MGF

Except for the "questions" that I would assume are "tongue in cheek" all of those topics are addressed on this forum, in Glen's videos and literally thousands of other articles and videos. I think, for most of us, it's a learn as you go (as needed) thing.

As of this past Sunday my lakes were still iced in. This week is warm and windy with the temps crashing for the weekend. I won't get out for another couple of weeks.

I don't really trap. I have a few conibear traps that I use to keep ground hogs from tearing everything up but that's about it. Trapping the rivers here would be tough. The bank is all private so you need permission from every property owner (good luck with that). Then a trip down the river is a one way trip for most of the year. That means several hours devoted to the trap line every day and you need two vehicles. Put in upriver and float down. I think DNR properties are off limits for trapping...but I'm not really sure about that. I think the otters are pretty safe unless there are property owners on the river who are trappers and I'll bet money against that.

I guess I don't really understand you definitions but if we use them I use very few techniques but MANY different presentations. Using my definitions I use MANY techniques which utilize relatively few baits. But basswhole says that we bass guys have fishing all wrong anyway. LOL

They reintroduced otters here and a lot of people were angry. My wife and I enjoyed seeing them until it started to seem like the fishing was suffering. Now they opened a trapping season but I don't know if many are being trapped.

I think the most important aspect of skipping is the casting technique itself. I've spent an awful lot of time on it but I don't think I'd know how to describe well enough to do anybody any good. There's a ton of videos. I think I've seen all of them but I don't think any of them really make it easy to see what's going on. If you pay close attention you'll also see that a lot of the folks making videos really aren't all that good at skipping. I know there's more than one way to do it but I hear and read a lot of descriptions that I don't agree with. I guess I bring this up because while quality equipment and certain boats can certainly make things easier practice and finding a technique that really works for you will get you 90% of the way there.

I understand and agree.

I guess a lot of things are easier with a bass boat but for the millions of us who have to get by without, LOL...point the bow or the stern at the target and cast down the side of the boat. It's not too hard casting across the bow. As the "driver" in the back I manage when casting over the gas and electric motors. It's not ideal but how many things in life are?

I do a lot of skipping with seko, flukes, tubes, grubs and even a light ned. I use spinning for that stuff but there's nothing special about the gear I own. I have a couple of cheap medium weight rods of 6'6 or so. Most often I spool my spinning rids with 10 pound braid and tie on a fouro leader. At times that might seem light for under docks but that's where the BC comes in...skipping a jig, bladed jig or whatever and heavier line.

Whether or not to put a pickle on it depends on the conditions and what you're trying to catch. It's not a common forage around here. I had to Google it to see what it was but I think pickle would be just fine. My last outing before we were covered in snow and ice was on a lowland reservoir (in Indiana) on a sunny December day with a water temp of 38 F. As much as I love top-water and the jitterbug it never even occurred to me to throw one.

Bass guys get fishing wrong? Wow.

Actually what you have is the potential for a large variety of cover types, structure types, forage types and depths. The bass exhibit a wide range of behaviors across those variables. Of course add in time of day and the change in season. Would you consider a floating worm on a spawning flat to be a variation on the same theme as punching dense vegetation? The depth range might be exactly the same. I see those as two very different techniques that may utilize the same plastic worm.

Get what wrong?

I boil the water. I hold the plastic in there for a count of 20 or so and check it. When it comes out straight I lay it down flat and let it cool. It's a regular ritual with a new bag of flukes. LOL

I haven't figured it out either. I've never found them in the winter in my river. I've had good fishing all the way into December when the weather is nice but when they disappear just gone. Last year they disappeared in September. I can find them in the reservoir 20+ miles down river but not up here. I don't expect to catch a bass up here until April or later.

A Carolina rig is a good way to cover water and find out what's on the bottom. Start dragging a heavy weight around and you feel what's there. I think it's a good option without electronics or even from the bank. Last season I caught a bunch of smallmouth in a small river (sort of a creek) fishing from the bank using a dropshot. It was just a different way to present the same soft plastics. For umpteen years now it's been a favorite panfish presentation for me in shallow mostly weedy ponds. Again, that has often been from the bank. A lot of this stuff is less about buying more tackle and more about understanding different ways you can use the tackle you already have.

Did you use a bullet weight or a jig?

That's an easy answer but I think there's more to it. How many ways are there to fish a plastic worm...or a piece of it? Being able to take advantage of all those different methods doesn't necessarily make the bait company much money. In fact it may mean that you can get by with a lot less. That's just one example but there are other baits that can be used in multiple ways (techniques) and serve to reduce what we carry in our tackle box...by maximizing what we carry in our brain. LOL

On small rivers and streams, especially in clear water, I like to keep it kind of quiet. It's hard to beat a floating Rapala or a pop-r. Maybe a small really shallow running crank bait like a rebel craw. A simple grub or other small plastic on a lead ball head can be good. As mentioned above, weightless plastics are another good option.

I guess the thing is that you have to start someplace. In order to progress with max success you have to focus on the right thing. Sounds simple enough but...there's always a but. Ideally a new angler can be pointed to a method that's working. I started by following my father around the bank throwing his version of a floating worm. I didn't know how to cast, what a bite felt like, how to set the hook or even how to traverse the brush with any measure of grace but I could have confidence in the technique because Dad was catching fish. Eventually I caught a few fish and branched out to other techniques (or is that "presentations"?) when it seemed like a good idea.

For the past few years (maybe more) most of my fishing has been on the same river. It's kind of small and shallow. I'm rarely fishing water deeper than 4 ft and, for most of the year, anything deeper than 3 ft is a hole. I can throw any bait in the water and the bass will see it but that doesn't mean they'll bite it. Not that this is anything but anecdotal but it sure seems like baits quit working. I'm always looking for fresh ways to present to the same fish in the same spot. So...the more techniques (or is that presentations?) the better.

Good luck!

A tool is useless to somebody who doesn't have the knowledge and skill to use. I don't think you can separate the tools from the knowledge/skill and make any sense. I've seen people who will go into a well stocked tool box and always grab a crescent wrench and a hammer. Other people use that well stocked box to grab the right tool for the job at hand.

The closest dick's is about an hour and a half from me. I guess I could get to one by driving an hour and a half in almost any direction. There used to be one in a mall not far away but they didn't have anything and the mall is being torn down. Needless to say, I will never drive an hour and a half to get to one

I have a couple of spooks laying around but that's about it. Maybe I'll try one out on the river this season.