So do you guys run the gamut of fishing styles and lures or do you narrow it down to a few specialty techniques? Whats do you do the best and most successful at ?

In this area, you almost have to be a junk fisherman. We don't have the bass populations to really be a specialist, you just have to catch fish however you can at that moment. I have my preferred ways to do it, but I'll do whatever to catch fish. 

In this area, you almost have to be a junk fisherman. We don't have the bass populations to really be a specialist, you just have to catch fish however you can at that moment. I have my preferred ways to do it, but I'll do whatever to catch fish. 

Amen. Brian.

First thing is you have to know your own waters and use what's going to be the most effective.  Secondly at least for me it's more about having fun, I only fish a few lure types and a limited number of techniques.  I fish ponds and canals here in South Florida, very little structure.  In the mornings I fish a top water lure close to 100% of the time, my afternoon sessions are jerkbaits, bucktails and crappie jigs I tie myself, spoons, weedless fluke if I'm dealing with vegetation, roostertails have been hot for me this week.

I fish for species other than bass too, I don't fish them much different or use different lure types for them.  I keep things real nice and simple.

Jack of All Trades.

 

Although I love power fishing I also enjoy fishing plastics.

In my ponds, I could fish finesse, curly tail, and senko worms all day long and get tons of bites. That's what I mainly did last season. This season, I'm trying to broaden my horizon and pick up baits I haven't caught fish on.

I'm a junky but would love to be able to take a pocket full of jigs and one or two rods and leave the rest at home. 

 How do I say this ? Fishing is easy. Even techniques Ive never used I can do them competently  . But , Im not a bass fisherman . I fish for whatever and wherever , One thing I can say for sure  , Bass fishing has made me a lot better catfish angler .

I will fish just about anything and everything I have to in order to catch a fish, but I do have some go-to confidence techniques. 

I am a junk fishing specialist.

I'm big on moving baits. I feel very confident in my crankbaits and topwater baits. I'll throw a plastic worm or a jig whenever I have to, but I feel like I'm much better with a moving bait.

Junk fishing has its time and place, but I think that you should fish what you know or what you are confident in. Keep it simple. If you look at the guys who are winning tournaments, they are fishing what they are good at. KVD largely fishes one way. He may change up once in a while if he has too, but generally he is going to be covering water with some kind of hardbait. Hackney fishes jigs and crankbaits like he knows. He won a tournament on Pickwick grinding a crankbait on shallow flats, while everybody and their brother was playing the ledge game. Yes, you have to be versatile, and you may not be able to force the fish to go for your presentation, but I tend to say go w/whhat you know.

Being a bass fisherman gives us the right to be "junk fishermen".  I mean look at what we buy and how many rods and reels most of us have.  It's not only the pursuit of the fish but the tinkering, thinking, trying secret baits and the list goes on.  Most of us are lucky that we have boats or we'd pull out our arms and shoulders carrying all our tackle!!

Tight Lines

I try to be a jack of all trades, but I feel I gravitate towards a few specific techniques that I know produce in the waters I fish.

 

I would hardly call myself a specialist, but I would fall more to that side than the other.

Working hard at being junkier.  But my confidence is solidly in working cover.  I like nothing more than predicting a fish in between two specific branches and getting that slam after a perfectly placed pitch.  Will spend more time this year getting off shore and learning more about effectively moving baits.

I am a junk fisherman by nature, but I find in tournaments if I specialize in two or three presentations I do better...

 

Mitch

We all have our strengths if we admit it or not.

I hate the "junk fishing" term. What's that mean anyway?

We bring stuff with us that we think may work in any given time, day or time of the day.

Just because we may try 4 different techniques to find a fish I'll bet you a curly tail worm, the first thing we pick up is what we have confidence in based on the weatner, location, clarity etc.

I know I don't drop shot, I wont rig one up...

I rarely throw a Carolina rig, I won't rig that either...

But at sun rise on a grass flat or around some lay downs give me a frog,

On a hydrilla mat give me a craw,

In heavy to scattered grass I have 3 or 4 things I throw because they work.

Yes I'll change the presentation a bit...

Color, horizontal fall as opposed to a more vertical one, chatterbait in place of a spinner etc.

We all throw what we know. Maybe not all day but we all do it.

So to answer your question, I always throw what I'm best and more successful at.

Mike

The front deck of my Ranger is usually covered with 14+ rods because I want to be able to capitalize on any scenario without having to waste time retying.If I see a fish, or a spot that needs a specific presentation I can pick it up and cast within a second.  With that said, out of the 14+ rods brought out on the water I throw the senko rod and crank bait rod 95% of the time. So I think I would fall into the specialist group. Maybe I take some secret pleasure watching the girlfriend freak out at how many new rods the Bait Monkey made me buy over the long new england winter.

In this area, you almost have to be a junk fisherman. We don't have the bass populations to really be a specialist, you just have to catch fish however you can at that moment. I have my preferred ways to do it, but I'll do whatever to catch fish. 

This..I have preferred ways like Bluebasser, but I'll do whatever is necessary to catch fish.

I'm more confident in moving baits (cranks, spinnerbaits, ect.) but thats all gonna change this season. I want to get as many tactics down as possible so i can be confident in anything i decide to throw. I junk fish until I find out what they're hitting then I try to tweak my bait selection to satisfy the bass as best i can.

I hate the "junk fishing" term. What's that mean anyway?

 

It refers to having all your 'junk' out on the boat deck while fishing. 

That could be trouble in some busier waters....jus sayn

I have my go to lure/styles, and when they don't work I become a specialist...

I am definitely not a Jack of All Trades - there are simply too many of them.

 

Some trips I feel like a "specialist" at eliminating unproductive water.

 

I will admit to being willing to learn & work hard.

 

So I'd say I'm a "Specialist" at putting the time in.

 

Seems the harder I work, the luckier I get.

 

A-Jay

In this area, you almost have to be a junk fisherman. We don't have the bass populations to really be a specialist, you just have to catch fish however you can at that moment. I have my preferred ways to do it, but I'll do whatever to catch fish. 

 

THis is true in my area also (not all that far from Bluebasser). While I prefer to target bass, sometimes they just won't cooperate. In that case, I'll go after crappie, catfish, wipers and several others. I like to keep my options open.

 

Tom