I really don't know what is going on. I have fished for bass for 40+ years. I have always been able to catch fish. My skunk rate was practically zero for years. Suddenly, the last few years, I can't catch a bass to save my life. I've gone six or eight times this year and caught maybe six fish total (four on one trip) when everyone around me is wearing them out. I fish mainly at Pickwick, a Tennessee River lake. Now, in the past I have always fished smaller lakes (400-1000 acres). I realize reservoir fishing is just different, but I can't buy a fish these days. I have gone back to basics with lures I have confidence in. Does anyone have any pointers for getting out of a huge slump?

Go back to basics. Grab a roostertail and catch everything. I went through a slump where I didn't catch a fish for two years. I asked my dad(He's 72) what I could possibly be doing wrong and he looked at me and said "Have you tried a roostertail? They catch everything." Now my suggestion however is to tie on a 3/8 roostertail. In my opinion that is the absolute best size for catching big and small bass.

You haven’t “Lost” your mojo, you’ve just “Misplaced” it.  Everybody goes through slumps.  Don’t lose confidence, that’s the big killer of success.  Keep your head up and your line in the water.  It will come.  

I hate to break it to you but bass fishing got really popular during COVID (and was already popular before that) and any bass that was stupid and easy to catch is now not.  Dang.  

 

When I hit a wall I go back to soft plastics.

 

Small is good.

 

Smaller line.  Smaller hooks.  Smaller baits.  Smaller casts.  Smaller amounts of moving your bait etc.

 

Think small.

I’ve found that attitude is the number 1 contributor to a slump. 

56 minutes ago, IYAOYAS said:

Go back to basics. Grab a roostertail and catch everything. I went through a slump where I didn't catch a fish for two years. I asked my dad(He's 72) what I could possibly be doing wrong and he looked at me and said "Have you tried a roostertail? They catch everything." Now my suggestion however is to tie on a 3/8 roostertail. In my opinion that is the absolute best size for catching big and small bass.

I haven't and I have an end pocket in my tackle bag that is full of brand new ones. 

Pickwick is way harder than any small lake. Get below the dam, Wilson pickwick or wheeler. Throw a paddle tail long enough and you’ll be catching them 

1 hour ago, Don Harris said:

 Now, in the past I have always fished smaller lakes (400-1000 acres). I realize reservoir fishing is just different, but I can't buy a fish these days. 

Respectfully, maybe fishing a large reservoir is a little more difficult than fishing small lakes. Just Saying.

Good Fishing

 

I actually agree with suggestions of - try some small spots.

 

Ponds are great because there's only so many places they can hide - tough because they are well educated.

 

This is where going small can REALLY pay off!

There are some months where I can't use anything but a 4" wacky senko or a ned rig if I want to catch a bass. The pressure out there is very high these days.

1 minute ago, Glaucus said:

The pressure out there is very high these days.

DITTO same here. Once off the private neighborhood ponds, off to the public waters. Highly pressured. Glad I brought my Beetle Spins with me.

Good Fishing

29 minutes ago, greentrout said:

Respectfully, maybe fishing a large reservoir is a little more difficult than fishing small lakes. Just Saying.

Good Fishing

 

There is no question it is harder. So how do I best adjust to make the shift to larger lakes?

 

8 minutes ago, Don Harris said:

There is no question it is harder. So how do I best adjust to make the shift to larger lakes?

 

Sperate the lake into sections. I use google earth and navionics to find the kind of structure I think they will be on during the time I will be fishing. I usually start in a creek that has what I'm looking for and treat that creek like it's the only accessible part of the lake. If that doesn't work then I fan out and move to another creek. Find yourself about 4 or 5 locations that you think will produce and fish them in order of most attractive to least attractive. Don't worry about the rest of the lake until youve exhausted your originally planned fishing spots.

Being a Florida guy fishing water full of weeds with a max depth of 10 feet, I can’t help you much with deep water bodies, but I have caught fish all over the country throwing smaller plastics, in natural colors, into and around green veggies in isolated clumps, along weed lines with depth changes close bye.  Flukes, senkos, worms, and creature baits .    On tough days I slow down and many bites come on long pauses after subtle movements.  I will pick apart areas I believe should hold decent numbers of bass.  Tough days down size, natural colors,  and slow down.  It has saved many tough day for me!

Hire a guid for a day or two on your home water.  Book a trip to a lodge in Mexico for largemouth or Canada for smallmouth.

I’m in a slump too. It’s aggravating to say the least. Sometimes a feller can make the right decisions about location , time , bait, retrieve, all the stuff we obsess about , and then the person standing next to me ( that I rigged with exactly what I’m using ) catches all the fish. That’s been happening for two months . It used to be a fun competition to see who could catch the most and biggest, now it’s a competition to see who can make the funniest jokes about how bad I suck. I’m okay with that. When they start pitying me I’m in trouble. Anyway, thanks for posting this and letting me bawl about trivial crap to the entire world. 

Your pressure is coming from within, not others.

If you can find a friend to share your boat who knows how to bass fish. A partner you learn from each other and it helps to stay focused plus enjoy the days on the water.

Smallmouth fisheries are very from LMB, different locations and presentations that requires down sizing or finesse lures.

Good fishing,

Tom

This happen to me before.. in order to brake the spell I had to do the unthinkable. Spinning reels, light line and finesse presentations.. 

 

I was in shock, but it worked. 

 

5 minutes ago, Gera said:

This happen to me before.. in order to brake the spell I had to do the unthinkable. Spinning reels, light line and finesse presentations.. 

 

I was in shock, but it worked. 

 

Unthinkable…..catching bass using finesse presentations isn’t unthinkable it’s fun😀

Tom

14 minutes ago, WRB said:

Unthinkable…..catching bass using finesse presentations isn’t unthinkable it’s fun😀

Tom

Yes it is!!! but in my neck of the woods they are rarely seen, first time my dad saw one of those in my hand he asked "what are going to with that??" before getting into the boat. I must say that he used a more colorful language than that. 

 

But yeah it is really fun

It took a generation for finesse to work its way north but today it’s about 50/50 finesse vs power fishing because it works!

Tom

 

Small, light, slow....

I'd watch these videos and copy what these bass-catching anglers are doing:

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pickwick+lake+bass+fishing

Finesse fishing is a definite skunk killer.

Drop-shot, Ned and Jackall flickshake is my go to.

I know all about getting skunked. I fish a local city lake, Freeman Lake, which is heavily pressured from the bank. I made it my goal to learn the lake and learn to fish pressured fish.

 

I have found that changing small things often improves the catch, or allows a catch or two when otherwise you're getting skunked. Using a color of lure that isn't available locally, or a size or type of soft plastic that isn't common, soft split rings for crankbaits.

 

And, sometimes, lures like beetle spins and grubs, lures associated with kids/novices, work excellently in the hands of a skilled angler. Most anglers turn their nose up at them. Most anglers either power fish, or they do what ever the hot new fad is. But there is a world of middle ground lures, stuff like beetle spins and roostertails that work well.