I just want to take a minute to self reflect and brag on myself a little bit. I have been fishing most of my adult life but I always grew up power fishing with mostly little to no finesse fishing. A couple of years ago I decided to take the time and effort to learn as much as I can about wacky rig and drop shot fishing. I’m happy to say that now those are two techniques that I don’t never have tied onto the front of my boat deck. I don’t always catch limits when I go but now I very rarely ever skunk. Thank you Glenn, Tom, AJ and lots of other bass resource posters for helping folks like me become better anglers. For the record, my go to set ups are a VMC size 2 wacky hook with a Berkley General  Maxscent  5 inch worm and for the drop shot a size 1/0 VMC neko finesse hook with a 1/4 ounce tungsten teardrop and a 4 1/2 inch straight tail Roboworm. I feel like making this leap has definitely made me a better angler. 

Good stuff! Happy for you. 

 

I was doing some self reflection the other day. Similar to you, although have not been fishing nearly as long, always power fished. Cranks and jigs. Slow bottom contact was not my thing. This year I really got hooked on just a weightless t-rig. As well as improving on other areas. Well, I made a big leap this year. Huge. I take pictures of most of my fish. Went back and looked. I more than tripled my fish this year from the past two years combined. 

 

I to credit the people who contribute to this forum for that success. And would like to thank everyone. You guys really make me think on a deeper level of that makes sense. And I feel it's made a huge difference. Thank you all

I, too, am a hard bait lover. Cranks, spinnerbaits and topwater get the most attention, but over the past few seasons, I have been known to pick up a spinning rod when my mainstays weren't producing. I've been a serious bass angler for the better part of 60 years and the only soft plastics I ever used were worms,tubes and jig trailers.  I will still downsize before picking up that spinning rod, but it has gotten results almost every time I have. 

Wacky rig seems like a huge lure to me, I’m the opposite end of the spectrum 

In south Florida we have many canals that dissect the Everglades and surrounding areas.  These canals all have ledges on both sides that drop straight down 10 to 20 feet deep, with shallow flats at the top of the ledge.  I love a wacky bait hugging the ledge, and letting it free fall straight down and then snapping it off the bottom with long pauses between snaps.  This can be magical at certain times of the year.  I use a zoom trick worm because it gives more action with the long thin bait, and the ends float up and wiggle while sitting still during the long pauses. 

 

Good for you figuring out a pattern that works.  Listening to what they want that day, that hour!  They will tell you, if you take the time to listen.  When things get tough slow down, and then slow down some more.

Always studying, always evolving = always moving forward.  Nice job, brother.  That's good stuff.  

If I didn't throw a wacky rig or drop-shot, eliminate 75% of the fish I've caught the last 3 years.

My power fishing partner no longer sends me a Christmas card 😂, he despises it.

This is why bass fishing is so cool.  There are so many situations and so many ways to address them.  You worked the puzzle with an open mind and figured it out.  Very nice post.

On 9/9/2024 at 7:49 PM, JayMac89 said:

I more than tripled my fish this year from the past two years combined. 

 

Wow. ^That's^ huge.

 

On 9/11/2024 at 8:52 PM, Columbia Craw said:

This is why bass fishing is so cool.  There are so many situations and so many ways to address them.  You worked the puzzle with an open mind and figured it out.  Very nice post.

 

^Another^ very nice post. Dare I say cool? I do, I do.

 

@RHuff: Congrats on stretching. I too need to stretch into power fishing. I fish power baits, but with spinning outfits.

 

 

 

I love these stories of progress and learning. 
 

my story is similar in terms of the learning but I started with crank and jerks. I then expanded to try everything with little to no success. No success with the jig, the senko, t-rig, Carolina rig, spinner baits, buzz baits. My learning curve was steep and difficult. 
 

Then I tried the drop shot as I was desperate to improve and learn and crack this puzzle we have in a bass. Aaron Martens taught me from afar and I learned. So my real start with success was with “finesse”. For the better of the next 10 years was finesse because I had no success with the other standard baits. Then, as a power angler starts to dabble into finesse, I knew that in order for me to grow and expand, I had to once again revisit those lures and methods. It all started in 2018 until now. Each lure was systematically and methodically studied both on and off the water. The spinnerbait,(also the Ned rig even though it’s not a power application) buzzbait, senko, weighted and unweighted craws, creatures, worms, brush hogs, and finally, that last monkey of the jig and trailer, is finally off my back this year. 
 

The same journey, but from the opposite end. 

Good for you!  Every year I try to add at least one new technique that I can reliably catch fish with.  Just a little something different to throw when everything else you've got isn't working. 

 

I've found that if you're going to have a good day on the water, you're going to have a good day almost no matter what you throw.  But being able to turn a bad day into an okay day takes a lot more skill.  And having multiple, reliable options of what to throw certainly goes a long way towards doing that.