The bass here have become very tight lipped. I got antsy for that tug on the line and drove a bit and did some saltwater pier fishing. After days of trying every kind of lure I knew without luck in the ponds, I was optimistic that things would be easier in the salt.

I got my first rod strung and baited with shrimp and leaned it against the rail, stepped a few yards down the pier and strung up a second rig. Just as I was ready to cast it off the pier, I saw my first rod jerk and then go over the rail and into the water. That reminded me to loosen the drag when fishing multiple rods off a pier, which I did with my second rod and almost immediately I hooked up with a stingray. Much larger than a bass and stronger too. This was followed by a second ray, a few sculpins, a sea bass, a spotted sea trout and a whiting.

Next day I went to a smaller pier and landed three small sharks, a lizard fish and a sculpin, and had a much larger shark on that broke me off. Most of those fish were larger than bass and fought at least as hard. I also enjoyed some fish dinners, something I do not do with bass.

So, why was I eager to get back to fishing for bass, and since then have gone back to the bass despite very little success? Hot, muggy weather, little to no action and I still want to try to catch bass more than to actually catch larger fish in saltwater, with cool ocean breezes to keep me comfortable, and a fresh fish dinner after?

Why do I read other members mention that they only fish for bass; even some who have the means and freedom to do anything they want, fishing or other activities.

What is it with these finny, slimy critters?

Is it because they play hard to get?

Because artificial only bass fishing is a never ending puzzle that engages you in all phases as a human. I have fished my entire 44 years alive and have caught almost everything in my state. I used to be a hardcore steelheader and lived for those chrome bullets.

I've never gotten so hooked on a type of fishing as I have with bass fishing. Putting together a solid day after putting the pieces together is like nothing I've done in fishing. Getting solid keepers and a few good fish is it man. This only applies if you're hungry and driven to make it happen.

Sure, throwing a ned rig or wacky senko every trip will catch you lots of bass, but it won't grab your soul since you're only fishing one thing, and it won't challenge you. I want near constant adversity in my fishing. Some days, I'm lazy and just wanna bang out some fish, so I'll throw a senko and just relax. Most trips, I'm hunting and LIVE for that challenge. A lot of anglers are so scared to not get fish, they won't branch out, which is a shame for them.

Yes, bass fishermen are Prima Donna’s. As are trout, striper, and, increasingly, cat fisherman, and pretty much every non-commercial fisherman, but even some of those. The tug is always the drug, some people just like to get it in different ways or enjoy it more when paying more for it.

@SJS: First off, I love your title.

I love this too:

10 hours ago, SJS said:

So, why was I eager to get back to fishing for bass, and since then have gone back to the bass despite very little success? Hot, muggy weather, little to no action and I still want to try to catch bass more than to actually catch larger fish in saltwater, with cool ocean breezes to keep me comfortable, and a fresh fish dinner after?

You write well, SJS. Sorry you lost an outfit!

58 minutes ago, JonB2 said:

I want near constant adversity in my fishing.

You should fish during hurricanes. Move to Florida and when you look out a window and see this, go fishing:

You don't have to go south. You're young enough to go north into northwestern Ontario's bush country. There you'll find swamps and thickets and whitewater between you and the bass. You'll be scratched and bruised and bit before your first cast.

Now, to answer the question of whether bass are prima Donnas: They are always on the move and one day they'll play with my baits and the next day, they'll gobble them. They're complex.

You decided to try to fool a living being to eat something that’s not real even if it’s not hungry.

The difference is that now you have to think…

Where you go, read what you’re looking at, understand what you’re seeing, what you rig, how you rig it, where you throw it, how you throw it, how you “work it”, how you set, and how you land it.

Mike

3 hours ago, JonB2 said:

Because artificial only bass fishing is a never ending puzzle that engages you in all phases as a human. I have fished my entire 44 years alive and have caught almost everything in my state. I used to be a hardcore steelheader and lived for those chrome bullets.

I've never gotten so hooked on a type of fishing as I have with bass fishing. Putting together a solid day after putting the pieces together is like nothing I've done in fishing. Getting solid keepers and a few good fish is it man. This only applies if you're hungry and driven to make it happen.

Sure, throwing a ned rig or wacky senko every trip will catch you lots of bass, but it won't grab your soul since you're only fishing one thing, and it won't challenge you. I want near constant adversity in my fishing. Some days, I'm lazy and just wanna bang out some fish, so I'll throw a senko and just relax. Most trips, I'm hunting and LIVE for that challenge. A lot of anglers are so scared to not get fish, they won't branch out, which is a shame for them.

This! This was so well said. I have a pond and a lake I can go to and catch 1 pounders all day easily. Sure it’s fun. And scratches an itch. But there is nothing like a ride through the middle of no where to the lake and having to think And hunt for fish.