What are the key factors to becoming a strong bass angler in your opinion? 

Cael, I’m 71 and have been fishing all my life.  I still don’t consider myself a strong bass angler.  Here are some attributes that will contribute to being successful.

 

Attitude:  Move at your own pace.  Be teachable and know the days you don’t catch them may provide the greatest lessons.

 

Priorities:  Keep bass fishing fun.  Fishing should never be work but it does require effort. Never go into debt to acquire the tackle or other items that will come with fishing.

 

Versatility:  Be ready to fish different kinds of water.  Look for opportunities to go to diverse fisheries.  Find techniques that are common on as many locations and times of year as is reasonable.

 

Goals:  Set reasonable goals and plan them out and prioritize them.  Find other anglers and share your goals.  
 

Student:  Be a student of the bass, their environment and reproductive cycle.  The biology of fish and where and how they live is amazing.

 

Realist:  Bass fishermen and women that are not pros but avid and committed can teach you just as much as any pro.

 

Giver:  Be a giver and not just a taker.  That means being a good sportsman and example to others. Courtesy goes along way.

 

Now share your successes and questions because members here on BR are awesome.

 

 

Squat, bench, deadlift, and 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.😀

I think it’s a loaded question. What is a good bass angler? Someone who wins tournaments? Someone who only chases trophy size bass? Someone who knows their body of water like the back of their hand? Someone who catches a lot of fish? Someone who catches even when the bite is tough?

 

Everyone measures this differently. Which are you looking to do?

6 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

I think it’s a loaded question. What is a good bass angler? Someone who wins tournaments? Someone who only chases trophy size bass? Someone who knows their body of water like the back of their hand? Someone who catches a lot of fish? Someone who catches even when the bite is tough?

 

Everyone measures this differently. Which are you looking to do?

I like it!

" You're not going to get good at bass fishing just because you like it. You have to have good instincts and that only comes from time on the water. It takes weeks and months and years to develop your instincts, but every 10 minutes you can add, you're that much closer to it. Fish as much as you can - every minute on the water makes you better. Time and experience are everything."   - Seth Feider

A good bass angler can squeeze a frog to empty the water every so often.  It's not that bad.

 

A good bass angler can almost always get their bait into a tree and then snap the line by pulling hard.

 

A good bass angler knows a worm with the head bitten off is just as good as a fresh one from the package.

 

A good bass angler doesn't fish the wrong gear in the wrong situation - not very nice to leave hooks or line stuck in big girls mouth because you wanted to do the barbie pole challenge.

 

A good bass angler knows that frozen guides and thunder and lightning are the same thing but opposite ends of the seasonal spectrum and are essentially the only things worth leaving the water for.

 

A good bass angler is always smiling and doesn't stop fishing when the fish stop biting because a good bass angler knows the next big one is just around the corner always.

 

A good bass angler learns to love the skunk and eventually usually takes the skunk on as a visiting professor of bass fishing theory.

 

The skunk is a MUCH better teacher than the monkey.

 

Oh, yes - about the monkey - he's a filthy liar.

All of the Above….

 

To me a “good bass angler” is one who isn’t afraid to not catch a fish at the same time understanding why he didn’t. 
He may never know the true reason why but still able to put the little pieces together to be better prepared to Improvise, Overcome and Adapt in every way, every time 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I'll say study bass behavior. Try to learn about seasonal patterns. Start out with a few proven baits, and get good with those. One of the most successful bass fisherman I know fishes from a 12 ft jon boat, and uses a push pole to get in casting position. He catches scores of bass each year with a couple of baits.                       And, ask questions here on BR. There's a huge wealth of good info here. Lastly, fish as much as you can, and keep learning.

If your just getting started, buy  the best gear you can afford, but don't get hung up on thinking that a 400.00 rod will make you good. I'll quote Catt here." The secret to catching bass is between your ears, not in the folds of you wallet". It's all about learning.

5 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

Cael, I’m 71 and have been fishing all my life.  I still don’t consider myself a strong bass angler.  Here are some attributes that will contribute to being successful.

 

Attitude:  Move at your own pace.  Be teachable and know the days you don’t catch them may provide the greatest lessons.

 

Priorities:  Keep bass fishing fun.  Fishing should never be work but it does require effort. Never go into debt to acquire the tackle or other items that will come with fishing.

 

Versatility:  Be ready to fish different kinds of water.  Look for opportunities to go to diverse fisheries.  Find techniques that are common on as many locations and times of year as is reasonable.

 

Goals:  Set reasonable goals and plan them out and prioritize them.  Find other anglers and share your goals.  
 

Student:  Be a student of the bass, their environment and reproductive cycle.  The biology of fish and where and how they live is amazing.

 

Realist:  Bass fishermen and women that are not pros but avid and committed can teach you just as much as any pro.

 

Giver:  Be a giver and not just a taker.  That means being a good sportsman and example to others. Courtesy goes along way.

 

Now share your successes and questions because members here on BR are awesome.

 

 

This is perfect. Be a giver, not a taker. Be courteous to other anglers, and treat others with respect. 

Search this forum for 'angler's creed in the spirit of Larry Nixon'. 

 

In there is one word that sets the followers of science apart from the intuitive fishermen. It is the word listen.

 

It is one thing to know the sciences of fish, rods and reels, and lures, and environmental effects. 

 

That is merely preparation. On the water truly great fishermen and fisherwomen listen.

 

Nature speaks to us. Some listen. Some don't.

 

In 1986 Denny Brauer did one of the most influential bass fishing videos I ever watched. His flipping and pitching video on a still unknown secret lake in Florida.

 

In that video I saw for first time someone who could read the water like no other. He has a 6th sense that is next level. He will find or know where fish are I would not target normally. Denny sets hook in this video on large bass because he saw a plant twitch. That is dialed in. Next next level.

 

I can watch other bass fishermen who does not seem to have that connected to Nature 6th sense like Brauer and Clunn have.

 

I would add the word listen to that which makes better fishermen and fisherwomen.

 

As Larry Nixon said... Listen to Nature. Listen to the wind. The weather. The fish. The water. The birds. The light. The dark. All of it is brought together in "better" maybe great fisher people.

 

https://youtu.be/BJhbnvjIHSU?feature=shared

Don’t fish like a Man, fish like a Woman. No thinking, just feel it out. Bass after bass after bass lol

7 hours ago, Cael B said:

What are the key factors to becoming a strong bass angler in your opinion? 

Spend time on the water, watch videos and read everything you can about the type of bass fishing you like to do. Don't fall for the bait monkey right off the bat or you'll get paralyzed with indecision. Just do the basics for starters.

Time on the water. Nothing can replace that.

11 hours ago, Cael B said:

What are the key factors to becoming a strong bass angler in your opinion? 

That's fair question and one where the 'answer' maybe pretty tricky to define as it can mean something quite different to each of us.

Here's my version of it.

Being a good Bass angler is a multistep process that takes a while to get a handle on.

It's much more of a journey than something that has an ending, I'm always 'learning'.

Part of the appeal in my mind. 

So 'becoming a strong bass angler' has many 'steps' that a potential basshead needs to

become proficient at, long before there are any thing close to consistent bass catches.

 

Before I continue, for most of the strongest bass anglers I know, the driving force to what keeps them heading out on the water, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year and decade after decade  . . . . . is PASSION. 

If there is not at least a little to begin with, it can make 'the process' even more daunting.

A little passion can certainly be cultivated into more or even wild levels as time goes on,

but having it embedded down deep within a human spirit will make

keeping your nose to the grind stone seem fun - at least some of the time.

 

 So as for the many steps - to start there are just the basics, some examples include but are not limited to (depending on your situation and where/how you fish) tying effective knots, casting accurately, learning about the life cycle of a bass and the baits/prey they will most likely be seeking, how & when they feed.  There are quite a bit more but I hope you get the idea.

As mentioned here already, there's no replacement for time on the water, but there's plenty of learning and preparation that happens long before any floating occurs. 

Besides passion, most all of the characteristics that can make us successful in life, can apply to becoming a strong bass angler.

 

Optimism

The biggest successes often start out as fantastical goals. In some cases, those goals have seemed so out there that others have called them impossible. Having a sense of optimism and a belief in ourselves can be very empowering.  There's plenty of negativity out there, block it out. 

Persistence

Every successful person has experienced failure—multiple times, and in multiple ways. What separates them from the rest isn’t that they fail less; it’s that they persist more. When faced with a setback—even a large one—those who succeed don’t let it stop them from continuing forward.

Creativity

Those who have a capacity to think originally have a greater chance of success. When faced with an obstacle to your goal, don’t just go through a checklist of ways to solve the problem. Try thinking of the problem—and its possible solutions—in a Your Own Way.  You Tube does not have solutions to ever bass fishing challenge.  Sometimes we need to put our head down, fish hard and figure it out on our own.

Self-Discipline

Being on the water on time, ensuring your rig & gear are maintained so that it can perform as you need it to.  Having situational awareness on the water can be huge.  A strong Bass Angler is nothing without his or her tools.  Have the self discipline to manage that. 

A Desire to Improve

Successful people don’t consider themselves to be perfect. Even if they have great confidence in their abilities, they still work to improve, identifying where they have weaknesses and doing what they need to do to strengthen themselves.

A Commitment to Learning

Knowledge is confidence. the more we know about a given scenario the better results we can expect when it comes to handling it, adapting to it as needed and more importantly, repeating the success that comes form it.

 

Finally, bass fishing and bass catching are at opposite ends of this sport/hobby.

Regardless of everything written here and everywhere else, there is ALWAYS far more bass fishing than there will ever be bass catching.

If we don't love the process and being on what sometimes can be a long road,

getting from one to the other, IMO we miss the best part.

Fish Hard and Good Luck

A-Jay

 

Well, the last couple of replies say exactly what I was going to.

 

Which is, TIME ON THE WATER.

 

You can read this forum all day and all night. You can watch YouTube videos all day and all night. Both are VERY helpful, but you have to get out there and fish.

 

Even if it’s just a short trip, try to learn something. What worked? What didn’t work?

 

PS Be stubborn.

I think the word good is the key in your post title.

My wife and I consider ourselves to be good bass fisherman and women. We rarely catch the largest bass or the most bass ( if any), but at the end of the day, on the way home from the lake, we look at each other and say " that was fun". That always has been good enough for us. 

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

A good bass angler can almost always get their bait into a tree and then snap the line by pulling hard.

“Honey! You know how you always say I’m not good at fishing? Well apparently I’m GOOD at it!!!!!!!!”

 

I have no idea, but I aspire to some day be one. For now I will continue to make poor casts  in to trees, buy more tackle and enjoy being an average bass angler.

I say hyper focus on one technique at a time. Only bring that bait/lure out with you. Throw that thing in all conditions. Take mental notes of what worked and what didn't. Fish it until it becomes your confidence lure. After that, pick another lure and repeat the process while occasionally returning to your previous lure(s) to stay sharp. 

 

This is the basic process I use for all my hobbies from power lifting to guitar. It works. I've gone through soft plastic jerk baits, stick baits, and bladed jigs with this method. I'm moving over to something else soon --- maybe a squarebill or shakey head.

 

What's cool is you start to take techniques from previous baits and apply them to your new one. For example, I found you can reliably pick stubborn fish off by flipping a bladed jig into cover and dead sticking it like it was a stick bait. 

 

Am I good yet? No idea how to answer that. I'm the best bass guy in my friend group. I'm however probably bottom tier on this forum in terms of skill. Love fishing because of the endless learning curve though.

There is no magic solution.  We must spend more time on the water.

 

 I like what @Pat Brown said.

 

11 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

The skunk is a MUCH better teacher than the monkey.

 

When you're on the water you deal with real problems,  real weaknesses in your approach,  real things you don't understand.  You can spend your time working on these real issues and making real progress.  For example,  you find fish deep and you catch them when you get your crankbait down to them.  You know if you could have gotten your bait deeper you would have caught more of them.  You start looking at ways to fish a crankbait deeper.

 

When you're off the water and on the Internet you spend your time working on imaginary issues.  Problems placed in your mind by others, who usually want to sell you something.  You think you should be using this hot new technique but first you must get the right technique specific combo for it.  You question if you're using the best knot? even though knot failures have not been a problem.  

 

The difference between good and great is in the real details. What I need to do to get better at catching bass in my area may not work for you.  We all have to figure out what it takes to catch real bass in their real habitat and we must learn to ignore the noise.  

 

 

 

 

 

It’s all in your attitude. If you’re enjoying yourself and learning new tricks and techniques, then by my metric you are doing good. The big fish and numbers will come with time on the water. 
 

Fish with some buddies and do some informal, penny ante competitions…it’s a ton of fun to do 1V1’s for who buys lunch, or “first, most, biggest” for $20 each category. Gets you into a different mindset and can make the slowest day into a challenge.

Good bass angler is such a suggestive term. Some people would say @A-Jay is a good bass angler, though he may say he’s just “ok”. 😂
 

That said, my number one tip.

 

ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE BAIT MONKEY! HE WILL NEVER STEER YOU WRONG!

Time on the water

 

Time spent here reading and asking questions.

 

And to paraphrase @Catt 

 

just when you think you have them figured out they throw you a curveball.

Always know I’m next to you whispering sweet nothings in your ear so you will think it’s the next new lure, rod or reel that will make it great but that is not true.