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I agree with Brian, though I don't fish competatively, it may be all in how you ask.

 

You'll always get more bees with honey. 

 

Additionally, I will always take a few monents to help out a youngster who seems genuine, and polite.

 

I've been know to cut a bait right off my set up and donate it to the right cause.

 

Some one did that for me way back when and I've never forgotten it.

 

A-Jay

Here's a little piece I put together, The jig is my favorite lure to fish because of it's versatlity.


Representation,
First let's start with what a jig represents underwater, I believe the most
Popular use of it is to imitate a Crayfish but they also can imitate baitfish as well.

Jigs come in many different shapes, sizes and colors etc. The most popular crayfish imitators seem to be the good old skirted jig usually tipped with some sort of plastic or pork trailer.
Speaking of sizes, shapes, colors, I'm only going to really get into the skirted jig with a plastic or pork trailer as this is the bait I primarily use, and use it as a crayfish imitator only.

Sizes,
There is a very large size range available,
I mainly use 3 sizes of Jigs in my arsenal or depending on manufacturer the closest weight to these sizes 3/8 oz , ½ oz and ¾ oz.

I will mainly use a 3/8oz when fishing really shallow. The presentation has more time to be subtle because of the lighter weight than just crashing on the bottom in the shallow water.
1/2 oz. Jig
 This is my go to, if there was only one jig weight aloud in my box, this would be it. I guess you could say the happy medium. I fish this 99 percent of the time from a regular bank down to 15 ft and anything in between.

The only time I go to a 3/4 oz. Is if I need to get through some thick weeds, the wind is really blowing or I am fishing dep but want to fish it faster than normal.

Colors,
I don't get crazy on colors when it comes to jigs. I have 3 colors that I have a ton of confidence in and those are Browns, Greens, and Black. It seems the jig has excepted rules on what colors for what conditions were faced with, green or brown, natural colors for clearer water and black or darker colors for murkier water or night time. I do follow that to a point but not because of the rule but because I have confidence in throwing those baits in those conditions. I‘ve caught fish in clear water with a black jig and fish in murky water and at night with a green jig so what's that tell us. Color is confidence in my book.

Trailers/Chunks
These come in many shapes and sizes, Most of them are made to represent the pincher end of the crayfish which are either threaded or simply hooked on to the jig.
I go rather simple in this area as far as selection.


I mainly use 3 colors in 2 sizes, Green, Brown and Black in 2” or 3” sizes I always match the color of the trailer with the jig, (just a confidence thing)
I will normally start off fishing with a 2” trailer in tournaments, I feel the smaller size may get me more bites in order to get my limit then I may upgrade trailer size to go after larger fish, but there is no rule here either, as I have caught fish over 6lbs. on 2” trailers and fish less than 12” on 3” trailers.
As far as the many styles and brands of trailers, my selection is simple I use my own, I feel they give me the best chances of catching fish and here is why: When a bass hits a jig they will normally engulf the whole lure, Jig and trailer. It only takes a split second for that fish to reject the bait if it notices anything artificial about it. When I make my trailers I add a lot of crayfish oil to the plastic prior to cooking then once poured they go through a 2 stage salting process. Once you get a fish to bite them they are hard pressed to let it go because there is so much taste for them. Because there is so much craw oil in the plastic it makes the baits very soft which helps release the oils and salt when the bait is bitten. (Shameless Plug I know, but the truth as well)

The Bite!
I have been fishing a jig predominantly for the last few years and have probably experienced every type of bite possible, but then again maybe not, sometimes you don't feel anything at all, then sometimes they almost rip the rod out of your hand, and then you have everything in between, you must always be ready to set the hook.

 It is a must to be a line watcher when fishing a jig because you may not always be in direct contact with the lure, and the little twitch in the line that you didn't see could have been a 10” fish or the fish of a lifetime.
One thing I really like to do is know the depth of the water I'm casting to, I feel this is very important, a ½ oz jig on 15lb mono sinks at about  1ft per second. So I know if I'm casting it into 12ft of water and the line stops sinking when I count to 6, something sucked it in, reel in any slack and set the hook.
This is where I believe salts and scents are very handy, normally when I'm fishing a jig I'm fishing some type of structure, rocks, wood, grass, etc. with the equipment on the market you can pretty much feel everything the lure bumps into, when first getting into jig fishing I might have questioned myself was that a fish or a rock, don't know for sure.           But now using my own baits and good equipment as well as a lot of time fishing the jig,  I have the confidence in them to know that when I feel that little bump, I can pause and wait a second or two to see if there is any activity or lack there of on the end of the line before ramming the hook into a nice bass, or a stump.

Equipment:
For fishing these type and size of jigs, I use a 7' Heavy action bait casting rod, I feel this is very important and will not use a Jig on anything lighter, for a few reasons, 1.) These jigs normally have stout hooks that require a decent amount of force to get good penetration. I don't want to take the chance of losing a big fish because my rod didn't have enough power to drive the hook home, 2.) You have the weed guard to deal with as well when setting the hook. 3.) A lot of times the bass will really clamp down on a jig to crush it making it harder to move the jig on the set to get a good hook set, I noticed this especially with small mouth bass.  As for the brand of rod that is personal preference but I think you should get the best you can afford in this area or the added sensitivity.

For a reel, I prefer High speed reels 6.1:1 or 6.3:1 and a decent amount of line retrieval per handle turn. I like this because I can pick up any slack really fast as well as keep up with the fish if it is charging towards me. This is another brand preference issue, I prefer smaller profile reels so I can palm the reel and rest the line going into the reel on my pointer finger for extra sensitivity.


Line
I mainly use 15 lb test mono line for most jig fishing, I don't really go any lighter than that, I will go heavier for certain situations depending on a few factors, structure or cover that I'm fishing, or even the size of the fish I have a chance at catching will dictate the size.  In really clear water I will use fluorocarbon line for reduced visibility. And if I need to go above 20 lb mono for any reason I will switch to a braid for line diameter purposes. You can use any of the three all the time, these are just my preferences and how I utilize each for certain situations.


This is not intended to be a know all of Jig fishing document, these are the ways and equipment I personally like to use and have confidence in for the situations I face,(Notice the title) there are so many variables in fishing that could call for a different tactic from the lure type and  size, to the tackle and line, it would be impossible to list them all.


Some techniques I use...

When I make a cast I let the bait sink, you must always watch your line, a lot of times they will hit it on the initial fall and your line will either twitch, stop before it should, or start going sideways, when this happens reel up the slack and set the hook.   If the bait makes it to the bottom I will wait about 3 or 4 seconds and then drag it about 6-8 inches (Right now he's just cruising on the bottom), then pause, after 3-4 seconds drag again, and repeat this.  Once I feel any obstruction, I pause then shake without dragging, I feel this simulates the crayfish trying to burrow under whatever obstacle it just bumped into.  Then I give it 2 quick very short snaps, this would simulate the crayfish fleeing from a predator, then let it hit bottom and repeat the whole process.  A lot of times right after the pause when you go to drag again it will feel heavy, set the hook. Hook sets are free, If you haven't fished a jig a lot , it takes time before you can get a really good handle on determining fish bites from obstructions.   Practice makes perfect and when in doubt set the hook.

That's for mostly open water hump style fishing and beating a bank. In cover I like to throw it in the nastiest stuff possible and shake it around then repeat casting to it (pretty much pick it to pieces.)

Don't ever think there is such a thing as to shallow, I use to cast to about a foot off shore till a guy on the back of my boat beat me bad, the fish were in that spot right on the bank, now I cast to were I'm pretty much hitting the shoreline.

I would never make a statement saying there is no substitute for Rage Tail, because that is not true. These are all tools of the trade we need to assist us in catching fish. How you use them is up to you. There are many guys on this site that hand pour or use plastic injection systems that make craws. I've used them and they work just as well if not better than Rage Tail. So what makes Rage Tail so special, just because they are a sponsor and we have to promote them to our last dying breath. C'mon guys there is no one perfect plastic and many other brands catch a lot of fish as well.  I would like to see what the response here would be if Netbait became a sponsor as well. What would would everyone say then? Would we have Rage Tail, Paca Chunk wars?????Just my persoanl opinion, if you want to delete this post go ahead.

 

PS: With that kind of thinking since I own a Ranger than it's OK to make a general statement and say that there is no substitute for a Ranger boat?

 

Senkosam, I like that you think outside the box and are trying new things and exposing everyone to new ideas. Job well done and I commend you on your ingenuity on posting other plastic baits as well in other threads on this site.

I don't think too much about it when I'm keeping fish honestly. We humans have a tendency to really anthropomorphize everything (assign human attributes to them) and most of the time it's really a faulty way of thinking. Fish don't "want" anything. They don't consider which way to die would be better than any other. All they care about is getting away and surviving, but that's a basic instinct, not a conscious thought. Any considerations we take on how to treat a prey item is based on ideas that have been socially constructed by humans, not something that is uniform across all species.

That said, I'm not going to go out of my way to ensure the fish dies in a miserable way because I do have a general respect for life. I'm also a realist. I realize that in order for anything to live (with the exception of autotrophs such as plants) something else has to die. I don't necessarily think it matters whether you bash a fish with a rock or let them suffocate. Myself, I tend to try and see to it that the fish dies humanely but I realize I'm doing it to make myself feel better about killing something, not for the actual benefit of the fish. So just act ethically for your own sake is about the only advice I could give.

I did something one time a bit mean in hindsite, but I felt it was justified. A foreign couple were at a pond I fish hauling bluegill into a bucket. They had 5 already and I felt that was enough, so I gave them a "tip." I bent the hook behind the barb 90 degrees and told them they would hook more. LOL

If they weren't breaking any size or creel regulations, what you did was uncalled for and could have been dangerous. If they are not breaking rules, they have every right to keep their catch.

No, but I think these will look great on a CTE200GT   https://www.hawgtech.com//

RW,

This is only my opinion but I bet it is shared by many on this site.  Your constant pushing of forum sponsors has a reverse effect on me than what you're going for.  When you deviate from the thread to mention a sponsor, it seems less sincere and meaningful.  Again, just my opinion.  The OP was looking for help on a particular product,  yet you find a way to slip in a plug.  There is a difference between $4.99 Reel Grips and an $80 handle which does look like a great product, just different .

To the OP, I have the Reel Grips on my PQs and CuradoEs but keep them off my ProLite Finesses and Johnny Morris Carbonlite.  The latter 2 reels have foam grips which I prefer to the Reel Grips.

You can find them in color combos to suit any of your needs and they do make it easier to handle when the reel gets wet.

I'm trying to put my channel over the 1 million views mark. I don't get anything special I just think it would be cool if I did it on Jan 1st. Only 500 views to go. 

am I the only one that has bigger worries than how others hold their fish.

 

Maybe we should call our local/state game and fish commission and DEMAND standardized fish picture holding laws..... because clearly this is an epidemic that needs to be solved. 

Never heard of him.

Throw 2 a-rigs on it and see if you can catch 2 bag limits on one cast

I agree with some of the comments that were provided to your topic, and here's my two cents...

The versatility of jig fishing makes it an important tool in most any fishermans arsenal and for any size or type of predator fish desired, especially BASS. The variety of jig styles, shapes and sizes are produced for the many different uses and presentations that are effective. The only thing difficult to learn about jig fishing is the multitude of presentations and styles of fishing that are available with them. Any single style of jig fishing is relatively EASY to master, so don't let one particular style of fishing intimidate you or keep you from attempting to learn it!

Swimming a jig is effective at times and the style of trailers can be changed, such as short compact, long and narrow, or shapes according to the preferred prey species at any given time. You can basically retrieve them much like a spinnerbait with occassional twitches, drops and/or retrieve speed changes depending on the fish's request. Also at any desired depth.

Jigs can also be flipped/pitched, used to punch matted grass, casted and worked slowly through most any type of cover or fished vertically over certain types deeper structure if necessary.

You can use skirted jigs or naked jigs with any variety of trailers and soft plastics including Big worms and swimbaits, mounted on them depending on what you find the fish are wanting most.

To help answer some of your specific questions:
When is the proper time to use a jig?
There is never a bad time to have a jig tied on, except when you have found a more successful pattern on another bait style. Often when you've caught several fish in one area on other baits and the bite slows, a jig can pick up those fish that wouldn't eat your first choice.

How do I work the lure?
Depending on your chosen type of water or structure being fished, would determine your style of jig and presentation or best retrieve style.

For flipping /pitching, make accurate pitches to your target and keep the water entry or splash to a minimum especially in calm conditions. In windy conditions, it's not as important and the splash may even help with the bite. Allow the bait to fall on a slack line paying close attention to the line for a twitch or pause prior to it reaching the bottom. Any pause or twitch will often signal a bite from a suspended fish. Reel down to feel the fish and swing on it, keeping the rod back at full pressure until the fish exits the obstruction. If the jig reaches the bottom without a bite, lift the rod tip to feel the jig and pause for a second with a tight line. If there is no fish, short jump the jig once or twice allow to settle back to the bottom and repeat the process of feel etc. If no fish, retrieve the jig slowly back up through the limbs with light twitches and falls over each limb as it slides over. The speed of the fall is extremely important and the weight of your jig, size and type of line used, amount of wind present, size and bulk of the trailer, or the amount of drag represented by the trailer action are most of the determining factors for fall rate... Faster fall is often better for this presentation because the bite is normally a quick reaction strike. As usual, water clarity, amount of daylight and wind conditions will make color more important and require tweaking as needed.

Football jigs are excellent for fishing large and medium SMOOTH rock, small rock, shell, gravel, or hard bottoms. The benefit to Football jigs is their ability to keep the trailer in an upright position as it is moving across the bottom and the amount of noise or bottom disturbance that results when it is slowly walked or drug along the bottom. This noise is very beneficial for fish that aren't actually in or near the jigs path back to the boat. The noise and vibration produced will attract fish from several feet or even yards away and will cause them to come and investigate the commotion. This is especially important in low visibility conditions or deep water. It's VERY important to let the fish tell you their preference on presentation or retrieve style. MOST often, the fish want a SLOW short drag or hop then PAUSE presentation, to allow the fish to locate the jig and STRIKE. The pause is EXTREMELY important when dragging jigs slowly across the bottom, and has proven to be the ticket in 90% of my jig fishing experiences over the last 45 yrs. When I know that the fish are there, my pauses and speed of the jig movement will SLOW even more!

Have you Ever Fished for a Cat? I'm talking about a HOUSE CAT! Pull a small toy on a string and pause.... after several series of CAT attacks, you'll notice that often, the "It's ALIVE" movement or action gets the cats attention and the PAUSE makes him POUNCE. When the cat is hesitant to attack, small motion with longer pauses is better. Swinging or dragging the toy near the cat causes a reaction strike but if it's further away, they may move in quickly to close the distance and STALK it. I wish that I could always make a perfect presentation or cast in front of a Bass or drag it near their nose EVERYTIME, LOL.

Definitely, more fish are caught after the jig touches the bottom (unless flipping/pitching) and more often during the slow bottom bumping process that ensues. Of course you can catch bass that are suspended in open water with jigs making the fall rate and appearance even more important... locating these types of opportunities can sometimes be a big challenge. An easier solution, is once you find the depths that the bass and bait are holding or suspended at, you can then then find bottom structure at that same depth to fish which may make your fishing more successful.

For large or medium JAGGED rock and just about ANY casting situation, stand up head designs like Siebert Outdoors Brush jig or Moaner hooks Predator jig hold the trailer in a stand up position and snag much less than a football style which is preferable in many situations. They're great for Flipping as well, which makes them extremely versatile.

Are trailers required? and What advantages do they add?
IMO, YES and the more action the trailer can provide on the fall or slowest of retrieve speeds the better, regardless of water temps. Here are my thoughts on this:
Although it is not what many have preached in the past and possibly different than many still believe today, I have found from my many yrs of jig fishing along with fishing beside some of the best in the business, that regardless of water temps, the additional bait action on the fall or with minimum movement of the rod tip, makes a bass eat faster! I think that while fishing jigs, soft plastics or other slow style bottom bumpers in cold conditions when fish are more dormant, it is your speed of movement of the bait... or the speed that you cover any given piece of water that determines your bite success and not because of less action from your chosen bait. When you find fish in colder conditions, it's important to be closer to them with your presentation for a longer period of time, to allow them to become aware of your baits presence, and any additional action of your bait will only speed up this process. In fact many times, once a given group of fish are disturbed by one of them eating, often the rest of them wake up and become more eager to eat as well! It's about your bait or presentation disturbing their slumber enough to get them to strike, and high action baits along with a slower more diligent presentation will do exactly that... again IMO.

It's important to look at past thought processes, types of baits that were available to the market that had no action other than what was achieved through rod tip movement. Also look at the variety of popular cold water baits that are effective. Then dissect the process to determine why. A quick example is crankbait and Rattletrap style baits which are popular in cold water conditions, can be heard from extreme distances and disturb a bass' slumber from afar only to get smashed when it arrives in front of the fish... The fish is alerted previously from the noise and vibration that is coming ever closer and bringing a fish out of it's slumber, then they EAT when it arrives. How fast was the action on that bait?

A bit more information on the advantages of trailers: Jigs may represent any number of prey species or opportunities to a bass or other predator fish, so the style of trailer can be easily adjusted or changed to accommodate the need or look. You can choose matching colors or contrasting colors and switch from one to another easily, which is often needed to TWEAK the bite to Optimum results.
1) In CLEAR water and conditions, the use of clearer lines like flouro, or smaller dia.is important. Also the fish can see the bait better from further away. As they close in to investigate to see if it is REAL, more natural colors and some kind of trailer action during the even the slowest of rod tip or retrieve motion can gain the visual priority causing the fish to commit to the bite more easily.
2) In low light, stained or deep water conditions: The noise, vibration, action, size or profile of your total jig and trailer combination should be increased to make the bait felt, seen or heard easier. This also gives cause for a slower more diligent presentation to give the bass time to locate your bait.

FYI , Braid isn't great for sharp rocks or super clear water and conditions, but will work great otherwise and especially when flipping/pitching is necessary.

There are many more details that could be added that are important to understand about jig fishing, but hope this helps to answer your questions  

I honestly believe that most people aren't trying to make the fish look bigger, they're just unconsciously making the fish the primary focus of the picture.

 

Take a look at pictures of people drinking. How many people hold their drink towards the camera when they know a picture is being taken. They trying to make their Coors look bigger?

 

Perhaps I'm naive.

Okay CPBassFishing.  I'm feeling generous tonight.  If it is okay with your parents send me your address over in a PM and I'll send you some lures and some new mono to put on his reel.  Set him up texas rig on worms and lizards and such.  That should keep him busy.

I am grinning ear to ear about my seven year old son. See today he joined the ranks and caught his first bass in his own. He tangled his line and I tossed out my bait already. I told him to work the senko back slowly on my rod as I deranged his line. Next thing I hear him say. I felt a fish!!! The fish is on. I told him to bring it in. The fish jumped once and he was able to control it all the way back to the shore. He was grinning ear to ear. He was so proud. Such a great day!!!  

 00 mod (Jeff), Dwight Hottle and I just returned from Mexico and a week of bass fishing that will be very hard to forget.   With the Lake Baccarac Lodge as our hosts, we were treated to some great food, comfy accommodations, breath taking scenery and of course unmatched Big Bass fishing.  

    After reviewing previous Lake Baccarac fishing reports and seeing the many photos of truly trophy bass, I was hoping for a trip that included memories and catches of a life time.   My personal expectations for the trip could best be described as sky high and wildly optimistic.  I’m happy to report that this placed delivered.

   The travel to this first class lodge is an adventure in itself.  Surrounded by picturesque and majestic mountains we were provided with and had as our fishing back drop, post card type views that just added even more to the experience.

   To call Lake Baccarac a world class fishery might be an understatement.  The geographic local, lake management and minimal fishing pressure combine for a bass fishing experience that’s hard to duplicate.  But bass are bass regardless of their size or numbers and during our week of fishing we found that the bass were in a transitional stage.  With some fish holding deep and some fish moving shallow, we were challenged to establish any one pattern that would hold for more than a day or two. 

We took bass on top water, jerk baits, plastics and spinner baits to name a few and in every level of the water column.  One bait that I had not fished before this week but proved to be very effective, especially on big fish, was The Scrounger.  3/8, ½ and ¾ ounce size with a mag fluke or 7 inch sluggo trailer caught most of our bass between

5 – 9 lbs and is very versatile.  I’d encourage you to give it a try in your home waters.

  Although there were several amazing catches made, this was not a week of suicidal bass fishing were everything and anything produced fish.  Each morning and afternoon’s fishing demanded the best efforts of both our guides and us.  And speaking of guides, the two we had were the best and we were lucky to have them.  Lake Baccarac is a vast fishery, and in an age where gps and high tech navigational/positioning is all the rage to assist the angler in the quest to locate bass, you will find none of that here.  Using just the simplest of sonars and their intimate knowledge and experience of the lake, Manuel and “Geno” took us to spot after big bass spot.  It was impressive to say the least. 

 

    And so what did we catch? Well, there were no 100 or 200 fish days.  In fact, I don’t think we even had a 100 fish day between the three of us.  Like I mentioned the fishing was a bit off.  But we did have several of the big bites and bags that this body of water is so famous for.  Additionally, it doesn’t take long to get a very tainted view of what a “picture” fish is.  Here, a 5 & 6 pound bass although nice in quite common place, this size fish gets a quick eyeball and is then released rather unceremoniously; 7’s & 8’s get honorable mention, a photo and usually get weighted; 8’s &  9’s are said to be the best fighters and you won’t get any argument for us.  10’s and higher are called “Grande” by the guides and are what everyone is looking for.  We saw 3 this trip and 1 came from 18 inches of water right on the bank.  This makes you really focus and hope you stick every single fish that hits as any single cast – could be the one.

 

   So you can see how an angler can quickly adopt a very tainted and distorted view of what an “average” bass is.  I may never be the same.

 

So here are the numbers: Best five fish bags,    Jeff   ~ 42 lbs 7 ounces

                                                                 Dwight ~ 45 lbs 2 ounces

                                                                 A-Jay ~ 45 lbs 10 ounces

 

Best single day 5 fish bag of the trip: Dwight got on a deep bite - 43 lbs

 This incredible bag included three fish over 9 lbs , one over 8lb and a 7 lb “dink” 

 

As for PB’s- as this was Jeff’s second trip to the Lake, his PB was already a lofty 10 lbs and 14 ounces.  His best fish this trip came in at 10 lbs 4 ounces, certainly nothing to sneeze at and a real trophy.  This is the first time I’ve fished with Jeff; The man is a good stick and I fully expect him to shatter that mark on our very next trip. 

   Dwight’s previous PB was a 9 lb 2 once Florida Trophy.  “Mr Smallie” fished long and hard this week and during that awesome day in which Dwight weighed a 43 lb bag – he did thumb his new PB at 9 lbs 8 ounces – and that Hawg Tech handle was tested.

   My previous PB was a Michigan Bass that went 7lbs 1 ounce.  Well that didn’t last long on this particular trip.  The very first morning I bested that twice with 7 lb 4 ounce and 7 lb 6 once bass.(My guides were not impressed though I was rather excited)  I surpassed it again the next afternoon with a 9 lb 8 ounce Beast that was the single hardest fighting bass I could have ever imagined – just unreal.  Now I was a very happy man at this point, but Lake Baccarac’s bounty blessed me one final time with a 10 lb 11 once Bug-eyed Monster that absolutely crushed a 1 ounce spinner bait in 22 feet of water.  I’m still smiling over that bass and it might be a while before it subsides. 

 

As you can imagine, Dwight and I weren’t at the lodge long before we started talking about and making plans to return to Lake Baccarac and can you blame us?  Accordingly, Jeff did give us the “I told you look” and plans to be right there as well.   As I have mentioned, the fishing was a little off.  After talking to the lodge owner Terry Holland and the guides, and as hard as it might be to comprehend, Lake Baccarac has more to offer.  I’d really like to be there for that !

 

Below is the link to the galley where you’ll find some of our catches.

 

I'm editing the video now and will post it up once it's ready.

 

A-Jay

 

http://www.bassresou...rac-march-2013/

 

 

 

 

A GY Senko. They are too expensive and their durability sucks. 

Other hobbies? That's funny

Each angler is different when it comes to versatility. Are there
lures or presentations that KVD hasn't mastered or refuses to learn?
Many like him were power fishermen and slowing down meant less fish
until not slowing down nor using a slower presentation meant less fish.
Not too many who've posted this topic are in a Clunn or KVD class and
most likely will never be given the many factors that limit us. Here are
a few:

 

1. You and I can read every article written
on a certain presentation or lure, but unless we've seen someone in the
same boat clobber fish with it, we are less inclined to use it or after
trying it unsuccessfully, ever try it again much less master it. Seeing
is (sometimes) believing (except on TV).

 

2. Many
of us don't have the time or resources to fish many different waters
where certain presentations do well with certain lures at different
times of year or a different time of day. Again, we can read until the
cows come home what the winners used to win a tournament on lake X, but
until we fish that water or one very similar, under those conditions,
you or I will be at a loss why the lure or presentation didn't work
where we normally fish. Ever fish a lake only once in the year because
the club had a tournament there? Not knowing a body of water is like not
knowing when or where to use certain lures - you won't go back there
and in the back of your mind believe the lake stinks because you
couldn't get a bite. I know a group of guys from my club that fished a
Red Man open tournament down south and skunked miserably. These guys
were the best at fishing waters the club fished but not as versatile as they thought on strange water in a different state.

 

3.
Strong beliefs and prejudices limit the confidence needed to believe in
a lure or presentation and they are due to 1. and 2. as well as
financial considerations to justify even owning a variety of lures and
colors. One size does not fit all - not one
lure size, not one color, not one lure action nor at all speeds nor at
all depths. Disappointment and frustration kills confidence in lures and
presentations when we don't follow that simple rule. As has been stated
many times before, there is a time and a place that certain group of tools
of the trade are called for and many of those tools are put to better
use by others who have overcome a whiff of prejudice against using them.

 

 The
strangest thing of all is when I've logged having caught many fish on
certain lures in the past and then packed them away, completely
forgetting them or their successes. I have a tendency to mistakenly
believe that a lure that did well the first year or so, will not do well
from then on - anywhere. So much for keeping an open mind and not
substituting the new for the old. Which brings me to:

 

4. Embracing the fad  --- or fear of it

How
many have completely substituted lures and presentations for new ones?
We live in a disposable society so for many that's the norm. On the
other hand how many fad lures come and go and it makes us skeptical
every time a new one comes out. Sure, the A rig works in some waters for
some anglers, but we automatically  suspect the lure is far less
versatile than some we already own. Same for the Chatterbait or the
similar action of Helin's Flat Fish crank bait. Why would we buy a new
lure that obviously only works in a brief period of the year or day? Was
it promoted by someone that we no longer trust? Again, the tendency is
to buy a one size does not fits all lure or never give it a chance.

 

5.
Lastly, how many of you pack a ton of lures every time you go fishing
only to use maybe a hand full. Many anglers I know carry hundreds of
lures, many full packs of soft plastics, boxes of spinnerbaits, jigs and
crankbaits, yet few get wet anytime. I think some believe that carrying
more is better, not realizing that more is just plain confusing and
limiting to those that don't know how and when to use the majority of
what they own. I witnessed that frustration with a tournament partner I
fished with. In two days I caught far more than he did with the small
selection I carried versus the large box of lures he never used except
for one or two. Not once did he look at the sonar or ask questions and
therefore never knew what I was casting to. My lures were never adopted
by him even though he owned them and worse, he refused to use them after

three fish were caught within fifteen minutes!

 

A closed mind is such a waste and much of the time self defeating.