Hi im Darren

Wanted to put this in there too but can't figure out how to edit prev post. My bad. The fish I caught were on mostly a wacky rigged 5"senko using a long shanked hook. 10# clear leader line about 6' tied to a 15# braid line. 7' medium fast rod and 2500 sized spinning reel. I also landed a few on bait casting a square bill crank bait. 7' medium heavy fast. I do also use a small 18" clear leader tied to braid for this setup. Next trip I may try something called a neko rig in addition to continuing with wacky rig. I do enjoy throwing and reeling so I will continue to practice the square bill but I want to learn a jerk bait as well.

Hi Ya'll It's been a spell. I have had a few trips out recently that yielded success. Spent less time in the same spots as I normally did. It was like I picked a spot that looked swell and started fishing as I trolled along parallel to shore / dock line. If my partner or I had any bites we would spot lock a few moments to seek out a catch. Most of the time we would catch one at these spots but nothing repeated. Then we moved along rinse and repeat all along the areas we liked to look at. Taking in the natural beauty as we went along. I landed more fish in the past 2 trips than I have in the past 2 years combined. It wasn't a lot of fish I landed a 5lb Largemouth and several spotted bass. Brother caught several spots as well and a nice catfish. So I would say that catching fish made the trip more fun for sure. It also was nice to enjoy being on the water with family and being thankfull for the chance to even go fishing. Thanks everyone. Darren

Hi and good day to all. Re learning to bass fish after 30 years of no fishing. Fishing unsuccessfully for about 1.5 years now. Own a boat and will be doing fairly all my fishing from a vessel. Lowrance Hook Reveal basic FF with Chirp and down scan. I have a basic idea on how to use the FF for water temps and depth as well as how to read the info provided on screen. Weather here has the water temps in to 55-65 range @ 1 foot under surface. My thinking is that the bass are going into the spawn at this time and I should be able to locate them relatively shallow 3 feet or less. Q1. Would I be correct in thinking that under docks, lay downs and rock structure are places to start fishing? The lake I will be fishing next (Lake Bowen in Inman SC) typically has dirty water on top end and clearer down near its Dam. Q2. What water condition is better to start in? Typically in my recent prior attempts at fishing I think I may be spending too much time in single locations. Q3. When fishing a spot believed to hold fish how long is reasonable to cast at before we move? Q4. Is it best to just start trolling down the shoreline at a slow pace casting at potential holding spots? Thanks for your time and I appreciate any advice. Darren

Hi all. Are there any clubs or just groups of fishing folks in the Greenville,Spartanburg area of SC?. Lake Bowen, Hartwell, Jocassee and Keowee would be my closest fishing spots.

Thank you everyone for the replies. you have all provided me useful information. As far as poles go I have 6 poles in my stable. 3 spinning rod/reel and 3 casting rod/reel. I have been using my spinning gear for wacky worms, ned rig and drop shot. Casting gear for Squarebill crank bait (my favorite), chatter bait and heavier Texas rigged plastics. I have a lake nearby that I usually do not go to (Lake Bowen in Inman SC) its a smaller lake but I think it may be best to focus on something small instead of Murray and Hartwell as I have done previous. I will try and focus on the shoreline that is mostly littered with boat docks and some laydowns. If I have to pick 2 lures I feel most comfortable with rigging and casting its going to be a plastic worm, unweighted wacky style and a square bill crank bait. Thanks again everyone!!

Hello all. I was an avid bass fisherman as a teenager but lost interest when real life started happening. Fast forward 30 years and I have started back into the hobby. About 2 years ago I purchased a boat and outfitted myself with a supply of fishing tackle and rods. I am NOT using any FFS but do have a standard sonar / downscan fish finder on the boat. So here is my issue. I just can not seem to locate and catch fish. In the almost 2 year span of owning my boat and fishing say about 30-40 times out on the lake I have only caught say 5-7 fish in total. I have watched uncountable YouTube videos and read articles on how to locate and catch fish but no success. I have attended a few local tournaments and tried to speak to the competitors but it seems like everyone I try to seek advice from is very tight lipped on how and where to catch fish. Almost like I'm taking their first born child from them. Last weekend I watched the professional tour fish Lake Murray in SC. Wednesday I went to Lake Murray fished the same lures, same spots and docks as they were fishing 3-4 days prior and did not even get a single bite in about 8 hours of fishing. I am really confused about where I am going so wrong that I'm not catching any kind of quantity fish. Am I alone here in this situation? Is this a common issue in bass fishing? Are my expectations too high of actually catching a few fish each time out.