On 10/13/2025 at 5:03 PM, Susky River Rat said:

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!

Let me add to this but not fishing. 
 

I bowhunted for seven years…seven years! before I ever arrowed a deer. At times I wanted to give up but I refused. I eventually figured out I was going from place to place to place, from stand to stand to stand, and never really learning the land, the deer, the areas they bedded and fed, their routine. And then one trip, after hunting the same stand for a month and learning patterns, it clicked. 
 

Stick to one or two bodies of water. Learn where the bass hide. What they feed on. Focus on the positives and not the negatives. 

3 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

 

Stick to one or two bodies of water. Learn where the bass hide. What they feed on.

 

@PhishLI and @AlabamaSpothunter both advised me to do this back when I was fishing more than a dozen bodies of water. So, I focus on my pond and my pal's pond and doing so has increased my consistency. At my pal's pond, I can land a 19-incher most trips and at my pond, I've finally learned how to land 19-inchers.* So, I'm living proof that sticking to one or two bodies of water puts bigger bass in the boat.

 

 

*The biggest girls at my pond are in the least water. They hunker in gnarly, shadowed backwaters.

Thanks to everyone for all of the replies! I think this thread has been helpful. I am going to go out this week and try some of the items suggested. Finding fish instead of just catching them is going to be the name of the game this fall and into next season. I have been looking at some lake maps of the lakes around here finding points to focus on depending on time of year.  Also I have a new respect for water temperature i never really considered too much before. 

One other thing to ponder. 
 

We all want to catch bass. All of us. But there is so much more to bass fishing than simply catching a bass. It’s the preparation. Selecting the right rods, reels, lines, baits and terminal tackle. Planning the trip. Simply enjoying being out on the water in nature’s beauty. If you become solely fixated on numbers, you miss the rest of the story. The scent of the air and the water. The sounds of water lapping at the hull. The clouds overhead providing shade and shadows on a sunny day. It’s all the sum parts added up that make a great day out on the water. Fishing a Texas rig? Really slow down and “feel” how your bait reacts on rocks, sunken timber, and when you can differences in the bottom, it will help you detect strikes better. 
 

But always remember this: a day fishing with no fish is better than no fishing. On terribly slow days I really focus on my casting accuracy. Never let yourself get distracted by slow days. That one last cast you make to see if you can put that jig right where you want it may be the time you get bit hard. 

19 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

One other thing to ponder. 
 

We all want to catch bass. All of us. But there is so much more to bass fishing than simply catching a bass. It’s the preparation. Selecting the right rods, reels, lines, baits and terminal tackle. Planning the trip. Simply enjoying being out on the water in nature’s beauty. If you become solely fixated on numbers, you miss the rest of the story. The scent of the air and the water. The sounds of water lapping at the hull. The clouds overhead providing shade and shadows on a sunny day. It’s all the sum parts added up that make a great day out on the water. Fishing a Texas rig? Really slow down and “feel” how your bait reacts on rocks, sunken timber, and when you can differences in the bottom, it will help you detect strikes better. 
 

But always remember this: a day fishing with no fish is better than no fishing. On terribly slow days I really focus on my casting accuracy. Never let yourself get distracted by slow days. That one last cast you make to see if you can put that jig right where you want it may be the time you get bit hard. 

I agree 100%. Catching is about 10% of the reason I'm there. Being outside on the water and hanging out with my buddies are the main reasons I love to fish. Catching is a bonus. I am really just wanting to stop getting skunked at this point. I went nuts with rods/reels/tackle a few years ago. I have stepped that back by about 90%. I have 2 or 3 3600 boxes now and 5 rod types (I'll bring 3 medium/fast spinning rods to not have to tie all the time) instead of like 15 and more tackle than I can count.  

Mr. 127, you are really open to learning. I hope we're able to help you.

 

Brian, I love your post.  

If you were going to pick 3-5 baits to really learn what would they be? 

75% of my fishing is : River smallmouth. Generally slow current 2 1.5-2 mph or less most places. green and about 1 foot of visibility is clean to complete chocolate milk. There are boat dock on the river, weed lines. I'd say fairly shallow. 4 feet being average depth. I'll make a little river box and fish that all next season. 

For your clearest conditions, Rapala Skitter Prop topwater, spinnerbaits with willow blades and a shallow crank like a Rapala Flat Rap.  Bonus choice would be a fluke.

For your chocolate milk conditions, Rapala Skitter Prop topwater, spinnerbait with Colorado blade and bladed jig. Bonus would be a lipless with rattles like a Rattlin’ Rapala.

I know it is more than 3-5, but I couldn’t help myself.

Definitely gonna want to master lipless/shallow cranking/spinnerbait/bladed jig/jerkbait.

 

for slowing down, I would try things like a Ned rig or drop shot.

19 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

That one last cast you make to see if you can put that jig right where you want it may be the time you get bit hard.

I joke with myself while fishing, and oddly enough I laugh at my own jokes… maybe I shouldn’t say that out load….. anyway. 
I cast and say that spot is where the next world record is…On optimistic days ,it’s just a double digit.

 
But you just never know where she’ll be hanging out .

@GRiver It wasn’t a DD lol, but my last outing I was determined to catch one more on my last cast. I had seen some splashing activity amongst some roots in the water by the bank and figured if I could place a WR just right there, I’d catch a bass. One cast. Right spot. Bam!