8 hours ago, plawren53202 said:

switched to a shakey head and thereafter a Ned rig, both of which I am much more comfortable with, and caught fish on both

All the fish in that pond most likely have their bellies in the mud. Doubt they'd come unglued for a dropshot which is more suited for suspended fish.

The bait monkey gave me a beating the last time I just considered giving up on a lure. 

Noisy Flapper Frog

Oh, giving up on braid on my spinning reels.  I've had two reels with braid the last couple of years and hate using them.  Braid feels like I'm fishing blue bluejean material.  It's like - this stuff is not fishing line, it feels like I'm fishing with a wire.  So braid is off and new copolymer is going on.  

Chatterbaits. Fished them every type of way and can't catch a cold with one. After I lost my last one I told myself no more.

I am seriously considering giving up fishing for a while. Don't get me wrong, I have had a passion for bass fishing. But since I moved from the great fishing in the SC Lowcountry to Upstate SC the fishing here has been awful.

 

First off, I bank fish and up here not only are there very little bank fishing spots available they are overcrowded and usually teeming with kids an adults with zero fishing etiquette. Second, I've fished for a total of about 20 hours here at a bunch of lakes and not one single bite. Not. One. Bite.

 

It's not just me, either. I talk to plenty of bank and boat anglers around here and nobody is really catching any bass. If they are catching anything it's a few dinks. No quality and no quantity. Of all the times I've been out fishing I've only seen two crappies caught. That's it. And that includes the times I'm not fishing and just hiking or biking around the lakes.

 

I know 20 hours doesn't seem like a lot - that's two days of fishing for some of you out there. But I've grown accustomed to fishing in the Lowcountry and picking any one of thousands of lagoons and if the fish aren't biting in one lagoon they're bound to be biting in another.

 

In fact, the only time I caught anything since I moved here in July are when I make a trip to the Lowcountry. Heck, when I was down there last month to pick up my son's hospital records there was a lagoon right next to the hospital and I decided to make a few casts. I caught 5 in less than an hour.

 

Maybe in the spring I'll get the urge and rent a kayak and give it another try. But quite frankly, it's just no fun anymore.

 

 

2 hours ago, Koz said:

I am seriously considering giving up fishing for a while.

 

I had similar challenges. But I’ll frequently drive an hour in any direction if I have to. Maybe even 2 hours.

Koz: I've done plenty of bank fishing so this is no knock on bank fishing or bank fisherman, but a whole new fishing world opens up once you can move away from the bank.  In some cases you can do this by wading but I think if I were in your case I'd even settle for a rubber raft if it got me away from the bank.

24 minutes ago, billmac said:

but a whole new fishing world opens up once you can move away from the bank.

Very true. My cheap kayak was worth the price. Koz, maybe it will help you get to the fish.

Alabama Rig.

 

Not very productive for me and it wears me out.

1 hour ago, Manly Studson said:

Very true. My cheap kayak was worth the price. Koz, maybe it will help you get to the fish.

The best I can do is rent a kayak every now and then. There are no rack systems available for my car and I'm not inclined to sell a perfectly good and paid for vehicle. I really enjoy having no car payments.

 

The thing I enjoy about bank fishing where I used to fish is not only how good the fishing was, but also being able to walk or bike to dozens of different lagoons and enjoy the diversity of the wildlife (well, except the nuisance alligators). It was easy to relax and fish.

 

When I fish from a kayak or a boat I don't get that relaxation because you also have to deal with maneuvering the watercraft, loading, unloading, and transporting. I just want to grab a rod and bad and go fish and walk. Part of why I fish is to relax and exercise and free myself from any of life's frustrations. That hasn't happened up here.

 

Anyway, I appreciate all of the advice from everyone. I may rent a kayak and try it again in the spring or may limit my fishiung to when I go visit my parents back in the Lowcountry.

What am I giving up on?   The hope of lower gas prices.

Koz, I feel your pain and have been in the same boat. I've come to the decision that I will never live far from a coastline. I've tried living in the interior with little access for bank fisherman and I hate it. I was lucky enough to befriend someone with a boat and finally started enjoying fishing again. You honestly need to try kayak fishing or get a car topper jon boat. You can't catch fish if you can't get near them. Also, try fishing for something other than bass. There should be plenty of other fish around that you can catch. 

3 hours ago, Koz said:

The best I can do is rent a kayak every now and then. There are no rack systems available for my car and I'm not inclined to sell a perfectly good and paid for vehicle. I really enjoy having no car payments.

 

The thing I enjoy about bank fishing where I used to fish is not only how good the fishing was, but also being able to walk or bike to dozens of different lagoons and enjoy the diversity of the wildlife (well, except the nuisance alligators). It was easy to relax and fish.

 

When I fish from a kayak or a boat I don't get that relaxation because you also have to deal with maneuvering the watercraft, loading, unloading, and transporting. I just want to grab a rod and bad and go fish and walk. Part of why I fish is to relax and exercise and free myself from any of life's frustrations. That hasn't happened up here.

 

Anyway, I appreciate all of the advice from everyone. I may rent a kayak and try it again in the spring or may limit my fishiung to when I go visit my parents back in the Lowcountry.

You could look at a float tube and waders to stay dry. A lot of fly fishers use them out west. 

I’m giving up on fluorocarbon line. I just don’t see the benefit vs the coat. I think I’m going to spool one casting reel with 65 pound braid for the thick stuff and one spinning reel with 20 for Ned/ floating worms and all the rest with regular mono.

I am not giving up on any techniques....but on several bait/tackle companies.

 

#1 Keitech....expensive and fragile. I get better results and have more money in my pocket using other brands. It was not without A TON of trial and error though....it took a while to find a swing impact/fat impact replacement that wasn't a total dud, but I have found one....and it's cheaper....and it's better....and I'm not talking much more about it LOL.

 

#2 VMC hooks....I have a love/hate relationship with them. Several of their products are go-to's for me, like the spinshot dropshot hooks....but I randomly get batches of them that for some reason are made of glass. Hooks that break, swivel wires that break/bend, or cut my line. It's to the point that I can't trust them, and if I can't trust them, their gone. Back to the slightly more expensive, but more reliable Gamakatsu Drop shot/split shot hooks for me.

 

#3 Any bladed jig that's not a Jackhammer, or chatterbait "custom" TW exclusive. I have tried them all...from different brands, and even other Z-man offerings. Those two out fish the rest for me by a wide margin. A buddy of mine is a big fan of the SK Thunder Cricket, and it's comical that SK charges a premium for them, when after a day of fishing AND CATCHING my jackhammers that only cost a little more, still look and perform great, while his Thunder Turds are all but whipped and falling apart with no more, and often less fish to show for it.

On 12/30/2019 at 4:59 PM, stratoliner92 said:

Carolina rig is my nemesis ? I won't even get near one anymore!!

I learned how to fish it in lake Toho in 4-6 feet of water. I thought it was the silliest idea ever but we sacked em! 

2 hours ago, Elkins45 said:

I’m giving up on fluorocarbon line. I just don’t see the benefit vs the coat. I think I’m going to spool one casting reel with 65 pound braid for the thick stuff and one spinning reel with 20 for Ned/ floating worms and all the rest with regular mono.

That’s what I do and I’m about done with the 20 lb on the spinner. It’s almost to short and it’s back to 6 lb mono after a few more break offs