Working on Becoming a Better Angler 2024
Senko lover reply :
What are some ways you work on making yourself better every time you hit the water?
I don't fish tournaments regularly and don't really have the need to be super competitive, but even in just a quick trip to the pond, I'm always trying to focus and grow better at presentation, mindset, and overall fishing ability. Nothing beats time on the water, but I'd love to hear other ways you guys try to up your game.
Some of the things I've learned are simple, but effective. Nothing mind blowing.
-Use good hooks, knots, and line 
-Always be mentally prepared for a bite on every second of the retrieve or cast; try not to be surprised by a bite.
-Keep a fishing log or record
-Polish your casting skills and learn to present a bait quietly
-Fish your strengths but don't be afraid to have an open mind and be versatile
Chime in!
blckshirt98 reply :
Patience and discipline. The hardest part for me is not getting frustrated if I don't get a bite or catch any fish. Towards the end of mornings like that I start cussing to myself and start thinking "what a f***ing waste of time that was" because I usually wake up at 4-430am to get to the lake by 5:15am, and will fish until about 10-11am, and won't get home until noon. I start thinking about all the other things I could have done with the 7-8 hours that morning.
A-Jay reply :
I seem to be getting Better & Better at eliminating unproductive water & presentations, every time I go out.
If you want to know where not to go & what not to use ~ I'm your man.
A-Jay
awohlwend reply :
I'd say you're of to a great start with the list that you gave. Something I have done to make myself more versatile is to use presentations/baits that I am not comfortable with. Figure out what you want to practice that day and only focus on that one presentation. It may not be the best way to catch fish that day but it's amazing how much you can learn in a day even just from a handful of bites. Doing this will put more techniques in your arsenal for those days where the fish are stubborn and it takes a fine tuned presentation to get them to bite.
Cgrinder reply :
Learn when to make changes and when to keep doin' what you're doin'.
Don't over complicate. WW2farmer has recently made an excellent series of posts regarding color selection in moving baits and soft plastics. I've adopted the mantra of green pumpkin, black and blue, and something else with most of my plastics and it's been good. The something else is usually red bug for me if you're wondering.
Know when it's okay to over complicate. If you have one or two techniques that you're truly excellent at presenting, I think going a bit wild and carrying lots of sizes, types, and colors can lead to more fish. Example: I carry a stupid amount of different swim jig trailers.
Use quality equipment. Expensive equipment is not necessary, but having reels you can cast reliably, rods with which you can feel bottom, and line you can trust goes a long way.
Learn the "rules" before you start learning when the rules can be broken. This sort of goes with don't over complicate. Basically start with the conventional wisdom.
Don't zone out. If you find yourself aimlessly chucking and winding, switch, move, or do something different. Unless, of course, aimlessly chucking and winding is catching fish.
Listen to the fish. How are they hitting your lures? Where in the mouth are they hooked? What do they seem to be relating to?
Most importantly, have fun. It's okay to avoid presentations that you dislike. Don't burn yourself out. Don't make it into a grind. Unless you're like me and you love grinding. Then grind away!
Ratherbfishing reply :
Probably the main key to my improvement is my willingness to explore and experiment. I am not content to do the same thing day in and day out. While I like to fish, casting simply for the sake of casting doesn't do much for me. I REALLY like to CATCH fish and if it feels like I am "going through the motions", I'll move to a new location, a new technique or a new bait (or all of the above). The other day while on a lake that doesn't have a lot of obvious features, I reflected on how my approach and methods have changed over the years and how many mistakes I probably would have made before. I still make mistakes-just not as many.
Jar11591 reply :
One area I would like to improve on is not forcing a bite that isn't happening. My favorite way to fish (except for topwater of course) is pitching Texas rigs to lay downs and over hanging trees. Some days it will catch fish, and some days it won't. More often than I should, when pitching trees isn't catching, I try to force it and fish the trees a little too long when I should be moving on to a new spot.
buzzed bait reply :
i try to better my casting accuracy and lure entry every time i go out. i think it's made me a little better. i also have been much more conscious of using the wind to my advantage instead or cursing it and avoiding it!
BrianinMD reply :
Fish with people who are better than you
d-camarena reply :
Fish pressured waters, i usually go to a fished out creek that has tons of bass. But its very hard to catch one there. No one even bothers to fish there besides me. Its helps me fine tune my skills and presentations. It takes hard work to catch a fish there but i feel rewarded when i do
Catt reply :
Understand what structure is, how to truly identify it, interpret it, & then fish it effecting.
Understand what the predominant pretty species is in your body of water & how that species relates to structure morning, noon, & night...with each passing season.
Understand that next after location is timing; just because you didn't get bit does not mean the bass aren't there or you had the wrong lure tied on.
Understand that to consistently catch bass is a process of elimination & duplication. Eliminate patterns & waters that are nonproductive and duplicate patterns & waters that are productive.
And most importantly understand the #1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet!
A-Jay reply :
On 6/8/2016 at 2:13 AM, Catt said:Understand what structure is, how to truly identify it, interpret it, & then fish it effecting.
Understand what the predominant pretty species is in your body of water & how that species relates to structure morning, noon, & night...with each passing season.
Understand that next after location is timing; just because you didn't get bit does not mean the bass aren't there or you had the wrong lure tied on.
Understand that to consistently catch bass is a process of elimination & duplication. Eliminate patterns & waters that are nonproductive and duplicate patterns & waters that are productive.
And most importantly understand the #1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet!
Perfect -
I'm going to figure about 10 years of experience per sentence right there . . . . . at least.
A-Jay
jtipton91 reply :
On 6/7/2016 at 11:58 PM, Cgrinder said:Learn when to make changes and when to keep doin' what you're doin'.
Don't over complicate. WW2farmer has recently made an excellent series of posts regarding color selection in moving baits and soft plastics. I've adopted the mantra of green pumpkin, black and blue, and something else with most of my plastics and it's been good. The something else is usually red bug for me if you're wondering.
Know when it's okay to over complicate. If you have one or two techniques that you're truly excellent at presenting, I think going a bit wild and carrying lots of sizes, types, and colors can lead to more fish. Example: I carry a stupid amount of different swim jig trailers.
Use quality equipment. Expensive equipment is not necessary, but having reels you can cast reliably, rods with which you can feel bottom, and line you can trust goes a long way.
Learn the "rules" before you start learning when the rules can be broken. This sort of goes with don't over complicate. Basically start with the conventional wisdom.
Don't zone out. If you find yourself aimlessly chucking and winding, switch, move, or do something different. Unless, of course, aimlessly chucking and winding is catching fish.
Listen to the fish. How are they hitting your lures? Where in the mouth are they hooked? What do they seem to be relating to?
Most importantly, have fun. It's okay to avoid presentations that you dislike. Don't burn yourself out. Don't make it into a grind. Unless you're like me and you love grinding. Then grind away!
Care to link me to ww2farmers article? I can't find it
soflabasser reply :
On 6/8/2016 at 2:13 AM, Catt said:And most importantly understand the #1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet!
This is one of the best pieces of advice anyone can give when it comes to fishing besides recommending someone to put in the time needed.Expensive gear is not needed, a good fisherman can catch big fish on a consistent basis on mid price gear.Being able to establish a pattern on any body of water is far more valuable than how much ones fishing gear is worth.
On 6/8/2016 at 1:14 AM, d-camarena said:Fish pressured waters, i usually go to a fished out creek that has tons of bass. But its very hard to catch one there. No one even bothers to fish there besides me. Its helps me fine tune my skills and presentations. It takes hard work to catch a fish there but i feel rewarded when i do
I do this as well and it's helped me step up my fishing game drastically. I fish many public parks that are highly pressured to say the least ,and do extremely well in them. Makes it so much easier to fish on a boat or other spots I have that has less fishing pressure.
Ghostshad reply :
The first time i got a bite on Soft plastic i did't know what it was , i had just bought my first good rod where i could feel what was going on, Now i know & now i have 8 Johnny Morris combo's . I still lack knowledge ,i have everything i need but 1 Thing ,Knowledge & You can't buy it if you could i would of already bought it . But i love to go & enjoy God's Creation ,He made just for us. GodBless
ErikmonBillsfon reply :
For me it's I like to learn one thing at a time. Last year I boycotted senko style so I would force myself to learn other techniques even if it was going to be frustrating and not as productive right away. I thought hollow body frogs were dumb and every one I knew threw ribbit frogs. I have one friend that only throws ribbit exclusively. Well I was determined to learn a new technique. I quickly learned not all hollow belly are made equal. By trial and error I got my favorite (livetarget mouse) and can say I caught more on that mouse than all other top water combined. Before last year I had 0 hollow body catches, now Its a go to lure. This year is learning how to bottom bounce, T-rigs and jigs. I KNOW I will get bit on keitechs, worms, and jerk baits. But I want to get better at skill and those (simple steady retrieve) lures would t make me a better angler.
It's kinda like buying a new house. If u fix everything the first year everything will be half assed and you will regret not spending more time and homework on it. Pick one renovation or project a season so it's done right and has your full attention.
Jar11591 reply :
On 6/8/2016 at 12:53 AM, buzzed bait said:i also have been much more conscious of using the wind to my advantage instead or cursing it and avoiding it!
This is another thing I need to work on....
junyer357 reply :
On 6/8/2016 at 12:53 AM, BrianinMD said:Fish with people who are better than you
X2.
I have learned far more this way. New techniques, diffrent lures to use, ways to present lures, reading electronics, places to fish and when to fish them.
I am always looking for a new person to fish with and learn from. I fish with a few guys who do tourneys, but i personally do not. I am careful though. If a tourny guy shows me a spot i dont show it to a competitor. Nor do i fish that area if i know he has a tourny in a few days. I try to be courteous to my "teachers" and not ruin a good thing.
Neil McCauley reply :
Have a process to keep refining your knowledge/skills:
1) Gather info
2) Process info and make a plan
3) Execute the plan
4) Review how it went
Do this generally each season and every trip out with books/forecasts/fish reports/logs/ etc. But also do it on a micro level while actually fishing- observing conditions, drawing on what you know, making sort of mini-plans in real time for each lure selection, cast, presentation, etc. Try to make your decisions as informed and purposeful as possible and always think about the results. The more you do this the better your decisions and plans will get. It can take a long time but will happen if you stick with it.
"hamma" reply :
I make it a point to try something new,. be it a new lure, technique, or area. every time im on the water, unless im entered into a tourney.
YoTone reply :
i was so geeked to catch a few early this year that i was probably fishing too fast and putting way too much pressure on myself mentally. now that i got a few under my belt ive learned to relax while concentrating on my technique. my hook sets now are much cleaner and as a result ive been catching more bass.
scaleface reply :
At this stage , I dont work on it , it just happens . I know where the bass are on the lakes I fish .I can read a depth finder for information and just go fishing . I'll often try something different but theres always a reason behind it , some thought process that suggest to me what to do to catch more , bigger or at times any fish . The more one fishes the quicker he/she is able to eliminate what is not working . Every trip is a learning experience .
My cousin and I went fishing monday and before we made even one cast , we had two marker buoys set out and both of us hooked up on the first cast . We fished there an hour and left the fish that were still biting to try for some better quality .Experience told us that the spawn was over and the fish were moving deeper . We tried some new spots without any luck . I usually try something or some-place new but again , its not haphazard , theres always a reason behind it . We found some better quality fish in a creek channel lined with stumps . The fish , were not on the stumps , but in the middle of the channel . The channel was 8 foot deep and the edge where the stumps are was 6 foot deep .We will remember that . The bass preferred two foot deeper water over the nearby cover .
Ghostshad reply :
I couldn't believe one day when i said "Wish i had some wind , " I need to work on casting , hitting the target , position my boat to make a good cast , wind does help we fished around a very small , shallow island & didn't get a bite we were just about where we started & the wind started blowing & we went right back around the island catching bass ,it was hard to believe but i saw it done, but i hate 15 Mph Wind & higher . GodBless & Tight Line
Spankey reply :
I've been in all the same situations as above. I feel my topwater game has really dipped the last couple of years on my home piece of water. This is both my fault and the fact that my home stretch is not what it use to be. I caught two this morning on a topwater but, have a bit of a mental block with fishing it. I don't want to quote Mike Icaonelli but I try to take the "Never Give Up" approach. Just make something happen.
contium reply :
Having more fun!
Seriously. It will make you a better fisherman. I fished tournaments and took this stuff way too seriously for a couple of decades. The best thing you can do is lighten up and have fun. Ask any pro. They catch way more fish fun fishing than when they are serious. Fishing really isn't that complicated. Don't complicate it. Plus, the point of fishing is to have fun.
"hamma" reply :
S
On 6/12/2016 at 3:13 AM, contium said:Having more fun!
Seriously. It will make you a better fisherman. I fished tournaments and took this stuff way too seriously for a couple of decades. The best thing you can do is lighten up and have fun. Ask any pro. They catch way more fish fun fishing than when they are serious. Fishing really isn't that complicated. Don't complicate it. Plus, the point of fishing is to have fun.
So true !
Mosster47 reply :
I put together a plan before I go based on the information I have of where I am going to fish. When I get home I go over what I would do differently given the situation.
Luna2406 reply :
On 6/9/2016 at 9:12 PM, scaleface said:At this stage , I dont work on it , it just happens . I know where the bass are on the lakes I fish .I can read a depth finder for information and just go fishing . I'll often try something different but theres always a reason behind it , some thought process that suggest to me what to do to catch more , bigger or at times any fish.
I agree with him, after spending hundreds of hours reading articles/forum topics, sometimes I'm fishing and a situation presents itself that I might have read about one time. It just comes to me and I try whatever that bit of knowledge told me to try. My best advice is read and do research, a lot of the things I've learned was from watching youtube videos. I wasn't raised fishing, I taught myself once i joined the military.
Nitrofreak reply :
There is no better way to learn than to gain experience, practice, practice, practice, patience, patience, patience.
One thing I wish I had done differently is to join a good reputable bass club, clubs often provide that one on one local knowledge that you can't get anywhere else, most will provide a tournament type environment for you to participate in but I wouldn't worry so much about that, that's about as competitive as one may or may not have to experience but can be a blessing in helping you grow as an angler with lots of knowledge from other local and not so local anglers.
frosty reply :
Man there's a ton of good info in this thread. I've been fishing for 30 years or better, started pounding the banks with dad drowning nightcrawlers, we got into it more, bought better equipment, got a small boat and had a blast. Many many good memories sitting in that little boat bs'ing with dad, but one thing I've learned that carries over is to trust your instincts. I'm a beginner when it comes to fishing with lures, but I can usually find a decent spot to try out, you just have to trust your gut.
Fish the Mitt reply :
On 6/7/2016 at 9:39 PM, Senko lover said:What are some ways you work on making yourself better every time you hit the water?
I don't fish tournaments regularly and don't really have the need to be super competitive, but even in just a quick trip to the pond, I'm always trying to focus and grow better at presentation, mindset, and overall fishing ability. Nothing beats time on the water, but I'd love to hear other ways you guys try to up your game.
Some of the things I've learned are simple, but effective. Nothing mind blowing.
-Use good hooks, knots, and line
-Always be mentally prepared for a bite on every second of the retrieve or cast; try not to be surprised by a bite.
-Keep a fishing log or record
-Polish your casting skills and learn to present a bait quietly
-Fish your strengths but don't be afraid to have an open mind and be versatile
Chime in!
The biggest thing is understanding. Understanding that we aren't born the best but rather, it's something we have to work toward. Every day is a step in that direction - but only if you allow it to be. Never stop listening, never stop learning, never stop growing.
wnspain reply :
Never stop learning and there are no absolutes. Way too often I find anglers that have had success in the past continue to make presentations that are clearly not working at this particular time and/or location. Variety is the spice of life, that holds true even in approach to fishing. Fish the entire vertical spectrum, not so much the horizontal. Relax and enjoy the journey, life is not a tournament, it's an experience. These forums are a vast treasure of useful information and it's up to you on how to take what is being said and use it to become a better angler. My particular goal this year was to learn jig fishing and I'm happy to say the process is going well, but sometimes I just can't buy a bite. It happens, get over it, try something new/different...enjoy the journey.
Choporoz reply :
On 6/14/2016 at 7:40 PM, wnspain said:.... there are no absolutes.
josh colley reply :
i would say open your horizons to new baits and also just fish baits you dont normally or fishing bait that you do normally fishing and understand how they act in the water and what they are imitating. it will help you make a better bait choice when you need to "match the hatch" or when you know their primary food source. also perfect you casting your flipping/pitching and also roll casts etc. when i go to make sure that i understand what my lure is acting like under water and that has helped me start to catch more fish
GORDO reply :
Go out with a specific technique that you want to become better with or build confidence. Bring only that type of bait and use it. Then when you feel confident with it, change it up. You will be surprised how much fun you will have as well! Also, fish different water. Get yourself out of the comfort zone and you will be able to adapt to situations a lot better. Tight lines my man!
Felix77 reply :
Hard to believe that I am going into my 5th year and I still feel like a noob at times. FWIW here is my take on becoming better ...
Take the time to learn the lake. Contour and structure. Pick techniques which maximize your chances under those specific circumstances and master those. You will quickly learn what techniques you love (or hate) and want to focus on those. If several will work begin with the fundamental one and work up from there.
How this translates to being a better angler is as follows
1 - React to change quickly. As a co-angler I end up in situations which I was not rigged for from time to time. If I get to a spot I can quickly determine what will maximize my chances and change up if necessary. The lakes will vary but you will find circumstances can/will be similar across them.
2 - Find your "strengths". You will know what your preferences are and that will become your strengths. Once mastered you can almost replicate that no matter where you go fish with confidence.
3 - Discovery your weaknesses - You have 2 choices here ... you can 1 - build it into a strength OR 2 - Avoid those conditions altogether and fish other ways. Clearly depends on your personal preference.
Good luck!
Tommy Pugh reply :
I agree with continum. I was just going to say that enjoying it is important. Every time that I feel frustrated or just am not catching a lot I think to myself that I could be at work. I just try to look around and enjoy the beauty in nature. Sometimes I will just change things up completely and throw on a bobber and some wigglers and just sit and relax. There is nothing wrong with mixing things up and keeping things fresh. It is always good to slow things down and fish slower. I also will very things up. I will try different lures, different colors, and make sure that i fished that area thoroughly.
BiteFiend reply :
The longer I fish, the more I realize that one of the biggest ways to improve as an angler is to fish the day. I try to fish the present and be contiuously aware throughout the day. While this may sound somewhat zen and perhaps overly simple, it keeps me from trying to maybe force a bite that isn't there, or fish "spots" that have been fruitful in the past but do not fit with current conditions or a pattern that I may have established. By trying to be aware, I can "see" what my lure is doing in the water and the type of cover it is in. I continuously check my line for nicks, and re-tie often. I try to be aware of how the weather conditions are positioning the bass on cover and structure and try to be open-minded enough to make the adjustments necessary to catch them.
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