schplurg

I 100% skunked for several months last season and I fished way more than 5 times a month. Bank fishing local tough waters but still, what the heck man? I've mentioned it here before. Not a single bite from any fish! I've only been fishing a few years though so I figured this was one of my big tests. It was seriously depressing and it messed with my head. Learning to fish is an adventure I figure and you gotta pay your dues, so I kept at it but I had VERY serious doubts about myself. "Why am I even grabbing my gear? I should just stand at the lake and stare at the water for 4 hours" A person could probably give up during this period. Later that season I started catching and I feel like I've improved a lot. I caught bass everywhere - best season so far. I feel very confident. I'll never forget that skunk. It was demoralizing and embarrassing but in the end I won I think the original post asked "character building or demoralizing', or similar. I'd say demoralizing unless you keep at it long enough to succeed, at which point it becomes character building.

Has anyone seen the disclaimer: "Animals are tortured for fun in this video"? Me either. Isn't that what catch and release fishing is? It can certainly be argued. What a thing to show your kids! I mainly post videos for my own pleasure and my friends. If anyone else wants to watch them they can. I have some subscribers so I try and make the videos appealing to them. I'm not posting videos for, nor do I have a responsibility toward anyone. And what is an "influencer"? I didn't sign up to Youtube to be an "influencer". Sounds like a way to dump responsibility onto others.

Looks kinda like me. Didn't realize how closely I resemble a bass! That's so cool. Welcome to the forum!

A dash cam probably does not have image stabilization or as good an image sensor as a gopro. The resolution and framerate is most likely lower as well. Overall image quality will be a lot less. So I'd say no to the dashcam. You can buy cheaper GoPro knockoffs but I'd just get a GoPro. You can buy refurbished ones cheaper than new. I have.

From the first post: I've boated my entire life and never had a bumper scratch the gelcoat. It's rubber. Rub marks will come out. Anything more and you're doing something wrong. NHBull had the easiest solution for keeping it from hitting the dock (DockStix).

They changed the name of prunes to dried plums and sales supposedly went up. https://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2001/09/03/daily8.html We've changed the name of some products where I work and that affected sales as well. Humans are easy to manipulate.

I think Thoreau was just a lousy fisherman so he made up that excuse. I like catching too. If I want to just enjoy nature I'll leave the gear at home! Edit: It is part of the reason I go though, but like I said, no fish? I'll go elsewhere.

I started typing that in my last post - that someone should invent something like that but didn't think anyone would understand what I was talking about. Very cool. Problem is that if your cleats don't line up to the dock you gotta figure out another way to mount that.

If it's possible to attach some fenders or bumpers tight against your boat most of the rubbing would be against the dock.

My epic road trips are just about to begin. I'm adding a bed to my minivan, and I just bought a camp stove and everything else I need to camp in my van. Why wake up early to drive 3 hours to the water when I can wake up there ready to fish? New adventures await!

Hmmm.....interesting idea.....big bait, big fish.

Sometimes when I'm on my front porch I'll pretend the street is water and imagine spots I would cast to - under that tree across the street, between two parked cars... I do this in a lot of places actually. I really enjoy fishing.

I did my first night fishing off my Dad's dock last summer. It's such a trip when you can't see anything except lights on docks and houses across the water. I had a bat fly into my line once after I cast. It's been said here many times but there's something different, even creepy about feeling a bite at night. It was a real rush catching them, and I just fished the same bait I'd used that day: T-rigged worm.

I have a plano box with deep divers and one with not so deep divers. That's as far as I've gone with it. I don't know which are 5's or 7's etc and it never really occurred to me to find out. most are same brand but not for any particular reason.

Here's a vid of a duck diving underwater for my bright colored worm in 2 feet of water. I yanked it away at the last moment. He continues looking for it before paddling away. I thought he was going to swim into my line so I started reeling the worm out of the way a little bit. He went for it when he saw it move.

"+ 95"??? They sure are purty though.

I had serious doubts when I skunked almost all spring in 2020. And I mean zero bass. One day my Mom said, "Maybe fishing isn't for you?" That was crushing. Gee thanks, Mom! My confidence was nowhere to be found. It is a tough area to fish, but still. Like someone above said though, it makes it that much sweeter. And man was I happy when I finally started catching, and I hardly skunked most of that summer too after that. I think I reached a new level. When I was skunking I wasn't trying anything new. I was going to the hotspots at my ponds and lakes to no avail. I learned so much in 2020.

Yep I second the back/shoulder grab, if the fish is small enough. Three pounds is about my maximum. Maybe less. I've landed heavy fish up a steep bank or a dock by using the momentum of the fish as it swims toward the surface too. Timing is everything on that.

I would think that bass are more willing to eat "anything" with a reaction strike rather than a slower presentation. The Youtubers who catch fish with car keys and stuff like that probably aren't getting bites leaving it sitting on the bottom and crawling it back. As for throwing something different, I get plenty of bites on green pumpkin stick worms. Odds seem pretty good to me. My experience is limited but I find switching presentations/retrieves and locations is more effective than changing a bait style or color. I've caught fish with three different color crankbaits in the same spot within 15 minutes.

Yes. This is why I usually fish alone. Well one reason.

Cutting across Texas will lower one's I.Q. by at least 5 points (usually temporary). Not recommended.

Don't gotta do that at all! Anyone here feel like their waters aren't crowded enough and need more anglers? I had a day ruined (2 months actually) when my back went out. Bad spasms. I hit the dirt. Other than that I haven't had a ruined day yet. Litter sucks, often people suck. But never ruined my day. I hate wake boats and I wish my favorite lake would ban them, but I haven't had a problem with one while fishing yet, though I'm sure I will when I start getting off the banks more often. I have seen boats banging against docks after such a boat has passed by. Obnoxious.

Fish per hour...haha that's a good one! I can claim with great confidence that my average for the entire 2020 bass season (from the bank) was far less than 1 per hour. I went a few months with zero and I fished a bunch! I caught 10 once in 2 or 3 hours...my record for a single day.

Ya you gotta watch your back in New Hampshire!

Me and my stepbrother had a BB gun fight when we were kids. Nothing hones your skills like a target that shoots back!