Look at that big ol swimbait

[LrgmouthShad]

Is what I thought yesterday evening when I observed two fishermen pretty close to each other. One in a kayak and the other in a nice looking bass boat. Both were chucking gigantic swimbaits around two points in the same general area.

 

This was a different boat ramp than I’m used to fishing, but I had made up in my mind that I wanted to check out these two points when I hit the water. But these two boats were fishing there, so I naturally I decided to go somewhere else. I came back a short bit later and graphed the points and didn’t see much of anything. That’s when I realized that I really shouldn’t pay attention to those guys. Yeah maybe they’ve figured out something with their huge swimbait - and another guy once was very eager to tell me at another boat ramp that he caught a 9lber on a swimbait in the same region of the lake - but I decided that this is their game as of right now, and I’m certainly not going to copy. If I start noticing that some guys are catching much bigger bass than me, and they all are throwing swimbaits, then sure, maybe I take a look at getting some. But in my mind, one of these guys might catch a 9 on a swimbait but there is likely another guy somewhere on the water that catches the same quality fish on similar stuff as to what I throw. 
 

Just the way I think. Feel free to share your thoughts 

[A-Jay]

When it comes to what 'other anglers' are doing on the water

and & saying at the dock,

Blinders & ear plugs are my best friends.

 

I Fish my own fish and do it my own way.

?

A-Jay

 

[LrgmouthShad]

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

saying at the dock,

Not a fan of dock talk. I stay as quiet as possible at the ramp and intentionally try and wait until the ramp is clear of anybody before I go there. Whenever someone asks me how I did, I try and downplay it as much as possible.  

[Bankc]

46 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Not a fan of dock talk. I stay as quiet as possible at the ramp and intentionally try and wait until the ramp is clear of anybody before I go there. Whenever someone asks me how I did, I try and downplay it as much as possible.  

I'll be nice, but not friendly.  I don't usually start conversations and don't care to listen to what other people have to tell me.  But I'll do the polite thing and hear them out anyway.  Mostly because I don't trust anything anyone says.  It seems like everyone at the dock is a pro angler but me.  
 

Though, to be fair I've had a few moments where I caught fish that made unbelievable stories.  Like the time I caught a 14lb drum in a lake that doesn't have drums.  

[Tennessee Boy]

Here’s how I would process what you observed.   Two points got your attention (I assume you found them on a map) and when you got to them you found two boat on them.  That would confirm to me that I need to fish those points in the future.   
 

I would file away the swim bait comments.   Maybe it something you’ll want to try someday.  There’s usually much more to a technique than buying a lure and tying it on.  It usually takes time on the water to master a new technique.   I think a common mistake is having too many techniques in ones bag of tricks and not being good at any of them.  That was my biggest problem in the first 5 years I owned a boat.

[LrgmouthShad]

13 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Two points got your attention (I assume you found them on a map) and when you got to them you found two boat on them.

Yup all of that is correct

 

Thanks for your comment. I’ll check those points in the future but at the moment they looked better on a map than on the water. I wasn’t overly impressed with the way they laid out. Plus the little signs of life wasn’t very encouraging. 
 

There’s another spot that I have now checked twice that is frustrating me because now, both times I’ve been there, I’ve seen some life and I like the way the structure kinda lays out but I still haven’t caught there. I’m not a fish I guess

[Bird]

All fisherman at the ramps are highly successful and very well accomplished.

 

I do often watch YouTube videos of fisherman on a new lake that I want to fish just to get a feel.

I do better on steep shaded banks then I do on points in the summer. 

[fin]

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

another guy once was very eager to tell me at another boat ramp that he caught a 9lber on a swimbait in the same region of the lake

 

12 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Two points got your attention (I assume you found them on a map) and when you got to them you found two boat on them.  That would confirm to me that I need to fish those points in the future.

 

One person tells two other people, those two tell four others, etc. etc. That's always been the case, and now with social media, it's multiplied by 100.

 

Seeing is believing, but seeing a lot of people fish a certain area could all be based on someone's exaggeration from 10 years ago.

 

I’ll listen to what people have to say, just like I read these forums. You don’t have to believe everything people say to get good ideas from them. I'd say both extremes are bad - ignoring everything or believing everything. You've got to sort it, that's part of the sport.

[Functional]

I've seen and heard from plenty of successful fisherman on the lake...if dinks were my target. Need to define what success is, I'm not interested in catching a bunch of 1-2lb bass all day. I want something that makes me question if I need a net.

 

I'll usually keep a smidge of that information in the back of my head for a day when I'm really struggling and just need to change up how I approach fishing that day. I've yet to hit anything on the "tips" i've got. 

[gimruis]

1 hour ago, Bankc said:

Like the time I caught a 14lb drum in a lake that doesn't have drums.

 

[osummerer23]

Lots of regulars at the docks must think im the worst fisherman to exists, especially for how often im out. The answer is always, a slow day with very little bites. And I never ask what they are using.

 

Then you get a vibe from the same type of people and ask, shallow or deep? Moving or dragging bottom.  2 sentence reports are worth more than dock talk most days. 

 

Always friendly and willing to take their advice on great spots they used to fish, 20-40 years ago, followed by, what's the limit now a days. And being shocked it so low and then 'back in my day we would keep 100 a day'. Gee... thanks mister. (regards to eating fish, saltwater, walleye, crappie etc.)

 

 

[WVU-SCPA]

I don't go to a spot and replicate how I believe I saw someone else catch a fish, however I do stay observant of other anglers and allow what I see happening impact what or how I'm fishing or not fishing.  Don't believe a word I hear from anglers I don't already know their BS level.

 

[LrgmouthShad]

2 hours ago, Bird said:

I do better on steep shaded banks then I do on points in the summer.

I run a lot of points on this lake and I will continue to. But, of course, not all points are created equal. 

 

2 hours ago, fin said:

area could all be based on someone's exaggeration from 10 years ago.

Right. I have no idea what brought them there or how long they’ve been fishing that spot

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I’ll check those points in the future but at the moment they looked better on a map than on the water. I wasn’t overly impressed with the way they laid out. Plus the little signs of life wasn’t very encouraging. 

Sometimes things don't make sense until they do. Last season I felt like I was playing with house money early on, so I focused on areas that rarely produced for me over a span of years. They all panned out wonderfully. Now I understand them better.

[Darth-Baiter]

4 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Not a fan of dock talk. I stay as quiet as possible at the ramp and intentionally try and wait until the ramp is clear of anybody before I go there. Whenever someone asks me how I did, I try and downplay it as much as possible.  

really.  i take that opportunity to upplay everything.  hahah..    just kidding.  

[JackstrawIII]

12 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I think a common mistake is having too many techniques in ones bag of tricks and not being good at any of them.  That was my biggest problem in the first 5 years I owned a boat.

Ouch, that one hurts. I feel like that’s me 100%. How do you break out of that?

 

Regarding dock talk, sounds like I’m kinda the opposite of most of you guys. I love saying hi, asking people how they did, etc. and will often share what I fished and where if it’s successful. Maybe that’s weird and maybe I appear rude to others, but in my head I’m just being friendly and am naturally inquisitive. I dunno. 

[Fishin Dad]

I usually enjoy talking to people at the docks.   I don’t mind sharing some information, especially if there are kids involved.  I will listen to others info as well, but I use my better judgement while determining the kind of person it is.  I have gotten some great info from really nice people.  I hope I have helped some people as well.  
Ultimately, I enjoy the challenge of finding my own fish and making my own success.  In one of my fishing leagues, we actually hang out after weigh in and talk about what we all did.  Most of it is honest.   It is more about fun, education, and comradery.  I like that.  

[Cbump]

With a huge swimbait, Might catch a 9, then go 2 weeks straight with no bites. Feast or famine. Not my style. 

[Fishingmickey]

Community holes are named that for a reason. because usually they are good fishing spots. Opposite side of that coin is they are usually highly pressured too.  Fishing big swimbaits can be very educational.  A lot of the time you will get some interesting follows and they can also tell you if an area might be productive or conducive to harboring big bass or bigger then average bass.  Then there is the chance you catch a really big bass too! 

FM

 

[JediAmoeba]

On 7/27/2023 at 8:37 AM, LrgmouthShad said:

Is what I thought yesterday evening when I observed two fishermen pretty close to each other. One in a kayak and the other in a nice looking bass boat. Both were chucking gigantic swimbaits around two points in the same general area.

 

This was a different boat ramp than I’m used to fishing, but I had made up in my mind that I wanted to check out these two points when I hit the water. But these two boats were fishing there, so I naturally I decided to go somewhere else. I came back a short bit later and graphed the points and didn’t see much of anything. That’s when I realized that I really shouldn’t pay attention to those guys. Yeah maybe they’ve figured out something with their huge swimbait - and another guy once was very eager to tell me at another boat ramp that he caught a 9lber on a swimbait in the same region of the lake - but I decided that this is their game as of right now, and I’m certainly not going to copy. If I start noticing that some guys are catching much bigger bass than me, and they all are throwing swimbaits, then sure, maybe I take a look at getting some. But in my mind, one of these guys might catch a 9 on a swimbait but there is likely another guy somewhere on the water that catches the same quality fish on similar stuff as to what I throw. 
 

Just the way I think. Feel free to share your thoughts 

I throw large swimbaits a lot of the time - if you want the biggest, oldest fish - that's what you throw. A lot of the guys throwing those go by the saying "zero or hero". 

 

I have a lot invested in my swimbaits and setups and enjoy throwing them - most if the time I would rather skunk than catch a bunch of 3 lb and smaller bass.

[MGF]

I don't run in to very many anglers at the ramp on the river. When I do I enjoy seeing their boat/tackle and hearing whatever they have to say about the fishing.  My wife and I have some really good days on the river and we don't mind talking about it to those who are interested. 

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

I've wasted a lot of time listening to fishing reports and dock talk earlier in my fishing career instead of just doing what I thought I should be doing. 

[fin]

Yeah, I've watched guys standing at the ramp with their boats in the water at sunrise jacking their jaws for an hour during the best time of day to be fishing. If I'm going to talk, it's going to be after 9:00.