The Natural Progression of a Basshead ~ One Man’s Point of View

[A-Jay]

    As is sit and stare out at the frozen snow covered world outside, my mind began to wander back to some of my more memorable trips out onto Lake Menderchuck.  Knowing how nice it will be to get back on the water again always makes the day a little brighter.

Then I started thinking about how & where I was going to fish once the opportunity presented itself.  Always a trying decision given the many choices in both.  Getting even deeper into this train of thought, I started typing and this is what I ended up with.

 

The Natural Progression of a Basshead ~ One Man’s Point of View

 

Each and every one of us that chases these little green/brown fish has a special story about how we got started.  Many of them have been shared in this forum: including mine.  Regardless of how we got started, there seems to be a certain path, or a progression if you will, on how we each think of and go about catching bass.

  Certainly I can’t speak for everyone, so I’ll relay how it went for me.

After reading through it, see how it compares to your own path down Basshead Lane. 

Are there similarities or does it differ completely ?

 

  After catching my very first bass, to say I was pretty pumped would be a serious understatement.  Of course I didn’t exactly know it at the time (or maybe I did) it was a life changing perhaps even defining moment.  Either way, from that point on, bass fishing consumed me.  It was all I could think about and I could not wait to do it again.   Which brings me to the first stop in the progression of a Basshead.  

 

Stage 1 ~ I want to catch bass, any bass. 

Before catching my first bass, I was totally content on hanging a night crawler or a cricket under a bobber and staring at it for hours on end.

I would do it every chance I got.  But now it just seemed boring and regardless of  how many sunnies or hornpout I caught, the satisfaction just wasn’t the same.  I needed bass; felt like the meaning of life to me then.

 

   So Stage 1 for me routinely included bass in the 10 to perhaps 14 inch range.  As a pre-teen I was majorly excited each and every time it happened.  Sometimes I kept them and ate them.  I think the limit back then was 10 but I’m not totally certain. (circa 1970’s).  So keeping every bass I landed ‘limited’ the number I felt I could catch.  So then I started letting some of the just barely keeper sized bass go.  As time went on, this started to feel a whole lot better.  Soon ‘the release’ was almost as much fun as the catch.

(to this point I still hadn’t fallen in love with ‘the hunt' yet, but it was coming)

So it was the Catch & Release that led me straight into Stage 2.

 

Stage 2 ~ I want to catch as many Bass as I can.

   Starting out as a weekend, mid-day only angler, I had not yet been introduced to the wonder & bounty that an early/pre-dawn time frame at the lake could offer.  The high sun action was OK back then but by this point, I wanted more.  After reading an ‘article’ in “Boy’s Life” magazine, where it talked about fishing early & late in the day, and how the lower light levels could help get More Bass, it was on.  I began getting up ‘earlier & earlier’.  Riding my bike those first few times in the early summer morning grey light, seemed surreal.  Empty roads and what seems like a ghost town.  Just the paper boy, the trash man & me.  I was big eyed, skinny as a rail, and pedaling for all I was worth.  Looking back, I rarely took much to eat or drink in those days.  Had to be home before dark (street lights had better not be on) but I always cut that timing ‘very close’.  Dad knew the deal, so he usually cut me a little slack; just a little though. 

(When I did keep them, riding home with a stringer of bass spread out & hanging from the handle bars must have been a quite a sight)

 

 I used the same few baits to feed my now totally addicted infatuation with catching bass.  A black single silver hammered Colorado bladed Spinner bait, A Rebel Jointed Minnow, a Red & white Daredevil Imp spoon, A Crème Rubber worm Night Crawler rig with 2 hooks, a little red propeller and some beads, A small Hula Popper, a chartreuse Mr. Twister Curly Tail Grub and my favorite – a Glow in the Dark Jitterbug; which I thought was the coolest bait ever !  All of this was presented on a 6 ft light action Diawa Spinning rig and 8 or 10 lb blue Stren – can’t really remember which.  

I do remember the major line twist, vividly.  Just didn’t know any better.

 Still I had days were I caught a few, days where I got blanked and a few of those memorable days where they seemed to come every cast for a while.  Really loved those.  What did bother me quite a bit was that I was losing many of the better bass that stuck. 

This is what opened the door to Stage 3.

 

Stage 3 ~ I want to catch a Big Bass.

A Big Bass in those days for me was mostly determines by length.  While I did have one of those black metal ‘De-Liar’ scales, my Plano 777 tackle box was not exactly water tight.  So there was a good amount of rust on it and how anyone was supposed to get a decent size and flopping bass on that tiny little hook, I’ll never know.  Either way, I measured bass with it but never weighted anything on it.  Somehow 18 inches became my Big Bass standard.  Don’t remember how or why, just that when I got one over that magic mark, besides them looking ‘different & better’, I always felt very accomplished. 

 

   At this point I was driving, had my ‘permit’ and my old Ford burned almost as much oil as it did gas.  But it beat pedaling and seriously widened the big bass potential; although I was still fishing from shore.  I started hitting every northern New England lake I could get access to; mostly state parks. Time after time it seemed that the ‘rubber worms’ where accounting for most of the bigger bass I was catching.  Additionally they always seems to be ‘in the lily pads’.  Turned out my gear, wasn’t actually up to the challenge of the cover; surprise.

Saved some $$ and purchased my first casting gear; it was an off brand thing I got a local sporting goods.  There was a steep learning curve and in the beginning I struggled mightily to get baits off the bank.  Finally it came together (with the help of my first Texas Rig, needed the weight) and some of those ’18 inchers’ that I was losing, where ending up on my thumb.  I thought I was The Man.

 

    By now – I was fishing and Fishing was me.   My brother & mom thought I was crazy, so did most all of my friends.  Very few of them ever have any interest in ‘getting up so early’, pedaling 5 miles or more, fishing all day and then pedaling home.  So before I was driving, I mostly fished alone.  Once the hard part was gone, I had a few friends fish with me now & then, but they almost always wanted to ‘go home early’.  So I just stopped asking. This is also right about the time when I caught my first Brown Bass; pretty much a by catch.   That just added an entire Extra Level of gooey goodness to the whole thing.  This is also when I started to fall in love with ‘the hunt’.

 

    As the years past, I’ve bounced back & forth between Stage 2 & Stage 3.

Much of that had to do with where I was stationed & what was available as far as bass fishing was concerned.  By now I had joined the service and the vast majority of what happens in the US Coast Guard, happens on the Ocean.  So salt water angling had taken a solid hold of me.  But I still bass fished when I got the chance.  

 

    Fast forward thirty years, (I know right).   I’ve retired and am living in here in northern Michigan and it’s almost always the brown bass I’m fishing for. And there are some true trophy smallies here.  However it didn’t take long to realize that there just wasn’t much in the way of plus sized green bass locally.  I would need to travel a bit to scratch that itch.  Well, I did that & in a few more months I’m scheduled to take another trip south of the border.  Doesn’t guarantee anything but the place we fish has Stage 3 written all over it.

 

 Currently, I’ve pretty much come to like and settled into, a certain style of fishing.  Most all of it revolves around ‘the hunt’.  I enjoy first looking for potential big fish areas (usually holding bait) and fishing them.  Repeatedly visiting these spots until they either produce or I feel like I have exhausted every possible combination of seasonal periods, conditions, wind directions & times of the day, with no success.  I have spots that I believe in so strongly that I fish several times a season, that have not yet produced.  But they just look & feel right.  So I keep going back, for years now.

And this is what has had me venture into Stage 4.

 

Stage 4 ~  ~ I want to catch bass, the way I want to catch bass.

  Even though I’ll do it when I have to, soaking a drop shot, dead sticking a Senko, and flipping docks, are not at the top of my list.

I love to chunk & wind; moving baits.  Even if I’m just crawling something along the bottom, or sliding a walking bait across a big flat, I feel engaged.  Connected to what I’m doing. 

Success at this stage can have a very high satisfaction level for me; as if this stuff wasn't addicting enough !

Really makes me feel like a most accomplish Basshead; when I can actually pull it off.  

   Admittedly, staying locked in here has probably cost me more than just a few bass.  While adaptability can be a huge part of one’s success, staying true to stage 4, or being stubborn (call it what you want), can lead to the opposite at times.   Always been a fan of having my rigs all set up the night before a morning trip for instance.  But I can’t even count the number of times ‘something’ changed overnight, and most all of what I have rigged up, or what I wanted to throw, is somehow ‘wrong’ for the present deal.  Do I change it or try to force feed them ?  Sort of depends on how ‘off base’ I feel I am or even my current mood.  But there’s enough times where I tried the old force feed deal, where I crashed & burned, to warrant me mentioning it here. Really need to work on this.

 

Stage 5 ~ I want to help someone else catch bass ~

 I think at some point, we all get here.

It’s either a friend, a sibling, a spouse or even a co-worker we take an interest in, place under our wing and pass on some of this hard earned bass fishing knowledge. More often than not, it’s a child.  Take a kid fishing.

The pressure's on though.  Hopefully the bass will cooperate- and lucky for us – our willing participant usually starts out in Stage 1.

 I have quite a bit of fun now taking my wife out.  Mostly in the Old Town Canoe.  Being her guide, and if things work out, her net man for the day. 

Tying on baits, coaching her on her presentation, where to cast and offering words of encouragement when she ‘hooks up’ !  

And then there’s That Smile; you know the one.  What’s not to love about that ?

 

Let’s recap ~

 Stage 1 ~ I want to catch Bass – any Bass.

 Stage 2 ~ I want to catch as many Bass as I can.

 Stage 3 ~ I want to catch a Big Bass

 Stage 4 ~ I want to catch bass the way I want to catch Bass.

 Stage 5 ~ I want to help other folks catch Bass.

 

 So this is where I ask “Where do you did sit and how did you get there ? “

 

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

[jimmyjoe]

   Man, that sounds familiar!

   In lakes, I'm still on Stage 2 or 3. In the river, I'm on Stage 5. Got an 11-year-old who shows a lot of promise, and his parents approve of his fishing mania.

   Other than that, I'm on Stage 4. I'm relaxed and I enjoy fishing. The other fishermen I hang with want to do what they want to do their way, and that's it. I'm the same. If that weren't true, I wouldn't have so many spoons.  😜  (One woman calls me "Mr. Spoon.") 

   As for how I got there, I blushingly admit that it's simply a long-time evolution of the fishing that I've always done. I'm not smart, I'm not overly dedicated, and I'm certainly not going to ruin my peace by being competitive. But I stuck with it through the years, and it's paid off.

   Basically ...... I'm happy. If that's not good enough for some other people, then that's their problem.     jj

[MN Fisher]

I have to say I mostly bounce between Stage 2 and Stage 3...with both being immersed in Stage 4.

 

I don't get much time on the water to begin with - 4 hours in the canoe is a LONG day because of the home situation. So I always have rigs ready to go the night before and pretty much stay with them the entire time out. Of my 10 rigs, I might change lures on 1 or 2 of them during an outing - so Stage 4 is a big part of my fishing.

 

I know I need to be more adaptable, it's just that when you have limited time - changing lures seems to be a time-waster...I could get 4-5 casts/retrieves done in the time it takes me to change out.

 

Need to work on that...

[BASS302]

When I was a kid I was at Stage 2.  Now with work and other personal responsibilities, I'm back at Stage 1.

[TnRiver46]

Great read!!! First question: what the world is is a hornpout???

I think I’m using the tackle A-jay had in the 70s. I literally still have a couple rusted de-liars with the tiny hook that won’t hold a fish (no clue why I still have them) 

 

I can’t say for sure what stage I’m in, let’s call it “stage 6.” Basically i have to go fishing (or at least be on or near the water). I’m sure I could survive without going fishing, but it would be in an asylum or prison. If I don’t go fishing for anytime longer than a week straight, my personality turns sour. I have to fight hard to keep from freaking out inside my brain without fishing. I think and read about fishing pretty much all day and night when I’m off the water (thanks a million bass resource and @Glenn). I have been locked into this “stage 6” since age 2 from what I’ve been told. There is no cure other than fishing. I don’t necessarily care what size, species, or number of fish we catch, I just need to go fishing really really bad. Like I posted somewhere, I fish for trout and I don’t even like them. Maybe I’ll go after some hornpout one day! (Probably not as I imagine they are nowhere near my house). I suppose I was born to go fishing somewhere deep inside my being. Fish are also my main source of food. Sure I’d rather have beef tenderloin all the time but it costs money and I have to drive to a grocery store and walk all through it to acquire beef. Let’s take a poll: would you rather drive to a grocery store and walk all through it or go fishing? Pretty simple for me. Also I would always rather go fishing with other people as opposed to alone. I feel like most experiences in life are better when shared with others, kind of like the final lesson that Alexander supertramp (Christopher mccandless) learned the hard way (Into the Wild is the name of the book/movie). He wanted to be alone in the wild and his final message was to share experiences with other humans, the opposite of what he was doing in the school bus in which he lived in remote Alaska 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Great read!!! First question: what the world is is a hornpout???

Brown Bullhead - I think it's a New England thing cause Andy and I grew up in the same area (Mass.) at the same time. I knew them as hornpout before I knew they were really bullhead.

[PourMyOwn]

3 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Great read!!! First question: what the world is is a hornpout???

I think I’m using the tackle A-jay had in the 70s. I literally still have a couple rusted de-liars with the tiny hook that won’t hold a fish (no clue why I still have them) 

 

I can’t say for sure what stage I’m in, let’s call it “stage 6.” Basically i have to go fishing (or at least be on or near the water). I’m sure I could survive without going fishing, but it would probably be in an asylum or prison. If I don’t go for fishing for anytime longer than a week straight, my personality turns sour. I have to fight hard to keep from freaking out inside my brain without fishing. I think and read about fishing pretty much all day and night when I’m off the water. I have been locked into this “stage 6” since age 2 from what I’ve been told. There is no cure other than fishing. I don’t necessarily care what size, species, or number of fish we catch, I just need to go fishing really really bad. Like I posted somewhere, I fish for trout and I don’t even like them. Maybe I’ll go after some hornpout one day! (Probably not as I imagine they are nowhere near my house). I suppose I was born to go fishing somewhere deep inside my being. Fish are also my main source of food. Sure I’d rather have beef tenderloin all the time but it costs money and I have to drive to a grocery store and walk all through it to acquire beef. Let’s take a poll: would you rather drive to a grocery store and walk all through it or go fishing? Pretty simple for me. Also I would always rather go fishing with other people as opposed to alone. I feel like most experiences in life are better when shared with others, kind of like the final lesson that Alexander supertramp (Christopher mccandless) learned the hard way (Into the Wild is the name of the book/movie). He wanted to be alone in the wild and his final message was to share experiences with other humans, the opposite of what he was doing in the school bus in which he lived in remote Alaska 

A horn pout is just a northern name for a bullhead catfish.

[gimruis]

48 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Let’s recap ~

 Stage 1 ~ I want to catch Bass – any Bass.

 Stage 2 ~ I want to catch as many Bass as I can.

 Stage 3 ~ I want to catch a Big Bass

 Stage 4 ~ I want to catch bass the way I want to catch Bass.

 Stage 5 ~ I want to help other folks catch Bass.

 

 So this is where I ask “Where do you did sit and how did you get there ? “

 

I would say I am at stage 2 and 3.  Stage 4 happens on occasion because there are certain ways we all like to fish.  I think topwater fishing is the most exciting way to fish but realistically its not effective very often.

 

Stage 2 and 3 happened in staggering output this past season for me.  I caught more AND bigger bass than I ever have in a single season.  Most of the people I fish with already know how to bass fish so there's really nothing I can do to help them, other than being specific on where and what lures are effective at the time.

 

[Bankbeater]

I'm probably somewhere between stage 2 and stage 3.

[moguy1973]

I think I'm at different stages at different times of the year.  In the winter when there isn't ice covering the pond I'm at stage 1.  I know there are fish out there, just getting them to not be sluggish and bite whatever I'm throwing at them is the goal.  Any fish any size will do.  When I'm river fishing I'm in stage 2. I like the big ones, but catching as many as I can in the time I'm on the river is my goal.  Fighting little smallmouth can be just as fun as catching the big ones sometimes, and having as many on the end of my rod as possible meets that goal.  In the summer on the pond I'm in stage 3, looking for that big one that I know is out there because others have caught them and released them back to be caught again.  Stage 4 is a weird one for me, I don't use many techniques, and the ones I do produce for me and I'm comfortable with using them because of that.  Whenever I try to switch it up with something new and don't have success with them, I'm always back to my tried and true methods.  I'm always in stage 5 mode.  I have two daughters and a lot of younger nieces and nephews and they are all into fishing and always looking to me for advice on how to catch more fish, be it pan fish, bass, trout, whatever.  And I'm always willing to teach them, and most importantly how to fish correctly, using the right knots, and how to use specific lures and whatnot.

[TnRiver46]

I forgot to add something in my initial reply. I’m a junkie for watching a-jays videos on YouTube. One of my favorite phrases he uses when he’s got a fish in front of the GoPro is “very exciting!” Pretty much sums up the joy we all feel with a bass in hand 

[roadwarrior]

I am stage 3 and 5. 

 

#3  I don't care anything about little fish. Go big or go home.

 

#5  My best year was putting twelve guys on their Personal Best.

        On the last two trips I have spent half my time "guiding" and not

         fishing at all.

 

[soflabasser]

Good Winter time subject. Based on what you said I have gone through all stages and now fish for whatever species I want, whenever I want, with whatever technique I choose. I will go out of my way to help someone if they ask me nicely but I prefer fishing with my Wife, family, and close friends. With that said I will continue to learn more about fishing since fishing is hobby you learn for a lifetime.

[Team9nine]

Been through all the stages, but not quite in that order. My progression was more like 1,2,5,4,3.

 

Stage 1 lasted just a few years in my early teens.

Stage 2 followed quickly, and lasted about 30 years - lol - which was pretty much my tournament phase. 

Stage 5 was the creation of my own fishing website that I started after "retiring" from tourney life. It lasted about 12 years, got me a lot of local recognition, and helped/entertained a lot of people based on the feedback I've received, but I finally closed that chapter of my life out a little while back.

Stage 4 overlapped somewhat with Stage 5, and is where I've been for the past 5-8 years. I fish on my terms now, when I want, with who I want, for what I want (I've become much more multi-species, just like when I first started - Stage 0? - lol), and how I want to catch them.

Stage 3 is where I've just started dabbling the past few years. I've never especially cared about big fish. Catch all the fish I can catch, and some of them are bound to be big just by chance and probability. Always been fine with that outcome. But I'm getting more intrigued with the idea of fishing for better quality fish these days, and have studied that aspect for several years, only starting to put some of the pieces into play this year. Seriously looking to jump more into that avenue again in 2021.

[DitchPanda]

I'm A combination of stages 3-5..I wanna catch big bass on a bait I want to use and when I figure it out I wanna help others get in on the pattern and catch a big one. I've got a good friend whose a pretty good angler and its been my goal the past several years to try and figure out  a way for him to break his PB locally which is around 6lbs. That's A really solid fish around here and alot of guys never get one that big but I've put in thousands of hours over the years learning my local ponds...studying fish movements...studying local forage species...figuring out bite windows during weird weather when other people won't be out. So this year he had alot going on and because of that plus covid we never fished together during optimum big fish times...which is a bummer because I caught 4 bass in the 6+ range so I think he had a legit shot. Maybe next year!

[MickD]

Good stuff, A-Jay.  I guess I'm in all five stages.  But to me, BASS really means smallmouth bass.  If I lived somewhere else where I had a shot at double digit LMB, it would be different.  But here in MI, the 4, 5, and now and then 6 pound SMB is what turns me on.  A couple years ago I figured that 6 people had taken their personal best SMB from my boat in the 2-3 previous years.  That was pretty neat to consider.

[BrianMDTX]

I guess I vacillate between S-3 and S-4. I have no one whom I could progress to S-5 with (although I do like to try and help younger folks I run into when fishing from the bank). 
 

I am willing to forego catching any bass for the sake of catching bigger bass, but I do like to fish the way I like vs what may be a better option. Unlike you, A-Jay, I’m not a guy who loves casting and cranking, casting and cranking, all day long. I’m more a soft plastic and topwater angler. I may miss opportunities not using certain baits, but if I’m enjoying my day, that’s all that counts. 

[scaleface]

I want to catch numbers and big ones . Thats what I strive to do each day I go out in the boat for 8 plus hours . I'm a lot better at the numbers than the big ones but get them too, some years better than others .

[Mobasser]

For me, stage one was 1966, fishing each summer with my older brother. We fished farm ponds each evening on my grandpas farm.                                                    This was for three summers, untill my brother left for his tour in Vietnam, and I was on my own.                                                       My other stages have been much like yours A -Jay, obsessed with bass fishing. I think now at 63, I'm more enthusiastic than ever.                                    One of the best stages for me has been fishing and spending time with my grandson Aiden. It's been cool to watch his enthusiasm grow, and watch him improve as a fisherman. Thanks for a great post A-Jay!

[scaleface]

Stage 1 for me was to just catch fish .Like AJ ,  I also rode my single speed stingray bike in the hot summer sun for miles , just to catch a sack full of bullheads . Stage 2 was club and tournament fishing , where I tried to emulate the pros and win tourneys . I had some success but it wasnt  for me . Now I'm back to stage 1 . Much more theraputic .

[Sphynx]

Oh man, I know I can't be the only one who checks the forum, sees @A-Jay has written a book and can't wait to find time to read it, like a kid on Christmas eve wanting into his or her toys, I think this anticipation should keep me motivated through the remainder of the days drudgery. 

[DitchPanda]

6 minutes ago, Sphynx said:

Oh man, I know I can't be the only one who checks the forum, sees @A-Jay has written a book and can't wait to find time to read it, like a kid on Christmas eve wanting into his or her toys, I think this anticipation should keep me motivated through the remainder of the days drudgery. 

Indeed sir..A-jay is equal parts helpful and entertaining.

[MN Fisher]

5 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Indeed sir..A-jay is equal parts helpful and entertaining.

I'm sure Lynn agrees with you.

 

(Did I say that out loud?)

[A-Jay]

21 minutes ago, Sphynx said:

Oh man, I know I can't be the only one who checks the forum, sees @A-Jay has written a book and can't wait to find time to read it, like a kid on Christmas eve wanting into his or her toys, I think this anticipation should keep me motivated through the remainder of the days drudgery. 

 

14 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Indeed sir..A-jay is equal parts helpful and entertaining.

 

7 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I'm sure Lynn agrees with you.

 

(Did I say that out loud?)

 

Thanks a lot for the support, I really appreciate it.

 Lynn's my proof reader.

And she has no problem routinely 'red lining' much of my, let's call them,

more colorful submissions.

Still love her though . . . . 

A-Jay

 

[MN Fisher]

Just now, A-Jay said:

 

 

 

Thanks a lot for the support, I really appreciate it.

 Lynn's my proof reader.

And she has no problem routinely 'red lining' much of my, let's call them,

more colorful submissions.

Still love her though . . . . 

A-Jay

 

Well, you have to have some redeeming qualities if she's kept you around this long.

 

 - Hey, Nora (my wife) still wants me around after over 30 years, so I must be doing something right.