4 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Whoa, Al, that sure persuades me to change it up when fishing. Thanks!

 

Say, Al, since you're a codger and I'm a crone, how do you tie knots in the boat? At home, I use my magnifiers. Are your glasses bifocals?

Ha!  You touched on a big problem for me!  Even with bifocals on it's bad.  In the boat with the wind blowing it may take 3 tries to get a knot tied even with hi-vis braid.  Given up on florocarbon, totally invisible no matter what size.  The answer: patience and persistence, and those aren't my best qualities!

2 minutes ago, Lottabass said:

Ha!  You touched on a big problem for me!  Even with bifocals on it's bad.  In the boat with the wind blowing it may take 3 tries to get a knot tied even with hi-vis braid.  Given up on florocarbon, totally invisible no matter what size.  The answer: patience and persistence, and those aren't my best qualities!

 

I used to take great pride in quickly tying a knot, even if the boat was bouncing in waves. Now I really avoid tying knots in my canoe because, like you, I'm so slow. Sigh. Imagine what we could catch if we weren't stalled trying to tie a knot!

On 8/31/2025 at 8:11 AM, Swamp Girl said:

Me too. I do a lot of grateful gawking. The last time I fished (with the kid), I set my rod down again and again just to watch and talk. One thing I love is when ospreys hit the brakes. They rear their heads back and up, flutter their wings, and hover to study the water. If you've never seen this, you're too focused on fishing or you don't have ospreys. 

I see this at Pickwick Lake all of the time!

 

Your original post describes me to a T. I am learning to slow down a lot. I have started dragging a Carolina rig very slowly and have caught quite a few fish doing it. 

I fished a Pro-Am at Lake Mead as an amateur. The pro I drew on the first day was fishing so fast along the bank that unless I was willing to cast up in front of him from the back seat (I wasn't) I couldn't get a bait to the bottom before the boat was too far to fish it, which is especially weird because anything I caught would have counted toward his weight. I was there to learn, and on that day the only thing I learned is that I HATE to fish that way.

 

As I sit here typing about it, oddly enough, I find I am still angry about it. And then I laugh a little because of the absurdity of being torqued about something like that 35 years after it happened.

 

I know, I KNOW. I mean, who wouldn't like something often called "power" fishing?

 

Answer: Me. If that's your jam, more "power" to you ;~)

=========================

When given a choice, my number one rule is to not have to adhere to any rules if I don't feel like it in the moment. Since no one is paying me to fish a certain way to possibly maximize my fish count, that frees me up to take a step backwards, sideways, or just sit in the pocket when I feel like it. 

=========================

TL/DR: So, should you @Swamp Girl slow down?

 

I don't know and only you can answer that question. I will suggest that if you do slow down initially, it might allow you to glean some information that you can combine with your experience, and that could allow you to then power fish more effectively. . . . if that's the wind that fills your sails. . . . Maybe.

I like fishing crankbaits and flukes. I don't love fishing slow, but I will force myself to do it some. I normally can't force myself to do it more than a dozen casts before I find another spot.

 

Being a bank angler, I've never done a run and gun fishing approach. But if I was running along a bank and there was a nice laydown, I'd work it a bit before moving on. 1-2 casts aint enough, 12 maybe.

 

When walking the bank with a crankbait, I can get around 3 casts a minute.

Greetings All,

My recreational angling approach is supported by several personal considerations. I'm recreating, so my level of effort is based on what brings maximum recreational value. OK, it may depend on the morning's caffeine dose. 

 

Because I frequently use a paddle with my kayak, there is that level of effort involved too. If the wind is involved, I'll try to use that to my advantage. Most of the time it is not helpful to my ambitions. It depends on how much I want to do at the moment. 

 

Over the years, the low and slow angling approach has been more successful for catching quantity and quality fish. Generally, that is what I do the most. That does not prevent me from mixing it up to try different things. 

 

I've always done what I can to be an honorable custodian of my outdoor resources, so I've gathered up rubbish when practical. In doing so, I've salvaged a good number of baits and lures. Many which are in good to go condition. Some do require refurbishing. When appropriate I'll give them a go. 

 

I generally approach top water using floating soft plastics with a slower presentation. I realized I had gathered up a couple of smaller "plopper" type baits in the bag. OK, let's try them out. Yeah, that was fun! It is better on a bait cast reel with the retrieve mechanical advantage. Nice to be able to try things at the no-cost investigation level. 

 

Exploring alternatives can be helpful and it can rejuvenate your angling ambitions. Although my data driven decisions persuade me towards my low and slow approach for better catching rather than just casting practice. Old habits, right?

 

Your mileage may vary, and it should, based on what your spirit guides you to!  Be well, Cheers!

When things are tough especially in summer, I go slow and low.  When I think I’m going slow, I slow down some more.  Many bites happen when the bait is sitting still after a slow drag, or a few settle jerks of the  Rod tip.  If you enter their personal space they will move over to investigate what is there.  It’s not most exciting way to fish but it has saved many day when the usual just is not working, and they are not out chasing!  Favorite spot is the bottom of ledges or straight drop offs close to shallow vegetation.  We have a lot of these in South Florida.

I like topwaters and continuous chunking and winding. I hate catfishing and I'm not really into crappie or panfish because it's kinda boring. One of my favorite baits is a 110 Whopper Plopper because it covers a lot of area quickly. But I've come to realize that letting it soak for a few seconds before retrieving can trigger a strike, either before it moves or right after. So I force myself to be a little more patient. And when nothing else works, I break out the pitching stick and hit every piece of wood in the lake and the holes in lilies and grass. That forces me to slow down a lot. This is also a good way to get quality fish if they'll comply. Big bass are not doing the same things little bass are doing. They're usually not in the same places and don't behave the same.