater features.
The combination of everything coming together and cementing the fact that I feel I moved from being someone that fishes to an angler occurred on the Friday before Thanksgiving. That's when I fished a new body of water and found an underwater creek channel with my depth finder. I then swam a chatterbait on the edge of the drop off into the channel and hookuped with my 4.75 PB. Which in Indiana is a really good fish.
It's been a really good experience and learned so many things throughout the year.
You're a fast learner. Mighty brave too ,starting out with baitcasting!
AnthonyBarnaoBASS reply :
What i learned this year in bass fishing is that although you are not the number of fish or size of fish that you would like, every day on the water is still a blessing. We live in a free country and the best country to have the freedom to do what we like and have hobbies like the amazing sport of bass fishing that we all know and love. This year was a good year of fishing for me and my buddies, although recently the bite has been unbearable and not where we would like we still go bust the banks for a good time on the water.
A thing that I personally need to improve on in the new coming year is when I am out there and maybe not having the best luck, is to make every single cast that i make count. I constantly find myself on a tough day casting just to cast rather than actually casting to potentially catch a fish. Although it may get tedious, i will catch more fish making casts that count.
God Bless
Ghostshad reply :
Wear a lifeVest while fishing , i learned the hard way .
roadwarrior reply :
Did you drown?
KDW96 reply :
I had a refresher course in life this year. My wife had major cancer surgery at 45. My mom&dads health declined even more. My dad 74,still fishes tourneys,but at times he needs help. This year,hes lost 2 rod setups, due too his ability to grip things,esspecially in the cold. He says hes done,once they are gone. I wont let that happen,as he taught me how to fish. Im going to be trading about half or more of my tackle for reels(he will only use a certain old shimano). I know in time they too will be lost, but the trade will be worth it in more ways than one. I was fortunate too fine a member in Bass Resource,to make this happen:) I will continue to find more of the same reels,just in case.
What did i learn again? Just like fishin,things change, and you gotta change. My family is and always will be first. Theres always someone worse off than you. My wife is 100% cancer free so far ,i am blessed in all aspects.
Im at work right now, on a very slow shipping day,what a nice day : )
Robeng reply :
Drop Shot. Stay with one lure for longer and not keep switching. But, that was only some days.
RAMBLER reply :
Soft plastic swim baits in lily pads, and, I can tell you for certain, color does matter. My most productive color is rainbow trout and I can guarantee these bass have never seen a rainbow trout. I never catch many fish but 95% of the time I catch some fish.
Dannytoo reply :
soft plastic swim baits and jerk baits how to fish and how well they work
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