I've spent the last few days in deep thought trying to decide whether or not I really wanted to post this but here it goes. I am a terrible fisherman. When I say terrible fisherman. I mean I probably catch  20 about year. That’s in an entire season. We spend a lot of time in the river/lakes The bigger question I have is why and how do I improve? That’s purpose of this post. Not to be negative but just focusing how to improve. 

 

About me: I'm 36, been fishing about 11 years. Still can't say I've improved much at all. I live just South of Indianapolis and fish mainly White river:  Broad Ripple Park. We also fish about 1/2 a dozen lakes throughout the state at different times of the year. I own a boat with spot lock and a garmin 73sv. I have no idea how to use the depth finder. Learning that will be step 1. I list this because I wanted y’all to know I’m not just fishing the bank. 
 

We REALLY struggle to find the fish. I’d say this is my biggest hang up. 
 

we are using lures that cover the entire water column. Ned rigs, poppers, swim baits, inline spinners, blade baits, bitsy jigs, whopper poppers, senkos rigged about 10 different ways, tubes, frogs, top water rats, square bills etc, soft crawls. 
 
i will research the new lake we’re going to before we go out to find lures that match the primary bait fish: I also try to have an idea of the spots I want to fish before I go out. I’ll target specific coves etc on google maps. It’s pretty much 1 fish or no fish most days. 

 

I have to disagree with your use of "terrible" fisherman! No such thing! There is more skilled and less skilled. There are no right ways to fish and no wrong ways to fish. There is only what works and what does not. So you are in no way a terrible fisherman. You are an in progress fisherman working your way from less skilled to more skilled and may fall somewhere in between. I think we all tend to fit this same description.

 

The fact that you want to improve skills tells me you are a great fisherman on your way! Only the fish are not cooperating with this narrative much of the time.

 

Next, The electronics is not a way to measure your fishing skills. Spot lock is not a fishing skill. Looking at some electronics screen is not a fishing skill. I believe a fishing skill is when you pick up a rod and reel and use some sort of artificial lure that you use your knowledge and muscle controls to try and make that lure come alive so you can fool fish into thinking it is something to eat. When you accomplish this, you are becoming a more skilled fisherman.

 

The electronics in my opinion is not a fishing skill at all. They are simply tools that help you use your fishing skills.

 

I think one of the best ways to improve as a fishermen and increase your skill level is to research your area. Research your bodies of water. Research the fish in those bodies of water that you choose to try and catch. Then research what it is they feed on and when, and then you simply try and fit yourself into the fish's natural habits and feeding choices and I bet your ability to catch more fish will improve.

 

So rather than have a negative perspective, I would try and turn it around to a positive perspective and find that path to improving skill levels based on what your local area is showing you. Let it teach you. Pay attention to Nature itself. Observation is one of the greatest teachers.

 

Today at 61 I no longer use any electronics. I recently gave away my Lowrance dual sonar to another member here because I never use it. Its just my boat, a trolling motor with no spot lock, and my tackle. I go forth and conquer the few fish I catch doing it the same way my grandfather and father did. I find this to be most enjoyable and most satisfying.

 

Spending time looking at screens and playing around with all the gizmos and gadgets is not fishing and is actually taking away from fishing. Getting back to old school fishing and sweeping all the new modern electronics aside and getting in touch with Nature will be the fastest path to increasing your skill levels.

 

And I also prefer to fish the edges or shallow waters of my lakes. I find that most of the fish I catch are in 8 feet of water or less- primarily because most of the lakes I fish are dishpan lakes and usually less than 20 feet deep. So the shallows tend to be very productive indeed.

 

I'd say concentrate on the science to the fish in your area. Learn their secrets and how they live and feed and then just fit yourself into their known patterns and fool every fish you can into the boat. Practice makes perfect, and it improves with time, patience and determined persistence.

What lures do you like to throw and what do you throw them on? As an example two techniques I struggled with was the bladed jig and the frog… until I bought the right rods to fish them. That’s not to say every techniques requires a special rod but I truly believe both of those do. 
 

Over the weekend I taught my buddy how to fish a weightless t rigged Senko style worm.. do you ever throw such a rig? Guaranteed fish catcher.

My first question would be are you really terrible or are you just not living up to unrealistic expectations.   

 

If you are really are terrible you are probably fishing in the wrong places.  I think too many people focus on lures and equipment.  The first step is finding the fish.  The second step is figuring out how to catch them.  No amount of improvement in step two will overcome failure in step 1. 

11 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

My first question would be are your really terrible or are you just not living up to unrealistic expectations.   

 

Exactly this. Are you catching fish? If so, you are objectively not terrible. Can we all improve?  Of course, that's what's awesome about this hobby. I'm better now than I was six months ago and I'll be even better a year from now.

 

I don't know your actual situation, but if you're comparing yourself to what you see on YouTube, TV, or social media then you're dooming yourself to unhappiness. That footage is them editing down days of fishing to the coolest few minutes and/or them fishing stocked lakes that see few anglers. You intentionally don't see when they skunk, miss bites, or get hung up.

 

And, that's not because they want to just entertain you. It's perfect fishing because it's meant to make you feel bad so you buy the products they are sponsored by in hopes of being like the highly manipulated footage you just saw. They got sponsored because that process works and moves product, even if you're aware of what's happening to you. Only compare yourself to who you were yesterday or the last time you went out. And, maybe close friends you know that genuinely want to help you learn. 

 

We also all have bad days on the water. This morning I snapped my St. Croix rod trying to horse a big bass onto an elevated deck. It made me mad. It doesn't make me terrible,  does make me wiser and gives me a fun story to tell over drinks.

1 hour ago, jitterbug127 said:

 I am a terrible fisherman. 

 

Define terrible fisherman.

 

Why do you think this?

I was in the middle of posting in this and got interrupted. I wanted to elaborate more in the op. 

I can't say that I'm any more skilled at fishing than you are, so I'm just commenting to say that I've learned to approach fishing as simply as possible:

 

1. Find the fish. Simple but not easy. Covering water has been a valuable tactic for me.

2. Once found, figure out how to get them to bite. Also simple, also not easy. I prefer to be more minimalistic in this process, rotating through macro category presentations: topwaters, mid-column swimmers, & bottom contact lures. If they don't bite my default lures for those categories then I refine to either alternative lure profiles within those categories, or vary speeds/pauses. There isn't much rhyme or reason to my color selections, it's more instinctual. But I might change up to an alternate color depending on water clarity, cloudy/sunny conditions, or if I'm getting bites but the bass aren't really committed to eating the bait. 

 

Using live shiners can be a real fun way to kickstart things. If you aren't sure/confident in lure selection and feel like you're blindly covering water but missing fish because you're using the wrong presentation, try live bait. They just about always bite live bait. 

When you come back from an outing, ask a guy that is also coming back from fishing with a few fish and who's boat is not as nice as yours to go with you next time out.  He'll say yes.  It will be an eye opener.

 

Either you will see that your expectations are to high or that you need to fish differently.

Is hiring a fishing guide a possibility?   Might help you learn new places and techniques. 
 

or it tempers your expectations and shows you what terrible is or isn’t. 

@jitterbug127 If you are a "terrible" fisherman then you only can improve!  Some TOP NOTCH advice from the commetators here!

8 minutes ago, Reel said:

When you come back from an outing, ask a guy that is also coming back from fishing with a few fish and who's boat is not as nice as yours to go with you next time out.  He'll say yes.  It will be an eye opener.

 

Either you will see that your expectations are to high or that you need to fish differently.

To find a boat not a nice as mine would be a treat: I’ve got a 1987 smoker craft with floors that need replaced. 😂

 

I do like the idea though. A guide has really crossed my mind. 

1 hour ago, TheSwearingAngler said:

What lures do you like to throw and what do you throw them on? As an example two techniques I struggled with was the bladed jig and the frog… until I bought the right rods to fish them. That’s not to say every techniques requires a special rod but I truly believe both of those do. 
 

Over the weekend I taught my buddy how to fish a weightless t rigged Senko style worm.. do you ever throw such a rig? Guaranteed fish catcher.

I have 5 combos I use for most of my bass fishing 

 

Ml xf spinning for light finesse 

m xf spinning for other single wire hooks 

6.2:1 m moderate treble hooks 

8.5:1 mh moderate other treble hooks, spinner baits, buzz baits, chatter baits etc 

7.1:1 heavy fast for the big ones. 
 

braid on spinning, 14 mono on the baitcasters, 50 lb braid on my heavy rod. 

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

My first question would be are your really terrible or are you just not living up to unrealistic expectations.   

 

If you are really are terrible you are probably fishing in the wrong places.  I think too many people focus on lures and equipment.  The first step is finding the fish.  The second step is figuring out how to catch them.  No amount of improvement in step two will overcome failure in step 1. 

That’s where I was going with my post. I’ve added to it since original. I am awful at finding the fish. Like we REALLY struggle to find fish at all. Once I find the we can normally catch ok. Finding is a really bad struggle. 

57 minutes ago, Rucksack said:

 

Exactly this. Are you catching fish? If so, you are objectively not terrible. Can we all improve?  Of course, that's what's awesome about this hobby. I'm better now than I was six months ago and I'll be even better a year from now.

 

I don't know your actual situation, but if you're comparing yourself to what you see on YouTube, TV, or social media then you're dooming yourself to unhappiness. That footage is them editing down days of fishing to the coolest few minutes and/or them fishing stocked lakes that see few anglers. You intentionally don't see when they skunk, miss bites, or get hung up.

 

And, that's not because they want to just entertain you. It's perfect fishing because it's meant to make you feel bad so you buy the products they are sponsored by in hopes of being like the highly manipulated footage you just saw. They got sponsored because that process works and moves product, even if you're aware of what's happening to you. Only compare yourself to who you were yesterday or the last time you went out. And, maybe close friends you know that genuinely want to help you learn. 

 

We also all have bad days on the water. This morning I snapped my St. Croix rod trying to horse a big bass onto an elevated deck. It made me mad. It doesn't make me terrible,  does make me wiser and gives me a fun story to tell over drinks.

I’m catching about 15-20

fish for an entire season. 

15 minutes ago, jitterbug127 said:

I’m catching about 15-20

fish for an entire season. 

 

You catch 15-20 fish for the whole year?

 

Or 15-20 an outing?

15 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

You catch 15-20 fish for the whole year?

 

Or 15-20 an outing?

Like an entire year. 

I probably fish 30 times a season. I get skunked 15-20 of those. 

Im thinking learn to use my electronics and work on improving my casting accuracy. How do yall like to find fish? My approach has been top water, middle, bottom of water column. I look for current and isolated structur (on river). I face boat into the current and work a spot over with several casts.  We’ll drift down river and We just don’t get bit that much. 

Thanks for the clarity. I get why that would be frustrating. There could be a lot going on here. The first is you could be fishing unproductive or dead water. That's a whole other conversation.

 

A couple observations. You've got a LOT of gear. Multiple specialized rods, a boat, and electronics. It sounds counter-intuitive, but I think that's part of the issue. All of those elements have their own individual skill ramps to get productive with. I say ignore the electronics and drop down to a single rod and presentation you're going to work for the entire trip. Get really good with that and catch fish routinely before you add another element in. Crankbaits are awesome this time of year, for example, so maybe start there.

 

You write you cast several time before moving on. I say really work your cover and spots a lot more. Really force yourself to slow down. Try tripling your number of casts before moving. Focus on really picking stuff apart. 

 

Finally I don't know how you're handling your boat, but engine noise can spook bass so can getting too close to where you're casting. Stay further back and really throttle down as you approach. Also, if you're playing music turn that off. Same goes for your casting. Really work on quieter presentations, as silent as you can be. 

 

And a guide who you hire with the understanding that you're trying to get learned up on some techniques could do wonders. I have learned a ton each guided trip I've booked!

 

PS

 

How am I finding fish? That's a huge other conversation. I did a lot of research on bass behavior. I look for birds, minnows, and ambush points. I take into account the current weather and the previous few days weather. I use zero electronics. 

 

But I think the general thing to just ask yourself is "if I were a bass trying to ambush a fish, while not getting eaten by a bird myself, where would I be?" and look around to see what matches that description. Narrow points. Old trees. Overhanging cover. Docks. Lillypads, etc. 

Awesome! Thanks for the advice. I generally take 2 rods to the river. My medium/xtra fast rod and my medium/moderate for all my smallmouth fishing. Ned rig get a lot of time for me because I can straighten out the hook a little when I get caught up: I really like tubes as well. All my treble hooks go on the medium moderate at the river.  I am a lot more comfortable in shallow water than deep water. So far depth and maps is the only thing I’ve used the electronics for.

we had a guide take us out last year 1 time on a river about 3 hours north of me. I caught a BUNCH of fish that day and I didn’t do anything different than I normally do. Guide was able to put me on fish and we boated them. It made me think my casting and techniques not all that bad. I just really struggle to find fish. 

Sounds to me like you are doing to much. Fishing to many different bodies of water. Trying to rush around and find fish. Use to many different bait options. Fish the bodies of water small.
 

I’d cut your bodies of water in half and the river in small stretches.  Slow it down. I do not mean retrieve speed. Pick about 3-5 baits and learn them. 
 

boat position, using your electronics will help you catch more fish. It’s 100% a skill to learn. Once you get the above handled better the boat and electronics will come. Do not try to learn everyone all in one trip. You never will. 
 

Build your confidence first!

3 hours ago, jitterbug127 said:

Like an entire year. 

I probably fish 30 times a season. I get skunked 15-20 of those. 

Those numbers are really low. I would say it’s not a reflection on your fishing skills though. If you are fishing that often and still experiencing those results, the fish aren’t there in good numbers.

 

I would focus on on some new water. Does your state post population survey numbers? Focus on lakes and rivers that have better populations of bass.

I agree with @Susky River Rat, and the water I’d focus on is the White River.  It is known to have a healthy population of bass.  You have the equipment for it.  Focus on it.  Learn it.  Learn how the fish live in it.  IMO, nothing compares to river fishing for smallmouth.

“SLOW DOWN”

Texas rig some worms or creatures, work along the shore line, hunt for cover or shade lines. 

Use curly tail or straight, green pumpkin, watermelon, junebug, and some variation of red. Tequila sunrise, plum, red Shad. 
Enjoy the day…

 

I’m going to give you a piece of advice that may not make sense at first but when you figure it out it will blow your mind. It’s something that I have been working on.

 

The key to finding fish is eliminating unproductive water. That means different things in different lakes in different times of the year. There are lots of videos on this. Too often I looked at maps looking for sweet spots instead of eliminating large areas of unproductive water.

 

Second, in a boat or kayak the temptation is to run and gun. If you’re in what should be a productive spot and don’t get a bite in a dozen casts or don’t see fish on electronics it’s easy to pick up and move.

 

But productive spots are not productive every minute of the day. Bass can be hit and run feeders, waiting a distance away before they make their move to feed. If the bait is there, the bass will show up. Your timing of being there just may be off.

 

This is something that I have to keep reminding myself.

I went yesterday and had a good day fishing from a little plastic one man boat. I met four bass boats on the 200 acre lake. Two of those boats were having a good day too. Those guys knew what they were doing. They were making good proficient cast. One guy was even skipping baits. The other two boats were not catching anything . Those guys were horrible casters. .Lobbing baits clumsily  at targets. I see this a lot. I dont know if thats your case or  not but it often is with people I see.

@jitterbug127 my experience on rivers is somewhat limited but I fish them enough to have some kind of an idea of what to look for.

 

In an environment where current is constant, you really have to fish the changes.

 

Are there times where the river slacks off?  Times where it gets more turbulent?

 

Does your river change water levels or clarity?  What is the predominant form of cover available to fish on the river?  What the secondary form of cover?  Have you tried planning to fish nasty days instead of nice days ever?  Have you tried very early or very late in the day?

 

 

 

With regard to bait selection - I tend to let the cover pick the bait for me - I don’t really pick my baits.  I just fish what efficiently deflects off or through the cover at various speeds and depths.  If I need to go very very fast on the bottom - I’m not gonna fish a jig or lipless or bladed jig or worm - I’m gonna need a deep diving crankbait.  If they’re loaded in grass that you can see on the surface - my deep crank is not useful.  If they’re on the bottom in the grass I’ll need a heavy pegged t rig, if they’re eating near the surface in the grass I might do a fluke or frog twitched or popped or burned or even dead sticked to see what speed they want it and efficiently target them in the grass etc.

 

those who are telling you to simplify bait selection are very very smart.

 

if you can find lures that allow you to more efficiently search the heavy cover on your river - you might see more success.

 

If you can figure out where they like to spawn, they’re never far from those areas 365 days a year (at least a substantial percentage of them he population of bass).

 

My experience on rivers is that you really have to locate the preferred structures.  There can be miles of river with no fish and then you find a deep hole with timber and shad loaded in it and get bit on every cast.

 

Bass are easy to find - they’re in heavy cover around bait.

 

You need to learn to find bait!  Bait is easier to find with your eyes and your ears than with a lure.  Electronics can definitely help but I really like to see bait with my eyes.

 

One more thing to add that has proven to be incredibly helpful time and time again with every lure category - don’t be afraid to go looney tunes fast or dead slow with your bait even within the same cast - always intentionally and deliberately explore extremes with regards to speed and depth and even size of bait to some degree - it can be the difference between 1 fish and 10 fish in the same spot as someone else at the same time.

 

first realize what is a good day on the waters you fish. not every body of water can pump out 20 pounds a day.second try to identify the type of lakes you have.Natural lake . highland reservoir, lowland reservoir etc. and the forage base that is in the lakes. also I think you got good advice above focus on 1 or 2 lakes and the river.As far as your electronics i use mine to find structure and cover more than fish. if i have a likely structure fir the time of year with cover on it in a reasonable depth zone for the season and theres bait around i fish it. Also as stated above find a couple moving bait techniques you are comfortable with and a couple slower techniques your comfortable with and focus on those. locating the fish is often more important than lure choice. hiring a guide is a good idea nit so much to catch a bunch of fish but to learn Why the guide is fishing where he is in general terms not neccesarilly the exact spot. Lastly im not an expert but i have improved alot in the last 10 years or so.