Knowing where the fish are feeding and when.

Jerkbaits.   Does not matter the body of water, my jerkbaits will catch a floating leaf/twig/whatever maybe 1 cast in 3.  It's maddening as it seems to happen during the first 25% of the retrieve most of the time and leaves me feeling like I am wasting a ton of fishing time on ruined casts.  

Live bait...I just can’t do it in freshwater anymore

Hardest technique for me was learning how to do all the finesse techniques with a baitcaster after fishing for years with a spinning rig.  But after having my SL ligament surgically removed from my right wrist, I had no choice.  But adaptability is the key... 

I can't figure them out on a spinnerbait on a large body of water. For some reason, I can catch them in ponds and smaller reservoirs on a spinnerbait, but cannot make it happen on large bodies of water.

Everyone thinks catching bass consistantly using jigs is easy, I believe they are both effective and extremely hard to master based on my own experiences fishing with other anglers. Most bass anglers can't detect the suttle strikes big bass make striking a jig, average size bass they get.

I have spent lots of hours fishing with some of the best western bass anglers and they are very good with soft plastics and everything else but just average jig anglers. 

Another lure lure few seasoned anglers fish are structure spoons in the summer for deep bass, drop shot they use spoons are overlooked a lure I fish a lot for deep structure bass.

My weakness is bass in the slop, deep weeds. OK with working the surface, edges, pockets, breaks lines but big weedy flats I tend to avoid getting into the thick deep big mats.

I really like to use crankbaits, wake baits, big swimbaits, spinnerbaits, rats, various surface lures, anything where I am casting. Finesse spinning soft plastics I will do to catch bass as a last resort on my own and hold my own fishing with anglers who prefer finesse fishing.

Love to bass fish at night, just can't do it very often.

No real standout weaknesses, like catching bass.

Tom

For me is swimbait type or anything that swim for that matter like lipless, paddle tail, underspin. I can’t seem to figure out how fast or how slow to reel in. I can dance my Fluke all day bottom or between water column but don’t have patience for those.

Anything with a treble hook.

I am not willing to put the effort into deep cranking much anymore. I have done well with it, I still do it, but it is not something I commit to anymore.

Walking baits for me.  I can get the cadence and be effective, but only with certain brands. Other brands I can get to walk for the first half of the cast, and then it evolves to a rolling/spitting mess for the last half. 

 

Also lipless cranks.  I try them every spring and then a few more times throughout the season and have never caught a fish on them (I've been doing this for around 25 years... I'm determined to a fault).  I took 3 rods with me last weekend, one with a jerk, one jig, and one with a rattle trap.  I fan casted that trap for hours without a bite.  I finally lost it on hidden log off a point in about 8' of water. Tossed the jig 5 times to it and caught 2 instantly. I'll probably throw that trap for another month or so but have no confidence in it. 

I can't pitch worth a darn because I fish such open spanses of grass beds I never have to be that precise. A regular cast to a particular spot on a bed edge, no problem. When I try it to see if I can pitch for kicks, it is pathetic.

Lipless cranks for me too. I also don’t recall ever catching a fish on one. The rest of my collection went up on eBay haha. I love all other shallow and medium depth crankbaits. 

OK , I have it . Ricocheting squarebills off wood cover . I have not gotten  the hang of it and snag up constantly .

10 minutes ago, scaleface said:

OK , I have it . Ricocheting squarebills off wood cover . I have not gotten  the hang of it and snag up constantly .

Crankbaits in general.  How many pros have been able to take cranking to KVD's level and use it so successfully?

32 minutes ago, The Maestro said:

Crankbaits in general.  How many pros have been able to take cranking to KVD's level and use it so successfully?

The "Zen Master"  R.C. to name one.

32 minutes ago, Heartland said:

The "Zen Master"  R.C. to name one.

Not many others compared to accomplished jig guys for example.  You'd think there would be more based on the success that guys like KVD and Rick Clunn have had using crankbaits.  I doubt it's for lack of trying. I'd bet it's more due to it being an especially difficult bait to master.

4 hours ago, The Maestro said:

Not many others compared to accomplished jig guys for example.  You'd think there would be more based on the success that guys like KVD and Rick Clunn have had using crankbaits.  I doubt it's for lack of trying. I'd bet it's more due to it being an especially difficult bait to master.

 

David Fritts, Mike McClelland, Randy Howell, Jay Yellas, Charlie Reed, Paul Elias are a few others that come to mind.

I have very little confidence and skill in the where, when, why and how of fishing a jig.

6 hours ago, Fishin' Fool said:

I have very little confidence and skill in the where, when, why and how of fishing a jig.

I spent two years learning to fish a jig, but now it is my favorite presentation.

 

Skipping a jig under and around docks and other cover...and still trying to master flipping and pitching consistently...

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 8:49 PM, Catt said:

I can fish pretty much any technique... catching is a different story!

 

Same here.

 

Allen

Good to read that I'm not the only one struggling. I will dedicate 2019 to Drop shot. 

The hardest was skipping until recently. 

 

 

 

Absolutely it's Flipping a Jig in shallow cover situations.....once boat control is factored in , it's a very difficult technique to master , and requires the patience and perseverance of a Saint. Especially on days when it's producing only 5 of the right kind of bites over a full day of fishing. That is a tough thing to do fundamentally and mentally. 

Anything involving detecting bites on the fall.  I'm horrible when it comes to looking at my line.  I can't remember the last time, if ever, I've set a hook on a falling bait because I saw the line jump.